Salvation by Alexa Land

for a few moments, then
reached up and brushed my hair from my face, so incredibly gently, his
fingertips sweeping down and lingering on my cheekbone.
    “Stop being nice. I’m trying to be mad
at you.”
    “As well you should.” He raised himself
up a bit and looked around. “They’ll circle back around soon, we have to do
this now.” He reached across me and opened my door. “Run for the shadows at the
back of that building and get behind those recycling bins. I’ll meet you there
in a few seconds. If the Escalade pulls into the parking lot, just run. Don’t
look back and don’t stop for anything. Find a twenty-four hour convenience
store and call the police.”
    “I thought we couldn’t go to the
police.”
    “I can’t. You can. Run, Trevor, and stay
low.”
    I bolted from the car and did as he
said. Being out in the open was a lot scarier than being inside the SUV, and my
pulse was racing as I reached my destination and wiped my sweaty palms on my
jeans. Vincent climbed out the passenger door too, clicked it shut as quietly
as possible, and ducked out of sight among the parked cars.
    Fear prickled through me as the Escalade
rolled slowly past the entrance to the parking lot. A huge white guy with a
buzz cut and some sort of tattoo on his cheek leaned out the open window,
scanning his surroundings. I held my breath and pressed myself against the
building, trying to make myself invisible.
    After a few seconds that felt like a
lifetime, our pursuers continued on down the street. A moment later, Vincent
appeared beside me, startling me so much that my heart leapt in my chest. He
took my hand and said, “Come on.”
    We cut through the apartment complex,
then down a back alley. We had to cross a fairly big street next, and Vincent
crouched down behind a parked car and looked both ways. “What happens if they
catch us?” I asked.
    “Let’s not find out.”
    He was still holding my hand as we
bolted across the street, then cut down another alley. “Where are we going?”
    “I know someone with an apartment not
far from here, that’s where we’re headed.”
    The city was really quiet this time of
night, so we heard the big SUV before we saw it. “Shit,” Vincent muttered, and
pulled me into a darkened doorway right before the Escalade turned into the
alley. He let go of my hand and took something from his pocket, then fumbled
with the locked doorknob. Fear welled up in me and I whispered, “Oh God,” as
the front bumper came into sight.
    A split second later, Vincent dragged me
through the door, quickly shut it behind him and relocked it from the inside.
“They may have seen us,” he whispered. “Come on.”
    Vincent took my hand again and we ran
down a long corridor of a grade school, past rows of little lockers and
children’s artwork. We could hear a door being kicked in, presumably the same
one we’d come through. “I really wish I had my gun,” he muttered, then stopped
running and looked around. “But, failing that....” instead of finishing his
sentence, he pulled a nearby fire alarm. Immediately, a deafening shriek filled
the building and red lights began flashing.
    He pulled me into what turned out to be
the library, looked around, then led me to a little storage closet. It was a
tight fit, so he sat on the floor and I ended up straddling him, sitting on his
lap. The alarm was slightly muffled once the door was closed, but still
painfully loud. I pressed one side of my head against his shoulder and clamped
my hand over my other ear.
    It was several very long minutes before
someone cut the alarm. A moment later, the lights came on, spilling under the
door of the little closet.
    “How long do we have to stay here?” I
whispered, my ears ringing.
    “It’ll be a while. The people chasing us
probably cleared out as soon as the alarm went off, but I assume they’re
watching the outside of the building now and waiting for us to come out. The
fire department must have arrived and shut off