Facing Reality

Chapter 3

    They had already found me. I stared at the wreckage that used to be my rental house, thankful that Luke wasn't here to see the damage. They were trying to find me again.

    I shuddered and stepped away from the house. There was no way I was going back in there. I knew I was trained for this sort of thing, but I knew what they were capable of if they managed to capture someone.

    My hand ghosted along my left side. I still felt pain even on the good days, pain that I had become used to ignoring.

    I turned away from the house quickly and glanced at my car. All four tires were slashed, and one of the headlights busted. There was no way I would be able to use it. I didn't have the money to replace the damage, and, even if I did, they most likely knew my plate number and could easily track me.

    Without thinking, I reached for my phone. I stared at the screen for a whole minute. I didn't know who to call. I didn't have any contacts from my past- I made sure of that when I came here to start a new life- and I didn't want to drag any of my friends into this. I didn't want any more blood on my hands, especially if it was the blood of those close to me.

    Then a thought came to me. They could have found out my phone number. They could be tracking me.

    In the darkening twilight, I ripped apart the phone and pulled out the battery. I wasn't going to take any chances.

    I was so caught up in dealing with my phone that I didn't hear the footsteps until it was too late. A hand clamped over my mouth, and another wrapped around my waist, pinning my arms to my side.

    I didn't waste time in driving my heel back into the man's foot, catching his in the arch of his ankle. The man yelped in pain, his grip loosening ever so slightly. I took the opportunity to ram my head backwards. I felt his nose connect with my skull, and the man let go instantly.

    A throb made itself known at the back of my head where I hit the man, but I ignore it. Instead, I ran. I could hear the man giving chase behind me as I ran across the sidewalk and through as series of back alleys.

    A hand gripped the back of my neck and pulled me backwards. I hit the ground hard, my head bouncing against the concrete. I saw stars, but I blinked them away.

    The man's foot connected with my side, and I cried out. His fist found my cheek, and I had to force myself to stay conscious.

    With the strength I had left, I kicked the man as hard as I could between the legs. He doubled over, groaning in pain. Using the moment to my advantage, I got to my feet and took off again.

    When I heard his footsteps gaining on my a second time, I threw myself behind a nearby dumpster. I landed on broken glass and clamped my lips against a scream as the shards cut into my skin.

    The sound of the footsteps grew louder until they were right next to the dumpster.

    I held my breath, praying the man wouldn't find me.

    He moved on.

    Fighting back tears of pain and fear, I waited another few minutes before pushing myself up from my hiding spot. I knew I didn't have a choice anymore. I needed someone on my side.

    It was night now, and I thanked my stars for it as I limped my way towards the end of town. I was careful to keep to the shadows and hide whenever a car passed, but there were few and far between.

    When I finally reached the house I had set as my goal, I hesitated. I didn't want to do this. I was a bloody and bruised mess, and I was sure I would have to explain what was going on.

    "You need this," I whispered to myself. I made myself put one foot in front of the other until I had slipped around the back of the house and come to the back door. I knocked gently. If there was no answer, I would walk away and deal with this myself, I thought.

    There was shuffling on the other side of the door, and I cursed silently in my head. Of course he heard.

    Luke was smiling when he opened the door, but it immediately changed into a look of pure anger and concern. "Riley!" he breathed. "What happened to you?"

    I grimaced. "I really can't be out in the open right now. Please let me in."

    He didn't need to be told twice. He let me in and scanned the area outside the house before closing the door. Leading me to the bathroom, he got to work on the cuts that littered my skin.

    "Do you want to tell me?" he asked gently as he clean an especially bad cut on my forehead.

    I studied his eyes, the concentrated look on his face. "There's someone after me," I finally told him in a soft voice. "They want to kill me."

    Luke's eyes flickered to mine then back to the cut. "Why does someone want you dead, Riley?"

    I took in a deep breath. "I'm not ready to tell you that yet, Luke. I'm sorry. Please, just trust me?"

    He finished with the cut and carefully placed a butterfly bandage across it. "I trust you," he replied slowly. "And I want you to tell me what is going on in your own time. Just know that you can trust me as well."

    I gave him a half smile even though it hurt. "Thank you, and I know I can."

    He leaned back and looked me over. "Any other cuts I should know about?"

    "I'm not sure if it's a cut or just a bruise," I said as I pulled my shirt up to reveal where the man had kicked me.

    Luke's eyes widened. "Riley... what have you gotten yourself into?"