Page 59 of The Cult

We need to go faster, but Lara’s right. Her legs aren’t long enough. There’s no choice now. If we hope to get away and find someone to give us a ride, we have to run faster than the men chasing us.

“When I stop, you need to get on my back. Don’t waste time, or we won’t escape them.”

She lets out a tiny sob but says nothing. A few steps later, I suddenly skid to a stop and yank her back toward me. Just as I told her to, she jumps on my back and wraps her arms around my neck.

“Nash, oh hurry! I can hear them!” she cries in my ear.

I don’t need to be told twice to get going. I know what the consequences of our attempting to escape will be if we fail. My feet take off like they’ve got wings on the back of them. I don’t know where the strength comes from, but I don’t feel any fatigue in my legs now. I only feel pure fear at the thought of what will happen to us if I don’t reach that main road and find someone who will help us.

The sound of the cars’ tires rolling over the pavement fills my ears, thrilling me. It’s not that far now. I just need to keep going.

“Nash, we’re doing it!” Lara says, hope filling her voice.

Another gunshot rips through the darkness, but this time it doesn’t terrify me. They’re too far behind and running in the dark like we are, so their shots won’t reach us.

Not yet.

I can’t let up now, though. Just a few steps more and we’ll get to the main road. I just have to pray someone will stop and help us.

“You can’t get away, Nash!” a man bellows.

I recognize that voice. Adam. He’s probably licking his damn chops in anticipation of catching me. I bet he’s already got what he wants to do to me all planned out. No chasing after me just to shoot me down in the high grass like with Maren. No, he’s a psycho. He’s going to want to torture me for a little while before he finally puts a bullet in my head.

“Don’t listen to him,” Lara says in my ear. “We’re almost there!”

My eyesight becomes bleary as we get closer to the road, so I shake my head hoping to clear it. I can’t lose focus now.

Just a few yards more…

Lara begins yelling and flailing her arms above my head just before we reach the main road, and I’m stunned when a car pulls off to the side. I sprint over to it, spending the last of my energy to reach the dark SUV.

The window slowly lowers as I keep turning my head to see how close Adam and his buddies are. Thankfully, they seem to have slowed down.

A man looks out from the driver seat, and before I can ask him if he can give us a ride, Lara exclaims, “Mario! What are you doing here at this time of night?”

Confused, I don’t know what to expect him to say, but the man flashes us a big smile and waves us into his car. “I could ask you the same question. Jump in!”

I don’t question how the two of them know one another and hurriedly get into the back seat. Lara climbs into the front seat, and we barely get the doors closed before her friend Mario is jamming his foot on the gas and slamming me back against the leather seat.

She turns her body toward him and slaps his arm. “I don’t know what we would have done if you didn’t come along. You saved us, Mario!”

“Timing is everything. So where were you two coming from?” he asks before glancing in the rearview mirror to look at me.

Something makes me feel like I’ve seen him before. That can’t be possible, though. I haven’t seen more than a handful of outsiders in my entire time with The Golden Light. The few times I left the farm to visit other locations for Micah didn’t give me much opportunity to see people not in the group. Mario must have a familiar looking face.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Lara answers with a laugh. “Someday after I give you my article I’ll explain everything. Until then, I think I can speak for Nash when I say you literally saved our lives.”

“Well, I’m happy to do it. Where can I take you?”

“Where are we?” I ask, but Mario doesn’t answer.

Before I can tell her to not say too much, Lara blurts out, “My car is parked in Wilmington. I know it’s a huge favor, but can you drop us off there?”

Wilmington? That’s in Delaware. Did we get moved to a site outside of Pennsylvania?

As these questions fill my mind, I listen to him agree to take us wherever Lara wants, and then he says, “Why didn’t you answer my call yesterday and again today? I’ve been worried about you.”

“It’s a long story, but suffice to say I’m going to need a new phone.”

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