Hunted: A Suspense Collection

by J. L. Drake

  “Wait, who is he?”

  “He’s Officer Webber. Don’t worry. As the new acting police chief, I took care of you,” James offered a small wink and flashed a big smile at how pleased he was at becoming the new police chief, even under the circumstances.

  “But do you trust him?”

  “Officer Webber has been vetted, so he’s clear. We will be able to get you and Garrett home after you’re both cleared to leave. This will be over soon, Anna.”

  “How can you be sure?” After this experience, I would trust very few people outside of those I truly knew. I needed to be sure that I was safe with Webber outside, and that James knew him to trust him.

  “He passed the lie detector test. To be honest, we had no other way to know if they were telling the truth or not. Officer Rivers wouldn’t call them out and they weren’t going to speak up, so we took the only way we knew how. Now just rest, we’ll take care of everything.”

  I watched James lift Jessi from her makeshift bed and walk out of the room. Loneliness and fear started to creep in as I waited for someone to come back in. I wanted to see Garrett, but I was so nervous. What would he say to me after what we’ve been through? I fell into an uneasy sleep again soon after James left. It didn’t feel long because I was soon shaken awake by a rough hand. I glanced up at the face of an older gentleman who had black hair speckled with grey and soft green eyes filled with sorrow.

  “We need to go, Anna,” he said, pulling me from the bed and throwing my clothes at me.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, as I put my jeans on under the cover of the hospital robe. I cringed with every little movement as I pulled the pants up to my hips. Then carefully untied the robe before turning around to put my shirt on.

  “I received communication that Steve is on his way here. We need to move you to another hospital in the next town, just to keep everyone here and yourself safe.”

  “What about Garrett?” I questioned, glancing at his empty bed as I was pulled out of the room.

  “He’s still in surgery, we have guards protecting him and they will give their lives to protect his so don’t worry. Just worry about yourself for now.”

  Steve wouldn’t give up the chase anytime soon, but I could delay my recapture as long as I could run. People stared at us as we ran to the front door and straight into the waiting police car.

  The older officer opened the passenger’s side door for me and pushed me in. I turned around to see the older officer have people surround him to ask what was happening, but soon he was out of sight. The doors slammed shut just as Officer Webber roared the car to life.

  We soared down the roads with the sirens blasting in my ears. Of course, the sirens made cars pulling over to let us get out even faster and soon we were out of town limits. Trees whizzed by as we hit the road out of town. There was nothing, but trees, yet I still had a bad feeling.

  “Where are we going?” I asked Officer Webber.

  “To the next town. Hopefully he won’t risk coming to you there.”

  “What if he does?” I asked.

  “The officers in Chesterfield are working on precautions to keep you safe. I promise you, Anna, there are still good cops out there. Please don’t let this taint how you see all of us,” he pleaded as a loud screeching sound came from behind us.

  I glanced back in the rear view mirror to see a speeding black hummer coming from behind us. The words ‘objects in mirror may be closer than they appear’ have never held more meaning than in that moment. The hummer crashed into the back of our police cruiser, sending the front end into the asphalt and pole-vaulting us forward.

  There was nothing but air for a while and then a loud crash as the car slammed onto the pavement on its roof. There was a sickening crack as its frame crushed from rolling down the road. An unbearable sound of metal screeching on the asphalt reached my ears as I saw sparks start to fly and flame for a period of time inside the car.

  The car finally stopped in the middle of the long abandoned road, with my head still spinning. The windows had shattered around us, the seat belts locked us in place and there was blood dripping on my face. When I regained my senses, I could see two feet walking toward the car as my head slowly stopped spinning.

  “You have two hours left, Anna,” a voice said as the two feet got closer to the car.

  I glanced at Officer Webber to get his attention, but his head was bleeding profusely. It had been forced open by the collision. I knew he was dead—he didn’t move, make a sound, or attempt to speak. That was the last thing I saw as the world went black around me.

  Chapter 28

  When I woke up I was laying in the middle of the woods. Once the pain in my head diminished, I glanced around quickly before getting up fully.

  I didn’t see Officer Webber and I couldn’t see the car or road at all. How far was I in the woods? How did I get here anyway?

  There were rocks only on one side of me. I could hear movement in the surrounding area, but I couldn’t tell if it was animal or human. I could only hope that it was animal. I’d rather be mauled by a bear than find out how Steve was planning to get rid of me.

  I got up to see that the rocks had been arranged to spell out, ‘two hours left Anna.’ then written in the dirt was ‘see you soon.’ That’s when I was able to connect the dots of what happened, Steve had caused the car crash and brought me out here for him to chase. I needed to start moving, but I couldn’t decide where to go. I wasn’t even sure how I got here, but I knew I would die if I stayed here. Where would I go? Could I risk going back to Charleston, or do I continue toward the next town where I was supposed to go? My choice was made for me as footsteps approached from the direction of Charleston. I took off running when the footsteps got closer to me. That’s when I heard laughter, maniacal and crazed, coming from behind me.

  I could feel the brush cutting into my legs. I was driven by fear.

