ESCAPING FROM FRIEND

CHAPTER 2

ESCAPING FROM FRIEND

~~~~~

Ben wakes up at six in the evening, groaning as he stretches. He sighs as he remembers everything. Ben stand, walking outside.

"Mara?" he calls.

"Over here," she replies.

Ben walks over, collapsing into the lawn. He looks up at the sky, seeing the sun beginning to set.

"Good evening," Ben says. "What time is it?"

"About six," Mara says. "How's your sleep?"

"Good. I'm kinda dizzy, but It'll be fine."

"Let's go inside," Mara says.

Ben nods, standing and follow Mara into the house.

"What are we going to do?"

"What are you talking about?" Mara asks.

"I don't know where to go from here," Ben says.

"What do you mean?" Mara says.

"I don't know Mar, I don't remember what happened yesterday," he says. "It's like my life started again from scratch."

"No, it doesn't," Mara holds Ben's hand, "You have your memories. And you will always have."

Ben hugs Mara, "You're right. I always had my memories."

Ben stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he looks out at the street.

"Mara, I need to move on with my life. I don't want to stay here. I want to go out there," he says.

"You can't leave!" Mara says. "What would I do?"

"I don't know. Find another place. Or you want to go with me?"

"What?" Mara asks.

"You want to come with me, don't you?" Ben says. "You've known me for all day, and you're already in passion with me."

"I... i..."

"What?"

"Yes," Mara says. "I want to go with you." Mara reply with her face blushed.

"Terrific. Now, why don't we go inside and prepare."

Mara smiles, grabbing his hand as Ben leads her inside the house, grabbing her bag and walking towards the door. Ben grabs it as well, looking inside at the various furniture and decorations. He smiles, finding a dusty rocking horse. Ben walks over to it, lifting the saddle and sitting down. Mara stares at the dusty rocking horse for a long time.

"Is this yours?"

"Yes, it has been a long time since I had this rocking horse. My dad gives me this for my birthday." Mara reply with tears filling her eyes.

Ben looks at her, "Are you okay?"

"No... no, I'm fine. I just... I..."

Ben smiles, "Come here."

Mara walks over to Ben and hugs him. And then Mara starts to cry.

"Everyone had their moment," Ben whispered to Mara while hugging her. "Don't worry. Calm down."

"I missed my family so much... Since the crash, I still can't let it go... still here" Mara keeps crying.

Ben fell silent, "Hey, don't cry... I know how it feels when losing parents."

"You... you do?"

"Yes, especially when losing mom. It's making me so depressed, I even almost killed myself."

"Wait... Mom is... dead??" Mara is kinda shocked.

"You didn't know? She died about 2 years ago because of cancer."

"I didn't... I'm so sorry to hear that..."

"That's fine... A few months after she died, I almost can't let her go. But then, I realize there is no point in being sad for months. I need to continue with my life," he said.

"Before she died, she told me not to worry about my life. Just live your life, and let God determine your path. Many people cant forget the people they loved after they're dead. But sometimes, you need to let them go. Because if you didn't let them go, it can slows down your life."

Mara starts to calm down. She releases the hug and stares at Ben.

"You're right... I need to continue my life..." Mara said, wiping her tears.

"Mom once asked me about how are you, where have you been. She misses you. But before I could ask you, she was gone."

Mara sat on the steps, looking at the street. Ben stood up and walked over to her.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry that I left you and mom that day... I regret it so much..."

"It's fine, it's not your fault. It's about time. So, maybe you want to stay here a few moments before we go? Maybe took some useful stuff?".

"Go?" Mara asks again.

"Yes, I've noticed that a black van started following us since we left the abandoned house. And I think they up to no good." Ben answer. "So?"

"Um, sure." Mara answer.

"Go ahead, I'll be waiting for you here."

Mara walks inside while Ben sitting at the steps, looking towards the van.

Mara walks by the living room where they slept last night. She heads to the kitchen, finding it very dusty. There are so many photos hanging on the wall. Many of them was a photo of her when she was a little girl.

