She walked through the room and stopped in front of the door. "Please open quietly." She turned the knob, almost expecting sirens to wail, even though she knew there was no electricity for miles.
Macy went outside and closed the door as slow as possible, in disbelief that she was actually outside on her own. She couldn't see anything, but followed the path by memory. When she got to the edge of the property, someone grabbed her arm.
"Luke?"
"Yes. Let's hurry. I haven't seen anyone, but that doesn't mean we won't. I know a path we can take that doesn't get used often." He moved his hand down her arm and caressed her palm. Then he slid his fingers through hers. "Come on."
Macy followed him as best she could, trying to keep up in the dark.
After a few minutes, he said, "Here's the path."
"How can you see anything?"
"I stood outside for a while until my eyes adjusted. It helps that I know this place well. We're going to go a bit further until we get to a spot that's far enough from any homes that no one will hear the fire until we have a chance to get away."
"Are we just going to run to the highway?"
"Better than that. I've got my mom's car keys. I hope it still runs after all these years. If it doesn't, then yeah, we'll run."
"Do you know how to drive?"
"No. Do you?"
"I'm only fifteen."
"Well, I've driven a tractor for Farmer Jeremiah. It can't be all that different."
"Let's hope. What about Dorcas? She didn't want to take part in it?"
"She's actually acting as our lookout while we start the fire."
"Is she going to go with us?"
"If she can. If not, she's going to cover for us and continue the plan to go out with the prophets one day. She said that either way, she's happy for us."
"Okay." Macy followed him in silence as they made their way through the path. She found that the moon and the stars were actually helpful in helping her eyes adjust. "How much further?"
"We're almost there."
Macy swallowed. Her throat was dry and her heart was steadily increasing speed. Was she really going to be free from Chester? It was almost too much to think about.
"There's the fence."
She narrowed her eyes, looking for it. She saw something in the distance, but wasn't sure if it was the fence or not. It had to have been, it was the only thing she could see that wasn't part of the path. They made their way through the path and ended up face to face with the tall structure, the wire at the top gleaming in the moonlight.
Luke dug through his pockets and pulled out box of matches. "It's the moment of truth. Are you ready?"
"More than you know."
"I'm sure you are, Macy." He gave her a sad smile. "Let's get you to your family."
"What about you? What are you going to do when get to civilization?"
"Don't worry about me. I'm almost eighteen and I have a lot of skills. I can get a job and possibly a formal education."
A branch snapped in the distance. Macy froze, staring at Luke. "What was that?"
"Probably just Dorcas. She's looking out for us, remember?"
"I haven't even seen her. Are you sure?"
"Yes. She knows the drill. If anyone approaches, she's going to blow a whistle. Then you and me, we run."
Macy took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's go. I just want to get out of here."
He nodded and then took a step closer to the fence. Looking around, he pulled a match from the box.
Another branch snapped. Macy wasn't so sure that it was Dorcas, but she was afraid to speak her doubts.
Luke held the match to the bottom of the fence.
Macy had imagined the match causing an instant, huge fire, but it wasn't catching at all. Another branch snapped and she jumped toward Luke, nearly crashing into him. He didn't seem to notice.
"Can you find some twigs?" he asked. "We'll need to light some of those first to get the fire going."
"Sure." She found some not too far away and handed them over. "Let me light some of those."
He passed her a match and then the box. She struck the match and gave him back the box. She held a twig up to the match and watched as it lit up. Luke stuck his lit up twig at the bottom of the fence and Macy followed suit. He gave her another match and then added more twigs to the bottom of the fence.
She watched, hoping that one of them would ignite the fence. The more time that passed, the more nervous she became. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead despite being able to see her labored breath. If they got caught before they could escape, they were going to end up in all kinds of trouble—if not dead.
Luke blew on the twigs, so she bent down and did the same. One of his twigs' fire caught and a tiny part of the fence lit up. It was practically nothing, but she gave him a high five.
He bent down and blew on another twig. "Let's get the rest of these lit up. This is taking too long."
Macy lowered herself to the frosty ground and blew on the twigs nearest her. One of them caught on the fence, the flame moving ever so slowly up the tall beam. She moved to the next one and before long, a length about five feet of the fence was engulfed in flames.
Another branch snapped. This time, right behind them.
Heart pounding, Macy turned around. Chester stood, staring at them. The small flame reflected in his glasses.
A choked sound escaped from Macy's throat. Luke turned around, fear covering his face.
"What are you doing?" Chester demanded.
Luke grabbed Macy's arm and ran, pulling her along with him. She ran, all too aware of Chester's footsteps behind them. How had he found them?
She looked back and saw that he wasn't far behind. Macy picked up her pace, her legs burning. She didn't care, she had to keep going. But how were they going to get away now? Were they going to have to kill him? Was that even possible?
Luke took an unexpected turn in between a couple of buildings. He pulled her along as they zigged and zagged through more buildings. They needed to lose Chester or neither of them would see the next day. Macy had no idea where they were or how to get away.
