Always Go Back (Jack Reacher Fanfiction)

Chapter 16: Escape

"It's going to be freezing out there," complained Molly as she prowled around with Sage, looking for a way out before someone came looking for them.

Sage moved a few boards around that were covering holes, but there was no way he could actually make it through with his size and body weight. "I didn't know you complained so much."

"I don't! I just don't like the cold and I'm pretty sure it's below freezing out there," complained Molly as she gave her fur a meaningful shake.

Sage continued to stalk forward, testing each crevice, crack, and opening that he could find. Most of them were dead ends, or at least they weren't big enough for someone of Sage's stature to actually be able to fit. Molly might have been able to wriggle through, but he didn't want her out on her own. She had never been on her own, or outside. She had always been cooped inside and used. that wasn't the lift he wanted for her.

"Are we close," pleaded Molly as she angled her ears. "I hear people starting to arrive. We have to go now!"

"I know. I know. I just need to find a place and-" He trailed off as he looked over to a few strips of plywood. It appeared that the flood had almost caved in and someone had done a quick fix. That could work.

He bounded over and felt how loose and wet these boards were from the constant snow and ice. Sage was able to stand on it and it dipped under his weight. He smiled, showing his teeth before he gripped the plywood in his teeth and started to pull strand from strand from this wood.

Molly joined his eyes and the two began to furiously tear, rip, and pull all of the plywood so that they could fit through. The wood was wet and that made it much easier. It was the only time that Sage would be thankful for the snow.

They broke through and Sage felt his paw collide with something cold and wet. He recoiled his paw and lifted it up as tiny particles clung to it. "Snow."

"Snow," Molly nearly yelped. "I've never seen snow before!"

"It's just of like ice's brother. You know, the brother that tells you that we have to move," Sage snapped. He didn't have time to stare at the snow in awe.

Molly seemed to get the hint as she plunged forward. Mud seeped into her once beautiful golden pelt as she dragged herself through the tiny tunnel and out of the warehouse. She rolled in the snow as soon as she was outside while Sage leaped after her before she found herself in some sort of trouble.

"Okay, police station," agreed Sage with his eyes swiveling around. He tried to scent the air, but it was just too cold. He shivered with his fur puffing out as he looked over to Molly.

Molly squinted her eyes and looked at the ground. "There's got to be something, somewhere that resembles a police station, right," she sympathized.

"That's an awful plan," scolded Sage before Molly hung her head in defeat. "But, that's about the best plan that I've heard to far, so let's try it out."

They walked side by side and put as much distance with the awful warehouse as possible. Sage looked at everyone different. Were they looking for dogs to fight? Were they going to a fight? Everything that he had learned about everything just seemed to turn dark.

"Hey, cheer up, we're out," giggled Molly as she touched her nose to his ear. "I was in there for years! Outside is so beautiful," she gushed as she walked through a clump of snow despite the cold.

Molly's good mood seemed to rub off at least a big on Sage. They were out and they were going to find police somehow and then he would find Skylar. That was in a perfect world, though, and he was figuring out that were was no perfect world anymore.

Snow started to fall a little heavier and Sage was having a harder and harder time seeing. However, if anything, Molly's senses seemed to be honed for this whether. She was picking up scents when Sage thought they were nothing or didn't smell them to begin with. She was just made for this whether.

"Hmmm, I smell something to eat."

"Focus, Molly," joked Sage as he flicked his tail against her shoulder. "Smell anything of importance?"

"Importance?" Molly laughed as she laughed her tail against the ground. "Everything is important, Sage. But, the snow is making it a lot harder for me to see or smell anything."

"You're not the only one."

Grief weighed on his shoulders, but he couldn't think that way. There was hope to see his mate again and save all of those dogs who had been wrongly treated their entire lives. It wasn't right in the slightest.

They stopped at a small connivence store before Sage lifted his head. He saw something flashing and hoped that it was a police station. He wasn't very sure from this angle.

"Follow me," he growled over his back as he stepped down from the sideway and marched into the streets. Molly was right behind and Sage was almost across before he heard the rumbling of a car.

He turned and looked in alarm at Molly. She froze and was looking at the headlight as if she was going to be killed. Molly was a little bit of a larger dog, but that didn't mean that a car going at this speed wouldn't kill her. The car couldn't see her because of her pelt and they certainly wouldn't see Sage.

In a split second Sage leaped forward. Her reared on his hind legs and thrust his paws against Molly's shoulder. Molly rolled out of the way, but the car slammed into Sage. Sage gritted his teeth in pain before he rolled sideways on the roar. He felt his shoulder creak and twist and he prayed that it was dislocated. That was the worst.

"Sage!"

Molly darted over and stood fretfully over Sage. Her paws thundered against the ground in alarm. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I didn't realize! I didn't know what that was coming toward me and-"

"It........sssss.........s'alright," slurred Sage. as he massaged his aching head. Everything ached, but especially his head and his shoulder, thanks to how he landed.

Molly tilted her head. "It doesn't sound so alright," she nearly snapped as she nudged his cheek affectionately. "I'll uh-"

She couldn't get help. They were on their own.

Suddenly, the car pulled off the road and parked. Molly whimpered before he stood protectively over Sage. She knew that she wasn't the fiercest looking dog, but she could do the job if she needed to. She had used to fight before she became a mother.

She arched her back in a warning snarl as a women in her mid thirties with auburn hair and glasses stepped forward. She looked at Molly and Molly continued to bare her teeth.

"Get back! Get back!"

The women couldn't understand Molly, but she knew better than to come over to Molly. Molly snapped her jaws dangerously close to the women and the women leaped back.

A man stepped out after the women and he froze as he looked at Molly. His gaze traveled over to Sage, who lay sort of limp, but he was still conscious.

Molly made her move to leap forward, but Sage shot out his paw to grasp hers. Molly staggered back and looked over to Sage. "What are you doing?!"

Sage's eyes shone before he struggled to prop himself up next to Molly. "Reacher!"