Last Escape Page 2

  I couldn’t breathe easy until I reached Granny’s home. The four-story apartment complex only had two apartments on each level. My apartment sat across the hall from Granny’s on the first floor. It helped me to take care of her. When I dropped out of the first semester of pre-vet at college, I switched to a nearby community college, so I could take care of Granny. Working with her helped me focus my life and study on geriatric nursing. Because we lived in a poorer section of town, I got a job with the Crystal City government, so I could take care of the elderly like her. They held the wisdom of their generation and I was grateful that I could do something to aid them in this harsh world, and someone needed to look after them.

  I knocked then entered Granny’s tiny home. I found my grandmother where she always was, in her rocking chair looking out the window. Her dark brown hair matched mine except for the streaks of gray peppered in. Her frame filled the rocking chair and her pastel pink house dress fitted loosely around her body. Granny turned to me as soon as I entered.

  “Scarlet, my love.” Joy filled her features and her deep hazel eyes shimmered with delight.

  My face mirrored hers. “Granny.”

  I embraced her in a gentle hug. Meanwhile Seven rubbed up against Granny’s leg and set a chin on her knee. It amazed me that the dog had taken to the job of emotional support animal so quickly. My patients loved her nearly as much as I did. After receiving a gentle pat and scratch behind the ears, Seven curled up by Granny’s feet and closed her eyes.

  “Scarlet, you didn’t come through the alley again, did you?” Granny asked with concern filling her voice.

  I stopped and took a deep breath. I knew where this conversation was going. We’d had it several times before. “It’s the fastest way to get to you,” I defended myself, keeping the tone gentle.

  “I don’t like it. What if something were to happen to you? It’s bad enough that you live by yourself. You shouldn’t take so many risks on the streets, too.”

  “Granny, I’m fine. I can take care of myself, and I’m only across the hall from you,” I reassured her as I pulled out the proper medicine and dose from the bag I’d brought from the store. I strode into the kitchen and got a bottle of water from under the sink. I smiled as I handed it all to her.

  She took the medication without argument and sipped enough water to help it go down. “I know you say that, dear, but one can never be too careful. Everything good takes time and work. Nothing good ever came out of taking shortcuts. Remember that.” She held the half-full bottle of water out to me.

  I clasped my hands around hers and locked gazes. “Granny, I’ll remember. You don’t need to worry about me.”

  “It’s my job to worry, dear. You’re my granddaughter and the only family I have left.”

  “I know.”

  Granny pulled me forward and kissed my forehead. I couldn’t help but smile as I felt her soft lips on my skin. It was so tender. I could feel how much she loved me.

  “Be sure to replenish the powders in your satchel. Never know when that stuff might be useful,” Granny said, her eyes still fixed on the window.

  “I will,” I promised.

  Granny prided herself in being an old gypsy woman. She used to travel a lot more when she was younger but had settled down in Crystal City when I was in high school. I guessed that’s where I got my travel bug from. As much as I loved working with the elderly, I daydreamed about travelling to distant lands, and often bought magazines just for the pictures of far-off places. Someday I would get out of this city… even though I had no idea when that would be.

  I stepped over to Granny’s stash of medicinal herbs, took some of the metallic powders and placed them in their sealed pouches, making sure that they were not exposed to air. Granny always explained that magic was one-part knowledge and one-part purpose. If you had the knowledge of science and illusion and then added them together for the right purpose, you’d make something magical.

  Rarely had I found the need to use one of the medicinal powders, other than the charcoal, but she insisted that I carry them like the gypsy medicine woman she had raised me to become.

  The rest of the visit was spent talking while I made breakfast, folded some of her laundry, and straightened up her house a bit. Since Granny had developed agoraphobia, I made an extra effort to help her. I made a note of the things she’d need at the grocery store, so I could pick them up later. When I’d finished, I sat on the couch next to her rocking chair and listened to her tell me stories. I enjoyed hearing her talk. Her wisdom was something I would always cherish.

