I stare dumbly at Dana's hand for a few moments, Rosiks voice getting closer and closer with each second but I still don't move.

I can't.

I'm not a murderer.
I'm not willing to stoop down to their level but as I glance back up at Dana I try to harden my resolve.

She is staring at me with so much hope and comfort that I almost want to shoot Rosik just to make my cousin proud of me.

However all I do is shake my head and pull her hand away from my hip.

Rosik is too close to risk whispering so instead I place my palm over her cheek and try desperately to send a mental signal to her letting her know that we are better than this.

We have to be.

I can feel Dana's sharp fury building up again but it's easy to ignore as I spot a rather large rock by her feet.
Picking it up quickly I glance around the tree, barely missing Rosiks eye-line as he searches the forest with a grim expression.

He is still listening to whatever is being said on the other end but I can tell that even he is getting sick of it as his answers become shorter and less energetic as he switches back to English.

"Yes.. yes.. I understand. All I'm asking is to swap partners, it isn't much.
Axel isn't suitable for this particular case, send him elsewhere.."
I freeze momentarily with my rock still poised and consider his words.

It'll be hard enough tracking them down together with the police.

If they split then we'll have no chance at all.

"What do you mean you've already fixed it? On their way? No отец you were meant to keep me involved."
I begin to hear a whinge in his voice and hearing it as well Rosik quickly straightens and hardens his resolve.

"I am sorry отец. I understand, but surely I can just handle this alone.."
At this point and time I know that I have to throw the rock.

If he gets any closer then he'll see me throw it or be able to trace it back to me easily.

Taking a calming breath I turn towards the direction we came from and praying that my forced years in physical education pay off I throw it as hard as I can in the direction and duck behind the tree once more.

There is a faint but distinct crash heard from the direction I threw it in and I thank my lucky stars as Rosik suddenly goes quiet.

Luck smiles even brighter as a particularly large flock of birds break out into a chorus of calls at the sudden bang.
Enveloping the Bush with noise.

"I must go now." Rosik shouts over the calling of the birds and showing a feral grin Rosik pockets the phone and start jogging in the sounds direction, making my smile grow just as sharp.

What an idiot.

After a few moments of silence and when I'm finally convinced that Rosik is gone I grab Dana's hand tightly in mine and drag her to her feet before bolting in the direction Rosik came from.

My heart is pounding again and I regret feeling liberated so soon.
The threat is still out there.

"Why are we going this way?"
Dana pants as I continue tugging her and I fight the urge to shush her, knowing that our loud footsteps would give us away if we were near Rosik, not our voices.

"If I was hunting down someone then I'd start at where the person is headed and work my way in back to where they ran from. If he came from the direction of the house then he'd just flush us out quicker to where we want to end up."

I gasp out, not really understanding my own words as they slide out from my lips. All I know is that in my mind it makes sense, he started his search where we want to end up, I know it.

We continue pushing on, ignoring our burning legs, thirst and lungs as our speed increases.

We run for another twenty or so minutes, the suns glare is finally becoming less harsh and finally we stumble out into a clearing.

The opening is so sudden that as soon as we burst into the open space of grass I want to dive back into the thick shrubbery, this is too revealing.

However now Dana is filled with untapped energy that neither of us knew about because suddenly she is rocketing forward and I desperately follow her, trying my hardest to keep right behind her.

My eyes are scanning every inch of the area madly and I notice that Dana is sprinting towards a gravel walking path that can be seen beginning just on the other end of the field.

I don't try and stop her and feel my own heart begin to allow small trickles of hope to filter in, not enough to make me stupid but enough to make me run a little faster.

I can hear Dana breathing heavily and now focusing on her back I notice that the harsh sun has pierced her bare shoulders, leaving them stained an angry pink.
That'll be another handful of freckles by the morning.

I've always been envious of Dana's freckles.
I burn, peel and then stay pale, no matter how long I spend in the sun and even with my red hair I'm still a rarity that is incapable of freckles.
I suck at being a red-head.

