The door was locked with a padlock, and there was no point even trying the door. There was a slender window on the back wall that gave the only light and was her only chance.
I hope this side of the shed doesn’t lead straight to a firing range.
April got up on her toes to look out the window. To her relief, there was thick scrub and high trees on the other side. She put her hands on the glass and worked the window up, trying to keep the sound muffled.
Once she had it open, April realized how tiny the gap was. She wasn’t even sure if she could fit through it, but she had to try.
She shoved her head and arms through, wiggling desperately as her breasts got stuck and then slid through one by one. She bit her lips against the pain, kicking her legs as she fought to get her hips through.
Gravity took over, and April’s thighs popped through the tiny gap as she fell headfirst to the ground, crashing into a clumsy pile. She stayed there for a few seconds, letting the pain settle.
Luckily they hadn’t fed me for a while, or I wouldn’t have gotten through at all.
There was a noise nearby of heavy footsteps, and April froze, hoping they weren’t coming her way. If anyone entered the shed right now and came looking for her, she was a goner.
To her relief, the footsteps went the other way. She stayed flat on the ground for a few seconds more, then rolled to her feet and ran into the nearby scrub.
She kept her head down, moving away from the sounds of the compound. She was hungry and thirsty, as well as exhausted. But if she had any real chance of getting away, she had to rest before striking out into the wilderness.
The noises of the camp fell away, and she started to think about food and shelter. She needed both quite desperately. The thick, scrubby bushes began to thin out, and she paused as the vegetation fell away into an open field.
Moving like a flash of shadow, she slipped from the cover of the scrub into the nearby trees, which were spaced wide apart. In shock, she realized it was an orchard with trees planted in neat rows.
Someone must tend to this. That could be good news, or very bad news, depending on who looks after it.
After heading down a couple of rows, she discovered a selection of fruit trees. She gathered up a few apples and oranges, eating them as she walked.
This would take care of her hunger and dehydration for now, but she still needed to rest. If she lay down amongst the trees, she could end up a prisoner again.
April toyed with the idea of running, but she knew she wouldn’t get far. It was late afternoon, almost night. If she could sleep for a few hours, she had every confidence she could get a good distance away in the darkness.
She looked up into a nearby tree, seeing that the branches went up very high and were also very thick. With a quick movement, she swung up into the lowest bough, climbing up until she settled into a comfortable nook.
Hopefully, she could hide here undetected for a while. She couldn’t attempt to run any further without a little rest.
What I wouldn’t give for a med kit and a shot of painkillers right now.
There was also the problem of her notes, her evidence. She wouldn’t be able to shut the place down without it, and now she’d seen the cruelty firsthand, she simply couldn’t let it go on.
April curled up in the nook of the tree, letting her body relax. She would rest for a short while, then she would figure out what to do.
FIVE
GRIPP
Gripp charged away from the beach and through the scrub, feeling the soft sand under his paws and every flex of his muscles as a thrill of ecstasy. It had been so long since he’d run in his panther shape that it was intoxicating, better than any drug.
He’d tied the backpack tight around his midsection before shifting so his gear and clothes wouldn’t be damaged. While in his cat shape, it was easy to smell and hear the main base of the mine, as well as the extended operations.
The stink of it was horrible, a combination of harsh machinery and toxic smells mixed with blood and other evidence of human misery. It was not an easy place to run toward. Even his tough hearted and savage panther had no desire to go to a place of such despair.
He pushed forward like a streak of black lightning in the undergrowth. The earth was warm under his paws, and the forest was alive with a million tiny sounds that teased his highly tuned senses. It was good to be himself again. The unpleasant mission was a small price to pay.
Flitting through his mind was the face of the woman he came to rescue. He tried to fight it, but she intrigued him. Unbidden, his legs picked up the pace as if he needed to get to the mine as quickly as possible just to meet her.
As he approached the main operation, he shifted back to human, then dressed. He was wearing non-descript fatigues without any emblems and blended in with the other guards. Taking a deep breath, he marched out into the main area, trying to look like he belonged.
No one paid much attention to him, even though he had to be the only guy walking around without a weapon. But he’d have to get one eventually, even if it was just to appear like the others.