Escaping the End

Chapter 22

Klara ran through the woods as fast as she could, the dress and shoes impeded her movement, but her determination was strong enough. She could hear the stomping of the loud hiking boots behind her and they were gaining fast. As least it was dark out, the man pursuing her wouldn't be able to catch as easily as he could in the light and he didn't have any other light source on him for whatever reason.

Klara soon came upon a hole underneath a large tree and she squeezed herself inside. The dress was snagged and ripped, but no damage that hadn't already been done by running or squeezing herself in and out of that cave. Once inside the hole, she slipped off her shoes and threw them out hoping the noise would cause her pursuer to go in the wrong direction. This seemed to work at first as the thumping followed the noise from the shoes and off into the distance.

Klara let out a long held breath of air and calmed herself down as she curled into a ball. She was scared and couldn't protect herself the way Mila or Tamara could, the most she could do was hold onto the hope she would find everyone again despite how slim those chances were. She closed her eyes and let herself slip into sweet dreams of her parents and about how anything had seemed possible when she had been with everyone else. She would have died without them and she held onto the hope that Tamara was okay and would escape again so she could apologize for leaving her behind.

The soft and beautiful sun rays drifting outside of the tree were interrupted when the loud thumping of the hiking boots returned. Klara woke up and immediately started to panic at the sound, pulling at her dress desperate to keep it out of sight. This didn't help as a large hand shot into the tree and grabbed Klara's arm before trying to force her out. She screamed in pain, but that didn't stop the man.

Amidst the noise Klara stopped and managed to squeak out, "If you stop I'll come out, I'll come out!"

The hand immediately stopped and drew back, and Klara could hear as he shuffled to move out of her way. Slowly, Klara crawled out and as soon as her arms and head were out, the man shot his hands forward and grabbed Klara's shoulders. Klara flinched, afraid she would be beat before taken into the nasty places for the unworthy. Instead, the man let go and apologized for being so ruff with her catching Klara completely off guard.

"I know, I know. Don't take the suit at face value, I am not here to hurt you or anything. I am actually here to warn you and that group you were with about the Governor's plans," the man said in a hushed and calming voice.

Klara allowed herself to calm down a little and hear this man out, she had only run away from him because of the swat team uniform he was wearing. He hadn't even said anything to her, she just woke up and the first person she saw was him, so she ran.

"Alright, but how did you find me in the cave? I went back in after I heard some shouting," she questioned him.

He nodded, "Yes, but the Governor personally trained me to be perspective. I saw the snagged and ripped pieces of fabric at the mouth even though it was hidden pretty well. I stopped following the Governor after I saw the destruction of the outside world before you ask," he explained hastily before picking Klara up and placing her on his back.

Klara tried to protest but that man said they would move faster and there wasn't as big a chance she would get hurt if they did this. Klara couldn't really argue with him, even Ashton had to carry her because she was either being too slow, too tired, or too injured to do anything herself. She knew she had caused a lot of problems for everyone, but she still wanted to get back to them as quickly as possible.

"Don't worry, I have been trailing your friends and I have an idea of where we can go to meet them next," the man said almost as if he had been reading her mind.

Klara closed her eyes to keep from crying, "Good, you better get me to them quick," was the last thing she said for several hours.

The next time Klara bothered to check her surroundings was when the man abruptly stopped. Klara lurched in confusion and fear before looking ahead of her but there wasn't anything she could see that would cause interest.

She bent her head down and whispered to the man, "Why have we stopped?"

He tilted his head towards her, "Why are you whispering? I think I have found your group sooner than planned so be ready."

"I was whispering because you stopped and seemed to be really tense. That is signaling for everyone to be quiet and be ready for what?" Klara huffed in frustration.

That man seemed to have just as much frustration, "Oh I don't know. Maybe because the last time I met a rebel, she ran away from me. These people have weapons and aren't scared little mice!"

"Call me a mouse one more time! I may not be able to fight, but I have more brains at fourteen than you have in your forty whatever years of life," Klara yelled into the man's ear well aware it would be painful for him.

"I'm only thirty-one!" the man yelled back, dropping Klara onto the hard ground of the forest floor.

Klara stood up and glared at the man but turned her attention to the bushes when she heard the leaves rustling. The man just watched her in confusion as she cautiously approached the bush and moved the leaves aside. There was nothing in the bushes, but Klara knew what was happening as soon as the leaves were moved. She quickly jumped into the bush just as gunshots were fired, though none flew in her direction.

The man bolted over to the bush and pulled Klara out after about six shots had been fired and held her in front of him. Klara kicked and screamed for him to let her go, but he wouldn't budge.

"Look, look at her! She traveled with you right? Right!" He desperately called out to the silent forest.

"Put me down!" Klara cried one last time before biting the man's hand as hard as she could.

The man winced in pain, but would let go of her, "I have some information regarding the Governor, please come out so I can talk to you peacefully. I understand I don't look trustworthy, but I brought this girl back to you. She isn't even hurt!"

Silence followed for about two minutes before Mila slowly edged out of the bushes to their right, "Give Klara back," was the only words that came out of her mouth.