Location Unknown, Vienna Woods
Anna stood gazing into the cold landscape, first in the direction of the farmhouse and then into the thick stand of trees. It was a beechwood, and they stood tall and stately around her. She could see her breath and the frigid air burned in her lungs every time she exhaled. The outline of the wood looked dark and forbidding, and she shuddered. She needed to be on the move, but her knees wavered. She felt exhausted in body and soul but she screwed up her courage and began to move forward slowly, concentrating on putting one foot in front of the other.
She hunted until she found what must be the remnants of an old trail and began to follow it, stumbling over logs and sharp bushes. The heavy boots clumped on her feet, overhanging branches whipped her face and pulled her hair. But her eyes looked straight ahead, hoping to see signs of a road. Anna began to, and her hands shook wildly. She stopped abruptly, scanning her surroundings. Anna set her teeth and stood shivering in the cold air. She didn't know where to go, She strained her ears for any sound, but all she could hear was the sound of heavy snow falling from the laden branches. Other than that it was eerily silent.
The trail curved to the right and she came to a low stone wall. The years and elements had caused parts of it to crumble giving it the look of a lopsided smile with teeth missing and it seemed to lear at her. She moved around the trunk of a large beech and saw something she should have been on guard for. She was face to face with a very surprised Fyodor, the cellular phone case slung over his shoulder and a gun in his hand.
It all happened so quickly. The man sounded like a cornered animal and attacked just as ferociously. Three shots were fired, and three shots would have hit their mark if Anna hadn't thrown herself behind the stone wall. She heard a clicking sound which she knew was the telltale sign of a jammed gun. She had to take every opportunity as it came.
She ran. She ran because she must survive.
Anna turned and fled back down the crude path, the branches of bushes scraped at her legs as she ran. Perspiration ran down her face and into her eyes obscuring the view in front of her. The looming trees were neverending. Her only thought was to hide. She looked to her right and saw an ash tree; its branches bent low with snow. She ran and placed her foot on the trunk and clutched at the highest branch she could reach. She was able to scramble up and swung her leg over another branch and pulled until she was seated in the tree and hidden by the tangle of limbs. Anna could only hope that she had been able to shake free from Fyodor.
The wind began to blow, and it seemed to her that the ash, oaks, and beeches were whispering to each other. Alternating by turns they seemed to laugh, sob and roar. Anna realized that the combination of cold, exhaustion, hunger, thirst were causing her to lose her wits. She was so tired that for a moment she thought that maybe it would be ok to die here, surrounded by the beautiful beech trees and the snow, in this ancient forest. She shook her head vigorously and inhaled and exhaled deeply. The frigid air burned in her lungs and helped revive her. She felt her resolve build, and she was determined to stay alive. She just needed to get to a road and then she could find her way back to Vienna. She leaned back against the rough trunk of the tree. She was still and waited.
A rustling in the bushes behind alerted her that she was wrong, she would not be rid of him that easily. She held her breath. The sound of a gunshot rang in the air. Then another, closer to her hiding place. Anna counted under her breath "1...2...that makes five total." His revolver would only hold six bullets, and then he would have to reload. Her mind was racing through her options. Her body was telling her that she was in no condition for another physical confrontation; she was at her limit. Out-running him in the snow with no knowing where she was going was unlikely, how she wished for a break in the trees or clearing so that she might be able to get her bearings better. If she could have seen the sun that would have been a start.
She could hear the snow crunch under his boots as he walked past her. She could see his fingers trembling as he worked to push the bullets into the barrel of the revolver. With her options dwindling she decided to take a chance. She reached as far over as she could and shook a sturdy looking branch and watched as a load of snow fell to the ground.
BANG!
A bullet sped past and embedded itself in the bark of the limb. SIX! Now it was her moment. Anna dropped down to the ground, and she held her hands up in a calming motion. She opened her mouth to try and speak, but no sound came out, a consequence of the near strangling she had endured. She tried again and was able to make her vocal cords work albeit in a hoarse and strained way.
"Why don't you just put the gun down and we can talk...Fyodor...that's your name, isn't it? I don't think you want to hurt me. And I don't want to hurt you."
"Be quiet!" He shouted at her and slammed the barrel of the revolver closed and raised it towards her.
