Chapter Fifty-Five

Noah's voice richoted off of the concrete walls like bullets, echoing from behind me as I ran blindly into the darkened corridor. He was more than angry this time and his rage poured out of him like lava from an erupting volcano, burning and destroying everything around it. I had outsmarted him not to mention managed to actually defend myself against him and Noah hated that. My triumph was laced heavily with fear as I knew if Noah caught up with me I would pay a heavy price.

"You fucking bitch!"

"You can't get away from me!"

"I'm going to make you pay, Ellie!"

I ignored his threats and insults, stumbling over freezing cold ground as I tried to find somewhere to hide or some way out getting out. The place seemed like a maze and there was very little to distinguish one tunnel like corridor from another. There were no windows, at least, not here anyway and there was next to no light leaving me to feel around desperately in the darkness. My chest hurt from how hard and fast I was breathing, my lungs burning from each ragged breath and my feet felt like I had been walking over glass.

Eventually Noah's ranting seemed to fade. Perhaps I was making progress or maybe he went in the other direction or maybe he was actually toying with me and making me think he had no clue where I was. I tried to shake the paranoid thoughts away but every little noise had me flinching or jumping out of my skin.

I didn't want to think about what Noah would do if he caught me so instead I focused on putting one foot carefully in front of another, feeling through the debris and dirt with my toes while keeping myself pressed to the wall. Every part of me was screaming that we weren't going to get out of here so I kept repeating to myself that eventually I'd find an exit.

*I'm going to get out of here

I'm going to get out of here

I'm going to get out of here

I'm going to get out of here

God, I really hope I get out of here…*

Just when I thought I had gone down a dead end, the rough cold concrete suddenly morphed into smooth like cold steel making me freeze. For a moment I didn’t dare move, the sound of my heart thundering in my ears while my mind tried to wrap around what I was feeling. Was this a door? Had I finally found something? A way out?

*Oh god, please…*

It took everything in me not to just go crazy banging around looking for a handle or something to open what I hoped was a door. The energy and adrenaline buzzed in me making me tremble like I was cold. Even my breath was shaking as I fought with the rising panic that at any second Noah would appear to drag me back into the darkness.

I found a handle.

I clamped my hand over my own mouth to silence the sobs of relief that instantly racked my body. It was too soon to be acting like I was free but this small metal device had given me hope.

The door led into a stairwell which was dark save for the emergency exit lighting and even that was struggling against the Inky black void in the stairwell. The stairs led upwards only reaffirming my earlier thoughts that I was in a sub-basement level of the building. I didn't have time to contemplate the architecture and layout of the building though. I needed to get to the next level or something to see if there were any exits to the outside world.

I made it to the next floor quickly despite the dim light and dark shadows. The first door I came across wouldn't budge leaving me with no choice but to the next level.

Noah had to have worked out which direction I went in by now giving me little time. He had fallen silent a while ago which meant I could gage where he was. I told myself it didn't water though. I was getting out of here once I made it to the next floor.

This door opened however the hinges were so rusted and old they groaned under the strain of movement making me panic. The sound echoed through the tall cement well like the cry of a dying monster no doubt alerting every living thing in this place (especially Noah) to my whereabouts. It meant I had no time to be cautious. I needed to put distance between this area and myself quickly to avoid running into Noah.

So I ran, choosing the end of the corridor I was in that had the most light. The place had long since been abandoned with wallpaper peeling from the damp and the carpet tiles on the floor crusty with age. Wherever I was, I must have stumbled into the office area as each space where a door once stood revealed an empty square box with a small window and decrepit blinds hanging onto the wall pathetically by one screw.

The natural light I was chasing led me to a railing that overlooked the main foyer. I was on a mezzanine which meant the floor below was the ground floor. Sure enough, across the great atrium filled with broken furniture and dust were doors leading to the outside world. I couldn’t see beyond giant windows and doors because of all the grime and the whitewash applied to prevent people from seeing in. It was an exit though and that’s what mattered.

I spotted the stairs to my right and wasted no time dashing down them, my feet seemingly carrying me as fast as my heart was racing in my chest. Noah could be anywhere close-by so I needed to get out and find somewhere to hide until it was safe to keep moving.

I knew before I even but my hands on them that the doors were locked. It was silly to think that they wouldn’t be. This was an abandoned building so why wouldn’t it be locked up? Still it begged the question of how Noah knew about this place and how he got in. I sank against the glass doors as my heart sank in my chest, my hope withering. Maybe there was only one way out and right now Noah was probably guarding it, waiting for me to find it before he pounced like some snake from the shadows.

I was so lost in my thoughts that at first I didn’t notice the sheets of paper and torn fabric lifting and floating momentarily on the breeze. The movement wasn’t rhythmic in any way which meant it couldn’t be artificial and any wind squeezing through the gaps in the door couldn’t cause that much activity which meant only one thing…

I pushed away from the door, glancing around the giant foyer looking for where the breeze was coming from.

I spotted it about a hundred feet away.

There was a fire exit beyond the abandoned reception desk. It was almost hidden from view which is why I had missed it the first time especially as the way I came through would have put the door in my blindspot. The door itself was closed but the bottom panel of glass was missing most likely because of vandals or homeless people looking for somewhere to sleep. How that gap got there didn’t matter to me though and it sure as hell wasn’t in my blindspot anymore. In fact it was all I could see.

This was my escape.

I didn’t bother being cautious. I didn’t think about the broken glass that would cut my feet or that Noah might be hiding just around the corner. I just needed to get out so I ran. I ran and ran until I was at that door and able to scramble through the gap. I ran once I was through, letting my desperation fuel me.

The winter wind hit me like a sledge hammer and I shivered, glancing around at my surroundings. The sky was grey and trees surrounded the giant building which I could now see was an old hotel. Judging by the fact there were no sounds or signs of life, we weren’t in West Linn or Portland anymore but I hoped we were still in Oregon. The silence was actually horrifically unsettling and I caught myself holding my breath once or twice because I was afraid that someone would hear my breathing all the way out here.

A narrow drive ran from the main entrance of the hotel before slipping off between the trees that seemed to act like an impenetrable wall around the property. Overgrown lawns spread out between the trees and the fringes of the hotel, disappearing around the edges of the hotel and out of sight. Noah’s car sat idly on the drive, carelessly parked but thankfully empty.

For a moment it felt like I had stepped into a post-apocalyptic world where I and Noah were the only ones left and I had no one to go to for help. I knew that wasn’t true but my options were limited especially without shoes.

With nowhere else to go, I chose to follow the drive, hoping it led me to help before Noah figured out where I was.