"Thirteen, no matter what happens, keep running. Go as fast as you can. Promise you won't stop if I get hit. If you get hit, I will drag your ass over that hill if I have to. No matter what, you're not going back. I promised to help you escape, and dammit, I'm doing it."
Jones was still firing at us, the impacts getting closer even though we zigzagged.
A bullet hit the ground in front of me, spraying dirt in my face. Like Alex had reminded me, I just kept running. "You okay, Alex?"
"So far, so good. Listen, in case we get separated, I need you to know this. On the other side of this hill, we are going to end up at Highway 58. It's called a freeway. Basically, it's a main road, and the cars will be flying by really fast. When you get there, stick to the bushes where you can and to the ditch running alongside. At first, you can go in the same direction of the cars, but cross as soon as there's a gap."
"Why? If town is in the other direction, shouldn't I go there from the start?" I didn’t know why I was asking questions—nerves, maybe? But it distracted me from the gunfire. There was a brief lull as he reloaded before the shots began again.
"There are towns in both directions, but leaving a false trail is great misdirection. They won't be able to track your scent across the highway, so stay on the asphalt as long as you can before you get back in the ditch on the other side. The town you'll come across in the mountains is home to a pack. My friend Ford Silvers lives there. If you make it without me, look him up. Ford's Alpha can help you get the rest of your brothers out—he'll know who to call."
I wanted to ask if I could trust them, since apparently being an omega wasn't safe, but a barely stifled whimper and the coppery scent of blood told me Alex had been hit. His running slowed, but not by much. When I started to falter, prepared to turn back, Alex growled while yelling in my head. "Are you crazy? I told you to run faster, no matter what. Keep going. I'll be right behind you."
Another shot blasted, and I heard a dull thud and claws scrambling for purchase in the steep hillside. I couldn't help but slow down long enough to peek back, my heart catching. Alex was crawling through the grass. "Look away, Thirteen. Keep moving, or we did this for nothing. Go now. I promise I'll be safe as soon as I shift. Jones won't dare leave me long enough to chase after you either—he'll be too afraid I died by his bullet. My father would kill him."
His words alone almost brought me to my knees and ended my escape. "How do you know Jones, and who the heck is your father? I'm so confused, Alex. All of a sudden, I feel like I don't know who you are."
"I'm the same friend I've always been. If I'm correct, my father is the one you call Master. Nothing happens around here without his knowledge. I swear I didn't know he had anyone imprisoned at the back of our property, let alone any plans he might have for you. I would've told you sooner, but I was afraid to lose your friendship. And more importantly, I couldn't rescue you if you didn't trust me. Now please, hurry up and go so I can get the medical attention I need before this asshole succeeds in killing me."
"Okay, Alex. We can talk about this later. But promise you'll be okay."
A sharp pain flared in my left butt cheek, followed by a stinging, burning sensation even deeper in the right shoulder. My body hurt so bad I was ready to drop, but when I realized how close I was to safety, a burst of adrenaline struck.
I dove for the bushes at the top, flying through and landing on the other side… precisely on the sore part of my bottom. The momentum kept me going, though, and I slid and rolled down the hill. Wheezing, I sucked in a breath when I finally landed at the base, coming to a stop in a bush filled with sticky burrs. Yelping, I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the fresh burst of pain as I stepped on a nettle.
As badly as I wanted to know if my friend was okay, Alex was no longer responding. Either he'd passed out from the pain, or… I didn't want to think about the alternative reason.
Between the different points of pain, the burning shoulder, the worry, and my overall anxiety, I knew if I didn't keep going, I'd be done for, and my brothers would never be rescued. Their safety, even more than my own, got me moving again.
I'd read about cars in books and seen them in movies. But movies couldn't tell me how different and scary they were in person. Flashes blinded me from the opposite side of the highway, while the cars whizzing past on this side nearly made me jump out of my skin. Everything smelled weird and unnatural. And it was so loud. And bright from their lights. I didn't know how long I ran before a break in traffic, but when I didn't see lights in either direction, I raced across the highway in a shocking burst of speed.
With my heart racing in my chest, I forced myself to hug the edge of the road and stay on the asphalt for a while, running back the way I'd come. On the road with them, the cars were even more terrifying as they flew past, some coming close enough for me to feel the heat from their engines. A loud horn startled me, making me jump sideways into the ditch. I sat there shaking for several seconds, hunkering down against the ground, away from the view of the cars’ occupants. Whenever it got dark, I took off running until the light of the new series of cars came up behind me.
I wasn't sure how far I'd gone, but running and stopping to wait between cars slowed me down. My body grew weaker with every step of sheer torture. I needed to move faster. While I caught my breath, I watched the road. Inspiration struck when I realized half of the car's lights didn't extend too far onto the side of the road. In fact, the ground beside the ditch was barely lit. The lone downside was the slope, making it a challenging run, especially in my current state. No matter. The only way to freedom was moving forward.
Ignoring everything but the thought of my brothers and the taste of liberty, I forced my body to run. I kept moving for what felt like forever, pushing onward even when my lungs started burning and my heart began pumping too hard with a weird, unsteady beat, pounding super fast, then fluttering.
Later, I promised myself. I’d think about it later. Right now, I didn’t dare because the stinging pains in my butt cheek, and particularly in my shoulder, were getting worse by the second with my initial terror fading into bone-numbing weariness.
Still, I pushed forward, running as long as I could until I stumbled over a rock and tumbled sideways, rolling into the ditch. My vision was blurry as the world spun around me. I tried to look up, but I was suddenly too weak to even lift my head. Lying there whimpering, I couldn't help but wonder if I'd made it this far, only to die in a ditch on the side of a human road.
Except I wasn't even in the ditch. I'd landed on the edge, half in and half out with my head hanging down. The blood rushing to it was probably contributing to my current vertigo.
My vision started to go black. I was wondering if this was really it when I heard the rumble of an engine unlike any of the cars I'd seen so far. Powerful like thunder, it echoed through the hills as if demanding to be noticed and admired.
As everything went dark, I wish I had the strength to see the kind of vehicle issuing such a sound. If cars had an alpha, surely this one must be it. Smiling at my own silliness, I let my thoughts drift as I released my grip on consciousness.
Three