Chapter 12 Run

Chapter 12

Run

They both look at the line of cars coming towards them. Riley audibly gasps, and her eyes widen with fear; she turns to Aiden, grabs his wrist, and tells him, "Aiden, please, let's go now." She says it as calmly as possible, even though it came out rough.

"Yeah, let's get moving. The back door is the only way we can even try to leave without being seen." He tells her. He grabs her hand and instantly pulls her close, then heads for the back door.

Riley turns and looks around to make sure nothing is left behind that would indicate they were here. Satisfied, she glances out the window before she steps out the back door, and to her absolute horror, she sees the cars start to pull into the parking lot of the gas station.

"Fuck," she says under her breath. Flashes of dead bodies grouped in a circle, holding each other, start cycling in her mind. She knows now that this group of cars is exactly the one that she ran into on the bridge. She knows without a doubt that they are searching for her, thinking that she couldn't be far. Her hands start to visibly shake, and she has to shake them out to get them to stop.

Riley's curse alerts Aiden, and it causes him to stop and turn, and when he does, he sees the same thing as Riley did.

"Damn it, let's go, Mija!" He grabs her hand and pulls her out the door, closing it behind them softly but making sure it clicks.

They look at their options and see only one. Main Street is a straight shot, and if they run to get away from this group, they can separate themselves.

"Are you ready?" she asks.

"As I'll ever be," he answers.

They crouch down low as they move around the outside of the store, careful not to make noise and not to be seen, and finally, after about five minutes, he tells her to run,

"Riley, listen to me. When I tell you to run, you take off, okay? You run, and you don't stop until I tell you to. Don't look back; don't check if I'm there behind you. Know that I am. Even if you don't hear me, do not turn around to find me. Keep running until I tell you to stop. "Do you understand?" He questions her.

"Of course, I understand. I get it; I don't like it, but I completely get it." She whispers.

He looks at her, and Riley gets these butterflies that just take flight and start flapping their wings, giving Riley a jolt. She looks out over the street, and she knows this will be easier for them, so she begins to calm down.

"Riley, Go! Go now!" He tells her.

Riley looks at him, kisses him on the lips, and then turns and takes off. She starts to run like her life depends on it, because she knows it does. She remembers all those days running with Ruben, and her eyes sting. She blinks the tears away, thinking to herself,

"Not now." Riley admonishes herself.

She starts at a pace that is fast but maintainable; she can keep her eyes on the street; and she is able to maneuver around the debris and cars. She can hear her brother now.

"Come on, Riley, you will never outlast anyone with that kind of running. Don't waste energy on unnecessary movements; barely swing your arms and lift those feet. Pace yourself, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth, and purse your lips when you exhale. Concentrate on the sound of your feet slapping the ground. Count the slaps and know that even if you don't hear my feet slapping the ground next to you, know that I'm there, not far behind."

Riley immediately wipes the tears off her face, and she hears her brother's words and lets them sink into her; she takes the cues like she always does, like she always did, and knows he is there, somewhere. She concentrates on the slapping her shoes make—the slapping and crunching from the gravel and broken glass that now mask the streets. She concentrates on her movements and breathing, and she adjusts accordingly. She knows she can instantly run longer with these adjustments.

Slap, slap, crunch, slap. She hears her single step along the street. She doesn't know for how long he wants her to run, but she is desperately wanting to hear something from him.

She is tempted to turn around, but for some reason, she thinks of Lot's wife from the Bible. The scene plays in her head: the story of Lot and his family fleeing the area, running for their lives, and God instructing them not to look back. Lot's wife did not trust in the Lord, and therefore, when she turns to look, she is instantly turned into a pillar of salt. She doesn't know the verse by heart, but the visual she experiences is all she needs to remember not to turn back.

She hears it then—the double slap of two feet running. She smiles, and she finally realizes she can take a breath. He easily catches up to her and motions for her to stop at the strip mall that was just coming up on her left side.

They go around one of the buildings, an old Del Taco that looked rundown before the end of the world. They go around to the back and stop, and she is instantly bending over, hands on her knees, trying to breathe. She pushed herself and knew they had to have run a good three miles straight in under 10 minutes.

"I think they didn't see us. Let's keep moving, and we can find a place for the night." He tells her.

Riley nods, and Aiden puts his hand on her back to guide her in the right direction. They end up off the main street, go down two side streets, turn left, then go down another side street, where they find the perfect house with a perfect window placement that looks like it was made specifically for keeping watch.