Then, Mara walks upstairs where the bedroom is. She opens the door and saw a cardboard box. Just before she can open it, Ben calls.

"Mara... Are you done? We need to go."

"Coming! I'll open this later."

Mara lifts the box and bringing it with her downstairs.

"Let's go now Mara, I think that van is waiting for us to leave. What is that?"

"I'm not sure."

"Did you open it?"

"Nah, I'll open it later."

"Okay then, put it inside. We're leaving."

"Now?" Mara asks. "But your head is..."

"It'll be fine. Come on, let's go."

Mara nods, "I'll grab my stuff."

Ben looks at Mara, smiling at her as she smiles back. He walks inside and quickly grabbing his bag before heading back outside. Ben walked up to the car, opening the door and grabbing his bag. He climbs into the driver seat, putting his bag on the floor before turning the ignition on.

"I'm driving."

"Are you sure?" Mara asks.

"Mmh, c'mon," he says.

Mara walks over to the car, opening the door and climbing in.

"Still have your shotgun?"

"Sure, why?" she asks.

"We will need it, be ready," Ben replies.

Mara takes out her shotgun and reloading it. Ben takes out his revolver and put it under the seat. Ben slowly drive out of the driveway, turning left and heading onto the road. He drives for a few minutes before stopping at a red light.

"I'm not sure how to feel," Mara says.

"Feel what?"

"I'm not sure either. But it feels kinda funny."

The light turns green, Ben continues his drive.

"Is the van still following us?" Ben asks.

Mara turns his head and sees the black van still following them. She looks to the driver.

"Mara?"

"Oh my god, it's them!"

"Who?"

"Lucas's men. They're going to catch us."

"Hold on!" Ben replies, driving faster.

Ben starts speeding through the city while the van chases them. After a few minutes of chasing, they put out a gun.

"They had guns!" Mara said.

"Take cover!" Ben shout.

They start shooting at Ben and Mara.

"Shoot them back! Use your shotgun!"

Mara nods, taking out her shotgun and start shooting the van while they still chasing. After several minutes, the van disappear.

"Where did it go?"

"I don't know, it just disappears. I think we lost 'em." Mara replies

Suddenly, the van appeared out of nowhere.

"Watch out!" Mara screams.

The van hit them and their car rolls over.

"Mara, are you alright?" Ben asks while he struggles to release the safety belt.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry." Mara replies.

The van stopped, someone came out approaching their car.

"You can't run anymore now! I got you!" he approached, pulling his gun out.

"What do we do now?" Mara whisper.

Ben paused, looking outside.

"I got an idea. Give me a cutter." Ben replies.

"For what?"

"You'll see. Now get the cutter."

"Carlos, call the boss. We got them."

"Right."

"Come out, both of you!"

No one answering.

"I'll count to three! If you didn't come out, I'll shoot! One! two! three! Shoot them!"

They all start shooting the car. Then, Lucas arrived.

"What the?"

"Hey boss, we got them"

"What are you doing idiot! Why did you shoot them! I need them alive!"

"But boss..."

"You fool! Why didn't you check first!"

"S... Sorry boss..."

Lucas opens the door, but the car is empty. He sees a hole in the middle of its roof leading to a sewer hole.

"Damnit, they're gone! Everybody starts searching! I want them alive!" he shouts.

While Lucas and his men search the area, Ben and Mara managed to escape from the sewer channel.

"Good thinking out there."

"I'm glad that the roof is made out of fabric."

"So... Where are we going to now?"

"I don't know... but I think we should get out from here." Ben points to the end of the sewer.

They walked over and then managed to get out of the sewer.

"Damn, that stinks."

"Now, we need a car," Ben said.

"Look, a pickup truck."

They walk to the pickup truck.

"But how can we use it? There is no key."

"Don't worry, I can hotwire it."

Mara smashed the window and open the door. After a few minutes of hotwiring, the engine starts. Ben climbs to the driver seat.

"Ben, are you sure you want to drive?" Mara ask.

"Sure, I'm fine," he replies.

Mara climb into the passenger seat.

"We need to find a place to stay for a while."

Ben drives out to the road and drive.

