Bill went to check on Emily when the half time came on. To his horror she wasn't there and the window was open. His stomach dropped. "Emily?" He called desperately. "Emily!" He shouted louder. He ran throughout the house looking for her, opening cabinets and closets. He blinked away tears and grabbed his car keys and gun. He saw some foot prints going towards the road. His heart leapt into his throat. He dove into the car and took off, scanning the scenery. She couldn't have gotten far, he tried to reassure himself. He cursed, of course it had all been an act! How was he so blind?
The minutes ticked by slowly as he scanned the overgrown grass and flowers on the sides of the road. He hoped she didn't make it to the main road yet. She would be gone then. What if she got picked up by some unsavory strangers and murdered? He shook his head, that wasn't going to help find her right now. He gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles white.
Emily barely poked her head up when she heard a car in the distance. She squinted and flattened herself to the ground, trying to covertly cover herself with the tall flowers and grass. Of course it was Bill of all people. She should had focused on escaping and getting to the police. She cursed her stupidity. Emily struggled to keep her composure. If he got his hands on her there would be no more chances. Her heart beat wildly, making it hard to hear. The car rolled to a stop. Just keep driving. Just keep driving. She pleaded silently over and over. Tears blurred her vision. She clenched her jaw and steadied her breath when she heard the door open.
"Emily?" Bill called in a desperate panic. "Come to me baby! Please!" He pleaded, scanning the vegetation. He spotted a few fresh footprints and jogged to them. He squat down and studied them. He followed them a little past where Emily was hiding. He put his hands on his head and fell to his knees sobbing. "Please come back to me." He sobbed in defeat. "Emily!" He cried, falling onto his side and curling up.
Emily cried silently. He was mere feet away from her. She squeezed her eyes shut and focused on keeping her composure. A few ants stung her leg. She carefully brushed them off, Bill was too distraught to notice any minute movement. An idea struck her. If she could sneak her way into the car and take off then she might finally be free. How could she do that without being noticed? It was too risky. She considered waiting him out instead.
"Why did you leave me?" He sobbed bitterly. If he kept that up he might not notice her. She very slowly and quietly as possible inched her way back the way she came some while carefully rolling onto her stomach, which was in knots. Emily braced herself and emerged from the grass and crept around the the car. She dove in and slammed the door shut, locking it. Nearly hyperventilating she scrambled to put it in drive. It wouldn't budge. She yelled on frustration, putting her foot on the brake, which allowed her to change gears.
The door slamming startled Bill out of his stupor. He sprang to his feet and saw it was Emily! He saw her yanking on the gear stick and his heart sank.
She managed it to shift in to drive and floored it, fishtailing on the dirt road. She panic and overcorrected, crashing into a telephone pole. The air bag deployed, and smashed her face, cushioning some of the crash since she didn't put the seatbelt on. She slumped forward onto the steering wheel when the airbag deflated, her face bloodied. She fought to stay conscious. Bill caught up and ripped on the door handle, yelling at her to open up. She wasn't moving. He feared the worst and started punching the passenger window behind her. She stirred and looked around in a daze, her hearing dampened except for her pounding heart. She remembered she was trying to make a break for it.
Emily sluggishly put the car in reverse and nearly floored it, and then slammed on the brakes before putting it back in drive and attempting to drive off again, running over Bill's foot in the process. He watched in horror as the sand whipped the car around. He hobbled forward, unsure of how to stop her before she hurt herself worse or escaped. He pulled out his gun and shot at the tires. After a few shots, he finally got one tire.
Emily screamed in terror when she heard the bullets hitting the car. He was going to kill her! She ducked down and kept going, not having much control over the car. The back tire popped, causing her to lose a lot of traction. "God, if you're really out there, please fucking help me!" She cried, giving it more gas. More shots rang out, one pierced the back window, whizzing by and going into the dash. She yanked the steering wheel too far in her panic and ran off the shoulder. She tried to keep going but he managed to get another tire and she was stuck.
"FUCK!" She screamed angrily. Emily steeled herself and threw open the door. She clamored out and made a run for it. Her head spun as blood ran into her eyes. "Emily stop!" Bill shouted, as he was catching up.
She turned to look back and stumbled. Emily kept her footing and continued to run. Another shot rang out. She didnt know she was hit until an intense burning sensation came from her arm. A mangled scream tore out of her throat.
Bill cursed when he accidently shot her. He only meant to scare her. He huffed and puffed after her. Losing steam as his lungs burned. He noticed she was slowing down as well.
Emily held her bleeding arm and trudged on. She was losing energy and felt faint. If she dies, she'll at least die a free woman, she thought miserably. Blood covered her arm and dripped from the tips of her fingers. A halo of glass was tangled in her hair. Her face was already bruising and bloodied. Her eyes burned from the blood running into them, shrouding her vision in a blurred red. "I don't want to die today." She cried. As she slowed to a walk from the shock and blood loss.
Bill caught up to her and wrapped his arms around her. She struggled weakly, screaming and crying. He fought to breathe with his burning lungs. Emily gave up and hung in his arms. She didn't have the energy to struggle. "You shot me." She managed to say. Bill's eyes widened in alarm and over the best he could. Her arm was bleeding profusely. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" He cried.
He let go of her, steadying her on her feet. Bill ripped a strip of his shirt off and tied it around the wound. He needed to get her medical treatment but he wasn't sure what to do since she would tell the truth. He walked her back to the house, which he had to carry her the last leg of the journey. He laid her on the couch.
After some deliberating he decided to call one of his new friends from church who was a retired first responder. He knew he could trust him.
