Terrestrial Alien ✔

Chapter 55: Freedom or Capture

Trigger warning for the appearance of a gun.

Joshua

Holding on tight to my hand, Sundo pulls ahead, pulling me close behind him as he makes out onto the street, back in the direction we came from.

"Where are we going?" I huff as we dart down the sidewalk, trying to ignore the glances we're receiving again. Who knows if it's because we're holding hands or because they know who we are. "We can't just lead them to the house!"

"I know, I know! I don't— I don't know where we're going, but we have to at least go somewhere! Where do you suggest we go?"

"I don't—"

—get to finish my sentence.

Behind us, sirens blare to life, causing a good three years to leap off my lifespan. This time it's Sundo who curses, and I don't even have the opportunity to be surprised. If it's the same car or another one, I'm not sure, but I don't look back to see. If they're close enough to be that loud, they're too close.

Sundo yanks me forward and I stumble into running, pulling my hand from his to keep better balance. My blood is rushing through my head, my palms are sweating, and my heart is racing to a beat that would drown out the sound of the siren if not for its piercing noise. The cop says something on his megaphone, but I don't catch it through the rushing in my ears.

The cruiser is hot on our heels, I know that now—I can see the lights flashing down the street. Pedestrians are stopping to stare now, and we have to barrel past them, simultaneously looking for some back alley or hideaway shop to dart into for escape. We can't outrun the car, so our only option is to find somewhere to hide, but where?

Sundo is panicking. His eyes flash each time he looks behind us, and his shoulders leap and his ears twitch at every noise. He leads me along almost faster than I can keep up, and he doesn't slow as we tumble down the first narrow alley we can come across. Some place to get out from under the wide, prying eyes of everyone around us. To get away from the rapidly encroaching cop car on our heels.

We don't see the red and blue at the end of the alley until it's too late.

Sundo comes to a thundering halt, and I slam into his back hard enough that pain radiates through my jaw. I groan, stumbling back, and he stumbles back as well.

There, at the other end of the alley, beyond an unlocked chain link gate, is a police car. Parked, its lights flashing but silent. Resting against its door, arms crossed, is Townsend.

As I spot him, my heart leaps into my throat, and the pain of my jaw instantly disappears.

"The map." I wheeze urgently to Sundo, pulling at him as I try to get us to the other side of the alley.

Even now, some part of me knows it's too late. Townsend has spotted us, he has us cornered.

"I have it." Sundo whips the folded piece of paper out of his back pocket, holding it up between us with the same urgency with which I asked him about it, though with a touch of confusion, as though it could somehow save us, if only I told him how.

"We have to do something with it!" I hiss hastily. "They can't get their hands on it, or they'll figure it all out!"

Townsend is striding towards us now, unlooping a pair of handcuffs from his belt. The holster for his gun is unbuttoned, leaving him easy access.

Turning heel, I bolt for the exit of the alley, but I'm brought to a screeching halt by the crunching of tires on the sidewalk. The other police car pulls up right in front of us, cutting off our escape route more cleanly than a knife to butter.