The gravel crunches beneath us as our shoes stomp on them ruthlessly.
It contrasts with the serenity of the field and I'm struck again with how serene this place is.
Suspiciously so.

"Do you think that there will be lots of camera's on us when we get back Katie? Will the news want to talk with us?!" Dana pants out and the fatigue starts to hit her as she slows her pace to match mine.

"I'm sure they will want to speak to us at some stage." I say with far less enthusiasm.

I'm not interested in the fame, I'm interested in the justice.
I've always hated having my photo taken, I doubt that my mindset will change when suddenly my face is peering at me from every news outlet.

"It's crazy to think that we've only been gone for three days.." Dana mutters after a few minutes of silence and I whole-heartedly agree with her.

"Three days too many. I'm sorry I couldn't get you out faster Dana."
I say and hold her hand tightly in mine. Dana shares with me a comforting smile and squeezes my hand tightly as we slow down to a brisk walk.

The trail is lined with evenly spaced trees which offer us to our relief shade and I struggle to tell what time it is.

My lost sense of time over the last few days would definitely be considered one of most traumatic things about this experience.
Not having the ability to know and manipulate your life around time is stripping back one of the fundamental human needs that I took for granted.

Seeing as defence classes weren't exactly my style perhaps I should go and join a scout club.
Is there an age limit on those things?

Non-violent survival skills are bound to come in handy I ponder lightly as I glare at the sun and try to get a rough idea of the time from the burning ball.

I feel Dana come to an abrupt stop as her hands tugs me back a few steps and I quickly look back at the path in front of us.

My eyes are still out of focus from staring at the sun and everything is a harsh white for a few seconds and I blink rapidly cursing my vulnerability as Dana remains silent and still.

Finally my vision begins to clear and in the distance I see a figure, a male walking towards us.
I stiffen now as well and frantically squint at the form, it's too late to hide.

The man across from us halts suddenly as well as he spots us and I feel dread fill my veins.

Please don't let it be either of them.
If there is a God out there I think to myself then he wouldn't be this cruel. Please.

The man begins tentatively walking towards our frozen forms and I drag Dana behind me, thankfully she doesn't try to fight me.

I tilt my head and watch his walk, his shape is too slim to be Axel and as he nears closer I notice that while he has Rosiks height he lacks his muscle and my heart flutters in my chest.

"Hey are you girls okay?" The man questions still far away enough to not see his features but his deep voice lacking any accent clears the last inkling of fear.

Half-dragging Dana I quickly begin walking towards him and it's not until he begins to take a few steps back that I realise with a shock that we are a threat to this man.

I halt again and glance down at my stained jeans and ripped shirt, Dana looks no better and I feel my face turn crimson.

"We need your help." I implore slowly and pull Dana out from behind me, I'm now close enough to see the man has fair features.

His blonde hair is messy and is hazardly tucked behind his ears and falls just above his surprisingly sharp jawline.
His bright blue eyes are cautious yet greedily drinking in our features and assessing us.

"We were kidnaped! I'm Dana and this is Katie, we were kidnapped a few days ago and just escaped!" Dana explodes and I cringe at her volume and my eyes dart around the field.

We are so close.

"How did you escape!?" The man questions and I fight my urge to scoff, this is not the time for details.

"Sir we need a ride into town, now."
I murmur and stare deep into his eyes, appreciating the flecks of darker blue for a few moments before breaking eye contact.

Now isn't the time for cute boys.

"Of course! Sorry, my car is back here." He replies, shaking his head as he realises the severity and desperation of the situation.

He leads the way at a brisk pace and although both Dana and I are exhausted we keep up to his pace, fuelled by hope.

"What is your name?" Dana questions to fill the silence and I half-listen as I spin around and start walking backwards, a skill I mastered as an anxious child and keep my eye behind us for Rosik.

"It's Eric, Eric Knowles." I hear Dana compliment his name and I can imagine her blushing as she does so. His Prince Charming looks are bound to leave an impression on her.

"I take it that your captors are still out there and aren't happy." Eric murmurs and Dana quickly rushes to fill him in about our grand escape.
He makes a sound of surprise as Dana explains the tools I gathered and used.

