SHELLEY’S POV
She snapped her eyes open and was met by pairs of worried eyes looking down at her.
“Are you okay?” An elderly woman asked.
“I don’t think I am,” she replied as she attempted to stand up but felt her head splitting into two.
“Easy, take it easy,” the woman said, helping her up.
“Where am I?” She asked, finally taking in her surroundings.
“You are in our house,” the woman replied.
“I mean, what is this place called?”
“Vancouver, but you are in Squamish.” The woman replied.
“Squamish?” She gasped. That was like the outskirt of town. What had Rachel done?
“You were found in a sleeping bag, almost dead.”
Rachel, that bitch! She had stuffed her in a common sleeping bag. She had obviously thought she was dead.
“Did you find my phone?”
“No, we didn’t. You shouldn’t be bothering about a phone. You narrowly escaped death.” An old man, presumably the woman’s husband, admonished.
“That’s right, my dear.” The woman concurred.
Just then, a young teenage girl walked into the room with a tray. A steaming bowl of soup was in it.
“The soup will help you feel better. And here is an aspirin for your migraine. That’s all we can afford. My husband cleaned the wound himself, but you should visit the hospital so it doesn’t get infected.” The woman said.
“Thank you so much. Can I get a tooth brush and maybe have my bath too and change clothes?” She asked, gesturing to her blood stained clothes.
“Of course,” the woman replied and turned to her daughter. “Amelia, lead her to the bathroom.”
Shelley stood up and followed the girl to the local bathroom. She was provided with a toothbrush, fresh clothes and underwear. She was reluctant about the underwear, and the woman’s daughter must have noticed because she spoke up. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about the underwear. They have never been worn by anyone. They are new,” she sat, offering Shelley a reassuring smile.
The girl excused herself and she immediately stripped off her clothes and began to clean up. After she was done, she walked back to the room and had the soup and aspirin. Afterward, she felt relieved and better.
Now, it was time to make up her mind on her next line of action. Rachel was going to pay for what she did to her and she would make sure of it. There, she made up her mind to leave as soon as it was noon.
As soon as it was noon, she informed the old couple of her Intention to leave.
“I appreciate your help greatly and wish I could pay you back immediately, but I guess I can’t but I will never forget this great act of kindness. I have to leave because I have some unfinished business to attend to,” she explained.
“That’s alright. We don’t expect anything from you. We are glad we could help,” the woman said.
“Here, we know you have nothing on you. This money will help you get back to town. That’s the least we could do,” the man said, offering her some money.
She was almost moved to tears by their kindness. She took the money and thanked them profusely. She bid them goodbye and their daughter led her to the bus stop where she could get a cab going to town.
As the car drove, she couldn’t help but ponder on the events of the previous day. Who would have thought that Rachel Sparks would attempt to kill her?
She got home and immediately went in search of her old phone. She found it in her drawer and she took it out and turned it on. Fortunately, Rachel’s number was still in it.
Changing into something more befitting before hurrying out. The police precinct was her destination. As the car stopped in front of the precinct, she alighted and pulled out the phone and dialed a number.
“Who is it?” Rachel’s voice sounded when she picked up.
“Your nemesis,” Shelley replied.
“She…Shelley?” She called after a momentary silence.
“I’m glad you can still recognize my voice, traitor. You thought I was dead, right? Fortunately, I survived your evil plan. Get ready, because the police will soon get to you,” and with that, she ended the call.
Inhaling sharply, she hesitated for a moment and with determined strides, she walked into the precinct.
RACHEL’S POV
Her hands immediately became jittery as Shelley ended the call. Was that really Shelley or she was beginning to hear things? But, she made sure she ruined her phone before burning it together with the clothes.
Her heart was skidding at a very high speed and she got scared she might develop a heart attack. Nemesis had finally caught up with her. She knew Shelley was not bluffing and had probably reported to the police.
Hurriedly, she got hold of a medium sized traveling bag began shoving clothes and shoes inside. After she was done, she got dressed in an all black hoodie and sneakers. She picked up her car keys and walked to the drawer to pick all her credit cards
Ready, she skidded down the stairs. She can’t afford to be caught by the police. She got to her car and flung the bag on the passenger seat. She got in, and as the car engine purred to life, she drove out in high speed.
As she drove, her hands shook on the steering wheel, her mind racing with thoughts of being caught. The panic inside her intensified with every passing mile. She couldn’t bear the thought of facing the consequences of her actions, not after all she had done to cover her tracks.
Her eyes darted every now and then to the rearview mirror countless times, paranoia creeping in with each passing car. Every siren wail in the distance sent her heart leaping into her throat.
As she pressed harder on the accelerator, her mind raced with scenarios of how the police could be looking for her at the moment. She couldn’t afford to be reckless and make any mistake.
Pulling into a gas station, she found herself panting, unable to control her racing breaths. Her eyes darted around, searching for any signs of suspicion or unwanted attention.
Pulling her baseball cap lower on her face, she spoke to the attendant and told him the worth of gas she wanted to buy.
He attended to her, and she got set to get back on her escape journey. The car engine roared to life as she sped away. Her destination was Richmond DC Because the city shared border’s with the United States and Vancouver’s international airport was located there too. She would lodge in a hotel and leave for the USA the next morning.
Finally arriving in Richmond DC, her eyes scanned the unfamiliar streets for a suitable hotel to pass the night. Spotting a modest one, she pulled into the parking lot, her heart pounding in her chest. Gathering her bag, she stepped out of the car and walked through the entrance.
After booking a room and in the privacy of the room, she collapsed onto the bed, her body exhausted from the long drive. She looked up at the wall clock and realized it was 12:00 AM in the morning.
She would sleep tonight and Continue her journey the next day to Washington.