  Eventually, Grandma’s lids began to droop, and I patted her on the hand. “Time for a nap, Granny.”

  Granny didn’t sleep well overnight and always got up with the sun. Often, by eleven a.m., she’d allow herself to doze off a bit and get some extra rest. Granny nodded and stood from her rocker. Seven leapt to her feet and followed us both toward Granny’s bedroom. Granny gave me one more loving kiss as I watched her head into her room, and then I started for my apartment across the hall with Seven by my side once again.

  Today was my day off, but also payday which meant that I had to make a stop at my least favorite place: the city’s human resources building. It was a joke really. The government didn’t care about the citizens, they only cared about control and lining their own pockets. I only ever went to the courthouse area when I had to and, since they signed my checks, that meant twice a month. Granny had taught me never to trust direct deposit.

  Seven came with me everywhere I went. If we needed a ride, we’d text Dean and get him to pick us up. But since it was my day off and we were in no hurry, I decided to walk the five blocks to city center—well, four blocks, since I planned on taking the shortcut through the alley again.

  But this time, the alley wasn’t empty.

  I screeched to a halt, and Seven’s hackles rose as she stopped next to me. I set a hand on her head to reassure her.

  Three men had a fourth cornered up against the wall, just on the other side of the dumpster. The three were wearing leather jackets, even though it had to be eighty degrees out. Frowning, I laid a hand on the hilt of my short sword and tried to decide whether I could turn back without them noticing.

  “What do we have here?” one of the three men in leather turned toward me with a vicious grin. He wore a metal grill of sharp pointed teeth in his mouth. Not a good sign.

  I shook my head and backed up a step, trying to avoid direct eye contact with the guy, dropping my gaze down more. “I didn’t see anything.”

  “Pffft. That’s unlikely.” His voice had a hint of a growl in it.

  Seven bared her teeth, but she kept with me, backing up as I backed up. Her eyes never left the threat in front of us.

  My gaze had been thrown at the ground, as I avoided their faces. I didn’t want them to think I could identify them later. If they thought I could, this might turn uglier. Then I found four pairs of shoes standing before me, all pointed in my direction. Slowly I lifted my eyes. The most massive of the three men held the man they’d been shaking down by the collar and dragged him over so that he could face me.

  The other two had their eyes fixed on me, and they also had metal grills of sharp pointed teeth within their mouths. Not good at all. These guys were a part of Wolf. The notorious gang fancied themselves a pack, like real wolves. They hunted trouble, and I’d just stumbled into them consuming one of their prey.

  I swallowed and took another step back.

  “Where you going, girlie? You’re a pretty one, aren’t you?” the shorter younger-looking one with spiky red hair shuffled toward me suddenly, as though he wanted to scare me.

  It worked. My heart raced in my chest, and I took another step back. Seven, however, leaped forward, placing her body between me and my potential assailant. Her growl grew loud and ferocious.

  He cried out, “whoa,” and jumped back. The other two goons laughed at him. The half-conscious prey kept his eyes closed but winced as the fist around his coll
ar tightened. One of his eyes was swelling, and blood ran from the corner of his lip. His feet barely touched the ground on his tip-toes.

  Turning red from embarrassment and anger, the short guy pulled out a handgun. My eyes grew wide. It was the first time I’d seen one. The police didn’t even carry them as far as I knew. When they arrived at crime scenes, it was all tasers and armed drones.

  Then shorty pointed his pistol at Seven.

  “No!” I cried out. “Heel, girl. Stay by.”

  Seven backed up and came up beside me again, no longer standing in between me and the Wolves.

  Then the short guy turned his pistol at me. My stomach grew cold, and my skin prickled. I was relieved he was no longer pointing the gun at Seven but felt as though I’d just jumped from the frying pan into the fire on this one.

  “Why don’t you be a good girlie and come a little closer? Tell that dog to stay or it might get hurt. I don’t like hurting dogs any more than I like hurting girls. But if you make me, I’ll kill you both.” He flashed another wicked grin.