"That's really impressive.. Katie is it? How on earth did you think of that?" Eric questions and I shrug my shoulders, dismissing his amazement and focus on each rustling bush that we pass.

"I'm resourceful I guess. But don't worry, there is only one guy out there at the moment and we tricked him into going into a different direction a while ago. You won't get hurt." I attempt to ease but Eric is quick to shut down my care.

"I can only imagine what you girls have gone through, let's focus entirely on you two. I'm not worried for myself in the slightest." He replies and I remain silent.

"Nobody needs to worry because Katie has a gun!" Dana gushes and this makes me stumble as I spin around to face the two walking again.

I notice that Dana is walking quite closely to Eric and I almost smirk at the childlike awe in her eyes as she stares up at him if her words didn't force a scowl over my features.

"You what?!" Eric questions and stops walking, I'm thankful that I turned around in time to see him stop and I manage to avoid hitting his front.

He stares down at me, eyebrows pressed together and his guarded expression is back as he assesses me once again.
I feel small under his gaze and hate it. It's my turn to grow red from his stare and I cross my arms in an attempt to seem less nervous.

"I'm not going to use it I-" I go to defend but cut myself short.

I don't need to defend my actions to save my cousin and I to anyone.

"It's a precaution and evidence." I settle for and fight the urge to cringe as his eyesight settle on my hip where the slight bulge can be seen from the deadly device.

I peer around his form and see the path end and cement replaces it, turning it into a car park.

Walking past him and grabbing Dana's hand once more I tug her away from Eric and stumble out into the car park which is nearly empty.

The only two vehicles consist of a fairly new pick up truck which I assume belongs to Eric and another far more frightening mode of transportation.

A black van.

Dana whimpers and I tense.
The sound of those doors slamming echoing in my ears and I feel Eric walk up behind us.

"We should keep going, it's going to be dark soon." Eric states and I nod numbly.
Hoping that the van is empty and cautiously begin walking towards the truck which is parked a few spaces down from the van.

"What time is it?" Dana questions softly as we slowly make our way to the truck, slightly hidden behind Eric and I'm equally eager to hear the answer.

"It's nearly five pm" Eric replies and takes out his keys, jangling loudly and piercing through our natural surroundings.

I flinch at the time, so much for my sun reading abilities.
We must have been running for more hours than I thought.

"What were you doing out here so late?" I question only slightly curious and more so desperate to fill the silence and quell my anxiety at being so close to the van.

"I was on my way to a job, I was just taking a quick stroll to clear my head before starting." He replies and just as I begin to ask what his job is I hear a chuckle come from behind us.
Freezing my words and limbs simultaneously.

"Here I was thinking that I'd have to drag you back to the van kicking and screaming.. Who knew that you'd be so willing to come back."
Rosik drawls from behind us and Dana whips around, a strangled cry bursting from her lips.

I close my eyes momentarily, not wanting to turn around but knowing that I need to in order to shield Dana.

Slowly I gravitate my body towards Rosiks taunting voice and too soon I'm facing his direction as he stands at the end of the path where we were moments before.

"Smart move, throwing a rock. predictable but smart."
Rosik states while staring at me, already knowing that the plan was mine.

"I knew only an idiot like you would fall for it." I snap back and push Dana and myself a few further steps backwards.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rosik calls out across the car park and begins walking towards us quickly.

I spin around and Dana quickly runs over to Eric's truck.
Eric is remaining still, keys limp in his hands and his face is blank.

"Eric. Come on, we need to go NOW!"
I yell as Dana desperately tugs on the door handle, tears running from her eyes.

I take a deep breath and face Rosik again who is getting alarmingly close.

"Don't think for a second that this guy is going to protect you. I'll flatten him in a minute." Rosik gloats and I try not to gag at his excessive poisonous macho personality.

"I don't need a guy to protect me."
I say sternly and hiding my expression of reluctance I pull the gun out from under my shirt and point it at Rosik. Making him ground to a halt.

"Now we are all going to stay calm and do as I say.." I begin and my sweaty hands clench the gun tightly.

