ESCAPE

“Come on Emma this is not the time to slow down hurry!!” Beccah knew they were going to be caught any second if they ran any slower.

“We are almost there, we can’t slow down now”. Beccah dragged Emma with her freehand and ran like never before. The other hand was tightly clutching a mini backpack. They were both out of breath when they reached the fence. They had no idea where they were headed but they had to get out of there.

“All we have to do now is climb over this fence; there should be a main road around here somewhere. We can search for help at the nearest police station. Those men can’t be too far from here, we can’t waste any more time. You are going to have to climb up first , come let me help you up, we don’t have much time” Beccah said in haste

“I can’t do it, the fence is too high. I’m scared of climbing tall things. Maybe we can look for another route, there should another way out of here somewhere.” Emma replied visibly shaken

“Look at me, you’re right, maybe there is another way of getting out of here okay, Babe we don’t have the time do you hear me!!! If those men find us, we are as good as dead. We didn’t come all this way to die in the middle of nowhere. I know you are scared but so am I, but if had to choose between fear and life right now, I would chose life. Pull yourself together this is not the time to be having doubts, I don’t know about you but I am not spending the rest of my life slaving away for some sick twisted psychopath out there who only god knows has in store for us. We have to hurry okay” Beccah said now shedding tears.

“Okay I will do it, I’m sorry I know you also having a tough time, and I’m making it all about me”

They shared a brief hug and started their journey climbing the fence. Beccah helped Emma climb up first while she followed closely behind. They were halfway through when they heard gunshots sounding off in the distance nearing the fence.

“Go, Go”!! Beccah urged Emma. 'Just a little bit more and we will be over the fence'. Emma tried her best climbing faster than before, she felt a nudge on her butt down below, she knew Beccah was urging her to go fast. She closed her eyes, and grabbed the fence tighter climbing faster than before. Emma and Beccah both reached the top of the fence safely.

“We jump on three got it?” Beccah asked Emma

“Okay” Emma replied

They counted to three and jumped off the fence, they both landed with heavy thuds on the grass. ‘I think I just broke my leg’, Beccah whimpered.

Emma quickly stood and rushed to help Beccah up , she took the backpack and lifted her freehand placing it  at over her shoulder, and lifted her up gently. Beccah stood up slowly with a limp.

“I would hold it right there if I were you girls!! “

The sound of a gun clicking made Emma and Beccah freeze in their steps. They could recognize that voice from a mile away, It was Beans the Boss’ trusted gunman. They were not sure if Beans was his legal name or not, but Beans was the true definition of madness, just like his name, one look at his eyes you could tell he was soulless. That added with the ugly scar that ran from his forehead across his eye, could make anyone shit in their pants.

“Now turn around slowly both of yaaa, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You little c**** thought you could fool Beans yeh. I’m going to teach the both of you a lesson you feel me? You don’t get away from Beans that easy you hear?” Beans said his German accent heavily showing out.

Emma felt like dying on the spot, they had almost made it. She knew once they turned back, their life was going to be a living hell. She looked over at Beccah, she looked pale with fright. They both knew the inevitable; their lives were over.

“Time is ticking girlies; I don’t got all day yeh know. Why don’t you both be dolls and climb over the fence real quick all right. Imma count from twelve now, Twelve…..

“When he gets to five we both run okay, don’t look back just run. We cannot go back there, you know very well what will happen if we go back with Beans. Whatever happens from this moment forward just know that I love you, you are like the; little sister I never had” Beccah said with tears in her eyes.

Emma nodded in agreement; she had a hunch they would both die trying to escape. She took comfort in knowing that they would die side by side with Beccah.  She hoped they would die rather than be captured and taken back to that prison of a warehouse.

“Six….”

“Anytime now”, Beccah whispered.

“Run,” Beccah said dragging Emma’s hand while running towards the bushes. Emma wondered what had happened to Beccah’s injured leg; she guessed it was the adrenaline that one gets when they are faced with a death and life situation.  

They heard the gunshots start to go off, and ran even faster. Emma felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise when a bullet flew over her head. She heard Beccah suck in a hiss and looked back at her.

“Keep moving, I’m fine” Beccah replied.

They reached the cover of the bushes and kept running. Emma had never felt so much adrenaline pumping through her veins before, this was their only way to freedom. She could feel trees cutting through her bare skin. Her arms and legs were now full of cuts.

