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Part 10
Page 2
She didn't know how long she'd been running. Or how
far. Or where. Lungs aching in her chest, heart crying, vision dark and
streamed together. And she didn't dare stop.
If she just ran fast enough, long enough, she could
outrun the world and everything in it. She could fall off the edge into
black and fade and disappear and it could all be over. Everything. Every
little part of it.
She needed help.
She knew she needed help. She could feel the eyes
on her at every corner, the black steps following until she went too far
to tail. Sooner or later they were going to catch her.
Mother on the kitchen floor soaked and smeared
red.
Hollow bones shaking. Air was stopping in a clenched
throat and her chest burned and pulsed and her eyes stung and left wet
trails on her cheeks. And she couldn't, couldn't stop.
Couldn't go to the police. You couldn't trust the
police. Even if they didn't hand her straight to the Triads, what was left
for her? No relatives, not old enough to be on her own. They'd stick her
in an orphanage like the one Guonan had nearly died getting away from.
Couldn't go to Jianmin. He was with Wenlong and
wasn't going to leave. They wouldn't let her into the hospital now anyway.
Couldn't go to Jin. He'd never dare get involved,
not now. He'd sounded scared enough over the phone.
Couldn't go to Kou. Just couldn't.
And Guo? He was nowhere to be found.
He was gone from where she'd left him. No trace
or hint of where he might have went. Why in god's name did she leave him
behind before?
She was alone.
Alone, and running, and losing breath and the world
graying out around her. And she could never, ever stop.
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