Three Miles: Part 2

A while back, I posted Part 1 of the novella, Three Miles: When a Dream Vacation Goes Terribly Wrong, Who Can You Trust? It’s been a while, so you may want to go back and re-read it first.

Part 1

After 15 minutes of hurrying through the darkness, they were about to emerge on a major street, Agia Asomaton.  Max stopped before going out toward the street.

“I want to see if we can find out what’s going on,” she said quietly.  Ellen leaned against a building and took off her shoes, rubbing her aching feet. Max went back to Google News to search for updated information.

“We can’t go back to the hotel,” she told the group. “There are even more protestors there. And buildings are on fire.”

What do we do?” asked Ellen.

“We have to get to the US Embassy,” Max replied. “I can’t think of a better option.”

“How far away is that?” Robert’s normally red face looked even more so than usual, even in the darkness.

Max put the address in the navigation app. “It’s three miles.”

Will said confidently, “Three miles? No problem. We’ve got this.”

Max dropped her backpack to the ground.  “I got a few supplies.”  She handed out hoodies to the women. “This will help disguise your shape. You don’t want to draw attention.”

The women donned the sweatshirts solemnly.  “Do you guys have sunglasses?”

“Why would we need sunglasses?” Will asked. “It’s dark out.”

“There’s a possibility of smoke bombs, fire, even tear gas. Sunglasses aren’t much but they’ll help protect your eyes a little,” Max replied. She unfolded her knife and cut the scarves longways through the middle. “This will help protect your airways,” she said as she handed out strips of scarves to everyone.

“How do you know all this?” Robert asked. “What are you, some kind of ninja survivalist?” He looked at Ellen, hoping for approval of his mockery. For once, Ellen had the good sense to ignore him.

“I read a lot,” said Max, dismissing his scorn. “We need to stay away from the busier streets, and we need to stay away from people. Everyone is worked up. Nobody is our friend.” She looked dubiously at Ellen’s pumps. They were obviously expensive, made from soft-looking leather and designed with elegantly pointed toes and statuesque heels. “Are you going to be okay in those shoes?”

Ellen nodded, “I’ll live.”

“Damn right you will,” said Max, appreciating Ellen’s resilience. Her overall level of fitness would help a lot, despite her inappropriate footwear. “Okay.  I want you to stay as close to the buildings as possible. When you have to cross a street or a place with no buildings, I want you to make a run for it. Our goal is to be silent and invisible. Got it?”

Everyone nodded. It looked like Max was the leader of this pack whether she wanted to be or not. Nobody else seemed to have any kind of survival skills whatsoever. “We’re going to cross this street one at a time and head right. I’m going first to check things out. Then I’ll flash my phone light at you twice and the next person can go. We’ll wait in that alley away from the streetlight.”

“Okay, now we’re going right. Who feels comfortable bringing up the rear? Do any of you have military training?”  She looked at all the blank faces. She was on her own here.  It was going to be a long night.

“I’ll do it,” Rob volunteered reluctantly. “I used to play football.”

Max mentally congratulated herself. Called it, she thought.

“Okay – single file, as quiet as you can. Hustle across the open spaces.”

That’s how they began the three-mile journey to the embassy. One by one, silent and invisible.

Chapter 5

Max took a careful look around. The street appeared to be deserted. She dashed to a dumpster, took another look around, then ran across the street. She pinned herself flat against a building and poked her head around the corner to look in the alley – it was pitch black.  She cupped her hand over the light on her phone, switched in on for a quick second. Then, satisfied that it was relatively empty, she melted into the darkness of the alley.

She flashed her light 2 times. Joan was going next. She wasn’t fast, but she was careful as she followed in Max’s footsteps. She was a little bit out of breath when she made it across. Max wasn’t sure if it was nerves, the running, or all of the above.  She patted the older woman on the arm. “Good job,” she whispered.

Ellen removed her high heels and dashed across barefoot, wincing when she stepped on something sharp. This was going to be an issue. Walking 3 miles in bare, neatly pedicured feet was going to be miserable.

She pulled off one sneaker and peeled off her sock. Then she put her shoe back on and repeated the exercise with the other foot. She handed her socks to Ellen. “It’s not much protection, but it’s better than nothing.”

Ellen looked at Max’s slightly sweaty socks with distaste but was smart enough to accept the offer without comment.

Max watched as one-by-one, they scurried across the street. Athens, a city that was usually bustling night and day, was eerily bereft of traffic at the moment.

When they’d made it across, she pulled out her map and used the flashlight on her phone for a moment. She memorized the route she wanted to take, put her map back into her backpack, and put it on her back.

“Okay, that was awesome. You guys have the hang of how we’re going to do this now, right?” she asked quietly in the darkness.

A chorus of quiet yesses were her answer. The group was far more subdued as the reality of their situation began to sink in.

“We’re going down this street in single file. Stay as close to the buildings as you can so you’re less noticeable,” she told them.

Max led the way. They made it two blocks before she halted in her tracks. Joan, who was right behind her, bumped into her.  Max held up her hand in a stop gesture.

She turned to whisper, “I hear something ahead. We’re going into the next alley, then we need to check this out. Stay quiet.”

The group continued to hug the buildings until a small, recessed doorway appeared. Max waved them in.  They huddled together in the doorway.  “Okay, something is going on up there. We need information before we continue.”

Will asked, “Do you want me to go take a look while you guys wait here?”

Max was surprised. She’d never imagined Will to be a guy who would put himself in harm’s way. “Yeah, if you’re okay with that. I’ll stay here. If for some reason you come back and we aren’t here, go back to the last alley and we’ll wait for you there for 20 minutes,” she said. “If it takes longer than that, we have to continue on a different route.”

Will nodded. “I’ll be back soon.” He took off at a jog.

Ellen sat down, rubbing her feet. They had to be killing her, Max thought.  She pulled water bottles out of her backpack and offered them to her little crew.

The group sat quietly, whispering in hushed voices about the next step and resting in the darkness.

“Shhh!” Max hissed when she heard footsteps approaching the alley in which they were ensconced. Everyone froze, stiffening in silence, barely breathing. Max could hear her pulse pounding in her ears and wondered if the others could hear it too, like the throbbing tell-tale heart in Poe’s story of the same name. She held her breath, hoping to silence the booming noise that made her deaf to everything else.

When Will appeared in the entrance to the alley, they simultaneously exhaled in a whoosh. Max almost wanted to hug him for the first time in their entire acquaintance. Almost. “What’s going on? What did you learn?” she demanded.

“It’s another fight between police and protestors. The entire square ahead of us is full of people fighting,” Will informed her.

“Okay,” Max mused. “We need to reroute, then, and avoid that area.” She pulled a map out of her backpack and used the small LED flashlight on her keychain so she could see. She quickly recreated the route to the embassy, avoiding the square ahead…

When suddenly a spotlight shone down the alley where they were hidden no more.

The story continues here…

If you want to read about the rest of Max’s escape from Athens, name your price for the novella here.