Cold Brew and Bullets (Part 1 of the Syndicate Series)

Chapter 13- Holding On

Eliana:

I wasn't going to make it out of the forest before nightfall. I could already feel it, the numbness seeping into my bones and the tiredness in my brain. The sun was already dimming, painting the fall sky with oranges and pinks, but among the trees it was almost green. Every crack of a tree branch, every footstep I heard, I thought it was one of them coming after me. I had to constantly remind myself that it was just me making the sounds.

Scarlette's jacket was a mercy against the cold, but once it was dark it wouldn't be able to help much. There was a whole other problem once I got back to a civilization- I was in my underwear, bra, a jacket, and her flats. There was still glass in my feet from when the men dropped me onto the shattered bottle, and even if they were numb and protected from the ground, the glass was going to be wedged deeper into my body with every step. If I came across other people in a bad part of town, in the middle of the night, halfway to naked, there would be more problems. I couldn't just stop a cop and get help either, there would be too many questions and they could still be looking for me.

During the robbery and hospital visit, I had given them the name Eliana North, who I considered myself to be now. They hadn't said anything, so the fake identification I acquired a few years ago seemed to be holding up better than I thought, but I didn't want to press that theory or give them a chance to get a photo. Even if they didn't put it through facial recognition software, someone could see it in circulation and recognize me.

My panting filled the air as I leaned against a tree. The overwhelming temptation told me to lay there and go to sleep, to just give in. The rational part of my mind was trying to claw its way back up, to tell me that it wasn't safe, and even if I had managed to lose them a while back, which I doubted, the hypothermia would set in soon.

Come on, Eliana. You didn't make it through all of that alive just to die alone with the squirrels. Keep going. Left foot, right foot. Left foot, right foot.

In some miracle, my self coaching worked. I was moving again, although stumbling was a more accurate description. Not having looked at a clock for what I guessed was about a week, my concept of time was messed up. I couldn't have even guessed how many hours it was until I left behind the rest of the trees, but it had become pitch black.

Where the tree line ended, a road cut between them and a row of small houses. I had found civilization. I tossed the idea around in my head of knocking on a door, seeing if anyone could help, but that was risky. I didn't want police. I also didn't want to put anyone in any trouble. My apartment wasn't a viable option any more, that was for sure. They could track me back there and my whole escape would be pointless.

My years of living on the streets had started to kick in. The first step was to find somewhere warm, but I didn't even know where I was. Even if I could get out of this rain and the elements, temperatures had already begun to plummet. The air itself would freeze me if I stayed outside. I could try to scout out a warehouse or abandoned building like I used to stay in, but I also didn't want to walk up to a group of people dressed like I was. Some of them were nice and helpful, others weren't. I didn't want to run into a territorial pack like this.

It would help if I knew where I was. The road must have led into a town, but since I was unconscious when they took me, I couldn't be sure where I was or how far we had travelled. They could have driven for hours and I wouldn't know better. My best bet was to follow the road to a more populated area, where I was more likely to find someone or something to help me.

I stayed back behind the trees, hiding from the headlights of people who might pass, but it was growing late enough that the cars were thinning out. It was almost impossible to tell how long I'd been walking before I came across lights again, this time it seemed like a well lit hiking path. The sign labeling it made me pause.