Page 14 of The Chaos She Brings

I scale back over the fence. Equal parts incredibly grateful that I put on my shoes that are two sizes too big for me and incredibly annoyed because running is now a nightmare.

Grabbing the bag and swinging it over my shoulder, we bolt.

Tess’s trainers slap against the dirt, the sound echoing in my ears as I sprint beside her. The pounding of our feet matches the frantic rhythm of my heart. The floodlight stretches our shadows into warped figures on the ground, trailing us like ghosts.

I can hear Tess’s laboured breathing, sharp and uneven, but she doesn’t slow.

Neither do I.

The footsteps behind us grow louder, and I risk a glance back. A figure moves near the barn, their flashlight cutting through the night, scanning the area.

“Faster,” I hiss, pushing myself harder, even as the muscles in my legs scream in protest.

The tree line looms ahead, and we dive into it, the branches scraping at our skin and snagging our clothes. Tess stifles a yelp as she stumbles but catches herself, clinging to a low-hanging branch for balance.

We each duck behind a tree, pressing our backs against the rough bark. My chest heaves as I try to steady my breathing. I dare to peek around the trunk, the bark biting into my palms. The farmer’s flashlight beam dances over the pig pen, then sweeps across the ground.

He lingers for a moment, inspectingthe area. My pulse pounds in my ears, drowning out everything else. Tess’s breathing is a faint rasp nearby, and I hold up a hand to signal her to stay put.

The farmer mutters something I can’t make out, then turns and starts walking back toward the house, his flashlight bobbing with each step.

I exhale slowly, my hands trembling as I press them against my thighs. Holy shit. That was way too close.

Tess

I can’t hear anything other than the roaring of my heartbeat in my ears.

That was absolutely terrifying.

“Alright, I think the coast is clear. Let’s get out of here.” Kai motions for me to follow him. We stick to the treeline, walking silently back to the car while my mind is a cacophony of thoughts.

That could have ended so badly. If that farmer had been even a couple minutes earlier, I would be in the back of a police car now ready to go down for murder. And Kai would have been dragged down with me as an accessory.

We make it to the car and we both settle into the seats, but Kai doesn’t start the car straight away.

I start laughing, the sheer craziness of the situation hitting me. Despite the absolute terror racing through me at the thought that we could have been caught, this was one of the most exciting things to ever happen to me.

Everything about this weekend has been exhilarating, despite the circumstances.

My laughter dies when I realise Kai still hasn’t started the car and he’s sitting stock still, staring out of the window. He holds the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from the force, and he’s sucking in gasps of air.

“Are you good?”

He doesn’t answer, just continues to stare vacantly out of the windscreen.

“Kai?”

He starts the engine, puts the car in gear, then starts driving.

Still nothing.

“You’re scaring me.”

He releases a breath, then finally the haze seems to clear from his mind. “Sorry. I… haven’t had a close call like that in a long time.”

“But you have had close calls?”

He laughs bitterly. “Of course. It’s part of the job.”