"So... Lucas won't stop searching for us. What do we do now?."

"Well, I'm not sure what to do either," Ben admitted.

"Do you have any friends to live on?" Mara asks.

"Not really."

"But what if something happens and you need help? Who will come?"

"Nobody, I suppose."

After a long drive, Ben starting to feel pain in his head.

"What's wrong?" Mara ask

"I don't know, but my head hurt so much," Ben replies

"Pullover, I think I should drive," Mara says.

"Fine, you drive."

Ben pulled over, switching with Mara. Mara shifting it into gear as she begins to drive.

"Ah, I just remember... I had a brother. Living in the next city."

"Do you know how to get there?" Mara asks.

"Yeah, I took this road before," Ben says.

"But I'm not sure where this road leads."

"You'll find out," he says.

Mara nervously smiles as she drives down the road.

"We're going to get lost. Let's stop at the pub for a while," she says.

"Let's do it," Ben said.

Mara pulls into the parking lot of the local pub. She pulls in next to a large van, parking beside it.

"Hey, I know that van. Is it..."

"I'm guessing that's Han's van," Ben says.

"Yeah, you're right," Mara says. "Maybe some beers will cheer us up. Do you think you can steal them?"

"I'll try," he says.

"I'm going to go inside and scout out the place. The police might be patrolling the area, so we need to be careful. I'll be back in a minute, are you gonna be okay? I could go and get another drink. There's a bottle of water in the bag on the floor."

"Yeah, I'll be fine, don't worry," Ben said.

Mara leans over, kissing him on the lips before opening the car door and hopping out of the car. She strolls over to the pub, disappearing through the doors.

Ben takes a quick look around, seeing no cops in the area. He slowly opened the van's doors and then reached inside. He grabs the six-packs of beer before shutting it again.

Ben quickly head back to the car, finding it in the same place. He opens the glove box, finding it full of cash and credit cards. He quickly hides the six-packs of beer in the car's glove box before hopping back in and popping the key into the ignition.

Ben waits a few moments, trying to start the car several times. Mara heads out from the pub and quickly climb inside.

Ben pull it out of the parking space and onto the road, speeding along the road towards the city.

"There's a police car coming!" Mara shouts.

He speeds up, driving faster and faster until the police car passes. Ben relaxes slightly, speeding up as he turns onto the main road heading into the city.

"What was that for?" Mara asks.

"Sorry, I was panicked."

"It's ok," Mara said.

"I didn't think they were chasing us."

"Well, it took all the fun out of the chase,"

After driving for 2 hours, Ben pull over to a Motel nearby.

"I think we should stop," he says. "It's late."

"Good idea," Mara says. "I could use a break."

Ben grabs his gear and heading to the room. After that, he heads out to buy some food. He gets a pizza and some snacks, bringing them back to the room.

"Mmm, I like your choice," Mara says, tearing the top off the beer.

He grabs a few packs of whatever food he thinks the other one likes. After drinking 3 beers, Mara seems to be quite drunk.

"I think... I need to... sleep this off," she slurs, lying down on the bed.

Ben takes the last beer and hides them in his bag, leaving the room. When leaving the room, suddenly Mara pulls him.

"Ben... don't go...Please company me..."

"S... Sure..."

Ben put his bag away and lying down next to Mara, where he and Mara spend the rest of the night together.

Meanwhile, Lucas and his men still searching for them.

"Did you found them?"

"Sorry boss, we didn't"

"Well, keep searching!"

"Yes, boss."

Lucas walks by the ruined car.

"You can hide... but you can't run... I'm coming for you..."

He walks away from the car.

"Boss, I managed to check the nearby security cam. I think it's them."

"Let me see."

The cam shows that the pickup truck where Ben and Mara were drove parked.

"It's them alright."

"I tracked the credit card used to check-in at the motel with the name Ben. The motel is 3 hours drive at the south."

"Good work. Tell Carlos and his team to go there."

"Right."

"Boys let's go! Leave the car just like that! We're going back."

Lucas and his men left the place while Carlos and his team went to the motel.

