Winner of the Writers Assembled Summer Essay Contest.

IN HIDING

BY CAROLINE WALKEN

Coasting the motorcycle to the abandoned farmhouse, she tried to be as quiet as possible. The cloud cover aided her but any moment the moon could break through. Then he would have her in his sights.

Kate felt the sweat slowing rolling between her breasts and down her back. It wasn’t the weather; the night was cool. She knew that her condition was the result of stress. Running was exhausting but she had little choice. He was relentless. She had traveled every dirt road and goat path but she never shook him. She stops, listening for him. Creatures filled the night with sound, celebrating the return of spring. Deep in the woods, a lonely owl called but failed to inspire a response. The only sound was her pulse pounding in her ears. Satisfied that she had alluded him she snaked her way to a side door.

She peered into the house, only worn pieces of furniture remained and items unworthy of stealing. Across the far wall, a broken down couch sat facing the front. The best part was that it was near a doorway, offering an alternate escape route. All she needed was a couple hours then she could shove off. Currently, she was no match for him; she needed to restore her strength.

Finding the door unlocked, she inched it open, mindful one small noise could bring him down on her. Her eyes swept the blackness for movement. She looked for anything that could reveal him. She braced herself against doorjamb then counted to twenty. Satisfied the place was empty she slipped inside. She moved within the shadows until she reached the sofa.

Hidden in the darkness she exhaled, releasing the tension. She dug in her backpack for the crackers wrapped in a paper towel. Closing her eyes, she ate, using her imagination to change the bland wafer into something more appealing. Retrieving her cell from her pocket, she set an alarm. The glow from the screen illuminated her face. Her blond hair was history now dyed a darker shade, its natural golden hue dulled. Without make up, she seemed younger than her twenty years unless, you looked into her eyes. There the pain was on display for the world to see. She barely slept and seldom ate. Worse were the dreams. Trapped in a surreal world, the explosion of gunfire surrounded her followed by blood splatter. Often, she woke on the edge of a scream only to catch herself in time. A scream could bring him down on her, ending both their tormented lives.

Perhaps another night. Kate took one last glance around the forgotten room. Slumping over, she was nearly out before her head hit the sofa. Camouflaged; she appeared to be nothing more than a bundle of rags.

Wayne closed his eyes concentrating again. As his prey, he knew she’d developed self-persevering habits. She never left a trace of herself, not a sound, not a fiber or a hair. Chasing this bitch proved exhausting; it wore on him killing his focus. His black eyes shot open centering on the sofa and the shadow that was out of place. His pulse leapt. He had never been this close to her before; now wasn’t a time for screw-ups.

He would take his time; his success was bittersweet, winning only by her exhaustion. Finally standing beside her he is struck by the circumstance; this is not how he imagined it ending. He studies her face relaxed in slumber. How had she managed to evade him? She was nothing but a scrawny girl. Sitting down on the wood floor, he stares at her. After all, they had time to deal with the inevitable. For now, she slept and he watched.

In her dream, eyes peered at her with intensity. Deep black pools of void. Drawing her into their blackness, soon she would cease to exist. The truth of the matter was that so little of her was left. Giving up the remnants wouldn’t be hard.

The girl woke with a jerk sitting straight up and turning to face Wayne. Her eyes darted searching for an easy exit.
“Don’t bother.”
Kate met his eyes resolutely, she had prepared for this. That she would fail and he would win. Wayne reached into his knapsack and retrieved a couple sealed packages of doughnuts. He handing one to her with a bottle of water.
“Breakfast first, and then we talk.”

She accepted the items without a word, studying him. She had never seen him up close. He was a bear of a man; his arms bulged with muscles that stretched his sleeves to the point of tearing. Her mouth went dry as the reality of the situation settled in. She’d never get away from him; this was no dream. She tossed the food on the dirty floor.
“No, let’s get this over with.”

She turned her back to him but he took her by the shoulders rotating around again. Without meeting her eyes, he handcuffed her wrists in front of her. Grabbing their belongings, they head out the door. He had parked his truck in the barn, deep enough that she hadn’t noticed it. Kate shook her head. She should have checked the barn first. She might have made it.

Once inside the truck, he continues the conversation.
“You’re going back and I’m getting my money.”
Her emotion never shows; the only trace was a muscle that jumped in her jaw. When she spoke, the words rang with conviction.
“He murdered them in cold blood. Don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same!”

Kate turned back staring ahead out the barn door to the woods. The landscape is replaced by the images from her nightmares. The surveillance video etched in her mind rewinds freely. The masked man stood behind her parents as they knelt on the floor. Slowly he faces them, removing his mask. Even in the grainy image, she saw her Dad break down and beg the man to spare his wife. They cling to each other as John Michael Grand raised the pistol...

Kate squeezed her eyes against the ending, but it didn’t stop the vision from rolling forward. Nothing did. Wayne’s voice slices through the hallucination to her.
“Revenge is not justice.”
“What do you know about it bounty hunter? Justice failed them!”

Wayne knew it was the damn truth he couldn’t say he disagreed. She should be in college busting her ass to pass an exam or making a bad decision with some guy. She didn’t deserve to go to prison for murder. He knew the details. The bastard’s lawyer claimed the video was inconclusive and got it thrown out. In one afternoon circumstances changed a young woman’s life. Kate found Grand and shot him execution style, like he shot her folks. After she posted bail, she ran, and Wayne chased her.

“Don’t tell me you would not have done the same!”

He never expected it to end like this; honestly, he thought she’d get away. A part of him rooted for her. Most the people he chased down were assholes like John Michael Grand. The world was better for it and he moved to the next mark. Kate was different the world would be lacking without her.

She never questioned the decision that changed her life. Just as she knew, Wayne never questioned coming after her. They were more alike than she imagined. Feeling his indecision, she made the best of it. Her eyes locked on the holster on his side, one flick of a finger and the balance of power is changed.
Snap, it was just a brass snap.

She moved swiftly grabbing the gun. Wayne’s look of disbelief made her hesitate then she pressed the trigger. The report from the gun was deafening as his scream of pain rose to compete. The bullet sliced through his body before shattering the truck’s window. It diverted his attention and gave her the opportunity she needed to grab the keys. Running from the barn she managed to get one wrist unshackled, the second could wait. Finally, she made it back to the house and retrieved the motorcycle. She didn’t look back if he was coming for her she didn’t want to know. Roaring the cycle to life, she shot a rooster tail of dust before she flew down the overgrown drive.

The pain was like hell’s fire. Wayne dug a shirt out of his bag tearing it into a makeshift bandage. It was a lucky shot. Kate managed to inflict a serious enough injury, which would keep him from following her. Cursing, he hammered the dash. Wayne wasn’t sure if she had meant to kill him or just stop him from chasing her. Either way today, the little bitch won.

On the road, Kate pushed the cycle hard. She didn’t trust her luck. As the sun rose, she crested the hill disappearing over the rise.

Returning to her life in hiding.