by Gail Bradley
run faster.
After turning a corner, I fell down to stop as Dr. Sanders and another guard were heading my way. They hurried towards me as I stumbled up to back track.
Shit.
I passed through another locked door with them close behind me, spotted a chair and used it to barricade the door. That would slow them down.
"Declan, stop!" Dr. Sanders yelled as the guard tried opening the door. "Declan! This will not end well for you! You need to let us take care of you!"
I ignored her and kept running. After rounding the next corner, I collided into someone, sending me backwards. I winced when my head hit the floor. Using the wall, I stood up, shaking my head. My gaze met Tai's. We went to school together- used to be childhood friends up until high school. Now he was a police officer.
"What ar-" I didn't stick around to hear what he had to say. I wasn't about to let him stop me.
I could hear his racing footsteps not too far behind me and I pushed myself to go faster. I was always a fast runner; even being barefoot I could still outrun him.
Shit.
The door I needed to go through was being opened by another orderly. Making a split second decision I headed for the roof. This was not going as smoothly as I had hoped. Realizing I needed a few seconds to find the key to open the roof door, I turned and sent a kick to Tai's chest. He tumbled down the stairs, caught off guard. My hands shook as I found the right key and bolted out the door once it opened, forgoing the keys. The full moon shown bright tonight, casting light shadows. For a moment I thought of what to do next to get off this roof without harming myself too terribly.
Then I remembered, the pool. I ran to where it was but froze as a shot rang out. I turned to see Tai standing there breathing hard with his gun trained on me.
"What are you doing Declan?"
"I have to find her, she's dying," I pleaded with him. Tai and I had our run ins since he became a cop and I knew he was as unsure now as he was back when we were friends.
"I can't let you just go," he half hardheartedly stated.
"Yes, you can. If I'm wrong then you can lock me up and throw away the key." I glanced over at Leila who stood by the edge.
Tai looked unsure and torn. His eyes switched back and forth between mine as he debated. We both glanced at the roof access door as we heard the others.
An angry growl escaped him, "Go. Go!"
I nodded my thanks before sprinting and jumping off the roof. A grunt of pain escaped me as I landed in the middle of the pool closer to the shallow end and smacked my knee hard on the bottom. Pulling myself out I came face to face with Leila. She took off running with me right at her heels. I was regretting my decision to jump in the pool, seeing as how chilly it was now.
I ignored everything else around me and focused solely on her. We were headed in the direction of my apartment when she suddenly cut through the woods. I had to slow down, seeing as how I didn't have any shoes on and my lungs were on fire. I hurried through the area to where she was waiting for me. Once I was close, she took off again. Minutes later I fell to the ground, trying to catch my breath as she pointed down a steep drop. I could only crawl to the side as I gulped in air, my throat was burning from the chilly air. I could see my breath now.
The light from the moon helped me see somewhat. This was the best way down it looked like so I decided to chance going down it. Another grunt sounded from the pain in my shredded feet and sore legs when I stood. What gave me the courage to keep going was Leila standing there at the very bottom, looking up at me with a desperate look. Halfway down, I tripped and rolled down the rest of the way.
Once standing, I looked at her for direction. Her arm lifted and she pointed towards an old, large concrete pipe. Stumbling and wincing, I crouched down and blinked to adjust to the darkness.
A lump formed in my throat when I saw Leila crumpled up on the cold ground, bloodied and bruised. I fell to my knees to check her. Her face was a bloody mess, both her hands and legs were scraped up, and she was shivering. Her eyes opened slightly as she tried to smile up at me.
"Hey baby. I told you I'd find you." I held her hand up to my lips and placed a light kiss there. "Is anything broken?"
"Ankle," she breathed out before her eyes closed. Relief washed over me when I felt her pulse still going. Without much thought, I ran back out of the pipe to yell at the top of my lungs for help. I yelled until I couldn't anymore a few minutes later. I went back to pick Leila up as gently as I could before carrying her out.
"HELP!!!" I screamed again, walking over to the area I came down at. I tested trying to go back up but found I couldn't do so with her in my arms. I laid down with her, rubbing her arms and silently letting out a few frustrated tears. The cold was now getting to me as I tried to keep her warm. I kept yelling over and over again.
My name being yelled off in the distance startled me and I jumped up. It was Tai. A hopeful, giddy laugh sounded from my lips before I yelled again. I could see the beam of light from his flashlight getting brighter until it was pointing down the slope. I waved and hollered until I was blinded by the light.
"Holy shit," he exclaimed when he saw Leila. "You were telling the truth."
I let out a tired chuckle, "Yeah, I was. Can you get us some help though?"
"Oh, right!" I heard him call for assistance over his radio as I went back to keep her warm until help arrived. "Just hold on for a few more minutes Declan. Here, take my jacket, keep her warm." I caught his jacket when he threw it and wrapped it around her, keeping her close.
Minutes later, help arrived and they managed to help us up the incline. The paramedics immediately took her from my tired arms and I stayed right near them as they got her ready for transport. Tai threw an arm around me as he helped escort me to the ambulance waiting just outside the woods.
"Thank you," I told him as I got seated in the ambulance.
He nodded, "I'm glad I trusted you."
I sent him a smile before they closed the doors. I held and rubbed her hand as they worked, all the way until we had to be separated. After a doctor saw me, bandaged my feet and took care of any other cuts I sustained, he allowed me to be wheel chaired to her room. The doctors said she would be fine, which relieved my nerves. I sat beside her bed, just noticing the time now. It was almost two in the morning. Sleep overtook me while I held her hand. I snapped awake when I felt pressure on the hand holding hers. She was laying there staring at me.
A grateful smile spread across my face as I leaned in closer to her.
"You found me," she murmured.
"I said I would."
"That you did. Thank you."
"I love you Leila."
"I love you too."
With some difficulty, I laid down beside her, never letting go of her hand. I looked into her eyes and knew everything was going to be all right.
"Happy belated Valentine's day," I chuckled. A curt laugh left her.
"At least we're not boring," she added.
"No, we're not. You know, I had planned a romantic evening for us to ask this but....would you move in with me?"
A large smile grew on her face at that.
"Absolutely. I love you."
I could only smile and lean in for a kiss at her answer. I knew this was just the beginning of our adventures together and that many were to come. As long as I had her in my life, all the obstacles life threw at me, would be worth it.
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Thank you so much for reading my story. I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought.
With best regards,
Gail Bradley
About the Author
Gail Bradley is a married stay at home mom of two vivacious little girls. Her passions include writing fantasy and adventure stories of all types. When she's not writing she's playing with her daughters or hanging out with her husband. She loves swimming, boating, listening to music, going to parks, and cooking.
hank you for reading books on Archive.