They easily clear it and spend the next hour securing the perimeter, inside and out. They grab all the heavy furniture they can, like couches and coffee tables, pushing them up against the doors and stacking them. They then go pull all the thick bedding from upstairs and cover all the windows on the bottom floor.

Afterwards, they grab what blankets are left and secure themselves in the room that has the two windows. one facing the backyard and their escape option to keep open, and the second faces the side and has an excellent view of the main street. They push the dresser and bed up against the door, cover both windows, and finally have a minute to just breathe.

Riley slides down the wall and stretches her legs out by grabbing her ankles and pulling herself down as far as she can go, pointing and flexing her toes with each stretch.

Aiden is just looking at her, and he can't help the love that he feels for this woman. He just smiles at her and lets her rest. He grabs a can of fruit mix and a bottle of water, handing them to her and making her eat and drink.

"You need your calories back; you've just wasted probably all you have left." He tells her.

"What about you?" she asks.

"Riley, I'm fine. Did you not see how fast I caught up to you?" He jokes with her.

She smiles, then turns her attention to the window. "I'll take the first watch," she says as she stands up.

"No, Riley. We both will." He tells her.

She smiles at that and whispers, "Perfect."

She walks over to the ledge by the window facing the main street; luckily it had a window seat, but all the cushions and covers had long been removed, so she settled for the hard wood. She didn't mind; really, she couldn't see herself sitting for too long. She knew there was something she needed to do, and even with the situation being what it was, she knew now was the time to do it. She needed him to know before these guys arrived and if things went wrong in the worst-case scenario.

Aiden is sitting under the other window, on the floor, with his back to the wall, knees up, and completely focused on Riley. He is looking at her as she stares out the window, and he wonders if she is even looking out there. He sees the way her jaw tightens, and she forces herself to breathe and then chew the fruit. like it's a chore to get it down. He looks as she takes a deep breath again, closes her eyes, and releases it. He notices the slight shake of her hand as she raises the water bottle to her lips to drink. Aiden is very aware of the silence that they are in, and he is getting more and more nervous and worried. If he admits it to himself, he is feeling scared for some reason. Not because of these guys they think might be coming this way, but because he knows with his whole heart, that Riley is getting ready to tell him something, and he doesn't think he can handle it. So he just takes a deep breath and waits. He would never push her to talk. When she is ready, he will be too.

Looking out the window at the dark shade of night, Riley doesn't really see anything. She is not really looking. She is in her head; she knows she has to tell Aiden, and she knows there can't be another time. She knows it has to happen soon. She takes another deep breath, closes her eyes, and releases it. She drinks her water, and when she opens her eyes, she looks out and sees the moon. She sees the moon for the first time in a long time; she is actually noticing it, and she can't believe how beautiful and perfect it looks. Even with all of those marks and the darkness it carries in places, it remains as beautiful as the day it was formed. Even though Riley was not around when that occurred, she knows the moon, the perfect celestial being, could never be anything other than beautiful. She says a prayer to heaven, asks for her brother to be there with her while she tells her story, and then she closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and turns to Aiden.

She isn't surprised in the slightest that when she turns, she finds him staring at her with such acceptance in his eyes, and she knows that it will be okay.

She smiles slightly at him and asks, "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"I'd love if you would sit with me, Mija." He reaches his hand out to her and smiles.

Riley returns his smile and goes towards him, grabbing his hand and letting him put her where he wants her, which was settled in between his legs, resting her back on his chest, as he played with one of her braids, his other hand wrapping instantly around her waist, grounding her, and letting her know he was there and it was going to be okay.

"This is good," she whispers.

"This is perfect," he responds.

She hums at that response.

She grabs his free hand and starts playing with it. Looking at his hand next to hers, she grabs each finger, like she is examining it, and she laces her fingers with his, and she feels how well they fit.

"Perfect," she whispers.

"Yeah, they fit like they were made for each other's hands to hold," he responds. It was the best response he could have given Riley because it gave him the courage and strength to tell him,

"Aiden, I didn't always have these attacks, you know? They just started around the time my dad died. I didn't know what it was, and I would just zone out and relive what happened. But not so much like I was remembering it; it's more like I'm transported there and can see it happen; it's like I'm there in that memory again. I can feel the ache in my chest and the tears on my face, exactly like the first time.

"The first time it happened, it was Ruben and me, sitting in a tree house we found, and it was the safest place for us, off the ground and in a place we had 360-degree observation ability. We sat there, both grieving and silent. We were in our own little world, and in order to have some privacy, we shut off our li... " she says, cutting off the word quickly with a hand to her mouth, shifting on the ground, hoping Aiden wouldn't notice.

