Chapter 61: Escape!
Chapter 61: Escape!
Chapter 61
Sofia's pov
The van sat silently in the cold, moon lit night and I stared quietly at Isadora, trying so hard to process her confession. A fresh wave of fury coursed through me and I felt my heart pounding loudly against my chest in rage. Collins sat still on the driver's seat, covering his face with his palms in confusion. I turned my gaze back to Isadora who breathed heavily, staring at me with hatred.
“So you work for Unit 13?” I asked calmly, staring her dead in the eye. I was taken aback as she burst into a short, cruel laughter, her eyes still maintaining my gaze.
“It's a good thing that you know the identity of the people who are out to snuff life out of you,” she said, her voice laced with mockery.
I grabbed her by the neck once more, pinning it against the headrest. “You still think you can keep making threats around here, yes? You think I'm kidding?”
She coughed loudly as I tightened my grip on her neck once more, fresh tears welling up her reddened eyes.
“Leave her alone, Sofia!” Collins yelled, panic evident in his voice.
“I won't!” I snapped, rolling my eyes at him and returning my gaze to Isadora. “Now give me an answer before I get you strangled to death,” I said, sounding cold with anger. “Do you work for Unit 13?”
“Stop it, Sofia!” Collins said, freeing Isadora from my grip with one single push. “You're going to get her killed!”
“Doesn't she deserve to die already?” I yelled, turning sharply to him. “What's the use of her being alive?”
Isadora coughed continuously, breathing heavily as she tried to steady herself. “You know what's funny?” she asked, amidst rounds of coughing fits. “You can do whatever you want right now, probably have me killed if you like. But it doesn't change the fact that you've already been marked by Codice Oscuro, and you'll definitely be caught and they will you will be killed too.”
“Enough!” Collins snapped, cutting her short. “Stop it, both of you! We still have a long way to go, and we don't have much time.”
He started the ignition, revving the engine as the headlights of the van flooded the road before us. An idea crept into my mind, and I jumped in alert. I had to escape immediately if I wanted to live, and without a second thought, I unlocked the door of the van, jumping out just as Collins made to move. I crashed down on the road, rolling into a small heap of gravel situated the side of the coal tar. I groaned loudly as I picked myself up immediately, needles of pain searing through my palms and knees, and I ran, taking off my footwear and diving in bushes.
“Sofia!!” Isadora yelled behind me as she got down from the van. I took a quick glance behind me and caught a glimpse of her jumping down from the vehicle, followed by the slam of the door of the van and pounding footsteps as they began chasing after me.
“Stop, right now!” she yelled as her screams pierced through the silent night, echoing loudly the woods. I heard the sound of a gun cock, followed by Collins’ shout of something I couldn't make out as the wind rushed past my ears. I plunged into the thick darkness of the woods, the tree branches whipping across my face and clinging on to my clothes as I continued to push myself forward, tearing my clothes as I refused to be held back. The sudden sound of a gunshot filled the woods and my mind raced as I imagined the bullet slicing through my spine, pushing me forward and I continued to run without looking back, my lungs exhausted from my rapid breaths and my heels burning from stepping on too many stones and sticks on the ground. My chest went tight with panic as I heard Isadora closely behind me, cursing and panting as she kept running after me and I quickly glanced behind me, catching a glimpse of her blonde hair through the powerful headlights of the van as it tore through the woods.
The skies suddenly began to go grey and the moon disappeared beneath the clouds which began moving swiftly. The rains came down in no time, dropping lightly at first, and then falling in torrents, blurring my vision and slowing my pace as the ground beneath me became slippery. I stumbled, nearly crashing to the ground, my hands coated with blood and mud. I paused momentarily trying to catch my breath as I inhaled and exhaled heavily, looking back and realizing that I was already far too gone into the woods and not knowing where I was. A distant gunshot echoed through the woods and I picked myself up immediately, pushing myself forward desperately, my heart pounding loudly against my chest in panic. The rains dimmed my vision in the dark night and I began to slow down, weakened by panic and exhaustion. A twig snapped behind me and I pushed myself forward once more, trying to increase my pace but I failed as my knees buckled and I crashed hard onto the muddy ground. A tall shadow approached me slowly through the heavy rain, and I felt my pulse spike as I squinted to make out who it was. Was it Isadora or Collins, I thought to myself, struggling to steady myself. My vision failed me and soon I relapsed to the ground, blacking out into oblivion.
After what seemed like hours, I heard someone call my name. I blinked and looked up, finding myself in a quiet place, somewhere that felt like a dream. Lucas sat beside me, his eyes locking intently onto mine, his hands reaching out to rub my shoulder like he used to whenever he teased me. I turned to him, looking puzzled, and he smiled at me, and I felt my heart flutter with warmth. He brushed a stray hair behind my ears and whispered something to me that I couldn't properly make out. I looked at me with longing eyes, pleading with him not to leave me, but I began to drift back to reality as the world began shaking and the calm, quiet environment faded. I heard my name again, called my someone real this time and I suddenly felt the soft ground vanishing beneath me, replaced by the cold, wet, muddy ground I lay on, with the rain still pouring down heavily. I gasped as my eyes opened widely in shock, sitting uprightly as I saw a man, dressed in black, standing before me, as he looked down at me.