The pain she felt from stepping on little rocks pierced right through her shoes. Studying Beccah’s haggard and dirty looking appearance she could tell she didn’t look any better. They hadn’t had a bath in days and strangely enough that was the least of her problems. She found it strange how the things she had considered once important before in her life meant so little, she would never look at life the same way again.

“Emma wait! She heard Beccah say

“But Beans and those men, they will find us and kill us; I don’t want to die anymore. We can escape now” Emma said slowing down

“Damn right you can, I’m proud if you look at you finally getting that courage huh?” Beccah smiled at Emma

“Of course we can” Emma posed, “wait do you mean I can?”  Beechs, she suddenly called out turning to look at her friend dread feeling her whole body.

Emma felt her world collapsing right in front of her when she saw Beccah collapse near a tree.

“So that happened” Beccah said laughing with a wince, “turns out I got shot when we were running, kudos to me though because I have superhuman strength, who runs with two bullet wounds in their back” Beccah could feel her strength leaving her with each passing minute.

“No” Emma screamed rushing to Beccah’s side, how could she miss the signs, she quickly tried to unbutton Beccah’s blouse with trembling hands, she could feel her eyes starting to get glossy, If only she could just reach and try to take the bullets out.

“Emma stop” Beccah said placing her hands on top of Emma’s to halt her movements, her  t-shirt was dripping with blood. The bullets had pierced through her skin form the back. “It’s too late for me, look at me “Beccah said holding Emma’s face with her hands, they were both bloody.

“You have to go, Beccah said now heaving, “We did create a distance but if you don’t move you are dead, the both of us can’t die, I need you to stay alive. I want you to survive and tell my family how much I love them. I want you to live and remember me, you have to go” Beccah said now tears rolling down her cheeks.

“I can’t live you, not like this. I just can’t live with myself knowing I left you to die by yourself in this forsaken forest. I won’t, you can’t force me!! WE will just die together; don’t dare close your eyes on me!! I’m warning you!!” Emma shouted at Beccah whose eyes were slowly beginning to shut.

Beccah looked at Emma one last time; she smiled and brushed Emma’s hair behind her ear. She let out one last breath and fell limp against the tree.

Emma couldn’t believe it, she was the coward not her lovely Beccah, Cowards didn’t make it in real life, even in movies they were the first to die; she was supposed to die instead. She hugged Beccah with both hands and started rocking them back and forth, Emma didn’t care that her own clothes were being smudged with blood. She had never felt so much pain before in her life; she felt her heart breaking into two. 

“Make it go away” she cried to no one in particular, Emma felt like she was being stabbed with a thousand swords, her heart felt heavier than before, she couldn’t believe someone could just die like that. Why didn’t she say anything earlier, they could have stopped and done something, anything, she had escaped that horrid place all thanks to Beccah, now she was gone.  She released Beccah from her arms and looked at her face one last time; she kissed her forehead and slowly got up. She ripped the bottom of her shirt and wiped Beccah’s face; she looked at peace without her.

“I hate you for leaving me” she whispered. Emma quickly looked around. She dragged Beccah’s body towards some bushes and covered the rest of her body with leaves.

“I’m so sorry, I promise to come back for you” Emma whispered shaking and crying.

She turned and started to run while wiping tears from her face. She knew she was behind time. Beans would have probably gone back to camp to gather a team waiting to pounce on her like starved animals. She had to be strong for Beccah.

Emma ran a small distance and stopped.

She couldn’t do this; she was seeing Beccah’s helpless face just staring innocently at her. They had met at the Warehouse, both having been kidnapped on separate days. Emma was supposed to be heading for varsity on the week of her kidnapping; Beccah on the other hand was in her second year at Winston University. Boss as they called him trafficked unsuspecting girls and shipped them off to different countries were they would be untraceable, the girls would be brothel property for the rest of their lives. She crouched hidden near a huge oak tree bawling her eyes out.

Suddenly Emma heard the ruffling of leaves and shuffling of feet drawing closer. She didn’t have to be told twice; she quickly turned around and ran like a rabbit. She had no idea if her pursuer had spotted her. She ran right through the bushes, stepping on thorns on the rough ground.

“There she is” she heard a man shout, she couldn’t quite distinguish this voice.

Emma felt her heart pounding and ran even faster. Beccah had said they would be a main road just after the bushy area, but it seemed like she was running further and further into what seemed like a forest. She felt adrenaline rushing in her veins when she pictured Becchs body just lying there, she had to get justice.

Emma kept her running; she looked back one time to see if her capturers were gaining on her, she had covered quite the gap but they were getting close, she could see one of the man’s heads sticking out of the bushes. She turned back on her route and suddenly fell forward. 

