growing list of ‘Ways Abilene is Ruining Eli’s Life,’” she made air quotes with her fingers. “It starts with how I forced you to kidnap me, and ends, for the time being, with me somehow compelling you to keep me with you. I’m sure some new hardship will crop up momentarily, and then we can add it to the list, too.”
Now he flinched. Keep your cool, man. Play nice. Get her on your side. She had a point. Well, he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that .
For some reason, she had believed him, or at least pretended to believe him, when he had told her he’d been a prisoner in the facility. He hadn’t expected that. Apart from some initial doubt, she had swallowed his story whole.
Of course she believed you; you gave her the believable version of everything , the Voice scolded.
True. If he had told her the nature of the experiments. The reason why he couldn’t die and stay dead … .
Well, suffice it to say, the outcome of their conversation would have been vastly different.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but a noise from outside brought Eli to full alert.
In less than a second, Eli had Abilene flat on the ground beneath him, covering her with as much of his body as possible. She struggled for breath, and he knew he’d knocked the wind out of her. He gazed down apologetically, and his gut wrenched when he noticed her blue eyes were filled with fear.
She gasped in a breath when her diaphragm unfroze, but Eli placed his fingers gently over her lips, shaking his head once and mouthing a silent shhhh .
Just then a clatter sounded from two houses down. Abilene’s eyes grew wide, and she nodded to let him know she understood. He was embarrassed at how relieved he felt to see her fear vanish.
He bent down further and put his mouth directly against her ear. “We have to move,” he breathed.
He didn’t wait for her acknowledgment before scooping her up with him and pulling her toward the back door he’d scouted out the night before. He walked hunched over and noticed with approval that Abilene was following suite.
Eli didn’t know if the noises from outside were from squatters or someone who meant Eli harm, but he wasn’t going to wait around to find out. Whoever it was had already moved to the house right beside theirs.
Eli stuck his head out the back door and quickly ascertained that no one was in the backyards adjacent to this one. There was thick brush dead ahead, and Eli tugged Abilene toward it.
As soon as they were hidden among the foliage, a local policeman rounded the corner and entered the back yard, his gun held at the ready. Eli pulled Abilene farther into the brush just as the policeman noticed the house’s open back door.
The man straightened and jerked out his walkie-talkie. “I think I’ve found them,” he whispered into the device. “Send back-up!”
The walkie-talkie squawked once, and then Major Taylor’s voice crackled through, “Hold your ground. Do not go in until I get there!”
Abilene stiffened beside him just as Eli’s stomach dropped. The car. They had to have found the car.
“Damn it,” Eli whispered. He wasn’t free.
Yet.
Eli continued to pull Abilene through the brush until they reached another backyard. A quick visual scan told him there were no officers nearby, and he took off at a silent sprint, tugging Abilene behind him.
When they were out of hearing range, Abilene gasped out, “They came after you. With guns !”
The horror in her voice brought Eli to a skidding halt, but one look at her face, and he could tell she was appalled with the officers and Major Taylor, not with the fact that she had been abducted by someone who merited an armed man-search.
Progress.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” he said with a quick smile. “We’ve gotta get out of here, darlin’. They’re not going to stop once they find we’ve bugged out.”
He scanned their surroundings. This neighborhood hadn’t been struck as badly as the abandoned one. Signs
Now he flinched. Keep your cool, man. Play nice. Get her on your side. She had a point. Well, he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that .
For some reason, she had believed him, or at least pretended to believe him, when he had told her he’d been a prisoner in the facility. He hadn’t expected that. Apart from some initial doubt, she had swallowed his story whole.
Of course she believed you; you gave her the believable version of everything , the Voice scolded.
True. If he had told her the nature of the experiments. The reason why he couldn’t die and stay dead … .
Well, suffice it to say, the outcome of their conversation would have been vastly different.
She opened her mouth to say something else, but a noise from outside brought Eli to full alert.
In less than a second, Eli had Abilene flat on the ground beneath him, covering her with as much of his body as possible. She struggled for breath, and he knew he’d knocked the wind out of her. He gazed down apologetically, and his gut wrenched when he noticed her blue eyes were filled with fear.
She gasped in a breath when her diaphragm unfroze, but Eli placed his fingers gently over her lips, shaking his head once and mouthing a silent shhhh .
Just then a clatter sounded from two houses down. Abilene’s eyes grew wide, and she nodded to let him know she understood. He was embarrassed at how relieved he felt to see her fear vanish.
He bent down further and put his mouth directly against her ear. “We have to move,” he breathed.
He didn’t wait for her acknowledgment before scooping her up with him and pulling her toward the back door he’d scouted out the night before. He walked hunched over and noticed with approval that Abilene was following suite.
Eli didn’t know if the noises from outside were from squatters or someone who meant Eli harm, but he wasn’t going to wait around to find out. Whoever it was had already moved to the house right beside theirs.
Eli stuck his head out the back door and quickly ascertained that no one was in the backyards adjacent to this one. There was thick brush dead ahead, and Eli tugged Abilene toward it.
As soon as they were hidden among the foliage, a local policeman rounded the corner and entered the back yard, his gun held at the ready. Eli pulled Abilene farther into the brush just as the policeman noticed the house’s open back door.
The man straightened and jerked out his walkie-talkie. “I think I’ve found them,” he whispered into the device. “Send back-up!”
The walkie-talkie squawked once, and then Major Taylor’s voice crackled through, “Hold your ground. Do not go in until I get there!”
Abilene stiffened beside him just as Eli’s stomach dropped. The car. They had to have found the car.
“Damn it,” Eli whispered. He wasn’t free.
Yet.
Eli continued to pull Abilene through the brush until they reached another backyard. A quick visual scan told him there were no officers nearby, and he took off at a silent sprint, tugging Abilene behind him.
When they were out of hearing range, Abilene gasped out, “They came after you. With guns !”
The horror in her voice brought Eli to a skidding halt, but one look at her face, and he could tell she was appalled with the officers and Major Taylor, not with the fact that she had been abducted by someone who merited an armed man-search.
Progress.
“Yeah, I noticed that,” he said with a quick smile. “We’ve gotta get out of here, darlin’. They’re not going to stop once they find we’ve bugged out.”
He scanned their surroundings. This neighborhood hadn’t been struck as badly as the abandoned one. Signs
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