Chapter Thirty-Six



Ariya's P.O.V.

I hide in the tree until night falls. I have absolutely no concept of time now, only that it's night. I need to get to town so I can look for food and call D. My energy is really low and all I want to do is sleep. I've still got the water bottles and I filled those up before dark fell completely. At least I'm not dehydrated; that would be really bad. My stomach is in knots though, eating itself from the inside out. I'm fully aware of the fact it has been over a week since my last proper meal. Trust me, my stomach is letting me know that in full force. I'm sure I have ulcers or something because the pain is so intense. Maybe it's simple hunger pains, but it's not like I'm going to a doctor to figure out what the pain is.

I walk to town, trying to conserve my energy for the trip back to my tree later on. It takes me a while to get to there and when I arrive, I notice that everything is quiet. The diner isn't open, which leads me to believe no one thinks I'll come back here. Normally I wouldn't. I'd be on my way out of here, but I need to speak to D. I need to get some information from him before I can go any further.

I assess the situation carefully before I approach the pay phone. I don't want to lose sight of my surroundings and get snatched up. I decide to go to the back of the diner first, before making my call. It's more under cover and it'll mean I can check to see if anyone is hiding, looking for me.

When I get to the dumpster at the back of the diner, I come across a sign placed on the lid. The sign reads: 'Do not leave food in the trash overnight. It encourages vermin to come in to town.'

What the frog's legs? You have got to be freaking kidding me. I let out a few curse words in a whisper. I don't want to draw attention to myself if someone is here, but I'm desperate and losing it. I need to get out of here, like now. I can't survive much longer without food. I'll call D and then maybe break into the store or something. I know I said stealing was a last resort, but I need to have food. If I don't eat something then I won't be getting any further than my new tree house.

I keep my back to the store as I pick up the phone. I keep a close watch on my surroundings, just in case. I'm just trying to decipher if I see something in the distance, when D picks up.

"Yeah?"

"It's me. What happened? Did you get snatched up?"

I hear the amusement in his voice when he says, "No, not a chance. Were you worried about me?"

I gloss over his question and ask,"What happened then? I saw the guy, the bandana was the wrong color. Something went wrong."

The amusement has gone with his next words. "He knows."

What the...?!

I'm sure I don't need to ask, but I do anyway. "Who?"

"I'm guessing it's the guy lookingfor you. He called me from the number you called from yesterday. You didn't dial a random number after, A. You messed up."

Shiitake mushrooms! He's right. I didn't. What was I thinking?!

His voice filters through my thoughts, "I thought I taught you better than that..."

"You did. What happened?"

"I told him someone was wasting his time and he was taking me away from my girl..."

"Eww, not an image I want, man."

He chuckles, but turns serious straight after. "I'm glad you understood the message though. What did you do, A?"

I groan, "I escaped. I need to get out of here. I'll tell you everything later, but he's a nut case and I need to get out of here. What can you do?"

I hear papers shuffling before he says, "I've got a guy nearby, but I need you to head to Gatlinburg. As far as I can make out, that ranch is at the end of Baskins Creek. You need to head west. You'll know when you get there because it's a bigger town. It'll take you a few hours to get there, but it's not a route you want to take in the dark. Call me when you get there and I'll send someone within minutes. Ok?"

"Yeah. Thanks. Hopefully I'll see you soon."

"Hope so. Dial another number now."

"I will."

After I hang up, I dial a random number and leave it hanging for about thirty seconds. That should be long enough to cover my tracks. I hang up and think for a minute. I need food, but if I break into the store, they're going to know I was here. That'll mean they'll know I'm still in the area and they'll keep searching. If I wait until light before heading to Gatlinburg, then they have a better chance of finding me. I could steal some food and start walking now. That will give me time to get there before anyone knows the store was broken into. I think that's my best plan, so I assess the lock on the door of the store.

I'm sure they don't expect anyone to break into this place, because the lock isn't very intricate. I can probably get in without too much trouble. It's now I'm thankful that D taught me how to pick locks. I was already escaping from cuffs before I met him, but he showed me how to crack a few locks.

I'm through the lock within a minute but as I'm about to step inside, I hear a noise. I back away and hide in the shadows so I can see what made the sound. I'm pretty sure it's a person, but I'm not waiting around to find out. Food will have to wait until I get picked up, I guess. I only hope I can make it that far.

