Page 1 of Run for Her Life
PROLOGUE
Zoe’s fingers were covered in something sticky. She slumped down the wall, landing on the ground with a thud. A metallic whiff clogged her nose. She lifted her trembling hand to inspect it.
It was covered in blood.
Her thumping heart had slowed into a sluggish rhythm. A chill enveloped her. She traced her hand down her abdomen until she found it. The hole in her stomach. It was tiny but it emitted a steady stream of blood, which gushed out with every disjointed breath she took.
She stared up into the sky. The gold light was fading quickly. A wall of trees surrounded her. Its shadow encroached closer, threatening to engulf her. There was no one around—not anymore. No one to hear her whimper, no one to watch her bleed.
The gunshot was the last booming sound that had echoed in this remote part of the woods. Now only birds chirped. The cold seeped into her bones and darkness lingered at the periphery.
She felt like she was sinking. She was shivering and thought she would throw up at any moment.
“Storm!” Someone materialized from the woods. A voice she recognized. Her vision sharpened as he drew closer. “Oh my God.” Aiden’s usual stoic face was frantic and alarmed. He hovered over her, his hand shooting out to put pressure on her bleeding stomach. “Just stay with me.”
“I’m… I want to sleep,” she whispered, her eyes beginning to close.
“No! Eyes on me, Storm,” he roared, pressing his phone to his ear. “I need an ambulance. My partner has been shot in the stomach.”
He was losing her. And then Aiden’s head whipped up as he looked behind her.
“Who’s there?” he called out, his free hand searching for Zoe’s gun. A twig snapped. Footsteps pounded. Aiden frowned and raised his hands in the air in surrender. “Who are you?”
A familiar voice replied, “Who the hell areyouand why did you shoot her?”
ONE
PAST
Pineview Falls
The woman took out a tube of lipstick from her pocket and uncapped it. She smeared it across her lips and smacked them together. The bus station was a lonesome, glass structure standing in the middle of the winding road lined with pine trees on either side; their tips resembled spikes piercing into the night sky dotted with glittering stars.
She was the only one sitting on the bench. Her sharp eyes gazing around the darkness, always searching for danger, always plotting a way out. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a bedraggled man with worn shoes, clumps of dirty hair, and stained, tattered clothes approach her. The stench of urine and cigarettes wafted up her nose. He collapsed onto the end of the bench and stared at her. She ignored him, avoiding eye contact, pretended that this homeless man didn’t exist, just like the rest of society did every day.
They were alone on a spooky night. Halloween. But it didn’t scare her. Nothing scared her.
Bright lights appeared at the end of the road, growing larger. The outline of a bus crystallized against the darkness and theengine coughed as it arrived at the stop. The doors swung open with a creak, and a gangly boy with a long neck and acid-washed jeans and an oversized sweatshirt got off.
“Michael!” The woman beamed. “For a minute I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“It was hard to get away from my folks,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. The woman realized just how young he was.
“Well, let’s have some fun.” She draped her arm over his shoulder. “Hope you did your math homework. I’ll be checking tomorrow.”
He grinned, his braces gleaming. “I wouldn’t have showed up if I hadn’t. I know how strict you are.”
“Work and fun go hand in hand.”
“Don’t you ever get scared?” he asked, looking over his shoulder at the homeless man, who was still sitting on the bench. “Alone at night like this.”
He was so innocent and caring. Just sixteen years old. A tiny tremor of guilt disturbed her calm demeanor for a fleeting second. “Nothing scares me, Michael.”
“You’re so cool.” Then his eyes darted ahead to the glimmering lights in the distance.
She followed his gaze to the pocket of magic—the Ferris wheel, like a luminous circle, towering lights flashing green, red, and blue, a swirl of neon and golden lights blinking in hypnotic patterns. A burst of fireworks flared in the sky, casting a glow on their faces.
“This is going to be the best night ever!” Michael exclaimed.
