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SAGE
Ipounded my fists on the door, screaming Jamie’s name. Smoke was billowing out from under the door, and I ran to the closest window. The bars on the window would not give at all as I pulled against them. All I could see were flames and smoke.
The front door swung open, and someone stumbled out. When he was on the porch, he put his hands on his knees and started coughing. I swallowed a strangled sob when I realized it wasn’t Jamie. Taking a step back, I flinched when the porch creaked loudly under me. The man looked up, and his eyes widened.
“You,” he bellowed as he rushed toward me.
Jumping over the porch railing, I started running for the truck as soon as I landed on the soft grass below. My finger stayed pressed on the unlock button until I grabbed the handle and slid in. The man got to the truck right when the locks clicked. He hit the window and kept attempting to open the door. But then he stopped. He looked to where the road was and started to go around to the back of the house. I watched him leave, my curiosity pushing through the fear as to why he’d left me alone. Once he disappeared behind the house, my gaze went back to the open front door. I silently prayed for Jamie to come outside. But only smoke kept pouring out. By now it looked like the entire foyer and great room were ablaze.
The backyard was suddenly lit up. The white lights were blinding, and I tried to squint through them to see what was happening. A blue car tore through the grass and onto the driveway. Without slowing down, it kicked up clouds of dirt as it raced down the road. Right behind that car were two more that followed suit. The taillights soon disappeared from view. I wondered where all the cars had been. I waited to see if more cars came out, but once again, it was dark. Except for the orange glow from the growing fire.
I was torn. I wanted to go back to the front door and see if there was any chance of Jamie being alive. But the terror that more men still might be out there kept me in the truck. After waiting a few more minutes, I unlocked the door and climbed out. There was no one in sight as I ran back to the house. I wasn’t even able to go onto the porch because the flames were so immense.
“Jamie?” I called out, my voice filled with doubt. The house was encased in flames, and I knew there was no way he’d gotten out. With a heavy heart, I turned to get back into the truck until lights lit up the night again. Unlike last time, these lights weren’t white. They were blue. My heart jumped. The police.
Someone must have called about the fire. But there was nothing around for miles. The feelings of relief and fear were both fighting within me. I could tell the police what had happened. They could pay for what they’d done. But Niko’s words cut my relief short. They had people everywhere, including the police. But by then it was too late to make a decision. The police car had pulled up near the house and blocked in the truck.
The police officer jumped out of his car and ran over to me.
“Are you okay, miss? Come on, let’s get away from the house.” He started pulling me to his car.
“Wait. There are people inside.” I dug my feet into the ground as we got closer to the police cruiser. I was not getting in that car.
“The fire truck is on its way; should be here any minute. Are you the one who called?”
“Called?”
“Yes, there was a call placed that stated their house was on fire and gave the address. Lucky you have a house phone or it would have been much longer before we arrived.”
I looked back at the house, trying to remember if I’d seen a phone. It was almost impossible to even see the house now. It was concealed by the tall flames.
“How many people are still in there that you know of?” he asked as he glanced down and saw blood on my hands.
“At least one,” I murmured. The fight in my head to either run or tell the officer everything was all I could think of. I didn’t know if he could be trusted. He was acting normal. But so had Alex.
“My boss should be here soon. It was his night off, but I paged him. I’m sure he’ll have some questions for you. Do you know how the fire started?”
“No,” I lied, deciding I wasn’t trusting anyone yet.
Headlights made their way down the dirt road. The fire truck had finally come. Behind it was a blue car that parked behind the police cruiser. I saw the man through the window, and a gasp escaped me as my heart thrashed. I’d seen him before. He was one of the men sitting on the sofa inside the great room. Right next to Eric.
“There’s the sheriff. I’m sure he’s going to want to talk to you. Let me go inform him of what’s going on first.” The officer started to walk back to the blue car.
“I need to get some water. From my truck. I’ll be right back.” I bolted to the other side of the police car and jumped into the truck. Twisting the key, I pressed my foot on the gas and drove onto the grass to get around the other cars. I made it to the dirt road before glancing in the mirror to see the two men standing and staring, making no attempt to follow me.
The sheriff was in on it. He was part of their secret. I tried to think clearly as the main road came into view. This road led straight to the highway that I could take all the way back home. Every couple of minutes, my eyes went to the mirror, and I expected to see headlights, but there was only darkness.
Before getting on the highway, I pulled onto the shoulder of the road and parked. Turning on the inside light, I twisted around to look in the back seat and felt a rush of relief when I spotted my wallet. My bad habit of leaving it in the car all the time had paid off for once.
Getting back on the road, I followed the signs for the Mackinac Bridge. The bridge came into view just as the sun started to rise. I had been up for almost twenty-four hours but didn’t feel tired at all. My body was shaking, and I kept a tight grip on the steering wheel. I stared at the bridge with sadness smothering me.
Just a couple of days ago, I was right here. With Lacey. I bit my tongue. And with Alex. Now everyone I’d come up here with was dead. Well, maybe not Alex. I glanced in the rearview mirror. Even if Alex didn’t survive, I was positive that others had. Which meant I wasn’t safe.
Driving onto the bridge, I didn’t feel the stab of fear I usually got. I barely noticed the grates as I drove over them. My eyes darted between the windshield and the mirror, knowing it was only a matter of time before they came after me. There was no possible way I could go back to my old life. Niko and Geo’s conversation with me overtook my thoughts. They hadn’t expected me to escape. But I did. And I wasn’t going to make finding me easy for them. As I drove, I planned out everything I needed to do.
Halfway home, the truck was running on fumes. I pulled into a gas station and slipped on a hoodie that was in the back seat. It smelled like Alex, and I resisted the temptation to throw it in the trash. Blood was all over my clothes, and I needed to cover it up. I climbed out and was about to start filling up when an ATM caught my eye. Trying to act natural, I pulled out money to pay for the gas in cash. I felt ridiculous for being so paranoid. But this was my life now. If the society had the reach that Niko said they did, I didn’t want them to know where I was using my debit card. I decided to only use cash from here on out.
After getting gas, I drove across the street to another store and bought a prepaid monthly phone with some minutes. My old phone was still with Geo, and I made a mental note to call the phone company and report the phone as lost. The urge to go to the police was overwhelming. But I couldn’t. I didn’t know who was safe. The sheriff and detective were part of them. How many more were too?
Three hours later, my hometown sign, Welcome to Capac, came into sight. I slumped against the seat, only to straighten again when I remembered this place wasn’t safe either. There was so much to do, and it needed to be done fast. Before anyone from up north got here. I went straight to my dad’s nursing home.