At least I know D is safe and I have a plan for now. Get myself to Gatlinburg and then I'll be going home. I'll be away from Justin and his annoying rules and regulations.





I've been walking for ages. I don't even know if I'm heading in the right direction now. D wasn't wrong when he said it's not the best time to make this journey. It's hills and mountain type terrain. There's a lot of coverage, which is great for hiding, but it makes it difficult to navigate, especially without stumbling. I'm not convinced I'm on the right track, and I'm reluctant to keep moving. I should be far enough to stop and rest for a while, right? If I'm going in the completely wrong direction, then it makes no sense to keep going until I can be sure it's the correct way. I decide to stop for a few hours and rest. My energy levels are so low that my eyes keep trying to shut. I need to be strong. I need to survive, but my body is starting to shut down. I've drunk all thewater I saved up in the attempt to stay awake. There's no river or body of water around, so I really am stuck now.

I need to get to that town as soon as possible and I can't afford to get lost any further. My stomach feels like it's going to explode with the pain of hunger. I've experienced severe hunger before, but I don't know if it's ever been this bad. I need to rest; just for a little while. Everything will seem better after I've taken a nap.





Justin'sP.O.V.

I wait in town until daylight is just starting to break but there's no sign of Ariya. I seriously underestimated this one. She's not half bad at keeping herself hidden. I head back to the ranch for breakfast and to check in with Mike before grabbing Star and heading back out. Mike is going to stay at the ranch to help Todd and Lou, while I try to find our runaway. I'm going to need to get some sleep tonight, regardless of whether or not I find Ariya. Obviously, I don't want to let her get a whole night head start, but there's no telling where she is now. She could be two towns over for all I know. My gut is telling me that she stayed in the area to get some form of communication to that guy, but I could be wrong.

I walk Star for hours but there's no sign of Ariya or anything to suggest she's even been through here. I'm looking for the smallest detail. There are some broken branches, but we have bears and other wild animals in these parts, so it couldbe caused by animals walking through. It's just starting to turn dark when I hear some rustling. I halt Star and stand quietly, listening for any sound or movement. The rustling is followed by a thud but there is silence following that. I even hold my breath in an attempt to hear the faintest noise. Nothing. Surely, if it were an animal then they would have made some more sound trying to get away. I have my shotgun attached to Star's saddle, so I head in the direction that thud came from.

At first, I don't see anything outof the ordinary and I almost turn and walk away. Then I notice a break in the leaves and bushes below a tree. Almost like there's something laying on the ground, making an indent in the foliage. Thinking an animal may be hurt, I go over to investigate. The sight before me, is not what I'm expecting to see. Laying on the ground, in a heap, is Ariya.

As I'm walking back, I call Mike.

"I've got her. No, she was no trouble. She's passed out. I need you to bring the truck and trailer to town and meet me there. I'll be a couple hours though because I have to walk. I'll get doc to come and have a look at her once we're back at the ranch."

I start the long walk back to town, where I meet Mike. He takes Star from me while I put Ariya in the back of the truck. Mike doesn't say a word; just shoots me a look that says more than any words could. I'm careful with Ariya'sunconscious body. I don't want to hurt her any more than she already could be.

On the drive back to the ranch, Mike speaks his first words.

"Where do you think she was headed?"

"Probably Gatlinburg. That's if she found out the area. If she didn't know about the bigger town, then she was probably just heading anywhere away from here."

"Yeah, probably. You think Doc will raise flags if he looks at her? He might report it or something. I don't want you getting in trouble."

"Don't worry about me. I'll make it work. Let's get her back before we make any decisions."

Todd and Lou appear when they hear the truck pull up. I don't know why, but I don't really want them to see Ariya so vulnerable, so I ask, "Can you two get Star off the trailer and sorted out please? I'll sort Ariya out and be out to the barn soon."

Everyone must know I'm not in the mood for delays or questions, because they get right to it. Once they're out of the way, I carry Ariya up to her room. I take her boots off and notice blood on her socks. She must have blisters from walking so far. For now, I just leave her as she is and cover her with a sheet. As I stand over her, watching for any movement, I call the doctor. He'll be here in a half hour or so. Now all I have to do is wait for something to happen. If Ariya wakes up before the doctor arrives, we're going to have a major explosion on our hands. That is not something I'm looking forward to.