"Listen you employer wanted me alive. Killing me here is not going to do you any good. You know that. You know that they will be angry with you. You were just here to do a job. And things got out of hand. And listen I have a job to do too, and I want to get back to it. You took me to send a message. Well, that message was received. I'm going to make sure the item you employer wants ends up in his hands."
"We were just supposed to hold you here. That's all."
"I know. But your friend broke the rules, didn't he? He wasn't supposed to hurt me. It was his idea to threaten me. Is that right?"
"I can't let you go. I can't! I have to kill you. They will think this was my fault."
"Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. You didn't know he was going to break the rules. Listen, I will give you information alright. You can tell your employer that we will have what he wants and we will deliver it to him four days from now at the Austrian National Library at 7:00 pm. Do you understand? Can you tell him that?"
"Listen I'm Anna Devane. I have a daughter. Her name is Robin, and she is beautiful and smart, and she needs me to come home to her. You understand that, don't you?" This was an old tactic, to use non-specific information about your loved ones to make your enemy see you as a human being. Anna was willing to try it all. Now if she could only get him to reciprocate, to talk about himself. She looked him in the eye.
"Do you have any family Fyodor? Is anyone waiting for you?"
"Zatknis' SUKA!" He screamed back at her. He pointed the gun at her head and cocked it. The sound seemed deafening as it broke through the silence of the forest.
Anna was ready. She knew these were going to be the last moments of her life and she wasn't afraid. She had narrowly escaped death so many times that maybe it would greet her like a friend. But even though she felt no fear, she did feel deep regret. She thought of Robin; she thought of Robert raising her on his own. She felt grateful that he would have a support team around him, Sean, Tiffany, Felicia and of course Katherine. What pained her most was that she knew Robert would blame himself for her death and he would have to explain to Robin the reason why her mother would never be coming home. Well not the real reason, he would come up with a sufficient lie. The truth was he may never know her true fate or ever find her body here in the Vienna woods. She would just become a part of the forest, food for carrion and fertilizing the soil. She would help the trees grow.
"Get on your knees!"
Anna remained motionless. If she was going to die, it was going to be standing up on her own two feet, not on the ground with her head down. She would capitulate to no one, especially not during her final moments. Instead, she looked upward into the canopy of the forest. It was beautiful. At least in her last moments, she could drink in the view of green and brown and white. Then an idea came to her mind.
"How much are they paying you?" she asked quietly.
"Shut Up!"
"Whatever it is I'll double it."
"Stop talking! You aren't going to save yourself!"
"If you kill me you're dead too. You see that don't you? Listen to me I can help you. I can get you new documents, and you could start a whole new life anywhere you like. That's more than you are going to get if I'm dead. You put a bullet in my brain, and I guarantee they will put one in yours. But if you let me go, I will repay the favor. I promise.
"You're lying. Why should I believe you?"
"You have no reason to trust me. But if you disappear now, you will have enough of a head start to lay low. Then go to Munich Airport in two weeks. Locker...17...I promise I will make sure you have everything you need. Money, passports, plane tickets. Everything!"
She looked at him and realized that she had his attention. She saw his finger relax ever so slightly on the trigger.
"Listen!" Her hand felt around the base of her throat; she winced as her fingers came into contact with the bruises that ringed her neck, "My necklace, you removed my necklace and my ring. Take them to Franz Von Rath in Graz; he owns a jewelry store there. He's an old friend. Tell him that Anna Devane sent you, he will give you a fair price for them. You can use that money to go underground until I can make arrangements for you.
Anna could almost see his mind working as he concentrated on her offer. She decided to continue to press him. The tide was turning she could feel it.
"I'm offering the best chance you have to live. Take it!"
Fyodor slowly lowered his weapon.
"Afínoun," he said so softly she could hardly make out the word.
"What?"
"I said go, hurry before I change my mind."
"Can you take me back to Vienna?"
"No, I'm not showing my face there again. The road is over that ridge to the right. You can find your own way back. I'm letting you live. We have a bargain, but you are not my problem anymore." With that, he lowered the revolver to his side and turned and began walking back to the stone ruin. He never looked back.
Anna stood up and began wading through the snow it the direction he pointed. She was doing herself no favors by remaining. The sun was steadily making its descent behind the clouds as was evidenced by the fading light. Thankfully she was soon within sight of a road, empty and desolate.
With no other plan before her Anna began to walk down the road.
Weather-beaten metal and a tired sounding engine were as close to heaven as she had ever laid eyes on.
