The Guard To My Sanctuary - Chapter 5: Chapter 5

I laid on my side bleeding onto the concrete and feeling sore but I was still determined to make it to that damned train. My face was pressed against the disgusting ground and blood dripped from my nose like a leaky faucet. The guy at the alley entrance looked at Jack and Manny with a threatening gaze. He was at least six foot five and was light skinned, looked a bit ethnic so I guessed he might have been a little latino. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were dark and cut nicely giving a great contrast with his skin tone which was the color of barely toasted toast. He possesses these beautiful plump lips with a defined Cupid's bow and had muscles that filled out his running clothes.
"What's going on here," he asked with a tone that conveyed so much authority in his voice that Manny stumbled back a few steps. He walked over and made eye contact with me giving me a nod like he was trying to tell me that he was there for me.
"Look man back the hell up," Manny said pulling out his gun and in an instant, the man disarmed Manny and pistol-whipped him knocking him into the nearby wall. He bounced off the brick exterior and the man used the momentum from Manny's movement to grab and twist his arm and pushed him back up against the wall. The man then pointed the gun at Jack who was reaching for his own gun that had scrape marks from when I knocked it on the ground. Jack lifted his hand up and looked at the man with fear evident in his eyes.
"I can't talk to you, you don't seem like you're going to be any help," he said and pulled Manny back to his chest and threw him into the wall face first with extreme force. Manny fell to the ground bleeding from his forehead and snoring. The man turned around to Jack with the gun aimed at his chest and his finger on the trigger.
"Now how do you want to play this bruh," he said his voice not being one anyone would want to challenge.
"I'll go," He said breathing heavily and looked at me.
"Hit me first," Jack said which made me look at him puzzled. I felt a little dizzy from all the hits I had received so I wasn't sure I heard him correctly.
"What," the man asked equally confused by the odd request.
"If I come back without him and without looking hurt my boss will kill me, so hit me and please get him out of here," Jack said getting in the guy's face. The man looked at him and nodded before punching him in the eye not needing any more convincing. Jack cursed then looked at me with his good eye his hand over the other that I could tell was already starting to bruise.
"Stay safe and get out of town ma," he said then took off running out of the alley and out of my line of sight.
"Are you okay," the guy immediately asked getting down and picking me up. I flinched a little at his touch not knowing if he was another rapist or something.
"I'm not going to hurt you I'm Technical Sergeant Marco Tafferty, who are you and what's going on," he asked removing his hands from my body.
"I-i'm Elm Euthenia and I need to get to the train station," I said breathing heavy.
"Why don't I take you to the Hospital first you look like you need medical attention, and why were those men after you," he asked looking concerned. I ignored his questions and struggled to get up feeling sore and tired. I started walking and almost fell from a sudden feeling of disorientation before he caught me.
"Look let's take you to go see a doctor."
"No I have to get to the train by three thirty," I interjected.
"Why is the train so important you could be hurt," he said.
"Look I'm not going to the hospital right now, thank you but I need to get on the train and get out of town before more people come looking for me," I said and began walking to the train as my body started producing adrenaline.
"Wait how about I come with you? Where are you going," he asked rushing behind me.
"You don't know me I'll be fine," I said not turning around. I felt an arm delicately pull me back.
"Look I have a car and some baby wipes to clean your face and arm off. It's only 2:45 so you have time, come on," he said pulling me to a black Nissan Altima that was still running. That wasn't the best decision in this neighborhood but I was thankful since it was cold. He opened my door and I got into the car and felt the warmth of the heat that as jetting out of the vents. He got into the driver's side and drove to the train station parking lot and placed the car in an open space. When he got done parking he unbuckled his seat and reached into his back seat where the words United States Air Force was written in black along the surface of a  green duffle bag was. He unzipped it and dug around bringing out a first aid kit and a package of baby wipes.
"Can I touch you," he asked after opening the kit on his lap and pulling out an alcohol swab. I looked at him for a solid minute before nodding my head.
"Okay I'll clean your wound and how about you tell me where you are going," he said. He brought the alcohol swap to a cut on my forehead head and I felt the sting but didn't react since I felt and was feeling worse pains in my life.
"Come on Elm talk to me please," he asked moving to my forearm when he was done with my face.
