Katherine couldn't see where she was going. But that didn't matter. As long she didn't run into a tree and knock herself out. She was determined that that would be the only thing that could stop her. Hoping she was running straight, getting her farther away from them as fast as possible. She didn't even want to think about what would happen if she ended up circling back to the house. So she stopped thinking, and just kept running. Ignoring the cursing she heard behind her upon Buddy being found. Ignoring the shoutings of her name, even after they began to sound rage filled. Adrenaline was flowing through her veins, causing her to not feel the numerous sticks and branches cutting into her skin. Katherine knew she just needed to get far enough from the house, then stay silent until morning. Eventually they'd stop looking for her. Malakai said so the night they brought her here. Leave her out in the forest to fend for herself throughout the night before she'd come crawling back. So she needed to find a well covered area, ignoring the twigs digging into her. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she hugged her legs cuddling into the leaves surrounding her. Waiting, as still as a statue, as silent as humanly possible praying her breathing wasn't actually as loud as it sounded in her ears.
Katherine didn't sleep. At the first sight of dawn she crawled out of the brush and tried to figure out which way would bring her out to a main road. Being able to see where she was going was much easier on her, but made her much more aware of her surroundings. Constantly looking over her shoulder every few steps expecting to see one of the large men right behind her. She tried not to think about it as she ran, just focusing on where she was going. Trying to make sure she hadn't been at that spot before. She soon started to hear a low rumbling noise in the distance. It sounded different than any sound she had heard since being out in the forest. And she analyzed every little twig crack, chirp, and rustle since she left the house. This was different. It sounded mechanical. After trying to match the various tones she was hearing, she realized it had to be cars. The main road was nearby. A muffled car radio, rubber rolling over rocks, and revving engines were the only things that could have been making those sounds. There weren't many. One, followed a few minutes later by another, but it was still a chance to escape. Excitement quickly exploded inside her as she followed the noises, sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her until she saw the tree line thinning and more sunlight shining through.
Right when Katherine got to the edge, she stopped. Suddenly afraid of leaving the covering of the trees. The second she stepped out of the forest's edge she'd be putting herself out in the open. What if the cars that she heard were Malakai, Brody, and Buddy out looking for her? They would know where she is, and there would be no hiding. Even if she turned around and went back into the forest, they know the land, they'd be able to find her within minutes. And she'd never get a chance to be let out again, if she'd even still be alive. She stood still debating on what felt like several minutes, but judging by the sound of the car passing it was nowhere near that. Katherine realized she had to try. If she went out and got caught by them, she could maybe draw attention of someone else driving by. Maybe she could scream and someone would hear her. If she stayed in the woods, they would definitely find her. So she had to try. She took a deep breath before making a break towards the asphalt.
Jumping out through the trees she shielded her eyes from the sun that was now shining high above her. She looked both ways down the street, seeing if there was another car coming her way. It wasn't very busy this early in the morning, so the cars were sparing. She knew she couldn't just sit there as a waiting duck, she had to start walking to try and find somewhere she could be around people. There was no way to tell where she was, trees lined both sides of the road and there was no indication of where she would find people, so she chose to walk in the direction the cars seemed to be coming from, hoping she would find one. Even though she was now walking, her breathing was still labored. But it hadn't been normal since she left the house last night. She had been awake all night, listening for any little noise around her. She jumped every time a twig snapped or the breeze blew the leaves. Even now she kept a sharp lookout behind her every couple of steps. She had been sweating due to exertion and anxiety, and it was only getting worse with the sun beating down on her. She was just praying at this point that if someone did see her, they wouldn't think she was some crazy person wandering around and would stop. But Katherine hadn't seen herself. Her hair was matted from the sweat and twigs she was pushed up against all night. The morning dew only added to the mess and it looked like the perfect home for a pair of birds. Her clothes were splattered with dirt and mud. Not to mention torn from running through the sticks and bushes. Her clothes weren't the only thing that had been torn either, her skin was also ripped apart in some places, dried blood now visible in the natural light. The adrenaline kept her going, making her feel like she was the same capable woman she always had been. But she looked like a woman in desperate need of help. And that's what the couple saw that was driving by her on their way to work. A sigh of relief left her as the car screeched to a stop. Katherine was out of breath by the time she got to the car. She told them that she was out hiking yesterday and got lost before night fell. The couple offered her a ride and she thanked them, finally feeling a blanket or relief as she closed the back door of the car.
Katherine hadn't had much time to figure out what she would do if she actually escaped. It had only seemed like an actual possibility the last few hours, and it was a completely unplanned spur of the moment idea. Part of her wanted to go right to the police, so tell them what happened and have her ex boyfriend off the street. But then again, he was good with words. He was good with everything. Would they be able to prove anything she said? And would they just be out on the street again within hours looking for her? What would happen after that if they found her? It actually seemed like a better idea for her to just get out of there, as far away as she could. To another country even. Change her appearance. Change her name. Try to start over. And hopefully after all of this Malakai wouldn't abandon his following to travel that far just to try and look for her. Maybe he'd even feel lucky that she never got the police involved and just leave her be. Getting home to get important documents needed to happen, but she couldn't go home right now. First of all, it was too far away for this couple to drive, and it would probably raise red flags about how she was out this far hiking without a car to begin with. Second, they probably sent someone there to keep an eye out for her. And she was not going to get caught now. Maybe she could get dropped off at a place nearby and find a shelter. Get a shower, a new outfit, and hide out for a few days and lay low giving her time to figure out a more solid plan. But before she was able to really give the couple any kind of direction to go in, exhaustion and dehydration had caught up to her and finally being able to let her guard down, she passed out in the back seat.