Page 6 of Bound to the Guard

I’m okay. Just keep going. One foot in front of the other.

My legs tremble with fatigue as I push off from the tree. The forest stretches on forever, but I can’t give up now. Not when I’ve come this far.

Freedom is out there somewhere, waiting for me. And I’ll be damned if I let them take it away from me again.

Eventually, the trees give way to a road, and I follow it, whispering the address Jade made me memorize under my breath.

When exhaustion takes control, I hide in the dense underbrush and pass out until I’m startled awake again by some noise that triggers my flight instincts.

I bolt into motion, running while half asleep before my brain wakes up.

When the lights of a town come into view, I cry with relief.

At the first bus stop I find, my tired mind struggles to figure out the numbers and letters, to pinpoint where I am. A sob escapes me when I realize I’m only two cities away from my old home. So close, and I never knew it.

The bench calls to me, but I resist and pace instead, worried that, once I stop moving, I’ll pass out again. The rest of the night passes in the length of my stride from one end of the stop to the other until the first bus arrives near dawn.

When it does, I creep on through the second door at the back, not wanting the driver to see my appearance and refuse me entrance. In the very back, I luck out and find a red hoodie forgotten by a previous passenger. I slip it on, the shirt enveloping me with warmth.

I ride the bus as far as it will take me, consciousness slipping in and out, flinching awake whenever someone new steps onto the bus or leaves. I ignore the odd glances I receive, the whispers about drug addicts, and slip off before the driver announces the last stop.

Three bus rides later, night falls again, and I continue forward on foot, too close to my destination now to stop.

An entire day has already passed. What could they have done to Jade in that time?

I stumble on, my steps growing more sluggish with each passing hour. The adrenaline that fueled my initial escape has long since faded, replaced by a bone-deep exhaustion. With it comes a feverish warmth, and when I touch my arm, my skin burns. My mind whispers of infection and my vision blurs.

I blink to clear it, reciting the address like a mantra.

Hunger gnaws at my insides, a constant reminder of how long it’s been since I last ate. Just a little farther, and then I can rest again.

My foot catches on a crack in the sidewalk, and I pitch forward, throwing out a hand to protect my face from hitting the ground. For a moment, I lie gasping for breath, my cheek pressed to the cool cement. The temptation to allow exhaustion to win almost overwhelms me.

I can’t give in. Not now. Not when I’m so close.

With a groan, I struggle back to my feet, swaying as the world tilts and spins around me. I brace myself against a building, waiting for the dizziness to pass before pushing onward.

Lucky for me it’s nighttime, or someone would have called the police by now. The last town I got off in is way too affluent for the likes of me. Even before I became Seven, I wouldn’t have dared step foot here.

Relief sweeps through me when I leave it behind, walking down a long, winding road with gated driveways few and far between. I pause at each long enough to read the number before continuing on.

At last, the gates matching the address loom before me, a towering barrier of wrought iron and stone. I stand frozen for a moment, swaying on my feet, my heart pounding as I stare up at the imposing structure.

Is this the right place? How did someone who livedhereend up in a cage? This must be what gave Jade such confidence that someone would come searching for him. Police treat the disappearance of the rich a lot more seriously than poor scum like me.

I take a step forward, my legs trembling beneath me, and reach out to grasp the cold metal bars.

“Hello?” My hoarse call dies just past the gate. “Is anyone there?”

For a long moment, only silence answers. Then, the crunch of footsteps on gravel, and two figures emerge from the shadows. Security guards, their expressions hard with suspicion as they approach the gate.

“What do you want?” one of them demands.

Dehydration turns my mouth to cotton, my tongue thick and clumsy. “Please, I need help. I’m… I’m a friend of Jade’s.”

The guards exchange a glance, their skepticism clear in the twist of their lips.

“Jade?” the second one scoffs. “You expect us to believe you know him?”

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