"I'm headed to San Jose, California," I said.
"Oh really my new duty stationed is at Monterey that's like an hour away," he said excited and gave me a smile that almost got me to crack one of my own. It was one of those infectious looks that made a person instantly feel wanted.
"Small world," I said through gritted teeth as he began wiping the blood off of my skin.
"Why not take a plane," he asked.
"I need to take the train because it's not the move he'd think I'd take," I said absentmindedly as he began putting bandages on my forearm.
"Who's he," he asked.
"I should get in there and get my ticket," I said unbuckling my seatbelt and blowing off his question.
"Fine I won't ask, umm how about I go with you, I was planning on driving home but I could take a train you shouldn't be traveling alone obviously, you may have internal injuries," he said with a smile.
"What, No! I just met you ten minutes ago and what about your car," I said in my soft high voice.
"Dude come on if I wanted to hurt you I would have already done it, plus I wasn't asking, and I'll just give my friend here the money to ship it home for me," he said which kinda pissed me off. Deep down my inner me was fighting myself to just accept his help because I was scared but the outer me that had been going through hell for years was putting up a fight and looking for any signs of deceit.
"Here," he said and I looked up to see a thick looking black sweater with the air force symbol in white on it that looked huge. I looked at it in confusion and scrunched up my brows.
"It's cold and your clothes are a mess put this on and let's go get the tickets, I can't in good conscience let you go out into the world alone, and I'm not some sort of pedo or something. By the way how old are you," he asked. I hesitated before telling him that I was twenty.
"Okay so now that we know that I'm not kidnapping you, how about we go get those tickets," he said unlocking the doors and getting out. I got out of the car and stood with my book bag taking it off quickly and put the sweater over my body that made it to my knees. It smelled like lemons and a woodsy natural odor that was pleasantly inviting. I rolled up the sleeves and put my backpack back on and looked at Marco who had his duffle bag in his hands. He looked at me and shook his head to follow him which I did getting really close since I was afraid of being spotted by one of London's men. We made it into the building without incident and saw that there wasn't much of a line. I saw that it was three fifteen so we were cutting it close. I looked at the man following me and chose the line with an Indian looking lady. We waited for four minutes before we made it to the counter.
"Hello how may I help you," she asked with an accented voice.
"Hello we need two tickets to San Jose please," Marco said with a smile at the lady who was looking at my bandages.
"One way or round trip," she asked.
"One way," I said quickly.
"Alright two adults one way to Jose, alright let me see... Okay, that will be $812.65," she said.
"I took my bag off and dug in it placing my coins on the counter and the stack of money for my half and looked at Marco who pulled out his credit card. The woman looked at me strangely.
"Just take my card ma'am," he said handing it to her and smiled softly at me.
"No I'll pay," I said pushing the cash forward.
"Look we don't have time for her to count it all out so just take the gift," he said with authority.
"O-okay," I said and slowly placed the coins I had to stressfully counted into my bag.
"Finally your listening," he said with a smile.
"Oh wait I need your IDs," she said.
My heart dropped at that, I didn't have an identification card and didn't know how to get one at that. Marco pulled his ID out like it was nothing and handed it to her.
"Ma'am I didn't know you needed one," I said.
"I'm sorry it's a new policy for tickets now for security purposes," she said.
"Ma'am I don't have one," I said looking up at the clock displaying that I only had ten minutes.
"Well I'm sorry-I," she started.
"Ma'am my name is Elm Euthenia. I was kidnapped ten years ago from a Publix parking lot in San Jose California. I have been a sex slave since the age of ten and this man helped me escape. Please let me get this ticket and get home before some horrible men come searching for me. please, I'm begging you," I interjected in Hindi hoping I said everything correctly since I was a little out of practice.
"Oh thank gods you were on the news for months, here I'll let you go don't tell anyone that I did this, thank the gods," she said wide eyes and swiped the card and handed tickets and the cards back.
'I was on the news for months?'
I felt Marco gently touch me and I flinched at him pulling me to the terminal and onto the train. He shuffled me around and told me to sit down near a window.
"What did you tell her," he asked looking at me seriously.
"I told her the truth and it's a long story," I said a bit out of it from the pain and the relief that I was...Safe?
"Well this is a three-day trip, that should be enough time," he said sitting down...