SHADOWS OF A FORGOTTEN SPRING - Chapter 15: Chapter 15

"Have you found her yet?" A sharp, commanding voice came over the phone. Each word was laced with a notch of impatience. "You need to keep looking. Don't stop until you find her. Call me the minute you get any leads."
∆∆∆
She walked and walked, her legs aching, her thoughts racing with every painful step, a reminder of just how grim her situation had become. Clutching her purse tightly with anger,.
Her brain was heavy with thoughts and weighed down relentlessly. She couldn't touch her accounts, as Alexander was surely monitoring every transaction, and she couldn't give him the chance of finding out where she was. The cash in her purse was limited and would not see her through more than a couple of days, with the strictest frugality being observed.
That night, she had been lucky enough to find a place behind a filling station where she could retreat. Her body was exhausted, but her mind refused to quiet. She made her way to the corner, curling up as best she could in the limited space, trying to sink into the darkness so that no one would see her. She slept very little, clutching onto the few possessions she had closely, expecting at any moment to be found out. Well before morning rush hour, she ran, disappearing among the early morning street traffic.
She replayed each decision, every step that took her here in her mind. If only she'd known the nightmare she was walking into when she'd agreed to attend that event, her heart clenched at the memory. But regrets couldn't change things now. She had to survive, she had to protect herself.
Her children needed her, and that one thought alone kept her grounded, able to be strong enough to continue.
Her body, by noon, was in full-throated protest, she hadn't eaten since the day before, and her stomach growled with hunger and dehydration. She walked into a regular restaurant, finding a seat near the back and away from any windows. She ordered the most basic, cheapest meal available and made a conscious effort to eat slowly, savoring each bite while her mind swirled over plans and possibilities.
The cash that was in her accounts only haunted her mind as some kind of cruel irony. She had saved and prepared a security under her fake name, Veronica Moore. Now, though, those resources seemed to taunt her, unreachable and useless in this moment of her need. As she stared at her nearly empty purse, Emma knew she was on her own. Whatever she has to do to, it is the matter how she would find a way to make it through. That night, Emma entered another gas station. Exhaustion weighed heavily upon her, and she hoped to be able to find a quiet corner where she could just rest, in the same manner she had the prior evening. But the creeping sensation of unease gnawed at her.
She found a small nook hidden behind the station and crouched down, drawing her coat closer around her, hoping she was hidden deep enough in the shadows. Her eyelids just started to lower when footsteps sounded, jerking her again into a full state of alertness. Heart racing, she leaned forward to peer into the dark, hoping it was only a passerby.
The men stumbled forward, their laughter carrying out into the quiet night. Emma's heart hammered as she jumped to her feet, clutching her bag tightly. She silently prayed they'd stumble by, but fate, as always, wasn't on her side.
The four of them stopped in front of her.
One of them came forward, his flashlight blinding her as he leered. "Well, well, who do we have here?" He sneered, his gaze sweeping over her with unsettling intent.
Emma instinctively retreated backward, her throat dry with fear. "I...I'm..." She stammered, trying to keep her voice steady.
"You... you..." Another man mocked, swaying as he stumbled closer. "You what? You look like someone hiding."
Their jeers grew louder. Emma's mind was racing and clenched her fists in order to remain calm, but dread coiled itself around her heart.
"We've searched all over for your baby. Why do you run away with my baby?" said the first man.
"Please," she said, her voice shaking as she kept her arms protectively over her stomach. "I don't know you, I'm just trying to get by. Whoever you think I am, you're wrong."
The three other men threw back their heads in mocking laughter.
He stepped closer; the smell of alcohol hung heavy on his breath. "Wrong? I don't think so, Veronica," he sneered. "You thought you could just disappear, didn't you? Leave me high and dry."
Emma felt her blood run cold as his words deeply sank in. He knew her, knew her fake name, knew enough about her. Her breath caught in her throat, but she straightened up to her full height and covered up the terror that battled to overwhelm her.
Emma's heart was racing as she frantically looked around for a way out. Her voice finally steadied, defiance laced through it even as her insides shook. "I don't know who you are."
But, seemingly, her words only served to amuse them more, and he took another step forward, the others closing in behind him.
Emma's heart was thudding in her ears, every fiber of her body taut, as the scornful laughter of the men filled the darkling gas station.
He pulled a blade out of his pocket and opened it with a sadistic grin. "I told you, sweetheart, nobody leaves me. You should have listened to me, Veronica."
These men were talking to her as if they knew her and yet, she knew none of these men Suddenly she grasped who must have sent them, and she was chilled to the bone.
Alexander, she thought bitterly.
Was divorcing her not enough? Did he have to kill her in other to know peace? Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. Did he really hate her unto death?
This was obviously his doing. The man in front of her, the supposed fiancé, stepped closer with a glinting knife while his voice was laced with mockery and menace. Her hands instinctively wrapped themselves around her stomach, shielding the lives that were within.
"Please," she forced herself, trying to choke out, her eyes glued to the man holding the knife. "Tell him I will be gone. I will never bother him again. Tell him I will leave him alone."
But he only sneered, after which a wicked grin spread across his face. "I'm right here, baby. Talk to me directly." He raised the knife, stepping closer.
Emma steeled herself, her legs shaking but not budging. Tears prickled her eyes as she whispered defiance: "Then do it fast. And tell him... we'll never forgive him."
The man raised his arm to strike, but suddenly headlights blazed into the station, flooding the area in harsh light. The men, for a few moments at least, were blinded by it, shielding their eyes as the screeching of tires filled the night air.
Suited men flowed from the vehicle, yelling orders as they ran toward her attackers. In a flash, the scene plunged into chaos, the men scattered and struggled as they quickly were overcome.
Everything happened so fast, Emma had little time to wrap her head around it. One second she was shielding her eyes from the harsh light, and the other she felt an unbearable pain, her legs gave way, and she fell onto the ground, her vision began to blur, and a voice she heard said, "you are safe now," before passing out.