AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I scrape off as much of the rust along the metal frame’s edges as I can, then give it a push. I damn near squeal when the whole thing comes loose, and I carefully nudge it forward even more until it pulls the remaining screw out with it.
Just like that, my window is clear.
Looking down, I breathe a sigh of relief. There’s nobody out there, not even one of the usual midnight-smoking prospects who live in the rooms down the hall from mine. I set the frame aside on the outer ledge of the clubhouse and inhale deeply.
This is it.
I can do this.
I can climb down and find my way back to freedom.
But what will I do with it? Will I tell my father that the Steel Knights kidnapped me and held me captive? Or should I just insist that I never saw my abductors? Oh, God, my mind is going in every wrong direction possible.
Why the hell am I still standing here?
“Screw this.” I climb out the window.
Slowly and carefully, I step along the narrow ledge and make my way to one of the decorative lattices by the clubhouse's front terrace.
Once I’m on the ground, I realize that my knees are shaking.
I did it. I got out.
Why am I so hesitant to leave, then? Night after night, I’ve sat in that room and cried myself to sleep, wondering what would happen to me. I fear for my life and my future. I’m angry at my father and the whole world for having allowed something like this to happen in the first place. Yet I’m standing in the parking lot, having second thoughts. What the hell is wrong with me?
My resolve firming in my mind, I run. I run out of the parking lot and onto the open road, my heart beating faster than my feet can move across the gravel. I run as if my life depended on it because it kind of does, just not in the way one might think.
I need a clear head.
I run into the night, chasing my freedom until I can grasp it firmly with both hands.
Only then will I be able to make a sound decision about what I will tell my father?
14
Ariana
It’s still dark out.
I don’t know how long it’s been since I left the clubhouse, but the city of Everton rises far ahead with its twinkling lights scattered along the ridged horizon. Mountains reign supremely behind, as I realize I still have a few miles to go before I reach civilization again.
At least it’s quiet, though I wish at least one car could make its way down this long, winding road. I’m no fan of hitchhiking, but my feet are tired. My whole body is nearing exhaustion, though I think it’s because of the impending crash from the initial adrenaline rush.
Countless thoughts go through my head, most of them erratic and constantly throwing me for a loop. Any other person in their right mind would thank the heavens for having made it out of the clubhouse. I should be elated. Running away as fast as I can.
But instead, I’m walking slowly.
Doubting my decision.
What do I tell the authorities? I don’t know who took me. They were wearing masks. I don’t know their names. They never spoke to me. They just threw me in the trunk of a car and drove off.
What kind of car? I don’t know, it was dark.
I should just tell them the truth, that it was the Steel Knights who took me. Why does it feel so wrong to consider that? If Sky, Kendric, and Raylan wanted something from my father, they should’ve gone through the legal channels.
But then I remember the look on Paulie’s face, the kids at the community center, and the teens working at their hidden tip line. I remember all the people I met while I was their captive, all the people they’ve helped, and I can already picture a SWAT team swarming the clubhouse and tearing it to shreds in search of evidence.
I can see Shiloh, Spike, and the others down on the ground as they get slapped with cuffs and read their Miranda rights. The mere thought of seeing Sky, Kendric, and Raylan in chains sends the worst kind of shivers down my spine.
