Chapter 74
Emily had lost track of how long she had been running. Her legs were numb, moving on autopilot with just one thing in her mind-run.
Finally, they made it out of the overgrown hills and into a run-down part of town. As soon as Emily saw lights and people, her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground, completely spent.
Austin hadn’t been prepared for her sudden drop and stumbled down with her, letting out a sharp hiss of pain.
Only then did Emily remember she wasn’t alone. She turned quickly and asked, “Are you okay?”
Austin was panting hard, face twisted in pain. “I’m fine, but I might be dead if we kept running any longer.
Though he said it jokingly, Emily could hear the weakness in his voice. She could barely move either, and she had no idea where they were or what danger was still out there.
After a moment’s thought, Emily asked, “Can you keep going? I can try to get you to a hospital.”
“Don’t take me to a hospital.” Austin blurted out, voice tight and serious.
Emily stared at him. “You’re badly hurt. Why not go to a hospital?”
Austin stared at her, eyes unreadable. After a long silence, he said, “My family gave me to them. I don’t want to be found. Can you help me?”
He looked like a puppy left out in the rain, eyes wide and pleading.
His honest voice and gaze hit Emily hard. She didn’t get why Austin would be so honest with someone he barely knew, but she could feel the pain behind every word.
The Bennett family ditched her too, but at least they weren’t really related. She used to feel so sad, and it took two years of hell in St. Gabriel Reform Academy to finally let it go.
However, Austin had been thrown away by his own blood. Emily glanced away. Just thinking about it made her chest tighten.
His eyes were too pure and bright, and he looked like someone who had never seen any real darkness.
She couldn’t understand how Austin’s family could have the heart to treat him like this, just like she had never understood how people she had spent eighteen years with could turn so cold.
Emily didn’t bring up the hospital again. She just looked around to see if anyone was watching them.
When people didn’t feel safe, they naturally hid in corners. Somehow, they had ended up in a back alley, which was just the kind of place that kept them out of sight.
Emily braced her aching legs and began to stand, just as a sudden grip on her wrist stopped her in her tracks.
Austin’s hand trembled slightly. “Where are you going?” he asked, looking up at Emily. That usually bright face, now pale, held a sudden vulnerability.
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Emily pursed her lips. “I’m just going to check the area. We can’t stay here forever.”
She slipped her wrist free and pressed the bag of medicine into Austin’s hand. Then, pulling over a nearby trash bin to hide his body, she grabbed a large black plastic bag. “Stay here. I’ll be back soon.”
She threw the black bag over Austin and hurried off.
