Fist banged against the door of Sera’s old bedroom, waking her from the terror of a nightmare. Shortly after, the neighbors car alarm blessed the world with its scream.
That stupid house, Sera thought. She crossed the small room and gazed through the gap in the thin, outdated curtains that were just strong enough to block out the streetlight. The metal staircase shifted under the weight of her neighbor as he grumbled curses about someone named Jennifer.
It'll be alright Bob. Jennifer sounds like a whole mess anyway. You're better off without each other.
A minute later Bob's motel door slammed shut, abruptly ending the unwelcome distraction. When Sera turned to go back to sleep, a photo's edge hanging off the nightstand caught her attention. She inspected the two dark silhouettes painted on the dirt in front of a mountain view and slumped onto the edge of the bed, legs crisscrossed.
We thought if we went far enough, he wouldn't find us. Remote areas, living off grid...it was meant to be the safest option. But it only remained safe for 82 days.
In the first encampment, Sera and Jakoby took turns keeping watch at night. They never knew when they’d run into a problem, so one would wrestle to get a few hours of sleep while the other remained a lookout. A few months passed without incident. One night they decided it was safe enough for both of them to rest. They were ripped from sleep by Reapers unknown to them, dragging Sera and Jakoby to their feet. The ensuing fight left them running down the mountain, towards the city.
How naïve to believe he wouldn’t find us. Our deals were made and we turned our back on them.