  Even when I hit pavement and saw buildings of the new town, I couldn’t stop. I sprinted through the streets, ran into people and one time into a parked car. I was sent crashing to the ground, the pain seeping into my body as I caught my breath.

  “Excuse me, young lady,” I heard a voice, causing my eyes to fly open from their moment of rest. “You have a lot of people worried. Are you okay?”

  I glanced up at the police officer with fear surging through my body. Forcing myself from the ground, I shot up and pressed myself against the car. While trying to think of an escape plan I couldn’t help but wonder which side he was on. Would he call Steve, or would he take me to my parents? What would happen to me if I trusted him?

  “You’re Anna Cowles! We’ve been looking for you since we had the crash reported! Everyone’s on their ear looking for you,” he exclaimed with a thick southern accent.

  “What?” I asked through a wheezy voice.

  “Your parents are on their way here from Charleston. They’ll be here tomorrow! Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and back home. I can’t imagine my little girl being as strong as you, you’ve become popular around the country,” he said as he led me to his police cruiser.

  I glanced at the car and swallowed hard. I didn’t know whether to trust this man, or not. He seemed nice, unlike those in the department with James who made it obvious they weren’t pleased to see me, but that didn’t mean I could trust him. Either this man hid his deception well, or he truly was a good man. I didn’t have the urge to run from the car, but I wasn’t going to walk willingly into a trap, only to wake up with Steve hovering over me a few hours later.

  “What’s wrong?” the officer asked.

  “I don’t trust you. I only trust James Sparks,” I said truthfully as I stood five steps away from the vehicle.

  “I see. How can I ease your tension?”

  “I don’t know,” I stated honestly. I hadn’t thought of that, how was there a way to truly know if they were good or just a good actor?

  “How about we get in the car with the doors unlocked and head straight
to the police office. It’s the best I can do, Anna. We do need seat belts, though,” he said, adding the technicality on to his proposition.

  “Sure, but then I want all the police a fair distance away from me.”

  “Deal. Get in, and we will be there before you know it,” he said, as he opened the back door for me so that we would be as far apart as the car would allow us to be. Once he shut the door he walked around to the driver’s side door and slid into the front seat.

  We drove in complete silence to the police station. He stayed on his side of the glass and I stayed on my side, but my guard wasn’t going to fall. Even as we walked into the station, I glanced at each of the policemen and women to look at their expressions. The officers in James’ department showed that they weren’t pleased to see me, but everyone here started cheering when we walked in. They all seemed genuinely excited to have me be here, but could that really be the truth? I looked at all of their smiling and relieved facial expressions with intense analysis, but they didn’t falter at my obvious scrutiny.

  “It’s good to see you’re okay, Miss Cowles.” I turned at the sound of my name and looked up at a tall, muscular young man, easily in his early twenties fresh from the academy. He reminded me of Garrett—I hope he made it through surgery, and that he was safe.

  “Is that so?” I asked, feeling as if the man was waiting for me to say something.

  “We’ve heard plenty about what has happened to you. I actually just got off the phone with James Sparks, who is the acting police chief over there. We have everything planned out to finally end this for you,” the officer said with a small smile.

  “What do you mean?” I asked suddenly nervous of what they had planned for me.

  “Come into my office, and I will explain everything there,” he said as he gestured toward the open door behind him. I nodded slightly and followed him glancing back at the officers behind me. None of them had moved, and their expressions hadn’t changed.

  “My name is Officer Wright. Please don’t make any puns from that, I’m aware of many of them,” Officer Wright said passively as he shut the door behind me. I instantly tensed as I was sealed into the room with only him.

  “Please don’t shut the door,” I pleaded with a shaky voice.

  “I’m sorry if this makes you nervous, Anna, but it’s for your own good. We are limiting the number of people you come into contact with. You will be moved to a safe house, in an undisclosed location except to those taking and guarding you there. You will stay there all night, and this will be over in the morning. One of my men has been following Steve, and he will be in custody by tomorrow morning,” he explained sitting down in his seat.

  “What’s to stop Steve from finding me? He has allies in the police department,” I stated in a quiet voice to keep the confidentiality of the topic.

  “I’m well aware, I was briefed by Chief Sparks. That is another reason the number of people who have knowledge about this plan is being kept minimal. We hope to avoid Steve finding you, or find the mole in our own department. There’s just no way of knowing, but I promise you I’ve done everything I can and by the book. This should go over well,” Officer Wright stated as a knock rasped on his door.

  “We’re ready to go,” someone said through the door.

  “Thank you. Now, Anna, don’t speak, don’t say anything, just go. There will be guards around the safe house, and I will see you tomorrow.”

  “Do you know where I’m going?” I asked as we walked toward the front door of the building.

  “No, sorry. Only five people know where you are going. This safe house idea wasn’t mine, it was made from above me,” he said as he waved me out the door into another police officer’s protective arms.

  “I’m down to a matter of minutes so I hope this works,” I stated to Officer Wright as I walked down the stairs.

