Escape: Day 16

Word Count: 96,014

Summary of Events:

Dallis watched Trace arrive and met him, they then continued driving while she told him a bit of how her escape had happened. The next morning Trace got a call from his roommate — whom he was supposed to go on a hunting trip with — and had to make up a lie about why he wasn't back yet before he and Dallis got to discussing names, which caused a traumatic memory from Trace's past to start him panicking . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Dallis looked out the windows, but she didn't see any black cars chasing after them; besides, Trace had never looked like this before when the men had been chasing after them, she didn't even think that Trace's panic had anything to do with what was actually present.

Looking around, Dallis noticed that things were moving faster, and she gasped when she saw how rapidly they were gaining on a little car ahead of them.

"Trace!" she screamed. "Stop!"

Trace swore hoarsely and suddenly the truck was slowing down until finally they were pulled over on the shoulder.

Dallis looked over at Trace. He looked rather pale, and he was trembling noticeably, his breathing still being fairly rapid.

As Dallis watched she saw a tear roll down his cheek. His jaw was quivering. He closed his eyes and more tears came. He then bent over and put his face in his hands, which didn't muffle his sob too well.

Unbuckling, Dallis stepped over to his seat and knelt down beside him. His body shook and a few more sobs escaped him, all sounding very tortured and painful.

Dallis gently put her hand on his shoulder. She didn't know what to do. She didn't understand why that had happened, and was happening.

Eventually Trace's crying settled down and he sat back up. He then stroked the moisture from his eyes and sagged back against the seat. Dallis took her hand back and stood up.

Trace's eyes slid over to look at her, red-rimmed, glassy, the green pupils showing a terrible torture and agony.

"I'm sorry," he whispered hoarsely. "It wouldn't leave."

"What do you mean?" Dallis asked.

"If I talk about it it'll come back," Trace whispered.

Dallis shifted her jaw.

"Go sit back down," Trace said, a little bit louder, although sounding rather shaky.

Dallis did as she was told, but watched Trace silently as he started the truck moving again, still looking rather pale and shaken.

It was like that other time when he'd talked about his stepfather. He was hiding something, and something — it appeared — that was immensely painful to him. Something that tortured him greatly.

Being as he'd mentioned that he'd suffered for choosing to remain as an O'Hannigain instead of changing his name to his mother's maiden name, Dallis wondered if it didn't have something to do with being yelled at or beaten up for not making the choice to change.

Rolling her lips between her teeth and biting down on them, Dallis looked at Trace and wondered if the fact that he'd been beaten up on — or at least she was guessing as much — in his younger years was a motivator for him.

He'd suffered pain, and he didn't want her to suffer it too."