"Shut off your what?; I didn't catch what you said; you stopped so suddenly," he asks.

"Um, well, um." Riley stammers, trying to figure out the best way to say this,

"Mija, what's wrong?"

"Aiden, I need you to keep an open mind, okay? "Please know I would never lie to you or try to make you believe something that wasn't true." Riley says, still leaning on his chest.

"Of course, babe, you can tell me anything." I do keep an open mind; I mean, there are freaking zombies roaming the earth." He says to lighten the mood, and Riley appreciates him so much that she just squeeze his hand.

"When me and Ruben were 14, we had just started high school, and I had just joined the wrestling team at school, plus my mixed martial arts that I was doing. I had started running in the morning before school, so I would have to get up at 4 a.m. every morning. It was still dark then. So the first day, I got up at 345 and changed, brushed my teeth, and wrapped my hair in a big messy bun. I walked outside and started stretching. I stretched for about 10 good minutes, then started off. I hadn't really planned the route; I was just going to go around the block a few times. So, all I can hear is the air going in and out of my lungs, the birds singing, and my shoes slapping the street. It's soothing and calming, and before I know it, I'm in a rhythm and I've hit my stride. Then I hear the sound of two pairs of shoes slapping on the ground. And I get so scared that I stumble when I turn around because I think someone is chasing me."

"Let me guess, your brother?" He asks

"Of course it is. So I came to a halt and began yelling at him, asking him what he was doing there, why he had come, and telling him to go home. This guy jogs right up to me and stands in front of me, continuing to run in place as he speaks to me," she says with a smile.

"It's 4 a.m. and it's pitch black out here; you can't see anything. I'm not having you run in the city at 4 a.m. by yourself, Ri." He claims it is self-evident.

"I got so mad, I was fuming." I laugh a bit, as I can see it as it happened.

"Go home, Ruben, I mean it." I tell him, and he says nope. So we just continue to run, and at that time, I start to think about how lucky I am to have such a great brother who actually runs. who wanted me to be safe and loved me; I was thinking that I appreciated him so much and that I was lucky to have him.

When I stopped thinking of that stuff and just thought about school after that, Ruben said, "Awww thanks, Ri. I love you too, and I appreciate you too."

"Wait, what?" Aiden asks.

"Yeah, exactly."

"What happened?" Aiden sits up a little straighter.

"I stopped running and told him. I told him I didn't say that, and he said yes, I did, and he heard me. And a sad no. I said it in my mind. You thought those things. He was mad. He instantly called me a liar and said it wasn't funny to say that. I told him that I swear on Mami and Papa, and he lost it. He yelled at me and said to never swear on them again. He said I could find my way home because the sun was coming up and he was leaving. And he did; he left.

Aiden's jaw clenched when he heard that. "He left you?" He asks.

"Yeash but we were close to home. But I was so enraged that I started thinking about how I didn't want him to hear my thoughts in the first place, and how I certainly didn't want to hear his boring asses thoughts that would make a caveman appear intelligent, and I burst out laughing so hard that I had to stop running. I laughed and laughed until I cried, and then I ran back home, planning on taking a shower most of the way home, until I walked inside and his big caveman ass was in the shower already"

Riley stops and suddenly facepalms. "Oh, I had no idea. I knew He heard me when I was yelling at him, because he said he wasn't a caveman when I got home; he yelled from the shower, but the whole reason he was in the shower was because I had thought that was all I wanted—a shower as soon as I got him.Anyways, I laughed harder when he told me that about the caveman, and I shook my head and thought, "You don't believe me? You big fat jerk!"

Aiden covers his mouth so he doesn't laugh too loud, and Riley is smiling until she doesn't. Her smile falters, and instantly it's gone. She takes a deep breath, and then she says

"He was so mad at me that he did the only thing his dumb 14-year-old teenage mind could think of, which was to envision himself going in and finding the connection in our brain that allowed us to do this, and he visualized a pair of scissors and cut it." He severed our connection. She says quietly,

"Oh Riley, Mija, I'm sorry. That must have been hard."

"Yeah, it was," she whispers.

The sound is faint at first, but in the quiet, it might as well have been a diesel truck horn going off. The sound of an engine in the distance.

Riley quickly sits up and turns to look at Aiden. Eyes wide, they stare at each other, listening as it gets louder.

"Fuck!" they say at the same time.