They continued darting in between different buildings and then ended up down another path and eventually headed into a field of corn. There were small, narrow paths and their shoulders brushed the corn stalks as they ran. Macy thought she heard Chester behind them, but she couldn't be sure. It was hard to hear over the stalks scraping against her clothes.
Her throat was even drier than it had been before. Her legs were on fire, burning all the way up and down and even making its way up to her chest. That too felt like as though engulfed in flames. She'd had no chance to exercise over the last couple months and it showed. She pushed through, forcing herself to keep up with Luke.
"I can hear you two!" Chester shouted. He sounded pretty close.
Luke stopped and Macy ran into him. He put his hand up to his lips and then he sat on the ground, pulling her down too. They sat and Macy gasped for air, trying to breathe without making a sound.
"If he can hear us," Luke whispered, tickling her ear, "we're better off staying put. He'll have a harder time finding us, plus you need to rest."
She nodded, afraid to speak. If Chester found them, he might kill them—if he still had his gun or knife. Had he been able to get them past the prophets when they moved in? If so, they were definitely dead. If he went for help, that would give them a small window of time to get away.
Macy didn't know where they were in relation to the fence. Obviously, being in the middle of a corn field, they had to be pretty far from it. She looked at Luke, who appeared to be deep in thought.
Chester yelled something, but Macy couldn't understand what he said. He must have moved further away from them.
"What are we going to do?" she whispered.
Luke looked at her. "Let's wait a minute. It sounds like he's moving away from us. We're going to have to go the other way, which will put us at a different part of the fenc
e than we were, and we're going to have to start over with the fire.
"Do you think we're still going to be able to get away?"
"Yes. I have my doubts about getting to the parking lot, though. Will you be able to make it to the highway if we have to run?"
"I'll do whatever I have to do. I didn't even know that you were planning on taking a car."
Leaves rustled nearby. Macy froze.
Running
Dorcas appeared in front of them. "You two are difficult to find." She sounded out of breath. "Sorry about Chester. He snuck around a way I didn't see."
"Where is he now?" Luke asked.
"He's gone that way." Dorcas pointed to the left.
"So we're definitely going to have to run for a different part of the fence," Luke said.
"What's going to happen if he catches us?" Dorcas' eyes were wide.
Luke grabbed Macy's hand and squeezed. "He's not."
"But what if he does, Luke?" Dorcas asked. "You guys have to plan for that."
"I'll fight him off and let you and Macy run."
"Macy?" Dorcas looked confused for a moment. "Oh, her real name. All you have is matches, right?"
"Don't worry. My street smarts have stuck with me, Dorcas. You need to get Macy away from him if I end up fighting him. He kidnapped her. Who knows what else he's capable of? She has to get away even if I don't."
Macy gasped. "No."
Luke pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her. Despite the fear shooting through her, his embrace was comforting. He looked into her eyes. "I knew the risks when we made the plans."
The blood drained from Macy's face. "But I—"
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. When I saw how desperate you were to get away this morning, I knew I needed to help you."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to put you in danger."
Dorcas frowned. "It's not time for remorse. We're past that. You two are in deep; Chester hasn't seen me yet, but I promised to do what I can to protect you guys, and I will."
"Can you hear him?" asked Luke.
They all sat in silence. Macy couldn't hear anything above their breathing.
Dorcas looked at Luke. "Either he's too far away to hear or he's sitting still like we are, waiting for us to make a move."
Luke nodded. "Let's wait a little longer. If he's waiting for us to make a move, I want to disappoint him."
Macy leaned closer to Luke, feeling both comforted and energized in his arms. She noticed her shoulder moving along with his breathing; she was breathing in tune with him.
"What are we going to do?" Macy asked. "I feel like we're sitting ducks."
"Wait just a bit longer," Luke said. "We need to be patient. I want to be sure that he's not waiting close by for us." He pulled out the box of matches and took some out. Then he handed Macy the box.
Macy nodded and then leaned her head against his chest. Her breathing had almost returned to normal. The muscles in her legs still ached, but the burning had at least stopped—for the time being, anyway.
It felt like ten minutes passed as they sat together in silence. It could have been just a couple minutes, but it was too hard to tell. Time had a way of passing at different speeds since she had been kidnapped.
Luke sat up straight, causing Macy to also. "I think we need to make a run for it now. Or perhaps a walk for it. Walking would be a lot quieter. We don't need to alert him to our location." He looked at Dorcas. "We already know he's out there. You should go home. That way you'll be safe and no one will be any wiser."
She shook her head. "I need to know that you guys are safe, Luke."
He let go of Macy and put a hand on Dorcas' shoulder. "Dorcas, you're dear to me like a sister. Please, go home. I need to know that you're safe too. We'll be all right. I promise."
Dorcas looked conflicted. "Whatever you say, Luke. I wish you both the best." She stood up and walked off.
He turned to Macy. "I had to say that line about her being like my sister. It was the only way she would actually go home. She has feelings for me that I can't reciprocate."
"Oh?" Macy didn't dare say more.
