Mansion in the Forest

Why Did You Continue?!

She could hear the loud beat of her heart, echoing behind her ears; that makes her sweaty. It was the most nerve-wracking situation that they've ever been to. Lot's of men are around, some are lying on the ground while some are still standing.

"Who are they?" One guy asked, checking the body of the men they killed.

"I don't know, but one thing is for sure. Someone is helping the kids to escape so we have to find them before them." The guy in a formal suit replied.

"I already sent our men to the mansion just to make sure that they weren't there."

"Good, now let's get them." He motioned his hands forward, his men ran towards the direction where Sakura ran into. Then he soon followed when he didn't see anything unusual to the guy he was checking.

The teenagers made sure that they were gone before they all got down from the tree. "Lex, what are we going to do?" Jazen asked, clutching the hem of Lexi's shirt like a child who didn't want to get lost from the sight of her parents.

Lexi didn't respond for a moment as she was staring at her phone, when it lit up, her eyes flickered. "She's going to help us."

"Who? Sakura?" Trevor asked just to make sure.

"Yes, she told us to go around and we can find a clear path where we can exit, she left a car as well that we can use."

"Wow, she really wants Herlie that much." Blake chuckled.

"Of course, that's her sister." Denver pointed it out why Sakura is doing all of those things to help them.

"If she's my sister, why do you not want me to go with her?" Herlie asked, her eyes filled with innocence and confusion.

They all looked at Lexi, as if she's the only person who could answer that question. So she walked to Herlie and kneeled down to level the kid's eyes.

"Look, we're not depriving you to be with your sister, it's just that. You're the only person who could save us because if you go with her, she'll kill us all. Didn't they already explain it?"

"They did, but why does my sister want to kill all of you? Did you do something bad to her?"

"It's the other way around, kid." Jazen said.

"She did something bad to you?" Herlie asked again, she's asking nonstop and as long as they want to answer all of it so she would understand everything, they have to escape.

"We'll explain to you everything once we get out of here, okay?" Lexi told the kid in a more friendly way. So Herlie nodded her head and she extended her arm to Jisu. "We don't have time, let's go." Lexi stood up and they all ran to the opposite direction where the men earlier ran into.

They ran and ran and ran, without taking a rest, until they reached the place where there are no armed men waiting for them to come out, the place was too dark even if the sun was near to blast in the sky.

"There." Lexi pointed at the SUV waiting for them. They were about to run towards it but Jisu stopped, so everyone stopped as well and looked at her confusedly.

"Just make sure there are no traps in there." She said.

Blake and Denver nodded their heads and they crawled their way into the SUV, while Blake checked the car Denver used as his lookout just to make sure no one was watching them. Then Blake got out of the SUV and he formed his hand into an okay sign.

"Okay, listen to me, Herlie. There might be no one in there but we still have to act, is that okay?" Chantelle asked the kid.

"Just don't point the knife closer on my neck, I got a bruise earlier." She said as she tilted her head and showed them the small bruise on her neck, then they looked at Jisu in disbelief.

"Oh my God I'm really sorry, it was so dark in that tree and I couldn't see her neck clearly. I'm really sorry." Jisu apologized sincerely and hugged the kid's head.

"It's okay, just don't add another cut." Herlie said and they all laughed.

"Let's go." Lexi said as she borrowed the dagger from Jisu and she pointed it to Herlie's neck, too careful not to add another cut, then they walked slowly out of the forest, craning their necks around to see if there were enemies hiding.

Blake slid the door open and let everyone in, once they got inside, he slammed the door and ran quickly to the driver's side and got in, while Denver sat on the passenger's seat.

"Are you there's no bomb in this car?" Iris asked, she's still doubtful about Sakura, offering them some help to escape.

"I've checked everything and all are safe, I think this is one of the cars they used to go here." Blake said as he started to drive and finally left the forest.

It took almost an hour before they finally got onto the highway, a real road where lampposts lined up at the side of the curb, cars passing by along with them, people walking in the streets unaware that the enemies of the state are inside the black SUV.

