SPEAKING OUT AGAINST STILLNESS

Samantha's POV The message on my phone felt like a gut-grab. At the computer, Jared's words mocked me back, and my fingers shook. You didn't think you could run nonstop. I felt a cold shudder run down my back. He first found us how soon? Not one hour had elapsed since we arrived at the safe house. Panic tore at my chest even as I forced myself to stay calm. These days, fear cannot control me. Looking at Adrian, still asleep on the cot, his breathing was shallow but regular. He was frigid, and his pale complexion was enough to convince me I had to be strong for him whatever lay ahead. Now it was my turn to save him; he had saved me, fought for me. Lucas crossed his arms and studied me closely from the doorway. Though he felt something was off, I wasn't sure what degree he could see in my expression. His voice low yet keen, he asked, "What is it?" I waved my phone to indicate the message. Here comes Jared. He understands our point of view. Lucas walked the little room, cursing silently. " I ought to have known." The minute we left the building, I felt something unusual. He most certainly has been staring at us all through. I felt a tsunami of despair come over me even though I afford to give in to it. Not just now. "What are we expected to do? Our stay here is not feasible. Adrian is strong enough to move; if Jared comes, then... Lucas stopped timing and looked at me, his face unreadable. We fight here. His words weighed in the void between us. Conflict. That was the last thing I wanted to do considering Adrian in such a sensitive state. But another option did not seem to be within reach. We could not keep running endlessly. Quietly, my thoughts swirling with the horrible possibilities: "I'm not sure we'll survive a fight with Jared and his men." Samantha, here we have no choice. Lucas talked with rigidity but not with malice. "If we flee, they will eventually catch up with us. At least here we have a chance to specify the phrase. I choked hard, the weight of the situation down on me. Lucas was right, I wanted to think—that we could climb out of this. Jared had always been one step ahead, though, really. He has the means, the contacts, the ruthless search for us anywhere we went. Heart stinging at Adrian's look, I turned back to him once more. He had been the consistent solid for so long—the one with a plan always in mind. It was now up to me. "We will need a plan," I said, sounding tougher than I felt. "We cannot wait for them to show up and hope we might fight them off." Lucas nodded, already ahead in his mind. We will develop defenses. Block the doors, if at all feasible set traps. We will also have to closely monitor Adrian. He needs time to heal, but we have to let our defenses slack. I felt guilty reading the words. Adrian had suffered while he was trying to guard me. Now he was lying here, unprotected, while Jared was slinking in. More to myself than to Lucas, I said softly, "I'll do whatever it takes." Jared cannot be allowed to succeed. Lucas rested a hand on my shoulder, his touch unexpectedly delicate. Not will we. You still have to maintain your head clear-cut though. If right now you lose control, we are done. I nodded and took a long breath to assist me to ground myself. What he said was correct. I afford not to split. not just now. not when everything rested on a knife-edge. The next few hours were active. Lucas and I stealthily blocked windows and doors, set makeshift traps in the pass-throughs. Though not much, it was all we had. I paid Adrian frequent visits to see if his wound had healed. His continuous breathing gave me some small hope even though he was still out of it. As the outside sky darkened, I started to get nervous. Our time was limited. Any moment now Jared and his men could show up; I wasn't sure if we were ready. Not sure if I was ready. Sitting near Adrian, I laid a hand on him while he slept. His eyebrows slightly furrowed even in unconsciousness; his cheeks were pale. I wondered what he possibly was dreaming of if he could sense the threat we were under. If he knew how much I needed him to get waking. With a trembling voice, I murmured, "Adrian." " nicely. I call for you. He did not wake, but his eyelids shuttered. As everything collapsed upon me, I had a lump in my throat. I was afraid—more afraid than I had ever been. But this time none could save us. Each of us was working on something different. I was jolted from my meditation by footfall. My pulse thumping, I stood quickly as Lucas came out of the door wearing a tight face. He said, his voice low but forceful, "They're coming." Prepare yourselves. I bit hard, hands shaking as I reached for the tiny knife Lucas had given me earlier. It felt ludicrous to have a knife while Jared's men held far more deadly weapons. All I had, though, and should I have to, I would make use of it. Lucas stood at the front door, his gun raised as he peered through the tiny aperture we created between the boards. The silence outside was awful, the kind that marks something terrible. It dawned then like a burst of lightning. Gunfire pierced the quiet, and I staggered, my heart hammering in my breast. Lucas responded with a countenance marked in stark determination. Above the tumult, Lucas cried, "They're coming from the north side." "I will hold them off for as long as I can." Go back off! I was not arguing. Heart thumping, I bent behind the small table while the chaos surrounded me. Jared's guys were yelling, and I could hear the weight of footsteps trying to cut through the barricades. Every sound increased my pulse; fear slithering through my core. Abruptly, a loud crash from the rear of the house came followed by a thump. Turning just in time, I watched one of Jared's guys shove his way through the window, crazed eyes. I sliced at his arm instantly raising the knife. He whirled back from the wound, screaming in pain. He still had to finish, though. He came again and this time I hardly managed to evade his grasp. "Lucas!" I cried, horror choking my voice. Lucas fired once more, toppling one of the troops outside and then turned to help me. Lunging toward the man attacking me, he fired the butt of his handgun into the side. Unconscious, the assailant sank to the ground. You are good. Lucas asked, his voice taut with excitement. I nodded silently, panting. "I'm okay. We cannot keep this up, though. He said nothing, but his eyes told everything I needed to know. He was thinking along the same line. Time was running short as well as alternatives. And then all of a sudden, as I thought all hope had disappeared, a voice came from the chaos. "Enough!!." Stopped, my heart pounding, I recognized the speaker. John here. His eyes gleaming with success he passed through the door, his troops withdrew, their guns lowered. "Well, well," Jared said, his voice full of derision. This was rather the nature of the work. Samantha, though, everything is past right now. Running is not what it means today. I focused on him; my blood turned to ice. For this. When Jared had us corned, nowhere was left to run. Then, though, I saw motion out of the side of my eye. Adrian right now. He came awake. He also felt ready for combat.