Anna waved her hands, and for a moment she was convinced that it was going to head right on past her. But the old Peugeot began to angle its course to the side of the road, and Anna hurried as best she could. An old man with a walrus mustache was looking at her curiously
"Hello, I...uh, I wrecked on my bicycle and can you please help me get back to Vienna. I have to get to the train station. Please, I have to catch my train. Can you help me?" She did her best to remain calm and poised as she possibly could. She also knew her demeanor did not match her physical condition, which was worse for wear. She pulled up the collar of her oversized jacket to hide the marks that she knew must cover the base of her throat. He just continued to stare. She decided to try something else.
"Um...Ich brauche eine Fahrt nach Wien. Sprichst du Englisch?
"Ja, Englisch. I'll help you get to Vienna."
She got into the car and Anna laid her head back and let out a long shuddering sigh.
"Are you in trouble? Should we go to the police?"
"No, no. I'm fine. I just need to get to the train. Thank you for your concern. I just injured myself in the fall, but it's only a few bumps and scrapes. Nothing to worry about, I promise."
"And your voice? Are you sick?"
"Oh no, I'm just hoarse from yelling for help. I'm so glad you are here. I was sure I was going to have to walk all the way into town. Thank you so much for your help. How long till we reach the city?"
"About 40 minutes. When does your train depart?"
"Seven o'clock." Anna looked at her watch but realized the face of the timepiece was smashed and stained with blood from her struggle. The man looked at his watch.
"You are lucky. You might make it in time."
Anna looked out the window as the landscape whisked by her. She felt warm. She intended to close her eyes only for a moment but then next moment she felt a tapping on her shoulder and started.
"It's Ok. We are here. If you hurry, you will make it."
"Thank you." The words barely almost refused to form and barely escaped her lips. The unexpected rest while good for her body seemed to have lessened her ability to speak in equal measure.
She stepped out of the car and onto the platform. The boots on her feet had rubbed and cut into the flesh of her heel that walking in them was becoming almost impossible. She stopped for a moment and pulled them off. The concrete was cold on her stockinged feet, but she could at least move more quickly. She just left them where they lay as she walked over to look at the station sign. She reached into the hole in the inside lining of her suit jacket and pulled out her ticket. It was rumpled with rust-colored stains around the edges, and she wasn't sure who blood it was. She looked at the station map and then put her hand to her mouth in shock. She could see her reflection in the glass that covered the information kiosk, and she barely recognized her own face. In the cold fluorescent light, she could see that her blood-matted hair was stuck to her face and covered with bits of bracken and twigs from the forest, red marks dotted the base of her neck, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. She looked alarming, but there was no time to fix that now.
She followed the signs until she was at the right line and her heart lept in her breast. She could see Robert standing on the platform. He stood with his arms crossed and shifting his weight from one foot to another. Just the sight of him made her aching heart, swollen from the strain of the day, hurt pitifully. She was alive and coming back to him. She prayed broken exclamations of thanksgiving that did not always sound reverent but never was a soul in more deadly earnest.
Finally, he turned and caught sight of her. His expression was one of interest but not recognition. Their eyes met. She tried to call his name, but her voice refused to cooperate. There was a lump in her throat as she stared at him with open desperation. Suddenly she saw a change come over his features and his face went white as he absorbed the truth of what he was seeing. His eyes widened and he seemed rooted to the platform for the smallest of moments. Then was in a full run towards her.
Relief washed over Anna. She made it. She started to move towards him but stumbled. She was soon caught up in his arms and he was carrying her like a child towards the train. Anna leaned her head against his chest, her eyes closed and tears continued leaking from them against her will. All of her adrenaline was spent and she felt that she could fall asleep right where she was for at least three days straight or longer. She felt his arms grip her even more tightly and she could almost feel his gaze as he searched her body for all the injuries that may have escaped his notice.
Anna looked up into his face and smiled weakly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't sure I'd make it back to you in time. But I know how much you hate it when I'm late."
"Oh, Anna..." was all Robert could manage in response.
He set her onto steps and then they were both inside the rail car. Anna whispered words of thanks under her breath as she heard the train whistle. The train operator announced "Zug Fahrt ab!" and the doors were closing. After the warning, the doors along the train closed simultaneously with a short but loud whoosh and then she could feel the U-Bahn wheels chuffing underneath them. A high and low pitched bell announced the line number and destination. It was only then that Anna was able to breathe.