Still on the run
Sophie dragged Talia through the alley , refusing to let go even as blood dripped steadily from her chest .
Her arm was wrapped tight around Talia’s chest, pressing hard to keep the wound from bleeding out.
“I promise I’ll make sure you are safe,” Sophie said, half-sobbing, still running.
“I’m fine,” Talia managed with a faint smile. “I don’t die that easily.”
Sophie’s pulse jumped. She grabbed Talia’s arm.
“There!” she pointed across the alley an unfinished building, fenced off with rusted metal sheets.
A crooked sign read SITE CLOSED.
They sprinted for it, leaving their pursuers behind.
Inside, dust and cement hung thick in the air. Sophie half-dragged, half-guided Talia behind a stack of concrete blocks. The smell of rust and wet earth filled her nose.
Talia slumped against the wall, breathing hard.
“Let me see,” Sophie said, kneeling beside her.
“It’s fine,” Talia whispered, trying to sound casual.
“Why is everything always fine with you?” Sophie’s voice cracked. “Even when it’s not? Why can’t you just admit it hurts show weakness for once? It’s not wrong to be human!”
Talia cut her off gently, pulling Sophie against her chest.
“As long as you’re okay, I’m fine,” she murmured, her voice trembling despite the calm in her words.
“Does it hurt? What should I do? Is it painful?” Sophie cried, touching the wound.
“Calm down, Mira,” Talia said, smiling weakly. “It’s just a little cut. You promised you’d keep me safe, remember? Then dont panic and I’ll be fine.”
But when Sophie lifted her hand, the blood kept coming. Her throat tightened. She tore a piece of her sleeve, pressed it against the wound, and tied it tight.
“Hold still,” she whispered, hands shaking.
Outside, muffled voices echoed closer men shouting orders, the crunch of boots on gravel, the static of walkie-talkies.
Sophie froze.They are here.
Talia’s eyes fluttered open weakly. Sophie pressed a hand over her mouth, mouthing Don’t move.
Footsteps.
Two shadows passed just meters away.
One of the men stopped. Sophie could hear his boot grinding against gravel. Her heart pounded so loudly she thought he’d hear it.
He scanned the area, waited a moment that felt like forever… then walked off.
They waited until the voices faded before Sophie let out the breath she’d been holding.
“We need to get out of here,” she whispered, helping Talia up.
Talia stumbled but nodded. They slipped deeper into the site, through broken doors and scattered tools, until they found a small storage room at the back.
It was dusty and half-collapsed but it had a roof, and a door that could close.
Sophie helped Talia lie down gently on the floor. She pulled off her outer shirt, folded it, and placed it under Talia’s head.
Talia forced a weak smile. “You don’t have to fuss. I’ve had worse.”
Sophie’s fear snapped into anger. “That’s not something to be proud of!” she shouted. “You could’ve died back there! You didn’t have to take that knife for me!”
Talia blinked, caught off guard. Sophie pressed her hand over the wound again, her voice breaking. “Why would you do that?”
Talia reached up with her good hand, brushing the tears from Sophie’s cheek.
“Because I couldn’t stand seeing you get stabbed instead,” she said softly.
Sophie swallowed, her eyes glistening. “Aren’t you scared? Of wounds, scars… dying?”
Talia paused before whispering, “I’m scared of dying. I’m scared of scars. But what I’m most scared of… is losing you.”
Sophie froze. The words hit her harder than she expected.
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” she whispered, looking away, cheeks flushed. “We’re not even that close.”
“I mean it ,” Talia murmured.
Sophie lowered her head, tears slipping down her face. “I’m scared too,” she said quietly. “Of losing you. Of all this. Maybe we should just go. Leave everything behind and disappear. Maybe then we’d finally be safe.”
Talia let out a soft, pained laugh, sitting up slowly despite the ache in her chest. She caught Sophie’s wrist and pulled her close until their foreheads touched.
“Even if we run, they won’t stop,” she said. “They already know you’re alive. They won’t spare you even if u vanish.”
She squeezed Sophie’s hand. “Mira, you have to go back. Take back what’s yours. Find out what really happened to your parents. Because as long as you’re alive, they’ll never stop coming.”
Sophie’s voice trembled. “And you?”
Talia smiled faintly. “I’ll be right behind you. Always.”
……
They stayed there through the night. Talia drifted into sleep, her breathing shallow but steady, while Sophie sat beside her, keeping pressure on the wound. She didn’t dare to sleep.
When she finally spoke, her voice was a whisper. “We’ll move again tomorrow.”
Talia’s eyes flickered open briefly. “Then let’s make tomorrow the day we catch them by surprise,” she murmured before sleep claimed her again.
Sophie leaned back against the cold wall, watching the faint glow of city lights through the cracked window.
Tomorrow, everything had to change.