utside Cimmeria’s gates, the forest was wilder, blocking the weak rays of late afternoon light. Here, it was already night and Allie looked uneasily over her shoulder as she hurried through the gloom.
With every step she assured herself she was doing the right thing. Nathaniel was out there somewhere and he was looking for her but Allie didn’t care any more. She was so exhausted, so angry, so broken… staying wasn’t an option. She had to go.
But she’d never felt more exposed. She was completely alone now. And Jo’s killers could be anywhere.
It was unnervingly quiet, the only sound the crunching of dried twigs under her feet. The sun was setting and the cold was growing intense – the wind cut through the fabric of her coat, chilling the sweat on her skin. In her pockets her hands balled into icy fists.
At least I know where I’m going, she thought.
She’d made so many trips to hospitals recently she’d come to know the local roads pretty well, and as she walked she calmed herself by thinking through the route in her head – visualising a map. By her own calculation she wasn’t far from the main road. Once there, all she had to do was turn right and then follow the signs. There were fewer trees around the main road, and more light. It wouldn’t be as spooky.
All she had to do was get through these woods and she’d be safe. It was simple.
And it all went perfectly. In fact, she’d almost reached the crossroads when a sound, as faint as an intake of breath, made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Stifling a gasp, she darted right, ducking behind the thick trunk of a tall pine. Crouching low, her hands pressed against the rough bark, she peered into the gloom.
Whatever that was, she didn’t think it had been made by the trees.
From her hiding spot, she could see no one. But the woods were dark and filled with shadows that shivered and danced with the breeze. Each one could be a person. Each one could be a killer.
She was beginning to find it hard to breathe.
Someone could be standing right behind me and I’d never see him. Gabe could be standing a few feet away watching me right now. The thought made her queasy with fear and she pounded a fist against her forehead. Why did I do this? I’m such an idiot. I’ve walked right up to him…
Clinging to the tree trunk, she fought for calm. If someone really was out there, she needed to think.
For a long moment she froze, listening; poised to run at the slightest sound. But there was only silence and wind and trees swaying above her.
After a while, Allie reasoned with herself. She could see nothing and hear nothing. The only hint she had that anyone was really out there came from her battered instincts. She tried to force herself to remember her training. What would Raj say if he were here?
Trust your instincts but don’t be a slave to them, she thought. He’d say don’t react to fear – react to evidence.
She could almost hear her instructor’s calming voice in her head. ‘And what does the evidence tell you now, Allie?’
I can’t see anyone, or hear anyone. I’ve followed procedure and found no true threat.
‘The evidence tells me there’s no one there,’ she whispered, trying to believe it.
Either way – whether someone was hiding in the woods nearby or not – she had two options: wait and see if they appeared, or keep moving and hope they didn’t.
She chose the second.
Grimacing from the pain, she limped as she ran through the forest towards the road. Her woollen hat slid to one side and she yanked it off, gripping it tightly until she’d made it into the middle of the crossroads. Only then did she stop and look back.
She saw nothing but empty woods.
Panting hard, she bent double, resting her hands on her knees. Her lungs ached from the exertion and the cold.
And there was still a long way to go. They could come after her at any moment – she had to keep moving.
She turned in the direction the map in her head pointed her. The one-lane road was bordered by tall hedgerows, bare and bristling at this time of year. Beyond them, muddy pastures and fields were quickly disappearing in the fading light.
But the road was smooth and, if she was right, the town was a couple of miles down this road. She pulled her hat back on.
All I have to do is keep moving and not have a nervous breakdown on the way.
To pass the time, she went over her escape in her mind.
It had been so easy, in the end. Almost as if they’d wanted her to go.
After grabbing Isabelle’s phone from her desk, she’d hurtled up the stairs. In her pocket, the small device had seemed as heavy as a block of concrete; as hot as fire. She was certain people would somehow see it through the thick blue fabric of her skirt.
On the landing, she’d shoved through the crowds of students chatting and laughing to reach a narrower staircase to the girls’ dorm. She’d kept her eyes on the floor in case her guilty expression should betray her.
‘Psycho,’ somebody said behind her, low and mocking. The cut-glass accent was unpleasantly familiar.