She landed on her hands on a gravel road; she knew she didn’t have much time. She quickly stood up on her shaky legs; her hands were bruised all over. She wiped them on her pants and started to run. She hoped the road was still active. She could make her way to the nearest city and hopefully get to the police in time.

Emma looked back and found it strange that none of the men had emerged from the bushes chasing after her. She kept running until she spotted a huge truck headed towards her, probably going to the city she thought to herself. She knew it was now or never, she stood right in the middle of the road, the truck was either going to stop to run over her. She was never going back to that hellhole.

The driver of the truck hooted but Emma didn’t move. He came to an abrupt stop a metre away from Emma.

“Are you crazy kid, you trying to die?”

“Help me please?” Emma asked the driver helplessly. “Those men they are chasing me, and they killed Beccah and……… 

Emma couldn’t finish the rest of her sentence; she started crying in the middle of the road. The driver looked at the state of her dress and suddenly grew sympathetic. He quickly stepped down from his truck and came over to Emma.

“What happened to you kid, come on let’s get you of here quickly. This place is pretty deserted, the nearest police station is further down this road, I could take you there?” A few folks live here I deliver goods once per month but I’m heading to the city. DO you know where you are kid? She shook her head no in response.

“We are in Kansas kid”, Emma gasped; she was a day’s travel away from her hometown.

“I don’t want to go back here; could you please drop me off at any police station in the city?” “Sure kid lets ride”.  He quickly helped Emma back into the truck and started driving. He handed Emma an oversized jacket, she thanked him and put it on, if he noticed how dirty and worn she looked he didn’t comment and Emma was grateful.

All the emotions she had been holding in came rushing back in waves; she stared out of the window in a blank stare. When they drove past the clearing of the bushes Emma felt her whole being starting to calm down. The driver tried to make small conversation, but soon gave up when he received no answers to his questions. 

Emma looked at the driver once more and felt chills running over her body when she spotted that familiar tattoo on the driver’s neck slightly hidden by a collar. They all had one tatted on different parts of the body, the members of Boss’s gang, it was like a ritual for gang initiation of some sought. Emma’s heart hammered against her chest. She looked back at the driver; he had looked so harmless, how could she miss the obvious?

After driving for some time they reached a filling station, the driver told her to wait for him in the truck while he was filling his tank. It all made sense now, the men hadn’t disappeared at the forest they had simple come up with a better plan and like a fool, she fallen right into their trap.

Emma slowly got down from the truck, careful not to make any noise. She heard bits of the driver’s conversation on the phone.

“Don’t worry Boss she doesn’t suspect a thing, yes I will bring her straight to you once we reach the city. Drugged? I understand”.

When he saw Emma standing behind him he looked visibly shaken” Were do you think you are going kid, you heard anything? he asked .

“No, I just want to go to the ladies, I need to pee” Emma replied. “Be quick we leave in five minutes”. Emma nodded and rushed to the toilet while she thought o f a plan of escape, she knew she was never going back. She quickly locked the bathroom door and looked around for open windows. She found one and quickly climbed out. She felt someone grab her around the waist before she could land on her feet.   

“Thought you were a clever one went you?” the driver asked. Emma kicked and screamed and finally bit down on his hand, he let go with a yelp. Emma fell on the ground and started crawling back while the driver advanced; he took out a syringe from his pocket and started advancing.

Emma felt a stone by her hand and held onto it. The driver grew impatient; he grabbed Emma by the collar and injected the serum in her hand. Emma wasn’t going down without a fight; she gathered all her strength and hit him on the head with her stone. He fell on the ground passed out.

She quickly rushed to the front of the garage and saw a family car, the owner was standing outside waiting for his tank to fill up. Emma ran towards the car, she felt drowsier by the second.

“Help” she said and felt her whole body collapse.

“Beep, beep, beep” she heard the sounds calling out to her. “Where am I?” she wondered, she slowly opened her eyes and saw white walls.

“Emma!! Are you okay baby? Mom is here alright, everything is going to be fine now, mom is here” Emma’s mother said bawling her eyes out.

“Mom?”  Emma slowly asked

“I’m here baby, mommy is here, I’m never going to let you go, I’m so sorry” she continued crying.

“Beccah” Emma replied

“I want to see Beccah” Emma continued confused.

“Who is Beccah? Emma‘s mother asked getting rattled by each passing second.

“Beccah” Emma replied, slowly closing her eyes.