Thankfully my arms don't shake however I feel my knees buckle as Rosik stares me down, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Eric, you are going to go open the truck and start it. Dana you are going to climb in the back and Rosik.. You are going to fuck off." I grit out evenly and I feel sweat run down the back of my neck as the gun only grows heavier in my hands.

This isn't me.

I hear the click of the car unlocking and I assume that it's Dana that opens the door and slams it shut again.
I hear the door's child lock click in place however Eric stays behind me.

I'm secretly grateful for the support.

"Let's talk about this Kitty.."
Rosik begins but I quickly fumble with the gun and manage to find what I presume to be the safety which I quickly switch off.
Rosik takes the hint and raises his hands.

I let my eyes drag over his body, trying to find the most ideal place to hit.
I don't want Rosik to die, that too kind for someone as horrific as him.

Finally I zero in on his left foot and taking a deep breath I mentally prepare to shoot someone.

In that moment I was half-convinced that I would actually have the courage to shoot someone.

That was until a pair of surprisingly strong arms wrapped around mine from behind and threw the gun to the ground.

I struggle and buck as the arms around my body tighten painfully and fireworks explode in my head as Rosik grins curiously as he takes in the scene.

"Rosik correct? I'm your new partner, I assume base has told you about me?" Eric grunts out as I continue to flail and his words only cause my efforts to double.

I scream every profanity I know as I continue to fight for my freedom once again.
I can hear the muffled cries of Dana as she tries to leave the car but the child lock leaves her trapped and all she can do is bang on the thick glass and watch the scene fall apart.

"Ah yes. I haven't had a chance to look at your file.. However I can already tell that you're going to do quite well." Rosik says grinning and he quickly scoops up the gun.
He places the safety back on and shoves it in the back of his pants before walking up to me.

All the fight leaves me body as Rosik gets dangerously close and I find my body shrinking into Eric's unwillingly.
I tremble and frustrated tears pool in my eyes as I glare at the ground.
We were so close!

I feel Rosiks grubby fingers lift my chin up and not wasting energy on thinking I spit in his face.
Pleased to see my saliva trickle slowly down his cheek.

"You can follow me in your truck and bring the younger girl. I'll take care of this one." Rosik orders and I try to double my efforts as his greedy hands latch onto my arms after he wipes away the trail on his cheek.

I feel Eric slowly release me and I cry out as Rosik roughly tugs me into his cold, hard body.

"She's a real spitfire." He murmurs into my hair and I hear Eric chuckle and agree.

He fills Rosik in on our escape that Dana willingly gave all the details to and I feel Rosiks hands clench tighter around my arms with each sentence.
I flinch but mask my expression and instead stare at Dana through the window who is crying harshly.

I mouth the words 'I'm so sorry' to her as the men continue to converse and fight the urge to cry as well.

"Well I'll be keeping a closer eye on Kitty from now on. She won't be leaving my sight to make sure this doesn't happen again." Rosik wraps up as my entire plan is laid bare and I'm pulled tighter against his body which causes goosebumps so invade my pale skin.

"Are you sure that you want me to take the young one?" Eric questions and I hold my breath as Rosik considers the question.

Please let me have her.

"Yes you take her. Keeping these two seperate is the best way to control them." Rosik states and suddenly Rosik begins to drag my body away from Eric who watches us for another moment before turning and getting into his truck.

As I'm dragged I scream at Eric every insult I know and I feel victorious as he flinches at a few before slamming his door shut.

"Good girl. We don't want him getting a crush on you. Save your charm for me." Rosik whispers.

"Fuck You." I snarl and that earns me a rather sharp tug on my hair before I'm shoved into the back of the van once again.

Let the dreaded déjà vu strike.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wooooo here is another chapter for the readers out there!
Work has been absolutely hectic, I'm doing five to six shifts a week so time is sparse.

Hopefully this is okay, let me know in the comments what you think!

How do we feel about this new character Eric?

We'll be getting to see him a lot from now on and how is Axel going to react to his 'replacement'?

Let me know in the comments.
Don't leave me all alone on here.. Please!