She hesitated for a long moment, just standing there staring at Adrien. He didn’t look like he was moving. She bit down on her lip, but in the next moment, clenched her hands tightly in determination.
It’s now or never.
She felt, that if she waited another few days, Adrien might be closer to death’s door and there’d be less risk to running away. But she didn’t want to keep waiting, and waiting, and she felt that if she didn’t do anything right then, she’d just tell herself to keep waiting.
Careful.
There was no guarantee Adrien wasn’t just lying there awake, so she crouched down and moved forward slowly. She was wary now, compared to the last time she tried. If he caught her this time, he probably won’t let her off as he did before. She knew he’d punish her longer and harsher if he caught her.
She kept glancing at his face, then back to her hand as she reached for the black thing sticking out of his pocket. When she had it between the tips of her fingers, her eyes shot quickly to his face. Still nothing. Breathing a little slower, and feeling sweat slide down her nape, she gently tugged with her fingers. She kept tugging, and glancing at his face, until she had the object pulled completely out of his pocket.
When she had it, she quickly scrambled back, for a moment shocked that it went so well. She had felt for sure that she would just fall into another trap. Then, she felt so glad that she could almost cry, even more when she looked down at the object and realized that it was the remote to her collar.
Finally.
Camila didn’t waste any more time. She had the remote, and Adrien was still lying there. If there was any moment to run, it was now. She hadn't had her second meal for the day, but it wasn’t as if she could wait for it. She had to go now!
As long as she moved fast and kept moving, Adrien shouldn’t be able to catch up to her, not in his condition.
He must have had the keys and their cellphones locked up somewhere. She debated looking for them. Whichever one she had, as long as she had it, she was sure she’d be able to get away, but she had been looking already and not found anything.
I can't wait any longer. I’ve got to go!
This was the closest she’d been to freedom in weeks. Adrien incapacitated, and one of his strongest weapons against her in her hands. The thought of sticking around to search again didn’t appeal to her, her desperation to get away growing.
So, she rushed out of the house, then picked a direction, and started running. She had dressed that day in her own clothes, as well as put on her shoes, and she was never happier that she’d thought to wear them. She had no idea where to go, where they even were, but she had a feeling that as long as she kept moving, she was bound to get somewhere, or meet someone.
After moving for a while, she noticed a light in the direction she was heading. It looked like it was acres away, but if it was so small in this distance, she felt that if she got closer, it would be bigger. Big lights meant other people, something she hadn't seen in their isolation since Adrien had stuck them there.
Damn.
Physically, she’d degraded by a lot. She’d lost her stamina during her weeks of captivity.
As she got a little closer, she realized what she was looking at. A truck. At least, it looked very much like a truck, and a truck with its lights on meant a person nearby. In her excitement, she pushed herself to move even faster, pumping her arms and legs to move past their limit. Her breath was coming in gasps, her limbs already starting to ache and she hadn't covered that much distance.
Everything was dark around her, and fear chased after her, nipping right at her heels. This reminded her of the dream she’d had, back when she was still with Samuel when she’d feared there were people coming after her, wanting to hurt her. Her breath was already wheezing in and out of her throat and she still had a ways to go.
Please…please, let me make it!
Camila continued her icy, terrifying run through the dark, even as the muscles in her thighs burned, and she stumbled and nearly tripped a couple times, her heart almost jumping out of her chest each time, as if someone was really right behind her. The more she ran, the closer she got, and the more her hope grew.
Finally!
Whoever they were, they might have a phone, or live nearby. Whoever they were, she hoped they were nice enough to help a woman in need and not take advantage of her in her current state.
In any case, right then, she felt anywhere was better than going back to that farmhouse.
“Hey!” she screamed once she got close enough she felt they could hear her. “Is someone over there? Hey!”
She screamed until her throat scratched painfully, and her voice cracked. The distance was growing even shorter, and when something moved into the light and blocked it off, she realized that there was a person right there.
Her heart almost stilled, both in happiness and trepidation.
“Hey,” she wheezed past her aching throat. “Please… help…”
She was a few feet away when she realized the person in front of her was huge. Like, really huge; taller than Adrien, and bundled up in a thick jacket, but very obviously more muscular than Adrien as well. She hesitated a little, surprised, but he was still her best bet.
Camila wasn’t the only one surprised.