  I slipped my hand into my pocket and fingered the pouch of metals that Granny had always made me carry. This was the reason she’d told me to stay out of the alley. Nothing good ever came out of taking a shortcut. So today, I’d have to go the long way.

  I pulled out the pouch and tossed it up in the air like I was flipping a coin. Three pairs of eyes watched what I’d thrown upward, their gazes fixed on the shiny moving object, like hunters should do. But my eyes were on Seven. “Come on.”

  After spinning on my heel, I slapped a hand against my thigh, and Seven followed with me. I sprinted for the other end of the alley. Behind me was a small boom and a blindingly bright flash lit the alley with light from the explosion. Anyone who’d been staring in the direction of my metal pouch would have temporary flash blindness. Should have been enough for me to escape, so I took full advantage of it and sprinted out of the alley, and kept going for two blocks through the crowds of people on the street before I allowed myself to slow and catch my breath.

  Seven panted next to me. The crowds of people around me barely looked my direction. That’s how it was living in a city like this one. No one paid any attention to the troubles of others. I stopped at a call box and pressed the button to alert the police. After a moment, a bored voice came through the speaker. “911. What is your emergency?”

  Between breaths, I answered, “In the alley between Seventeenth and Sixteenth, off Main Street. I saw three gangsters shaking down a citizen. They were beating him up pretty badly, and one of them had a gun.”

  “A gun? Are you sure?” the voice half-laughed in total disbelief.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m certain.”

  “Okay. We’ll send a drone over right away. Could I get your identification scan?”

  I shook my head and squinted. They’d have me on video, and that was enough. They as far as I knew, my fingerprints and retina patterns were not yet in the system and I didn’t want them there.

  “I’d rather remain anonymous,” I said and started jogging away.

  “Ma’am! You can’t—”

  I didn’t stick around to listen. I’d done what I could do to help the guy in the alley seek justice. But I also knew that parts of the police department weren’t trustworthy. What if those Wolf guys knew someone in the department and wanted to track me down? I couldn’t have that. I didn’t want them to sniff me out and make me their next prey.

  Another block and the courthouse loomed above me. Together Seven and I ran up the steps to the top. At the stone column next to the front entrance, I asked Seven to sit and wait for me. The dog laid down and set her head between her paws, watching the crowds as they passed at the bottom of the steps we’d jogged up. I glanced at the sky to judge the weather. The blue sky barely had a hint of clouds, so there was no worry about rain. With a nod, I turned around and entered the main foyer.

  “Miss Scarlet, how have you been?” the guard standing at the front of the building asked with a gap-toothed grin.

  I smiled in return. “I’m doing well, Henry. You?”

  Henry straightened the navy cap he wore as part of his uniform and then pulled down the sleeves on his shirt, straightening up. Like one of those optical illusions, Henry looked taller than he was because of his long, lanky body. Even though he couldn’t have been much taller than my 5’8”, he gave the impression of being nearly as tall as Dean’s 6’3”. The older gentleman reminded me quite a bit of my patients. He had to have been at least sixty years old and thinking of retiring soon, as well. But he wouldn’t likely be in my care, since he seemed as healthy as a horse.

  With a flourish of his arm, Henry bowed his head my way. “Must be payday. Don’t see you ’round here for much else. I’ll keep an eye on Seven for you.”

  I smiled wider and dipped my head in a slight bow. “Thank you so much.”

  My grin immediately became a grimace when I stepped into line on the way to the window in front of human resources. Only six people ahead of me, but my frown deepened. I didn’t like leaving Seven alone like that for long. No telling when someone might try to report a loose dog, even though I’d had her half hidden behind one of the columns.

  After twenty minutes or so, I finally made my way to the counter. Half-lidded eyes glanced up over the bifocals on the gaunt, bald man’s face. “Name.”

  I cleared my throat. “Scarlet Roma.”

