Page 23 of The Finder

She finally made it back to an area she recognized. It was going to be a long walk, but she could do it. She pushed herself to move quickly. Soon she was breathing heavy; not from the exertion, but from the pain she was in. She felt herself start sweating, even in the cold. Emma kept walking, ignoring the pain. Her stomach hurt, her feet hurt, she was tired and cold but at least she was getting close.

“What do we have here?” she heard. She looked up and saw a guy closing in on her. She panicked and tried to go backwards but a second guy stepped in behind her.

“Please let me pass,” she said in her bravest voice.

They laughed. The guy in front of her stepped forward and stopped right in front of her. "I don't think so.”

Emma was officially terrified. She knew she needed to get away from these guys and fast. The guy behind her grabbed her hair and yanked her head back. Emma’s fight or flight reflex kicked in, and she felt adrenaline flood her body. She had fought many a time, growing up the way she did. She slammed her head into the guy behind her and kneed the guy in front of her. Spinning, she took off running. She had no idea where she was running to. She just knew she had to get away.

She heard shouts behind her and pushed herself to run faster. She turned the corner, thinking she had escaped them when one leaped out at her and tackled her to the ground. She screamed as she fell. Her head slammed into the ground, and black dots danced before her eyes. She fought to keep consciousness. She tried to fight the guy on top of her, but she was no match for him. Suddenly, the guy was gone. Somebody had plowed into him. Emma jumped to her feet, wobbled dizzily, and took off again.

She heard angry shouts behind her, but she just ran. She ran around a corner and slammed into someone. Arms enclosed around her, and she jerked and tried to fight.

“Emma, it’s me. It’s Liam. It’s okay. You’re safe.” Emma heard.

She grabbed the front of his shirt. “You have to help me. These guys...” she gasped out.

“It’s okay, Emma. You’re safe,” Liam said again. “Let’s get you to the car.” He put his arm around her shoulder and began leading her away.

“Wait,” Emma said, stopping him. “I think someone is fighting them. We can’t leave them.”

“It’s Kyle and Levi. They’re fine. Come one,” he said.

“We need to help them,” she said panicky. She didn’t want them to get hurt on her behalf. What if the bad guys had knives or even guns? She tried to pull away from Liam.

Liam tightened his hold on her. “Believe me. They’re fine. They can more than hold their own,” Liam said. He began to pull her along again.

Emma was having a hard time keeping her focus. She was starting to get dizzy and seeing spots in her vision. She was going to open her mouth and tell Liam, but she couldn’t get the words out.

The last thing she heard before the blackness claimed her was the sound of growls, almost like a dog fight, a savage one. She knew she was delirious; she fell into the waiting darkness.

_________

Emma slowly began to wake up. She felt disoriented and in pain. She lay still for a moment, trying to get her bearings. She finally opened her eyes and looked around the room. She didn’t recognize where she was. She panicked and sat up when she realized it was a hospital. She immediately regretted that action when her head began spinning.

“Easy there, Emma,” a gentle voice said. Emma turned to see Madison, the woman who she had met at Hope House sitting next to her. Madison smiled at her. “I wish I would have known who you were back when I met you. I could have saved you and everybody else a whole heap of a lot of trouble,” she said. Emma had no idea what she meant, but she didn’t try to figure it out. She had too many other questions on her mind.

“Where am I? What time is it?” Emma, feeling overwhelmed.

“You’re in Hopewell Hospital,” Madison said calmly. “It’s a little after eight a.m.”

“I’m late for work,” Emma said as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Madison put a hand on her shoulder. “Garrett called Helen and told her what happened. She sent her concerns and said to take a few days off.”

Before she could respond, the front door opened and a guy walked in. Emma recognized him immediately. It was Kyle. She wondered briefly why he was here. “Hey, beautiful,” he said and swept Madison into his arms.

Emma looked away while they kissed. That explained why he was here. Madison turned towards her with a big smile. “Emma’s awake,” she said.

“I see that,” Kyle said with a smile.

“Why am I here?” Emma asked, still really confused.

Kyle and Madison exchanged glances. Kyle looked at her. “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

“I remember running from those guys. Then I remember the sound of fighting,” she paused trying to remember. “It was really weird. It sounded like a dog fight but much worse.” She shook her head. “I don’t really know. I obviously lost it. Liam said you and Levi were fighting them. Are you okay?” she asked.

Kyle grinned. “We took care of them.” Emma wasn’t really sure why he was grinning. She figured it was a guy thing. Then he turned serious. “I’m sorry they hurt you. They’ll never hurt you again.” Emma didn’t ask any questions. She wasn’t sure she wanted the answers.

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