Arcane Sequence: 1994: Never Stop Running... (WLW)

Part Two: Chapter Thirteen: Islamorada Island, Florida, December 1998

As one of them stepped into her path, she jerked to a stop and chewed on the inside of her cheek. "Where are you going, ma'am? We are under strict orders to--"

"Nadia let me go to get a break from the party. I'm only going to walk the beach behind the compound. It's not like there's anywhere else I could go." Kirah fibbed as she brushed his arm away and began pulling her hair up into a bun. "Unless you want to bother her at her birthday festival. She's already put one man into the fire. Are you sure you want to bother her now?"

After a long, silent pause of consternation, the guard moved aside and Kirah stepped the rest of the way through the gate. This was the closest to freedom she'd gotten in literal years and she wasn't about to let the opportunity pass her by. Kirah had secured Tucker within her room to keep him safe from the oncoming law enforcement assault and warned him that if he heard gunfire to hide within his thick, metal bathtub. Nadia was preoccupied with her party and for once, Kirah didn't have guards trailing her every move outside of the compound, which was such a scarcity. It was such a sparse occasion that Kirah found herself breathing more fully already as she hoofed her way to the shoreline.

She journeyed across the short pathway leading to Nadia's private beach, praying none would be there and delighted as she rounded a tree lined corner down into the sand. Looking from left to right along the coast, she saw not a single person and released a long winded sigh. Kirah bent down and unclasped the buckles of her sandals, immediately running to the water as soon as she was free of them. Stopping just shy of what would most definitely be too cold to venture, Kirah hovered her foot over the waves and only slightly dipped its pad inside. The coolness of the water sent a jolt up her spine and calmed her every nerve.

Once she felt tranquil enough, Kirah began walking the shoreline's length as she dipped back into her thoughts as she always seemed to do nowadays. She had to find a way of contacting Ethan and his team. It was already after nine at night and the party was in full swing. If they were meant to launch an attack, it would happen at any moment and she looked beyond the wire fencing that divided the neighboring property that still appeared empty. Whomever live there before left just prior to her arrival and it had been abandoned ever since. The home on its land was a typical beach house and Kirah imagined being in it rather than the flamboyant mansion she'd called home over the last few years. If it were her, she would make camp right there in the two story, raised home she now realized bore a jet ski tucked beneath its underbelly. Or at least, it was what she assumed was a jet ski as she tried to peer through the darkness to get a better view.

If it was the two person boat she thought, then perhaps Ethan was holding up there and she spun around. Checking the area so that no one had noticed her lingering gaze, she took several steadying breaths as she noticed she was alone, though she did still since someone's eyes were on her from afar. It could have been Ethan, but with her luck it was most likely one of Nadia's men having followed her from the compound. With a begrudging sigh, Kirah walked away from her dream home and back toward the pathway leading to the beach.

There was no actual sign of Ethan. There was no way of knowing when they would launch their assault. The only thing Kirah could control was Tucker's exposure to the carnage and she decided to go to him, where she would remain until everything was over. Until their freedom was finally granted.

As Kirah made it to the pathway and lifted her foot to step up into her sandals, she heard something from the brush beside herself. Fearful of stories from locals and still unsure if they were just meant to scare her into submission -- they had come from Nadia's crew after all -- Kirah regarded the greenery with alarm. Though she hadn't seen a single alligator thus far on the island, Florida was known for them and people loved campfire stories on the matter. Still, she hadn't seen any evidence they might be there and pondered over what the rustling that had ceased might truly be. She eyed the brush a little longer, yet when nothing else came from it she simply began her task again.

A pebble landed nearby and Kirah bent over, her sandals forgotten as she picked up the tiny stone. She turned it over in her hand several times, then turned back toward the brush. Another pebble came flying at her and bounced off her shoulder before landing in the sand. Kirah leaned toward the greenery as her curiosity boiled over and tilted her head to the side with a furrowed brow as she spotted something strange. There between the leaves and branches were two glowing stones, or what she wrongly presumed were rocks before they flickered several times. Realizing it was a pair of eyes blinking as they watched her, Kirah startled and spun around to run, but was quickly caught.

Something covered her mouth from behind, muffling her screams as she was yanked back into the brush out of sight. If anyone was watching her, they wouldn't have been seen with the lack of lighting in the area and she felt herself grow incredibly stiff with fright as she recognized the thing around her mouth as a hand. Kirah grabbed it as she felt another along her belly, keeping her snugly wrapped in someone's grasp as she was settled on their lap. She kicked and pulled forward, yet before she could really get anywhere, the harmonious tones of her scant dreams serenaded into her left ear.

"It's me, Kirah. I'm alive..."