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AS SOON AS I STEPPED foot into the back alleyway the downpour soaked me. I didn't care though, because the weather was on my side. Vamps didn't like to go out in the rain or during storms. Their senses were so heightened that they went into overdrive with all the stimulation- but the storm wouldn't save me from my own people turning against me.
I had to admit that was the part that stung the most. I was prepared not to trust a single vampire that crossed my path, or any supernatural for that matter, but now I had to afford the same courtesy to every human that I came into contact with too.
It broke my heart, but hurt feelings wasn't something that I had time for so I kept moving.
I quickly made my way through the alley and peaked my head toward the front of the building just in time to see all of the Invicta scum crawl into an expensive car and ride off. Even the big bad gang members couldn't handle the rain.
I looked both ways before scurrying across the street into another alleyway disappearing into the shadows and I ran. I ran so fast and so far that by the time I stopped for air I had no idea where I was. All I knew was that my muscles were upset with me and my lungs were on fire. I slumped forward and took in gulps of fresh fiery air. My clothes were soaked to the bone and my hair was wet and matted. I realized that I had no plan. I had no friends, Aunt Carol was my only family, and I definitely didn't have any experience running from human control.
I took a deep breath and did my best to calm my mind.
What would Dad do?
I racked my brain for a memory of him. It stung that with every day that went on it was harder and harder to find any. I missed him more than anything in the world, but he was fading from my mind like a good dream. Soon all that would be left behind would be the warm feeling.
Think, Scarlett. Think!
First, he would get out of the streets. Out in the open is no place for a fugitive, especially a trial runner. If they found me they would drain me of my blood and string my body up in the street like a decoration.
I thought and thought as hard as I could about what my next move should be. I knew that every second I wasted panting and thinking was another second that human control would be on my tail. Another second of my life wasted.
Then a light went off in my mind. I knew where to go.
***
I QUICKLY KNOCKED ON the solid oak door, nervously glancing over my shoulders. The walk across the triad was long and the shiver from the rain was finally beginning to set in. I was freezing. I was exhausted, and above all else I was scared. I wasn't going to pretend that I wasn't.
I hoped that Aunt Carol would honor her word, and that by now my mom was in a luxury car on her way to her new life in the suburbs of triad two. Even if I never saw her again I hoped that she would be well taken care of.
A streetlamp further down the street flickered and I flinched.
I was vigilant, a little too vigilant, and I started to understand why the vamps didn't like going out in the rain. They probably felt how I felt in that moment. It was exhausting noticing every subtle movement of the rain, anticipating every enemy that could pop out of the woodwork.
Behind the worn-down door footsteps approached and I breathed a sigh of relief. I hoped Charlie actually let me in. He owed my father his life, and I was there to collect on the debt.
The door creaked open slowly and the old man peaked out.
"Scarlett." Was the only word he uttered. He didn't bother to ask what was wrong, or why I was on his doorstep at one in the morning. At that point he already knew I'd been summoned. The entire city did.
"You owed my father a debt, I'm here to collect on it."
Charlie grunted and closed the door in my face.
Well, that didn't go as planned.
I stood in silence on his doorstep. That was it. That was the extent of my plan. I had no back up, I had no other leverage. I had nowhere to go. At that point I was sure that the entire city was out looking for me and it was only a matter of time before they closed in. I might as well have sat on the step and patiently waited for H.C. to pick me up.
There was a sliding sound behind the door as Charlie unhinged the chain lock and the door slowly creaked open.
Oh thank god.
I breathed a sigh of relief and rushed inside. Charlie's small house was exactly how I'd remembered it from all of the barbeques my dad dragged us to there. Not a thing had changed, all the way down to the photos that hung on the walls. He still had the same dingy loveseat, a single armchair, and an old box television. Only the necessities, obviously.
"Thank you so much." I shivered. "I'm sorry to show up like this, but I literally didn't have anywhere else to go. I'm in deep shit."
"I've heard. The whole city has heard." Charlie's once blond hair was completely white now, and his beard matched. His icy blue eyes looked darker, and there was a look of permanent exhaustion weaved into his iris's.
"I just need a place to change my clothes and get dry. Then I'm leaving the city, the whole god damn state if I can manage. I can't do it, Charlie. I can't let the trials take the life of another person my mom loves. I just can't-"
Charlie held his hand up to stop me, and I was thankful that he did. I was running out of wind and my lungs still ached from the surprise cardio. I definitely hadn't trained for any of it, unless you counted getting up from the couch and sprinting to the fridge during commercials as a workout, in that case I would have been an Olympic athlete.
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Scar. Your dad wouldn't have wanted to lose you to the trials either."
My eyes teared up, but I didn't think he could tell because of how soaking wet I already was. Everyone in my triad says my dad died a hero, but the truth was I tried not to think about the day that we lost him. We told him to stay inside. He knew we were safe because women and children had immunity during the vampire purge, but there were too many men in the triad that were at risk, especially in our apartment complex. Vamps had a tendency to go for the easy prey first, elderly and people with disabilities and that didn't sit right with my dad. All his other resistance buddies were too scared to leave their apartments but he walked straight into the chaos with a smile on his face. With his tarragon weapons strapped to his back he kissed me goodnight, kissed my mother goodbye, and that was the last time we saw him alive.
"Yeah." I mumbled.
"The bathroom's down the hall, but you already knew that." Charlie headed up the staircase. "You're free to stay until the morning. That's the best I can do."
"I'll take it. Thank you." I yelled up the staircase but he had already disappeared to the mysterious top floor, where I had never been.