"Where are we heading now?" Blake asked as they finally reached the free way, but his eyes kept glancing at the side mirror to check if there was someone tailing them, but thankfully, there weren't any, just normal cars honking at them as they started to roved the road slower than the 60 minimum speed limit.

"How about we go to my house?" Denver offered, since he really needed to meet his mom and also have some rest before they're plan of escaping their country.

"I don't think we can go home to anyone's house for now." Siena said while looking outside the window and looking at the big billboard that we were going to pass by. "That's us." She pointed at it.

Everyone looked outside and gasped upon seeing their faces in the huge billboard which is impossible for people who're driving their cars not to see. There are words written on top of their pictures and says. Enemies of the state.

"What the f*****g hell was that?!" Lexi blurted out as she could see her picture in there and worse, they are now the enemies of the state without even a valid reason.

"They can't be serious! What did we do to them to treat us like this?!" Iris furiously punched the seat in front of her which made Denver peeked back and he looked at her in what-the-f**k look.

"If we are the enemies of the state, then we can't go home to our parents because there are probably cops waiting outside of our houses." Jazen assumed. Which is right, because there are cops guarding their house just in case they go home.

"Baldy and Woundy are really telling us the truth. The government is coming to us."

"Bullshit!" Blake exclaimed as he suddenly stopped and pulled the car on the side of the road.

"Why? What's wrong?" Lexi asked worriedly, thinking that something bad just occurred in their car.

"There's a checkpoint at the exit!"

"We can't stop right now, they will be more suspicious if we stop!" Trevor said, but Blake still stopped and turned behind to see if there's any chance that they could have a U turn.

"They're looking at us!" Chantelle pointed at the guy looking at their car while talking to one of his colleagues. Then the guy jumped on his motorcycle.

"Damn it!" Blake cursed and he stepped on the gas, driving in speed towards the barriers.

"Oh my God! We're going to die!" Siena screamed as they hit all the barriers, luckily, no one got hit as they all ran to the side just before the SUV hit everything. Then the cops quickly boarded their patrol cars and followed them, they made sure that the sirens were on so the cars on the highway would avoid them. They reported the suspicious black SUV to their other colleagues as they kept chasing it.

"Why did you continue?!" Iris yelled at their driver, who's driving in panic.

"Trevor said not to stop!" Blake yelled back but his eyes were so focused on the road, avoiding every car.

"They are chasing us!" Chantelle shouted as she could see a lot of patrol cars chasing them behind.

"Oh no, we're doomed!" Jisu gutturally groaned like a dying animal and she encircled her arms around Herlie's head. "We're going to die, Lex!" She cried.

"Everybody, calm down." Lexi said, her voice was too calm for their situation, which also confuses everyone on how on earth she's still calm while there are cops literally chasing them. "Just continue driving and try to shrug them as soon as we reach the city."

"We're dead if they involve the helicopter to track us down." Jisu said.

"Relax, they will never track us down, just do what I said." Lexi's gentle voice was enough to calm them down, and even if the cops are using some megaphones and telling them to stop the car, Blake continued to drive in speed but carefully.

Lexi glanced at her phone, then when they were about to reach the city where more cars and people are on the roads, her phone lit up, she leaned forward to Blake's spot.

"Turn to that alley." Lexi pointed at the specific alley and Blake obliged immediately. When they got in the narrow and dark alley, Blake was about to open the headlights but Lexi stopped him from doing so. "Stop right here." She said.

As soon as the SUV stopped, she get out of the car and motioned her hand to follow her. So they all got out of the SUV and walked behind Lexi. There was a guy standing in the dark and he threw something at Lexi before the latter walked to another car.

"Get in, quick." Lexi told them when they heard the loud sirens approaching the alley.

Lexi stepped on the gas and exited the alley just before the cop's cars blocked the way. Everyone looked behind to see the scene where the SUV they were driving earlier, suddenly exploded.

"What the hell was that?" Jazen gasped, looking at her girlfriend astounded.

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