Page 71 of Madness & Mayhem
“Ready?” he asks.
I shake my head. “Not at all. Why are we leaving tonight?” I ask him.
He glances out the window. “Because if officers were here yesterday and were reported missing last night, we can guarantee there will be a horde of officers here when the sun comes up in a few hours.”
I nod, knowing he’s right. “Have you talked to Archer at all?”
He nods. “Yeah, a few hours ago. He thought leaving was a good idea.”
I sigh, staring out the window. When will I see my friends again? Never? “I hope I can see them again. Someday.”
Reign reaches out, grabbing onto my hand and giving it a squeeze. “I don’t know, Lakyn. Maybe. I’ll be with you, you know. Every step of the way.”
I peek up at him, a sudden fear filling every bone and vein in my body. A small shiver rolls through me, and I look at him. “Please don’t leave me alone. I won’t know how to deal with this by myself.”
His hand goes to my jaw, and he gives me a light squeeze. “Never, Lakyn. Not ever.”
He presses his lips against mine, and then parts from me. “Come on, baby Lake.”
He pulls the door open, and we slip out into the morning air. The sun has yet to rise, and as we step outside and glance up, I can see a light, fresh snow falling on the ground. The wind is nonexistent, but it’s still bitterly cold out, each breath we take puffing a gust of air in front of us.
We walk silently, my hands gripping the straps of my backpack as I keep my eyes ahead—north. The woods will lead from here all the way to Canada.
“Do you know where we’re going once we get there?” I whisper after a while.
He glances at me, his cheeks a light pink from the cold air. “We’ll get to New Brunswick tonight. We’ll cross the border at dark and probably find a hotel or something. Tomorrow we’ll find a place to stay until we can find a place to settle down at. Figure out where we want to stay for good.”
I nod, shaking out my legs and the numbness that’s setting in. I have no idea if he plans to stop along the way or just keep walking, but I hope the temperature doesn’t drop at all, because I don’t know how much more cold my body can take. At least walking reduces the stiffness.
We slip back into silence, the only sounds are our feet crunching in the freshly fallen snow. The sun has started to rise, peeking through the thick trees.
Reign turns to me after a while, his hand rising to my nose. “Your nose is cold.”
I bring my palm to my nose, cupping my fingers around it. “I can’t even feel it anymore.”
His brow furrows, and he stops for a second.
“Put your hands in the air! You’re surrounded!” a voice shouts in the distance.
My eyes go wide, my mouth falling open as I look in the distance.
Reign freezes to stone beside me, his hand falling from my face. “Shit,” he whispers.
“Get on your knees!” the officer shouts.
Reign looks directly at me. “Lakyn, I’m going to distract them, and I’m going to need you to run.”
I reach out, gripping his hand. “Reign, no. Fuck no. I’m not leaving you again. We are not getting separated again. If you’re going down, I’m going down with you.”
He pulls his hands from my grip. “This isn’t your choice, Lakyn. Run south. Go anywhere. Fucking hide.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “No, Reign. I won’t do it.”
He narrows his eyes back at me. “You don’t have a choice.”
He shoves me away from him, shouting as he starts running toward the police.
“Get on your knees! Get on your knees!”