bit of power to work up the dirt under me to soften it so I would be more comfortable, then I laid down, relaxing at the lack of footsteps around me, and fell asleep.
I was startled from sleep only once during the day when a tractor drove around the field that was next to the woods, but I remained hidden and allowed myself to relax and sleep again for several more hours. When I woke again, I felt more rested than I had in weeks. For once I had been able to sleep without fear. It was the closest to free I had felt since Mason had entered the picture, and I had to be separated from the people I cared about in order to achieve it.
That thought made me frown as I sat up in my hidden cave. Was I being selfish by running away? Self-doubt plagued me, and I wondered if I should just go back. Sam would be expecting a phone call soon, so I would postpone my decision until I called him and had some supper. I cleaned up my campsite and flattened the ground back to where it had been before I got there, and started the long walk to the little town of Torsten, where I would get supplies and a phone.
The walk went faster than I thought it would, and I made it before sundown. There were a few people out, but I figured most of them would be having supper by now. I went to a little diner and ordered a burger with fries, opting for water instead of a soft drink.
As I was eating I started feeling a slight pressure at the back of my head, and my muscles tensed. How had he found me? “ Tracker, you should not be alone. ” The voice seemed to resound around the room, but as I looked around at the other patrons, I realized it was only in my head, so I grabbed the last bite of my burger and quickly walked out to find a quiet place. “ Come back home, or I will be forced to find you. ”
“Kindred?” My voice was soft, and despite knowing he was in my head, I still looked around, expecting to spot someone nearby. There was no response, and the pressure let up. My body shook as I leaned against the cool brick wall of the alley side of the diner. I couldn’t…How could he still talk to me? Would he be able to find me if he could still communicate with me?
He hadn’t taken over, so he hadn’t been able to see my location, at least in theory. Was it possible for him to access my thoughts, and figure out where I was? I rubbed my hand over my face as I considered my options.
Option one: I kept to my impulsive plan of staying away from my friends. Possible response: Kindred uses my friends somehow to get me to come back, or he follows me, making my life miserable wherever I went.
Option two: I go home, and continue helping the police find Kindred. Possible response: Kindred still makes my life miserable, but keeps my friends out of it, unless I actually became a threat to his freedom. Then I had no idea what he would resort to. If I went back…I would be his puppet. Another face for him to put on whenever he wanted the rush of power he probably felt at controlling another person so completely.
I needed to call Alice. She might know what I should do. At least she might once she calmed down enough to listen to me. Most likely she would be angry that I had run so soon after deciding it wouldn’t be a worthwhile option. The first thing I needed was to find a phone. Even a payphone would do. I pushed away from the wall, and emerged from the shadows onto the main street.
I got a few odd looks from a couple people that were strolling down the street, and I wondered if they’d heard me trying to contact Kindred. It had sounded like I was talking to myself. Or it could be that Torsten was a small enough town that they would recognize an outsider when they saw one. If that was the case, I’d better leave as soon as I found a payphone to call Alice. I glanced down the street in both directions and saw a gas station a couple blocks down, which would probably have a phone. And possibly a map.
A sort of plan was forming in my mind. I wanted to mark
I was startled from sleep only once during the day when a tractor drove around the field that was next to the woods, but I remained hidden and allowed myself to relax and sleep again for several more hours. When I woke again, I felt more rested than I had in weeks. For once I had been able to sleep without fear. It was the closest to free I had felt since Mason had entered the picture, and I had to be separated from the people I cared about in order to achieve it.
That thought made me frown as I sat up in my hidden cave. Was I being selfish by running away? Self-doubt plagued me, and I wondered if I should just go back. Sam would be expecting a phone call soon, so I would postpone my decision until I called him and had some supper. I cleaned up my campsite and flattened the ground back to where it had been before I got there, and started the long walk to the little town of Torsten, where I would get supplies and a phone.
The walk went faster than I thought it would, and I made it before sundown. There were a few people out, but I figured most of them would be having supper by now. I went to a little diner and ordered a burger with fries, opting for water instead of a soft drink.
As I was eating I started feeling a slight pressure at the back of my head, and my muscles tensed. How had he found me? “ Tracker, you should not be alone. ” The voice seemed to resound around the room, but as I looked around at the other patrons, I realized it was only in my head, so I grabbed the last bite of my burger and quickly walked out to find a quiet place. “ Come back home, or I will be forced to find you. ”
“Kindred?” My voice was soft, and despite knowing he was in my head, I still looked around, expecting to spot someone nearby. There was no response, and the pressure let up. My body shook as I leaned against the cool brick wall of the alley side of the diner. I couldn’t…How could he still talk to me? Would he be able to find me if he could still communicate with me?
He hadn’t taken over, so he hadn’t been able to see my location, at least in theory. Was it possible for him to access my thoughts, and figure out where I was? I rubbed my hand over my face as I considered my options.
Option one: I kept to my impulsive plan of staying away from my friends. Possible response: Kindred uses my friends somehow to get me to come back, or he follows me, making my life miserable wherever I went.
Option two: I go home, and continue helping the police find Kindred. Possible response: Kindred still makes my life miserable, but keeps my friends out of it, unless I actually became a threat to his freedom. Then I had no idea what he would resort to. If I went back…I would be his puppet. Another face for him to put on whenever he wanted the rush of power he probably felt at controlling another person so completely.
I needed to call Alice. She might know what I should do. At least she might once she calmed down enough to listen to me. Most likely she would be angry that I had run so soon after deciding it wouldn’t be a worthwhile option. The first thing I needed was to find a phone. Even a payphone would do. I pushed away from the wall, and emerged from the shadows onto the main street.
I got a few odd looks from a couple people that were strolling down the street, and I wondered if they’d heard me trying to contact Kindred. It had sounded like I was talking to myself. Or it could be that Torsten was a small enough town that they would recognize an outsider when they saw one. If that was the case, I’d better leave as soon as I found a payphone to call Alice. I glanced down the street in both directions and saw a gas station a couple blocks down, which would probably have a phone. And possibly a map.
A sort of plan was forming in my mind. I wanted to mark
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