Chapter Six: Rain Between Us
825 Words
The station echoed with the sound of approaching footsteps.
"Run."
Asher's voice was calm, but his eyes betrayed a fear Elle had never seen before.
"What about you?" she asked.
"I'll catch up."
"But—"
"Elle."
His tone left no room for argument.
"Trust me."
For a brief second, she hesitated.
Three years ago, she had stopped trusting him.
Yet somehow...
The way he looked at her now reminded her of the boy who used to wait outside her classroom just to walk her home.
The boy who always stood between her and danger.
Without another word, she nodded.
They ran.
---
The old train station was nearly empty.
Passengers turned in surprise as Asher and Elle hurried toward the rear exit.
Behind them, the three men in black pushed through the crowd.
"There they are!"
One of them pointed directly at Elle.
Asher grabbed her hand.
"This way!"
They burst through the back doors just as heavy rain began to pour.
Within seconds, they were soaked.
The narrow alley behind the station glistened beneath the streetlights. Rainwater rushed along the sidewalks, making every step slippery.
Elle struggled to keep up.
"Asher..."
"Don't stop!"
They turned another corner.
Behind them, footsteps splashed through puddles.
"They're still following us!" Elle gasped.
"I know."
---
The rain grew heavier.
Thunder rumbled across the dark sky.
They reached an old covered footbridge overlooking the river that cut through Westbridge.
Asher finally slowed.
"Catch your breath."
Elle leaned against the railing, trying to steady her breathing.
"What is happening?"
Asher looked toward the entrance of the bridge.
"We've got a few minutes."
"A few minutes for what?"
"Before they find us."
Elle stared at him.
"You keep saying 'they.'"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at the rain falling beyond the bridge.
"I wanted to protect you from this."
"Protect me from what?"
"My past."
She frowned.
"Your past?"
"It became yours the night we met."
His words only deepened the mystery.
"Asher..."
She stepped closer.
"No more secrets."
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"When we were children, my father worked for a construction company."
"I know that."
"But what you don't know..."
His voice faltered.
"...is that the company wasn't what people believed."
Elle waited silently.
"They covered up illegal projects."
Her heart skipped.
"What kind of projects?"
"They bribed officials."
"They forced families to leave their homes."
"And anyone who threatened to expose them..."
He looked away.
"...disappeared."
A chill ran down Elle's spine.
"What does that have to do with us?"
"My father found evidence."
"And?"
"He tried to report it."
"What happened?"
"He died before he could."
Elle's eyes widened.
"I was told it was an accident."
"It wasn't."
The rain seemed louder than ever.
"He left everything to me."
"What do you mean?"
"The documents."
"The names."
"The proof."
Elle's pulse quickened.
"The people chasing us..."
"They think I still have it."
---
A sudden crash interrupted them.
One of the men had reached the bridge.
"There!"
Asher immediately pulled Elle behind one of the large concrete pillars.
The man searched the bridge with a flashlight.
"They couldn't have gone far."
Another voice answered from below.
"Check both exits!"
Elle instinctively grabbed Asher's sleeve.
He gently placed a finger over his lips.
The footsteps grew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
The beam of the flashlight swept across the bridge floor.
Only a few more steps...
Then they would be discovered.
Elle held her breath.
Without thinking, she reached for Asher's hand.
He looked down in surprise.
Their fingers intertwined naturally, just as they had years ago.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The world outside disappeared.
Only the rain remained.
Only the warmth of his hand.
Only the memories neither of them had truly forgotten.
"I missed this," Asher whispered.
Elle's eyes met his.
"So did I."
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Realizing what she had admitted, she quickly looked away.
"I... I didn't mean—"
"It's okay."
His gentle smile returned for the first time in years.
"You don't have to explain."
---
The voices outside faded.
The men had moved farther down the bridge.
"We should leave," Asher said softly.
As they stepped out from hiding, Elle noticed something tied around one of the bridge's support beams.
A small glass jar.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
"What is that?"
Asher stopped walking.
His face paled.
"No..."
"What?"
He carefully untied the jar.
Inside was a single note.
It read:
**"You can keep running, Asher.**
**But this time...**
**she won't survive."**
At the bottom of the page was a symbol.
A black raven.
The same symbol Asher had seen once before.
The night that changed everything.
He crushed the note in his trembling hand.
Elle had never seen him afraid.
Until now.
And that frightened her more than the men who had been chasing them.
**End of Chapter Six**
Next Chapter: *Cracks in the Truth
- Writer
