Ozzy is worth everything to me. They can cut me to pieces and I’d still fight for him. Anything to keep him safe.
“What the fuck?” The unexpected voice cuts through the air like a switchblade. I’m immediately dragged from my reverie and thrown against a tree of cold harsh reality.
My whole body tenses as I spot the source of the sound. Just off to the side of my well-trodden path are two bodyguards; their guns are angled against a stump, and they stand side by side, staring through the darkness, right at me.
The glow of a lit cigarette floats in between them like an orange firefly. They must have come out here for a smoke break.
... And I didn’t think my night could get any worse.
My immediate instinct is to run. I burst ahead and my shin instantly catches on an upturned root. I hit the jungle floor like a felled tree. Pain shoots through my wrists and my knees but I have no time to linger on it. I scramble back onto my feet and push forward. Behind me, I hear my pursuers gathering.
“Hey! They’re going towards the mansion! Grab them!” My only hope is that they haven’t recognized me yet. If I can lose them, then I might be able to get back to my room before anyone notices I’m gone.
That hope quickly vanishes into thin air when I hear the familiar crackle of a radio hum alive in my wake. “We’ve got an unidentified assailant heading towards the premises... lock down.” I make a sharp left turn and the pursuing voice is lost in the leaves.
Unidentified. That’s good. They didn’t recognize me.
Lock down. That could fuck me. Any minute now, a gaggle of body guards are going to be coming into my room to secure me. If they arrive before I do, then I might never be able to make one of these journeys again. That means no more Oscar...
A sudden rush of adrenaline bursts through my veins and I shoot forward like a loose arrow. Harsh branches and spiny leaves rip against my skin as I bound through the jungle towards the light of the mansion, but I hardly feel any pain. There’s no time for pain right now. I need to get back to my room or else I risk imploding everything.
Shouts billow up from behind me and flashlights bob through the trees ahead. I make another sharp turn and nearly run face first into a trunk, but somehow, I manage to dodge it. I’ve never been so fleet footed in all my life, but I hardly have time to appreciate my newfound skill. Determination flexes through every single last centimeter of my muscles as I come up to the edge of the jungle that borders the back lawn of Dante’s mansion.
Flood lights whip across the open field that stands between me and safety. In the distance, I can see the window that I need to get into. It’s on the third floor, but three sets of balconies and a long sturdy trellis make the journey at least plausible—I’ve considered shattering my window and climbing down that path countless times before, but I never thought I’d be so desperate to climb back in.
The roar of an approaching motorcade rumbles through the air like thunder and I watch as streams of dune buggies race across the lawn ahead. Armed guards march towards the jungle border and stones of uneasiness roll around in my gut. I didn’t realize just how closely this place was being guarded. There’s practically an army out
there. No wonder Angel hasn’t come for me yet. Who the hell could get through all that?
You.
I don’t have much of a choice. My worst fears are on the brink of being realized. Either I slip back into my room unnoticed, or else...
As the heavily armed guards approach and sirens wail and search lights burn up the dark lawn, my pulse slows. This is for Oscar. I need to succeed for him; there isn’t any other option.
A final deep breath fills my lungs as I wait for the flood lights ahead to criss cross. A small dark opening presents itself before me and I take it, lunging out from behind my jungle cover like a bullet.
Blood rushes to my ears and the outside world goes silent as I race towards the leafy trellis that I’ll use as my makeshift ladder. My racing heart sets the pace for my scrambling feet, but with every step, the wall I need to reach seems to stretch further and further away.
There’s no stopping, though. I keep chugging, oblivious to everything else—if anyone sees me, I don’t notice it...
Suddenly, I’m at the base of the wall. A quick glance behind me shows that I haven’t been followed. The flood lights don’t reach this area, and all the cars and the guns are focused on the jungle.
My hands find the first rung of the trellis. The wood is warm and damp, but I don’t bother testing its sturdiness. There’s no time to waste. I’m up on the precariously set wood before I can talk myself out of it. The blood rushes from my ears the higher I climb, and by the time I’m at the second-floor balcony I can hear all of the orders being barked out in the distance. None of them seem directed at me, but I’m not out of the woods yet.
Sharp stems and horny vines tears at my skin as I make my last push. Adrenaline masks any pain, but there’s no hiding the blood. Dark stains follow me up the trellis until I’m close enough to the third-floor balcony to reach out and touch it...
The second I transfer my weight from the trellis to the balcony, the chunk of stone under my palm cracks and splits. I stifle my scream as it collapses beneath my weight and I fall.
I have to stifle another scream when my arm gets caught in a thorny vine that juts out from the side of the trellis. Crumbling stone falls to the dark lawn below. My feet swing in the open air. For what seems like an eternity, I can’t breathe. The only part of my body that seems to work is my hearing. My ears twitch as I listen for the worst...
But nothing changes.
Men still bark orders in the distance, flood lights still search the lawn; all traffic is directed towards the jungle.
Slowly, I pull myself back onto the trellis. This time, there’s no masking the pain. I grimace with every movement, but I can’t stop, I won’t stop.
My eyes close and when I open them back up, I’m by the third-floor balcony again. Now, though, there’s a convenient hole for me to jump through. I make the fateful leap and a shockwave of agony ripples up from my shins as I land on solid ground.