her feet to move faster, but they wouldn’t listen, feeling instead like she was wading through peanut butter. One of her sneaker-clad toes caught the sidewalk. She fell, her knees slamming to the pavement, shocking pain forcing a breathless scream. Her free hand also hit the cement, the rough surface taking skin off her palm. She fell, but did not slow. Mrs. Redfern gripped her hand hard, dragging Hillary a couple of steps before yanking her upward.
“Come on, dear, please!”
Hillary shuffled her feet under her once more and staggered on. Some dim part of her was aware of the terrible pain from her knees, but she was too terrified to pay attention right now.
“Down here!”
Mrs. Redfern jerked her sideways and then they were running down an alley Hillary hadn’t even noticed, too focused on staying on her feet to keep track of her surroundings. They were passing a pair of dumpsters, the security light above them beating back the shadows that ruled the alley, when Mrs. Redfern drew up short with two hissed words. “Too late.”
Hillary looked up, panting, only to wish she hadn’t. A tall, dark shadow blocked the alley’s far mouth. A shadow that moved toward them with an easy, confident stride. Silhouetted as he was by the lights of the street beyond, she still made out the blade sprouting from one big fist.
Hillary’s head whip-snapped as Mrs. Redfern spun them all about, taking a half step back the way they had come.
“Going somewhere?”
Not ten paces away was the man who had been chasing them. His chest heaved, and he glared at them as if angry he’d been forced to run. His knife didn’t glint or shine, the blade a flat black as it thrust out of his white-knuckled grip.
“It’s too late,” repeated Mrs. Redfern, her head swiveling as she searched the alley. Hillary looked too, but saw nothing but steel security doors and barred windows: no escape. Though the men were in shadow, silhouetted against the streets at either end of this little space, the three of them were under the security lamp, as well-lit as the two dumpsters they stood next to. Mrs. Redfern grabbed their shoulders and thrust them between the dumpsters, into a six-foot-wide cave of moist stink. She knelt before them, whispering intensely, though Hillary barely heard her over the beating of her own heart.
“Stay here, out of sight, all right? I’ll try to lead them away—when they follow me, you girls run , you understand? Run and get somewhere safe. Find the police.”
Valerie was visibly trembling, shaking her head, murmuring “No, no, no, no.” Mrs. Redfern took her daughter’s face in her hands.
“It’ll be all right. Just stay calm, okay? You can do this. Just try to stay calm and quiet. For Hillary. It’ll be fine, honey. We’ll keep Hillary safe.”
A big hand fell on Mrs. Redfern’s shoulder, yanking her away from the girls. She didn’t fall, but spun to her feet, stepping away from the dumpsters, out of Hillary’s sight.
“I asked you a question, bitch. You going somewhere?”
“Just seeing a movie is all,” came Mrs. Redfern’s voice, frightened but in control. “I don’t want any trouble, okay? No trouble.”
“Sorry lady,” came another voice; the man who’d blocked the other end of the alley. “That’s all we got is trouble.”
Hillary listened, wide-eyed, trembling, heart still pounding in her ears. Through all that, even through the drama unfolding just out of sight around those dumpsters, she became aware of Valerie’s voice. Despite her mother’s admonishment to keep quiet, Valerie was standing with her head bowed and still shaking from side to side, repeating the same word with each jerk of the dark curtain of hair that hid her face from the world.
“No-no-no-no—”
Val was trembling so hard she looked like a marionette being worked by a palsied puppeteer, chest bouncing back and forth, shoulders jerking this way and that. Had Hillary ever even heard of a seizure, she would have
“Come on, dear, please!”
Hillary shuffled her feet under her once more and staggered on. Some dim part of her was aware of the terrible pain from her knees, but she was too terrified to pay attention right now.
“Down here!”
Mrs. Redfern jerked her sideways and then they were running down an alley Hillary hadn’t even noticed, too focused on staying on her feet to keep track of her surroundings. They were passing a pair of dumpsters, the security light above them beating back the shadows that ruled the alley, when Mrs. Redfern drew up short with two hissed words. “Too late.”
Hillary looked up, panting, only to wish she hadn’t. A tall, dark shadow blocked the alley’s far mouth. A shadow that moved toward them with an easy, confident stride. Silhouetted as he was by the lights of the street beyond, she still made out the blade sprouting from one big fist.
Hillary’s head whip-snapped as Mrs. Redfern spun them all about, taking a half step back the way they had come.
“Going somewhere?”
Not ten paces away was the man who had been chasing them. His chest heaved, and he glared at them as if angry he’d been forced to run. His knife didn’t glint or shine, the blade a flat black as it thrust out of his white-knuckled grip.
“It’s too late,” repeated Mrs. Redfern, her head swiveling as she searched the alley. Hillary looked too, but saw nothing but steel security doors and barred windows: no escape. Though the men were in shadow, silhouetted against the streets at either end of this little space, the three of them were under the security lamp, as well-lit as the two dumpsters they stood next to. Mrs. Redfern grabbed their shoulders and thrust them between the dumpsters, into a six-foot-wide cave of moist stink. She knelt before them, whispering intensely, though Hillary barely heard her over the beating of her own heart.
“Stay here, out of sight, all right? I’ll try to lead them away—when they follow me, you girls run , you understand? Run and get somewhere safe. Find the police.”
Valerie was visibly trembling, shaking her head, murmuring “No, no, no, no.” Mrs. Redfern took her daughter’s face in her hands.
“It’ll be all right. Just stay calm, okay? You can do this. Just try to stay calm and quiet. For Hillary. It’ll be fine, honey. We’ll keep Hillary safe.”
A big hand fell on Mrs. Redfern’s shoulder, yanking her away from the girls. She didn’t fall, but spun to her feet, stepping away from the dumpsters, out of Hillary’s sight.
“I asked you a question, bitch. You going somewhere?”
“Just seeing a movie is all,” came Mrs. Redfern’s voice, frightened but in control. “I don’t want any trouble, okay? No trouble.”
“Sorry lady,” came another voice; the man who’d blocked the other end of the alley. “That’s all we got is trouble.”
Hillary listened, wide-eyed, trembling, heart still pounding in her ears. Through all that, even through the drama unfolding just out of sight around those dumpsters, she became aware of Valerie’s voice. Despite her mother’s admonishment to keep quiet, Valerie was standing with her head bowed and still shaking from side to side, repeating the same word with each jerk of the dark curtain of hair that hid her face from the world.
“No-no-no-no—”
Val was trembling so hard she looked like a marionette being worked by a palsied puppeteer, chest bouncing back and forth, shoulders jerking this way and that. Had Hillary ever even heard of a seizure, she would have
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