Bound to You

“Ma’am, are you alright?” A woman asked Leana thoughtfully as she was walking past a shop. She had no idea how far she’d walked, she just knew that she needed to keep going. She had decided to ditch the phone; there were too many risks in keeping it. She had no doubt that Sean had trackers in it, or perhaps a way to tap into any phone number dialed from the phone. She was on her own. She looked at the woman, taking in her looks before she decided to answer. She was a plump woman, a few inches taller than Leana’s height. Silver curls adorned her head, giving off the impression that she could portray Mrs. Claus at Christmastime. She seemed innocent enough, so she decided to reply.

“Can you tell me where I’m at?” She asked politely. The woman’s face went from concerned to friendly in an instant, and Leana couldn’t help but be a little bit suspicious. It had been so long since she’d been in the ‘real world,’ as she called it, that she couldn’t remember how to function in a manner they deemed normal.

“Jamesburg, Illinois.” The woman told her. “Are you looking for anyone in particular? I know just about everyone in this town.”

Leana shook her head. It was best to keep walking. At least now she knew where she was; she could figure out a plan from here. All she needed was a clean phone that she knew couldn’t be traced, and she could get in contact with Zack and the others. And Jimmy. Her heart broke a little as she thought about her mate. How must he be feeling, thinking that she was still being kept hostage in Sean’s hands? She only hoped the others could keep him there long enough for her to let him know she was okay.

“No, thank you.” She told the woman before turning her head.

“Can I at least give you a change of clothes, dear?” The woman asked, causing Leana to turn her head again. Only then did she notice how rough she must look to this woman; with scabs, scrapes, and scratches covering her body, torn clothing, and lack of shoes, the woman no doubt thought she was a homeless transient. Leana frowned at the thought, though decided against telling the woman anything of her life. If she was innocent, anything she knew could endanger her life. It was best if this woman thought Leana was destitute.

“Thank you again, but no.” Leana gave her a slight smile. “I’ve intruded on your kindness for long enough.”

With that, Leana began walking away again, not turning her head as she left the woman’s front walkway. She couldn’t deny that her feet were beginning to get sore; walking on the rough gravel of the country roads was painful. But she would deal with it for as long as she had to. It was nothing compared to what she knew Sean would do to them all if she didn’t reach them in time.

If she was in Illinois, she was at least half a country away from wherever Zack was keeping everyone. The last time she’d checked, the Complex had been located in Phoenix, Arizona. Zack had chosen it as an ideal location; it was close enough to Bat Country that it could still be managed, and far away enough from Bat Country that the citizens would be kept safe if a situation such as this ever arose. Bat Country would not be targeted; not if their enemy—Sean, in this case—had even the slightest thought that Avenged Sevenfold was not there. It was a coveted nation, one that many rebels such as Sean had attempted to take over. None had ever succeeded, of course, but that was besides the point. Select few people knew of the secret Complex. If you were allowed in, you were not allowed to leave until the threat was deemed over.

Leana paused outside a convenience store, a plan coming to mind. She couldn’t trust any phone line to connect to Zack; even if she did dial from a clean phone, there was no guarantee that Sean didn’t somehow have someone tracking her. She fingered the jackknife in her pocket delicately. She would have to find another way to let them know she was alright without calling them. She looked through the window and felt slightly guilty for what she was about to do, but pushed that aside.

People in her situation had no room for guilt. It was kill or be killed, and Leana had no intention of dying any time soon. She flipped the knife open and walked into the convenience store, making sure that the security camera caught a frame of her face before she walked over to the counter.

“Can I help y—” The woman at the till asked her, cutting herself off when she saw the jackknife in Leana’s throat. Leana narrowed her eyes at the woman before nodding her head in the till’s direction.

“I want you to put whatever cash is in there in a bag, okay? If you do that, I promise I won’t have to hurt you.” She told the woman, keeping her voice low in case there were other customers in the convenience store. The woman nodded shakily before opening the till, throwing the cash into one of the plastic bags before sliding it across the counter at Leana.

She took the bag and pretended to inspect it before shaking her head, looking back at the woman.

“I know there’s more money in that till.” She said, holding the knife so that it glinted slightly in the fleurescent lighting of the store. “Put it in the bag, lady. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”

“I-I swear, th-that’s everything.” The woman said, her voice breaking in fear as she met Leana’s gaze. “I w-won’t tell anyone y-you did this. J-just please, t-take it.”

Leana closed her eyes before opening them again. She felt she’d made the robbery look realistic enough. She grabbed the bag and mouthed ‘thank you’ to the woman before walking out the door. She knew she didn’t have long before the police would show up; no doubt the woman was already on the phone, taking the tape out of the security camera. She looked around for a place to hide before groaning when she realized there was no reasonable place she could hide out. Even small town policemen would be able to search this area.

She ran over to the street and started waving her arm, hoping someone would stop. Sure enough, someone did and she opened the driver’s side door, throwing the driver out before slamming the door shut and locking it, speeding away. She felt bad that she’d just stolen the man’s car, as well as whatever money that the woman had put into the till, but it couldn’t be helped.

Getting her face on TV as a wanted criminal was the only way she was going to be able to get Zacky’s attention without putting him in danger.