  “I do too. I really do too,” I heard Officer Wright say just as I slammed the door shut behind me. It took an hour to get to the safe house because we took the long route in hopes of throwing off whoever may be following us. The last rays of lights were snuffed out as the officers took their positions around the house. There was one officer with me, but talking with him was like talking to a wall.

  “May I take a shower?” I asked, ending the silence between us for a moment. All the officer did was nod as an answer before returning to his position. The house had a square layout to allow for easy access into all the rooms, there were two ways in and out of the room. I went from the living room to the bedroom, through the bathroom and finally into the kitchen. I glanced into the living room from the second entrance to the kitchen, and the officer was still standing there. I wanted to be sure that it was only the officer and me in the house before I took a shower.

  I turned on the water and got in. I took a long shower, drowning out everything as the water ran down my body to clean the fresh mud and dirt off of me. Memories washed away from my mind for the moment, leaving me to remember the times with Garrett.

  After about ten months of being in the house with him, he admitted to having feelings for me and I could say I felt the same. I could feel the tingle on my lips just by remembering his soft gentle kiss or the way he wrapped his arms around me into a hug. He was my hope, my light and I couldn’t wait to see him again. Then it took another two months for us to escape, and soon we would be together again.

  The water turned cold, breaking me from my recollection. I stepped out and grabbed a towel to shroud myself from the cold. That’s when the sound of something crashing to the floor caught my attention. I gripped my towel tighter as I quietly opened the door to the kitchen and glanced in.

  I saw the officer on the floor with a pool of blood surrounding him, the blood slowly expanded around the body itself. I shut the door quietly again, and then froze as I heard another sound come from the bedroom. I slowly walked toward the other door and opened it slowly. From the small slit I allowed myself to open the door I could see candles lighting the room, I could smell perfume and see flower petals lying on the bed. Then I saw Steve—he had found me and killed the officer to get to me.

  “This will be the last time I allow myself to do this. She can’t live much longer, she’s too much trouble. It’s a pity really; we could have had a wonderful life if you had just accepted it, Anna,” Steve said, turning toward the door and taking quick steps toward me.

  I slammed the door and locked it as fast as I could. Steve started laughing as he pounded on the door trying to open it. Fear sprinted through me; I was stuck. I had nowhere to go and I didn’t know where the other officers were. Why weren’t they in here? Had Steve already killed them?

  “You can’t hide from me forever. I’ll find you! You have nowhere to run!” He laughed as he attempted to break the door down. Without a second thought, I took off running out the other bathroom door. I raced through the kitchen, past the dead officer, and I squeezed through the tight hallway that led out the back of the house.

  Chapter 29

  The sun was starting to rise, making the pain in my legs and chest a very harsh reality. I had run almost all night, with only a few breaks to ease the tension that was growing in my chest. I knew I had to keep running, but it was getting harder to breath with every step. I had no idea where I was going, only that I was running away from Steve. There were no paths, so I spent a lot of time and energy climbing over fallen trees and in between thorn bushes. The maniacal laughter from behind me was all the motivation I needed.

  I could hear voices coming from around me. The brush started to diminish as I hit a dirt path, worn down by years of someone coming back and forth. I felt slightly relieved, running would at least be easier now, I thought as Steve caught up to me.

  “Anna, when are you going to learn that I’ve been doing this for a while? I’m in good enough shape to catch up and toy with you while I wait for you to collapse with exhaustion.”

  “I’m not going to let you catch me,” I yelled in the general direction of Steve’s voi
ce as I took off again.

  “You can’t prevent the inevitable, Anna!”

  The voices got louder, but I was too afraid to stop. I was afraid I would turn around and see his gray eyes, and then I would be trapped. I would be claimed as his one last time, filling the last few moments of my life with pain before he killed me.

  It made me wonder what would become of Garrett if I was caught. Would Steve go back to the hospital to get him, or would he leave Garrett alone since he had me? There was no doubt in my mind that he would go right back to taking girls and this time there would be no one there to help them. Garrett wouldn’t go back, he swore he’d kill himself before he went back if he ever got out.

  It had to end here and now. There had been too many girls affected by this, it wasn’t fair to them or their families. Their families never had any clue what happened to them, and they needed to. They needed to see what certain individuals were capable of doing, but they also needed it for closure. I couldn’t let those girls be labeled as runaways and missing. Someone needed to be told, which meant I needed to live.

  “Anna! Oh, Anna! I think it’s time we went home. We have to check on our son and daughter,” I heard Steve call from behind me.

  I stiffened at how close his voice sounded. As quickly as I could, I hid behind a tree as footsteps raced past me. If he hadn’t spoken I would have been captured and under his control again. Why hadn’t I been paying more attention?

  When I didn’t answer he continued to call for me.

  “We can go home and enjoy alone time together. I have a few new ideas for what to do. I think you’ll like them, we can enjoy each other just like our honeymoon.”

  I turned and ran in the opposite direction. I didn’t even look back when I saw two runners coming my way, a man and a woman, to see if Steve was following me. Both looked exhausted, but when I popped out in front of them they stopped for a few moments. I sighed in relief as they took tentative steps toward me on the converging paths before they ran faster toward me.