Luke lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. "Now to get you safely out of here." He pulled her up before she could respond to the kiss. He looked at her, this time his face was serious. "Like I said, we need to walk. Be careful not to brush against the stalks. They're too noisy, but at least they're a great way to hide."
Macy nodded. Still holding her hand, he started walking, but their arms brushed against the corn, so he let go. It was for the better anyway because it was too difficult for Macy to focus when her hand was in his. They made their way through the corn mostly avoiding the stalks. Every once in a while, one of them would accidentally brush against one.
It looked like the fence was visible in the distance. "Are we almost out of here?" Macy whispered.
"Pretty close, but don't get too confident."
"That's right, Heather." Chester jumped out in front of them.
Unable to contain herself, Macy let out a blood-curdling scream.
Luke spread his arms out, acting as a shield between Macy and Chester. He looked back at Macy. "Run."
"Not without you."
He gave her an exasperated look. "Go! I'll catch up."
Chester gave an evil laugh. "No, he won't."
"Don't listen to him. Run, Macy!"
"Her name is Heather." Chester shoved Luke.
"No. Her name is Macy. That's the name her real parents gave her, you lawless heathen."
"Heathen? Who are you calling a heathen? I'm about to be anointed as a high prophet. If you repent, I might consider granting you forgiveness for your trespass, young man."
"You're the last person to be able to give me absolution." Luke turned to Macy again. "Run, will you?"
"Sorry, I won't leave your side, Luke."
Chester grabbed Luke's shirt and choked him. "I'm not going to offer this again. Go now and save yourself. I may even consider going easy on Heather if you run. Nobody else needs to know about this."
Macy smelled smoke. The fence must have finally been engulfed in flames. If they could just get away from Chester, they would be able to make their escape. "Luke, it's okay. Go. I don't want you getting hurt."
Chester pulled on Luke's collar again. "Listen to her. She knows what's good for you." He let go of Luke's shirt and shoved him back. "This is your last chance. Don't test me."
Luke fixed his collar. "Macy deserves to go back home to her family. You're not her family. Why do you need her? You and Rebekah can have your own kids."
Chester furrowed his eyebrows. "Not that it's any of your business, Son, but Heather is my daughter and I will not lose her again."
"You need to rethink that." Luke ran at Chester, ramming his shoulders into his chest. Chester gasped for air, stumbling back and looking surprised. He grabbed Luke's hair and shoved his face into a corn stalk.
Full of rage, Macy ran at Chester. She slammed into him, causing him to stumble slightly. Not even enough to let go of Luke. She dug her nails into his arm. He pushed his elbow out, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She squeezed even harder. "Let go of him!"
"Macy, run! Get out of here," Luke begged.
"I wouldn't listen to him," Chester said. He let go of Luke and pried her off his arm. His eyes were full of anger, but she felt less intimidated with Luke at her side. The two of them could take him.
Luke jumped on Chester, knocking him down. Halfway through the air, Chester grabbed Macy's arm and pulled her down with him. Her face scraped along a stalk, burning as she went down. She landed with a thud and then rolled against Chester. Luke landed on his knees and punched Chester in the nose.
Chester shoved Macy off him and hit Luke in the jaw. Macy jumped up and grabbed his arm, trying to keep him from hitting Luke any more. Luke hit Chester in the cheek, barely missing his glasses.
Chester shoved Macy down. She stood back up and saw Chester and Luke w
ere wrapped around each other, wrestling and punching on the dirt. She couldn't see a way to jump in without getting hit by either one of them.
She remembered the box of matches that Luke had given her. She pulled it out of her pocket and lit one. As soon as the flame came to life, she set it against the stalk of corn that had scratched her face. It took a moment, but it caught on fire, the flame simultaneously going up and down the stalk.
Macy put the match against another stalk and watched it light up as the match itself died. She looked over at Luke and Chester. They were on the ground, still fighting.
Chester's glasses gleamed in the light of the fire behind her. Now was her chance to break those big, ugly glasses. She went over and reached down, grabbing them off his face. He shouted something at her, but she wasn't listening.
Behind her, she could feel the heat from the growing fire. Not only that, but she could hear the crackling and whooshing sounds as it moved along. The smoke tickled her nose and throat.
Before dropping the glasses on the ground, Macy kicked Chester just because she could. Then she stomped on the glasses, breaking them. The frames bent and the lenses were both broken into several pieces. Rage built in her gut and she jumped up and down on them until they were unrecognizable.
Chester yelled something, but Macy was too focused on destroying the glasses even further. Once she and Luke got away, she would never have to worry about keeping Chester happy again. She stomped on what was left of the glasses one more time for good measure and then turned to him and yanked on what hair he had, pulling him away from Luke.
There was just enough space between them that Luke was able to get up. Chester looked around, patting the ground, obviously looking for his glasses. Macy ran over to Luke and grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here."
"My leg is hurt. I'm not going to be able to run. You should run ahead of me."
"What? I'm not leaving you behind. Get up." She yanked his arm.
"I'm only going to slow you down."
"Who cares? We're leaving together."
Held (Gone #2) Page 19