~~~~~

Dawn is breaking... Ben wakes up, sitting on the sofa while Mara is still sleeping. He walks out to find some fresh air, topping off his last beer. Ben walks to the car and grab some clothes. When he got back, Mara is not in bed.

"Mara, where are you?" he calls, looking around the room.

"BEN HELP!!" Mara screams from outside.

Ben runs outside, seeing Mara taken by a mysterious huge man.

"Hey, You! Stop Right There!" he shouts, pulling out his gun.

"Ben watch out!!"

Ben turns his head. And the last thing he saw is a big piece of wood hitting his head. Ben falls to the ground. Everything is going dark. After a few hours passed out, he woke up in some kind of warehouse with Mara lying next to him.

"Hey Mara, wake up. It's me."

"Wha-? Oh... Ben! I'm so glad to see you." Mara woke up. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. Some sort of warehouse." Ben answer.

Ben tries to reach Mara, but he can't because his hand was tied up.

"I can't reach you. My hands are tied up."

"I can't release it either. We need to get out of this place, quick. It already creeps me out."

"Wait, I want to know what are they going to do with us," he replies.

After a while, someone walks in.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

"Lucas."

"Hey Mara, how's the escape? We were searching for you."

"Never been better."

"I'll say. And you, Detective Ben. I've heard a lot about you. The greatest detective in Union City." Lucas continues.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? Hahaha, you such a funny guy. You see, I want to rule the world, and I want all of the humans to bow in front of me. I'm going to be the Alpha of this world."

"You won't get with it, Lucas."

"Don't worry, I'll start with this Country. It's easier to take the rule from the smaller pack." Lucas smiles.

"I don't think so. You'll get caught even before you can," Ben said.

"Hey boss, Mr. Zeus wants to talk with you." A man walked in.

"I'll be there in a minute. Tell him to wait."

"Roger that. Who are they?"

"Just an old friend. Now go."

"Right." The man walked out.

A few minutes of silence passed. Mara started to smile.

"Heh, could be better than that."

"Don't be such a fuss. I tried my best," Lucas said.

"Wait, what happened?"

"I forgot to tell you, Lucas is actually on our side. He just acts like that because he is our Alpha's best right-hand man."

"What? How? Why don't you tell me earlier."

"Sorry, I forgot." she smiles.

"I'll cut that for you." Lucas cuts the rope that tied their hand.

"Thanks."

"No problem. I need to go now. The safe way out is through that ventilator. It connects from here to the woods near the main road."

"Thanks, Lucas," Mara replies.

"Anytime." Lucas walks away.

Lucas leaves the warehouse.

"C'mon, the way out is the trough that ventilators." Ben walks to the ventilator and open it.

Ben and Mara escape the warehouse. They run through the forest until they found the main road.

"I think we should go back to the Motel," he says. "There's less of a chance of being found out there."

"Fine," Mara says. "But I'm getting something to eat when we're there."

"Whatever you want," Ben answers.

They started to walk, following the road while the sun is setting by the trees. It's a beautiful evening.

"You know that you're getting prettier by the time, right?"

Mara blushes, "Do you think so?"

"I do. It's like, I'm staring at the most beautiful girl I've ever met. After my mom of course."

"Well, you're the sweetest man I've ever known." she holds his hand. They both smile, "Let's go. It's getting dark."

Mara nods. They walked their way back to the motel.

~~~~~

Continue Chapter 3, "The Great Alpha" ...