  “It says here you decline to use direct deposit because you don’t want to supply retina scans.” His judgmental gaze fixed itself on me.

  “Yes,” I answered curtly. “It’s my right to choose.”

  He sighed and dug through a few papers until he found what he was looking for then handed me the sealed envelope.

  I tucked it into my bag carefully.

  He clucked his tongue. “Guess you won’t be seeing too many more of these.”

  “Excuse me?” What did he mean by that?

  “Don’t worry about it. A woman as young and talented in medicine as you should be just fine.”

  My brows scrunched over my forehead. I just fixed the man with a confused glare as he looked over my shoulder and shouted. “Next.”

  I slowly turned and walked away. My mind struggled to understand the depths of what he said. Did he mean I was going to be out of a job or that my right to deny scans would be taken? Whenever a government official was purposefully cryptic like that, it couldn’t be good.

  Chapter 2

  The next day, the white puffy clouds covered the sun and a breeze blew through the city. Fall was still a month away, but it was showing hints of itself on occasion. Seven and I kept our usual quick pace to my first patient of the day, Charles. Because of yesterday’s events, I didn’t take any alleyway shortcuts. Being on the sidewalk didn’t guarantee safety but I had better odds of survival with the open roads and in crowds of people. At least people like those gangsters would behave themselves were the drones continued to patrol the population.

  Seven and I made it to Charles’s townhome without incident, and I knocked loudly on the solid oak door. Scuff marks and dents marred the brass kickplate on the bottom of the door, showing years of use. The brass handle had been burnished through use under many palms. Little details like these made my job that much more fun. Younger people wanted the newest smart doors, but the older generation tended to have an appreciation for things that felt more permanent and less trendy. The small camera over the door whirred as it moved slightly. I smiled up at it, so Charles could see my face. Then the door beeped and clicked under my hand. I pulled it open and headed inside.

  The warm air enveloped me, making me feel at home and comforted right away. The smell of roses lilted through the air. Charles had been a groundskeeper in his younger years and still he kept roses in his home potted in portions of nearly every room on the first floor. The retired gardener liked to keep busy.

  “Charles?” I called up the stairs.

  “Scarlet, dear. I’ll be down in a moment.”


  Seven sat at my feet as I waited at the bottom of the steps. Charles appeared in well-worn pajamas. His slender frame fit into the chairlift as he sat and began the slow trek down the bannister of the steps.

  Once he reached the bottom, I went to his side and helped him to the living room to sit in his tattered, red upholstered armchair. When I’d first been assigned to Charles I suggested he dispose of the overused thing, but he dug his heels in and ranted about how the chair had been passed down for generations. My ears rang for the rest of the day after that lecture.

  Charles slumped into the armchair and sighed in relief. “Thank you, dear.”

  I smiled and knelt on the floor in front of him. “How is your back pain today?” I asked in a sweet tone, mimicking his.

  “Much better, I believe this new medicine is working.”

  “Glad to hear it.” I stood and headed toward the kitchen to get him a glass of water to take his morning medication, which sat in a daily pill organizer. I tapped the correct day on his organizer. “Today is Tuesday, Charles, don’t forget.” I reminded him as he took the glass from my hand.

  Charles nodded and swung his head back to swallow the pills with a sip of water. Afterward, he laid back in his chair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. “How long have you been caring for me now, Scarlet?”

  I sat on the couch and crossed my legs. “Since I started. So, about three years.”

  “That’s all? It feels like you’ve always been with me. You’re so good to me, Scar. You’re like family.”

  My heart warmed at his words, and a smile crossed my lips. “I feel the same way, Charles.” I truly did. He was the only one who called me Scar and I hated nicknames. Charles was the exception.

  I pulled out the blood pressure kit from my pack and went to work. After checking all of his vital signs, I made notes and put them in my pack so that I could email them later to the state doctor’s office. Then I checked his pill container and refilled all the days that were taken save today’s so that Charles wouldn’t forget which one was next on the list.