Page 66 of Eden's Joker

Something must be wrong.

Wrong enough for them to be ignoring me. But how long will that last? I am here so they can use me against my dad and the Devils. Use my death against them.

I force myself not to think of the hundreds of snakes and other creepy crawlers that must live in these uninhabited hills as I find a bottle of water and pack some leftovers from last night’s dinner.

The only clothes I have are dresses and the only shoes are my Chucks. I don’t have a jacket, so I take a blanket.

Running away into the darkness could be the smartest thing I’ve ever done. Or the stupidest.

But I’m done thinking about it. I’m doing it, come what may.

I leave the house via one of the kitchen windows, since those aren’t visible from the town or the front of the house.

Darkness is so absolute back here that it shrouds me like a cloak and almost makes me change my mind about trying to run away. But then my eyes adjust to the night, and I see the outline of the first hill clear enough to climb it.

I don’t think, just start walking, as fast as I can over the rock and shrub infested ground. Reaching the top of the hill gives me a clear view of the front yard of the house. There’s no one there. And the only light is the one coming through the library window. They’ll think I’m in there, because there’s where I’ve been for the past week. They probably won’t look for me before morning anyway. Maybe not even then.

Sadness settles over me as I give the house one last look. Tyler wants to make this house, in this empty, forgotten town, his home. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. And a part of me wants to share that home with him. Very much. But that’s not possible. Not in this life.

My family hurt him too much for that to ever be possible. I hate knowing that, but it’s true.

So I chase those thoughts away as I jog down the hill on the other side, finding new energy to escape. Because now I’m not just running for my life. I’m escaping my dream of a life with Tyler too—a life that would only be possible if we were two completely different people.

The shrubs and grass are denser on the other side of the hill, and thornier too. My toes must be bleedingfrom all the rocks I’ve stubbed them on, so I have to slow down, but I don’t stop.

Not until I’m over the second of the three hills I have to climb. This one was much taller and more overgrown than the first, and the third one is the tallest, rising up into the darkness to where I can’t even differentiate its top from the night sky.

My feet are just two blobs of bleeding pain, sweat is running down my face and back because it’s a hot, airless night and the worst of my trek is still before me.

I reach a clearing bordered by a couple of boulders and a gnarled, leafless tree growing from the crack between them. I could hide behind be boulder and get some rest. Eat something, drink some water. Rest before tackling the tall hill.

Bright lights blind me just as I make the decision not to stop.

“Where do you think you’re going?” a rough voice asks from the darkness beyond those bright lights.

I recognize the voice. It’s one of the men Tyler chased out of the kitchen the night before he left.

“Home,” I say.

I probably won’t get anywhere near it now, but that doesn’t mean I’ll go quietly.

They laugh. There’s at least five of them in that darkness. Maybe more. But they’re all behind me, none in front.

“No, you’re not,” the man says seriously. “You’recoming with us. And once we’re done with you, no one back home will recognize you.”

It’s a threat I believe. Even Tyler warned me not to leave the house, because I’m not safe from his men. For all I know, he’s already dead.

“Joker doesn’t want that,” I tell them.

It makes them laugh harshly again.

“Don’t much matter what he wants anymore,” the guy says.

He is dead. That’s what I hear. So I don’t think much beyond that. I just ditch everything I’m carrying and sprint for the last hill between me and the road.

They’re right behind me, cursing and breathing hard. And for one triumphant moment as I reach the top of the hill, I think that I’ve outrun them, that I got away. But the next moment a heavy body collides with mine, knocking me to the ground.

My head hits one of the rocks sticking out everywhere here. And I try to fight the guy off, I try to stay conscious, but I feel like I’m underwater, weighed down by an entire ocean.

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