Chapter 2 Adam

• …
• I ran to the almost abandoned house I saw and hid behind the counter. They were closing on me. I had to lose them first.
• I had been running for almost a year. I could stay in a place for a few days and then take off because Cliff had never given up. It seemed like he sent more men after me every day.
• Suddenly, a small hand grabbed me. At first, I was so scared that I almost passed out. I thought I had been caught.
• But then I saw a small boy. He looked very innocent but scared.
• He put his finger on his lips to tell me to be quiet. Then he held my hand and guided me to the next room.
• We tried to be as quiet as possible, even though I didn't understand what he was doing in such a place.
• He pulled off a mat from the floor, revealing a trap door. I was shocked, yet happy at the same time.
• We carefully got to the basement and closed the door. It was then that I took a careful look at the little boy.
• “Are you hiding from someone too?” I asked.
• He was silent for a while before nodding. “They will kill me if they find me,” he said in his childish voice.
• At first, I thought he was just kidding. “Where are your parents?” I asked, changing the question.
• The little boy took in a deep breath. “They killed my mom,” he said. “Now I have to run or they'll kill me too.”
• I creased my brows. He didn't seem to be joking. “Who killed her?”
• “The bad guys,” the child replied. “But now they know that I'm here.”
• I felt sad for him. He looked like he wanted to cry. “Where are you going?”
• “I'm looking for my dad. Mommy said that daddy is powerful and will keep me safe,” he said, and a tear fell from his eyes.
• I sighed again and helped him wipe away his tears. I always thought that I was the only one with a lot of trouble. But now, I felt so bad for the boy.
• “Where is your daddy?”
• I finally asked. The boy hung his head.
• “I don't know,” he said. “Mommy said that he went to the academy and that he would come back for us one day. But now mommy is gone. If I don't find him, I'll die too.”
• I pulled him into my hands and hugged him. I was never fond of kids, but just for some reason, I wanted to comfort this one.
• He just didn't know it. The academy thing was what mothers used for runaway dads. The child's father either didn't know that he existed or didn't want anything to do with him.
• “Do you know your dad's name?” I asked. Maybe I could help him once I had settled down.
• He shook his head. “I don't know,” he replied. “But I have his picture. I'll know him when I see him.”
• He was about to take out a picture when we heard footsteps upstairs. We went quiet.
• “I saw you, little boy. Come out now!” A man shouted in a scary voice. I even shuddered.
• The boy covered his mouth and remained quiet. But I could feel him shivering. He was very scared.
• “If you don't come out now, I'm going to burn this place down! “The man continued speaking.
• I looked around the room nervously. I was scared of fire after my dad and brother burned to ashes. I didn't want to experience the same again.
• “Let's forget about what happened to your mom, okay? She deserved it. If you are a good boy, you won't have the same fate as her,” the man continued speaking as he walked up and down.
• I confirmed that what the boy was saying was true. The man had killed his mom.
• “Put it on fire,” losing his temper, the man said. “Cover all entrances to make sure nothing gets out alive.”
• My brain started working so fast. I looked around in, contemplating whether to show myself or stay hidden. I didn't want to die.
• But then, I noticed something. On one end of the room, there was something like a door.
• I slowly and quietly walked towards it. And when I pushed it, it opened. It was a door leading to an underground tunnel.
• “Hey,” I whispered. “Come on. We have to get out of here.”
• The tunnel was so long. We didn't even know where it led. But it was better than being burnt alive.
• “What's your name,” I finally asked the boy. He was walking quietly beside me, hugging his backpack tightly.
• “Adam,” he replied.
• I nodded in understanding. “That's a nice name. I'm Kelly.”
• Adam nodded. He seemed more mature than most kids his age. Even with everything that was happening to him, he still dared to keep going.
• “Where are you planning to go, Adam?” I asked after thinking for a while. It was hard running without knowing your destination. I was in that situation at the moment.
• Adam shook his head. “I don't know.”
• We were silent for so long until we reached the end of the tunnel. I opened the other end, and we were almost blinded by the light.
• After making sure that the coast was clear, I got out and helped Adam out too. He looked at me anxiously. “Where are you going?”
• I was silent for a second too as I stared at the smoke in the distance. The men had set the house on fire. I didn't understand why anyone would be that heartless.
• I felt so emotional at that time. “I don't know either, Adam. I'm just running from them, like you.”
• I knew that it was useless to share my problems with a kid who had his share. But it somehow felt better. I hadn't talked to anyone for a long time.
• Adam took some water from his bag and gave it to me. “You look thirsty. Have some,” he said.
• I hesitated for a second before drinking a few mouthfuls. I was thirsty. “Why don't we stick together? I will help you find your dad once we are safe,” I said.
• I knew that he was going to slow me down, but I couldn't leave him behind. I swore to protect him.
• “Okay,” Adam immediately nodded his head. He seemed relieved to hear that.
• “Let's go, then,” I said and held his arm. I felt determined again.
• But just when I turned around, I saw someone I least wanted to see at that time. “Luke,” I called in fear.
• Luke was one of Cliff's men. However, he was my friend for the short period that I had stayed there.
• He stared at me calmly, and I even felt more terrified. “You have to let me go, please. I didn't mean to hurt him…”
• “Go this way,” Luke said and pointed in a certain direction. “I'll divert them.”
• “Thanks,” I said. I knew he had a lot of words to say to me, but we didn't have the time. “I'll owe you, Luke.”
• I held Adam's hand and we ran again, in the direction that he had told us. Not long after, we saw a secluded compound.
• I held Adam's hand and led him over. That could act as our hideout for a while.
• However, something happened. We jumped over the fence and a wire cut Adam's leg. He was bleeding a lot.
• We rushed to the first house we saw. We found an old couple. “Please, you have to help us,” I begged.
• Luckily, after explaining to them our situation, they seemed to understand. They were good people.
• I dressed Adam's wound and the couple gave us some more water and food.
• “Thanks so much,” I said. “We have to keep going. “
• The elderly woman looked at me and then back at Adam. “He is not in good shape,” she said. “Why don't you leave him here and find whatever you are looking for? We can hide him well and say that he is our grandson. “
• I looked at Adam again and I felt sad. “It'll be dangerous for you…”
• “Don't worry about us,” the old man said. “We'll try to keep the kid safe. You can move faster that way. “
• What they said made sense. Adam needed to rest. It wasn't good to keep him running.
• However, he looked hesitant. I leaned down and looked at him. “Adam, I promise to come back for you. We'll find your dad together. Let me find some help for us first, okay?”
• “Promise?” He asked, his eyes red with tears. We had gotten close over the last few weeks. I knew that he looked up to me.
• “I promise,” I said and wrote down the couple's contact information. “Just stay here and be good. I'll come back for you.”
• After we agreed, I packed just a few of the things the couple gave me and left.
• I wished I could stay too. That would mean no more running. But it would be difficult for them to explain the presence of two people.
• At least for Adam, they could just say that he was their grandson. I didn't want to risk their life and maybe make them lose their home.
• I didn't know that I was walking straight into Cliff's traps.