Escape: Day 7

Word Count: 42,007

Summary of Events:

Trace drove into Lincoln, Nebraska — the nearby city — and started out on foot; he ended up coming upon the church where Dallis had been given breakfast and was given directions to her whereabouts before spying a ritzy black car with Georgia plates. Dallis arrived at the convent she'd been directed to, only to find two gangsters waiting for her, whom she evaded before getting into the convent and hiding. Trace was knocked over by a right-turning car as he was crossing an intersection, but wasn't very severely injured. Dallis heard gunfire erupt from where she was hiding and then found an escape to a farmyard. Trace watched the gangsters escape as police approached and gave a statement to the police before going for a walk looking for Dallis. Dallis heard someone approach and fled to an old barn that started to fall as she was running through it . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Any scream Trace would've wanted to utter evaded him as he watched the barn — which had been listing eastward as well as saddlebacked — start to fall with the breeze that had just picked up significantly.

He'd noticed the dark clouds as he'd been walking along the trees, now some were overhead and the wind was nearly blowing him over, as well as almost drowning out the cacophony of the collapsing building.

It landed thunderously, some wood pieces flying up into the air as well as a lot of dust, with the force of its landing. Trace watched as the dust was quickly carried away.

He was frozen with horror until a crash of thunder broke over the wind that was starting to howl severely, causing him to startle into action.

Running toward the far end of the barn, he screamed her name until he saw a broken tree holding up a portion of the collapsed barn. He lowered himself and screamed her name.

Quickly he dropped down to his stomach and crawled underneath. He felt an arm, slender and sweater-clad.

"Dallis!" he cried, tears of relief in his eyes.

She didn't pull her arm away. Trace quickly felt further and found more of her. He grabbed onto her and pulled. She whimpered, but Trace managed to work her free and gathered her into his arms as tears of relief blurred his vision.

"Dallis," he whispered, clutching her against him.

She moaned.

"Are you alright Dallis?" Trace asked.

She whimpered.

Trace looked over her. She looked alright . . . until he saw that her one lower pant leg was stained with red.

Carefully he lowered her onto her side. He then grabbed her leg and looked at it. It looked to be just a cut, but a significant one.

He needed to stop the bleeding. He didn't have a knife to cut off a sweater sleeve, but then he realised he had something better: his belt.

Whipping it off quickly, he pulled it as tightly as he could and fastened the end like he'd been taught to fasten a horse's cinch at a summer camp he'd been to once. Dallis whimpered.

"You're alright," Trace whispered. "I'll carry you back."

He gathered her into his arms and edged his way toward the open, where the storm was raging, rain sheeting down so thickly he could hardly see the trees that were barely feet away from them.

Pausing a moment, he threw his hood over his head before getting to his feet, with her in his arms, and carried her through the frigid rain, despite the lightning flashing and cracking overhead."