Chapter Text
Ashlyn felt a prick in her arm. She turned her head and saw a needle being pushed into her arm.
How could she have not seen Mr. Thomas for who he was? It was oddly suspicious that he called them in right after Tyler and Aiden got injured.
But what about all the other moments? He always seemed very odd for a history teacher. He hardly knew anything about the topics he was teaching and constantly was making up facts that Logan disproved everytime.
Ashlyn couldn’t focus on that right now. She needed to get out. Her vision was blurring and she felt dizzy, she wouldn’t have much time conscious.
She turned, beginning to run. Ashlyn glanced around the room. There were four men there. All placing napkins on her friends’ faces.
Her eyes caught on Taylor. She was the closested and if Ashlyn had to carry anyone it would be easiest to carry her, than Ben.
Ashlyn kicked the man who was holding Taylor in the face. She grabbed Taylor’s arm, pulling her away from the other men.
She looked around the room. They were standing in the middle. Their only escape was the window in the back.
“Hey, hey stay awake,” Ashlyn said, as she pulled Taylor to the window. Taylor’s eyes were drooping, but they stayed focused on Ashlyn.
The other men were checking on Mr. Thomas and the man Ashlyn had kicked, but they wouldn’t be distracted for long.
Ashlyn pulled the lever on the window open and pushed the window open. She pushed Taylor out first then went out herself.
Ashlyn landed on her feet thankfully. Once she was on the ground she looked over at Taylor. She seemed to still be awake thankfully, but barely.
Ashlyn felt the sedatives in her system too. She needed to stay awake. They needed to get farther away from those people.
Grabbing Taylor’s hand she ran back to the parking lot where her dad should’ve been waiting.
“Dad!” Ashlyn cried as she ran in front of the car. He was sitting in the front seat. Once he saw her he immediately got out of the car and rushed towards them.
“What’s going on?” he asked, taking one of Taylor’s arms and placing it over his shoulder.
“They’re trying to take us,” Ashlyn got out, gasping. She helped put Taylor in the front seat, before she heard it.
“They’re over there,” Ashlyn said, pointing. More men were coming out of a van. Ashlyn’s dad followed her gaze.
“You get out of here,” he said, pushing her into the driver's seat. “I’ll take care of them. And hopefully get the boys back too.”
Ashlyn nodded still in a daze. She needed to get out of there.
Taking a deep breath Ashlyn pushed turned the keys and began speeding out of the parking lot.
She glanced over at Taylor, she was passed out in the seat. They hadn’t had the time to buckle her seat so she was flopping back and forth whenever Ashlyn made a harsh turn.
Ashlyn turned her eyes back to the road. She needed to get them out of there.
Her eyes began to droop again. She would need to find some place to pass out. They would be caught in an instant if she passed out in the car.
Ashlyn began biting the inside of her cheek to stay awake.
She glanced in the rearview mirror. There was another white van behind them. Trailing them.
It had to be the people who were trying to take them. She took a sharp turn, knocking into a mailbox. She would need to talk to her dad about that later.
The van followed, but took the turn at a slower pace. They apparently didn’t want to be paying property damage today.
Ashlyn stepped on the gas pedal. She needed to get out of sight of the van. Or at least in an area with more cars. Hopefully if she got lost in some cars she could lose the van.
She knew the van would follow their car. If she wanted to escape them, she would need to get out of the car, and either into another moving car, or somewhere where they couldn’t find them.
The street leveled out into an intersection. It lead down to several fast food places. Ashlyn figured there would be somewhere to hide down there, if not a way to at least get lost.
She slipped between a truck and a minivan. The street was packed so the van had to pull behind her at least three cars away.
Ashlyn could taste blood now. Her hands were shaking on the steering wheel. How much longer could she keep this up?
If she wanted to survive she needed to stay awake. This wasn’t just about her. Taylor was in the seat beside her. Ashlyn would never forgive herself if she was the reason Taylor got caught.
She went down the street until she saw a QT. There were some supply trucks parked near the back getting gas. The QT was fairly packed, and also out of the way, the perfect spot to disappear in.
Ashlyn glanced one more time behind her. The van wasn’t in sight. She hoped that was a good thing.
She pulled into the parking lot and parked behind the store, near one of the supply trucks.
“Taylor,” Ashlyn called, shaking her arm. Taylor groaned, swatting at her arm. Ashlyn didn’t have the time to try and wake her up. She could already feel herself growing more and more tired.
She ran out of the car and around the front. Grabbing one of Taylor’s arms, she supported her weight, and ran over to the truck. The back was locked. She swore, but then remembered some of the lessons Aiden had given her about breaking locks.
Ashlyn had asked him why he knew it, and he wouldn’t tell her unless she mastered it. Ashlyn never got that good at it, so she never found out. She hoped maybe one day she could pull it out of him.
She shook her head. Ashlyn didn’t know if she would even see him again after this. If they were taking Ben and Logan then they were probably going to get him as well.
She couldn’t be thinking about this right now. Ashlyn needed to make sure Taylor was safe first, then she could worry about getting her friends back.
Taking one of the bobby pins out of her hair she quickly undid the lock. With a grunt, she lifted Taylor into the truck, then she pulled herself into it as well. She quickly closed the door. Feeling the lock click.
Ashlyn pulled Taylor against her, and started pushing herself to the back of the truck. It was filled with cardboard boxes, filled with whatever they were transporting.
She counted the seconds, waiting for the truck to move. What would happen if the people found them before the truck left? Ashlyn didn’t think she had the energy to fight anymore. She could barely keep her eyes open anymore.
At sixty seven, the metal floor beneath her began to vibrate. In a few more seconds the truck began to move. Ashlyn let out a sigh. They were safe.
She glanced over at Taylor. She was lying on her side, her limbs splayed out in random angles. Ashlyn must have been delirious because she laid down beside her. She took one of Taylor’s arms and wrapped it around herself. Ashlyn pushed herself to the warmth Taylor admitted.
Finally they were safe. She could finally relax. Ashlyn closed her eyes and gave into the sedatives.