I sighed and tried to fight the exhaustion that was slowly settling in. I hadn't slept in over 24 hours. If I had known I was going to be the one picked for the slaughter I would have caught a few more Z's, but you work with what you have.
I closed the bathroom door tightly behind me and twisted the lock. Deep down I knew that it wasn't going to protect me from anything, but it made me feel better and that was all that mattered.
I shivered as I stepped into the small shower and basked in the warm water. I didn't realize exactly how cold I was until the hot water stung my skin and thawed me out. I let it wash over me in waves and it slowly brought me back to life. I was feeling more and more like myself.
I dried off and pulled on a warm set of clothes. I stood in front of the giant mirror and I almost didn't recognize the person staring back at me. She seemed like a distant memory that didn't even feel like a part of me anymore.
I gathered my pack and made my way out of the bathroom. Faint lights shone down from the top floor and illuminated the staircase. Curiosity beckoned to me. I'd always wondered what was up there, even when I was a kid. But sleep beckoned to me more, so I made my way to the couch, closed my eyes and let myself swim in the darkness.
***
I WOKE UP TO CHARLIE nudging my shoulder.
"Wake up kid. Come one, wake up!"
My eyes slowly crept open. He stood over me, his eyes were wide and crazy.
"What. What?!" It took a second for my brain to catch up to where I was and what was going on, but when I did I shot straight up.
Morning light flooded in through the windows and the panic set in.
"Oh no. How long did I sleep?"
"Too long. An informant just tipped me off that they tracked you down. They're 10 minutes out."
I felt sick to my stomach. Sleeping too long was a rookie mistake when you were running for your life, but I had no idea what the hell I was doing. I had absolutely no experience fighting for my life, and that was just another reason why I'd never make it in the trials. I was what they'd consider just another pretty face, and they'd be right.
"I'm so sorry." I jumped to my feet and grabbed my bag. "I'm leaving. I'll go. Just tell them that I'm already gone and maybe they'll let you live." I felt horrible that they'd found out where I was. What they did to people that harbored runners was almost as bad as what they did to the runners themselves. Charlie didn't deserve to be wrapped up in all of my bullshit.
"No, wait." Charlie said. The look on his face made me feel like he was trying to hold the words in. Part of him really wanted me to run, but there was another part that couldn't let me just leave. "Follow me." He quickly climbed the staircase.
"Up there?" I was still programmed never to go up the stairs, from years of being scolded as a kid.
"Now kid! There isn't much time!"
"Right!" I sprinted up the stairs behind him and stopped at the top with my mouth wide open. The entire upper floor was a room full of television screens, weapons, and ammunition.
Charlie loaded me up with weapons and ammo.
"Charlie?" I muttered. "Why are you doing this for me?"
A sad look spread across his face and he sighed loudly. "The night your father passed he called me. He said he needed backup. He said it was our duty as members of the resistance to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. But this was before my wife got sick and I was too afraid to leave her."
The room went silent. I didn't know how to feel.
"I've been beating myself up about it ever since. But now my wife's dead, and so is your dad. I’m just here left with the pain that I was too afraid to do the right thing. I've been trying to hold the resistance together in his honor, but the governor's empire is too much to fight back against. I figured the least I could do was give you a fighting chance.
There was a thundering pound on the door downstairs.
"Human control. Open up!"
I turned to Charlie with fear in my eyes. "Times up."
A somber look fell on his face.
"There isn't a lot of time. But the best gift I can give you is this." He said loudly over the thundering slams of the batting ram against the front door. "You are stronger than you think. Way stronger. Your dad always talked about how tough as nails his little girl was, even when you were in your teens. You got this. I know that no matter what you do you'll make triad three proud."
I didn't care anymore if he saw the tears roll down my face. His words hit me to the core because I knew deep down that was what my father would have said if he were there. I was still terrified, but now it was a mix of terror and courage. He was right, I had this. I knew what I had to do. I had to surrender and participate in the trials, but I wasn't going to play. I was going to win.
"Thank you for that." I pulled Charlie in for a big hug. He wore the same cologne my father had. I closed my eyes and pretended he was there, hugging me one last time.
At first Charlie tensed up at my touch, but he quickly melted into it and wrapped his arms around me.
"Make us proud." He said.
My legs shook as I made my way down the stairs.
I turned to see Charlie still standing at the top.
"Aren't you coming down? I'm sure if you just tell them I wasn't running, just visiting an old friend before I had to leave they won't charge you.
Charlie shook his head. "There's too much resistance intel in this house. Too many illegal weapons, and too much info on everyone. If they get their hands on it what's left of the resistance is as good as gone."
I didn't understand what he meant. They were already here, there was no way of keeping them from it all now.
In front of me there was a large crash and the door gave way to the heavy ram, blowing off it's hinged. A handful of agents in full swat gear stormed in and my hands immediately went up in the air.
"I surrender. I surrender!" I yelled. The red sniper lasers that illuminated my chest made me nervous. I slid out of my bag and placed it carefully on the floor. "I'm not a runner. I accept the summons to the vampire trials. I was just visiting an old friend is all."
An agent drug me out by my arm onto the sidewalk and patted me down. Nearby a black government vehicle sat running and they shoved me inside.
"Take her to the manor." The agent said through his mask. Before he closed the door I heard a call come over the radio.
Multiple weapons found on site. It looks like a-
The call was cut off by a deafening boom and all the windows in the house blew out. Debris and ash flew everywhere.
"No! Charlie!" I screamed.
"Go go go!" The agent closed the door and the car sped off. I turned around and watched as the burning house got further away.
The last tie I had to triad three, gone forever.