When I woke the next morning, I couldn't remember where I was. The sunlight was filtered by the tree branches overheard, but I thought it was still pretty early in the morning. The birds were chirping loudly, getting ready for their day. I pushed up from my horizontal position to lean back against a large oak tree. I closed my eyes again and started going through the previous evening's events. I remembered unlocking Damon and leaving the estate, running behind Damon through the thick forest. Damon.
My eyes snapped open and I began scanning the area. I couldn't see him. I stood up and walked in a small circle around the oak, looking for any sign of which way he went, but I found nothing. He was gone. He had left me after all.
I should have known better. He said from the outset that he didn't want me along. But I was so tired. We had been running for hours. We finally stopped to rest and he used it as his opportunity to go off on his own. I felt like I had been punched in the gut.
What was I going to do? I wasn't sure which way to go or even which direction we'd come from. Master and Ian were surely aware of Damon's escape and would be looking for him. And me. I settled on a direction and took off walking. I decided to follow the sun to keep from going in circles and it would keep me going west. I was pretty certain there was a town a few miles west of master's estate.
I had been walking for hours when I heard it. A train whistle! I had to be getting close to the town. This thought drove me faster and faster. I was almost giddy with relief as I made my way to the edge of the woods. I was standing in the tree line at the top of a small hill. I paused to look at the town below. I could see the train station- it was still a couple of miles away. It was afternoon already and I was famished. I'd had nothing to eat or drink since the night before. The thought of water and food was enough to send me flying down the hill to the town.
I walked into the first café I saw and ordered a soda and soup. I must have looked a fright based on all the double takes I was getting from the staff and other customers. I hadn't even thought about it. My stomach had been my main concern. Now that I wasn't so hungry, I became self conscious. I left my money on the counter and hurried out. I stopped in front of the cobbler's shop next door to examine my appearance. I gasped at the sight. My long, blond hair was wild, with bits of dried grass and leaves stuck in it. My right cheek was smudged with dirt and my dress was dirty and wrinkled. I tried to run my fingers through my curls to remove some debris with little success and used my thumb and saliva to clean the dirt from my face. I looked at my reflection again- a little better, but not much.
I gave up on improving my appearance and took off toward the train station. I only had a few dollars left and hoped it would be enough for a ticket. As I approached the ticket counter, I spotted Ian talking with the ticket agent. I turned abruptly and walked back around toward the platform. What was I going to do? I peered back around the corner and saw that Ian had taken up a post by the agent. There was no way to get a ticket without being seen. My only chance was to stowaway.
I walked down the platform, away from the station. I tried several of the box car doors but they were all locked. I kept moving down the length of the train, trying various doors. I could hear the conductor shouting his all aboards. I didn't have much time. The few remaining people on the platform were boarding into the passenger cars. If I didn't find an open door soon, I'd be stuck here waiting on another train. That was just too dangerous with Ian looking for me. I was about to give up hope when I spied a car beyond the platform with its door ajar. I ran to the end of the platform- it was at least a four foot drop to the ground below. I closed my eyes and jumped. I fell forward when I landed and drove my knee into the ground. The pain brought tears to my eyes, but there wasn't any time for that. I hopped up and ran for the open boxcar. I managed to get my foot in a metal stirrup and pulled myself up into the car.
The afternoon sun cut a swath of light through the middle of the car, but the two ends were dark as night. I could hear something moving at the front of the car, so I moved to the opposite end. I bumped into some kind of box, but my eyes had not adjusted to the darkness and I couldn't see what it was. I used my hands to feel the wooden top. I sat down on it with my body facing the front of the car and the ray of light that dissected the car into halves. I could still hear rustling in front of me, and I hoped it was just rats.
The car hitched forward suddenly and then we were moving. I held my breath as the train gathered steam and we rolled past the station. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see I was in a car full of wooden boxes. I still couldn't see through the light to the other side, but the noise had ceased and I started to relax. I leaned back against the boxes behind me and closed my eyes. The sound and motion of the train began to lull me to sleep.
I jerked back into awareness at the sound of a man's voice, "I figure since we are gonna be on this train together for quite a while, we should get to know one another." I scanned the darkness on the other side of the car, but couldn't make anyone out. His voice did not sound friendly.
"What's the matter, love? Cat got your tongue?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't know you were there. You took me by surprise." My voice cracked on the last word.
My boxcar foe chuckled at my fear. It was then that I saw him. He had moved and was standing in the light that was slowly fading as night approached. He looked to be in his fifties and had gray hair sticking out in tufts beneath an old hat. His clothes were dirty and patched. His beard was unruly and hung down to the middle of his chest. "Don't be afraid, love. I ain't gonna hurt you. I promise." But it was obvious from the wicked glint in his eyes that he had no intention of keeping that promise.
I scooted back on box until my spine was flush against the row behind me. There was no where to go. I looked around me to search for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing. The old man started toward me again and my mind steeled itself for the fight to come.
He lunged suddenly and I was knocked onto my side from the force. I kicked at him with my legs and landed a few strikes in his shin. He bent over and howled in pain for a moment. I pushed myself back up and into a standing position. I balled my fists and prepared for his next advance. He looked at me with a mixture of hate and longing. I wasn't sure which emotion frightened me more.
He stood up straight and rushed at me again. I tried to move out of the way, but rammed my thigh into the corner of one of the boxes. The pain caused me to pull up short and the old man toppled me to the floor. He pinned me left arm beneath my back and held my right wrist to the ground beside me. He was using his free hand to pull at my skirts. I squeezed my eyes closed to try and keep the tears from flowing. "Please, no. No. Please don't do this." I begged.
"It'll be alright, honey. You'll see. You're in for a real –".
In a flash, the weight on my body was gone. I opened my eyes and the old man had disappeared. I sat up and looked around the car. I couldn't see where he went but I could hear a soft gurgling sound coming from the other end of the car. I pulled myself up on my wooden box and stood. My arm ached from where it had been lodged beneath me. I could still hear the gurgling and I crept toward the sound. The sun had sank beneath the horizon, and it was dusky dark throughout the car. I could see someone sitting on the other side of a stack of boxes. As I got closer, I could see it was a man and he wasn't sitting, but rather crouched over a body. The old man's body. I wasn't sure what I was seeing and wondered where the other man came from? Suddenly, he turned around and stared at me. I froze to the spot and my eyes widened in shock. The man had blood dripping from his lips and mouth. His eyes were red, like a monster's. But I knew this face. It was the face of an angel. It was Damon.