A simple, but seemingly effective, plan circled in her mind. If she could get her hands on a car, she might be able to get Harrison and Tara out to safety. She would still need a diversion to draw as much of the group away as possible. Then, she would simply drive out, get Harrison and Tara in the car, then drive straight out of town and never look back. It seemed simple but she thought it would work. If only she knew where to get a car.
If she could find one, she figured she would place it in neutral and push it until she was close enough. However, that would mean she would need to find a car with the keys already inside. Or, at the very least, finding the car keys in someone's home and then getting it back to the community center all in less than an hour. Seemed impossible. Sasha wished life was more like the movies. Then she would be able to hotwire a car and her plan would go off without a hitch, saving her daughter and her newly formed lover. They'd drive off into the sunrise and the credits would roll, insinuating a happily ever after ending. Reality was hardly ever so forgiving.
The harsh reality was far more uncertain. If they did survive this night, Tara would need years of therapy. She might even develop depression like her dear old mother. And Sasha would do no better. She too would need therapy, more so than she already had. This traumatic event would only help to break down whatever progress she may have made with her condition.
Then there was the sad fact of Sheriff Harrison. Sure, the two of them had shared an intimate moment but that did not guarantee a relationship. They hardly knew anything about each other. For all they knew, their personalities might not be compatible at all. Most likely, the two of them had been brought together by happenstance in light of tragic events. Happy endings never came in real life. At least, not for Sasha.
She realized it was no time for her pessimism to set in and did her best to shake it off. There was still a task at hand and she needed to complete it. For Tara's sake, she needed to make something work. She decided to take it one step at a time.
"First," she whispered to herself. "I need a diversion." She looked around her current surroundings, which was nothing more than a storefront a couple blocks away from the town hall. She thought about lighting the store on fire but had no clue where she would get the fuel to start one, much less a match or lighter.
No, her distraction had to be bigger. A fire could be put out. She needed something that would grab their attention and not let go. Something they couldn't ignore or easily deal with. She racked her brain but couldn't seem to come up with anything. Why couldn't she think of a plan? Her daughter was in danger and she was standing idly by without a single thought to save her. She had never felt more useless and stupid in her life.
As if to prove her wrong, an idea struck her. She was overthinking the situation, as she often did. The town was looking for her. The best distraction was, in fact, herself. Clearly, the town wanted to get their hands on her. They would use every resource available to hunt her down. If she were to make herself seen, they might leave Harrison and Tara less protected. Harrison would be smart enough to know an opening when he saw one. She was sure of it.
It was settled. She would use herself as a distraction to free her daughter. It was only fitting, after all. They had Tara because of Sasha so she had to make it right, even if that meant putting herself in danger.
Silently, yet quickly, she crept towards the town hall. It would only be a matter of time before someone spotted her. Though, she hoped to make her presence known by herself. Luckily, she received her wish. Crouching low behind a parked car in the street, she looked over the decent sized crowd. They murmured and shifted like they were awaiting orders from someone.
Before popping out, she made a mental note of which direction she would run. She didn't know the town all that well but she knew where her home was and the woods behind it. She had hidden there once and she would do it again. That is if the town didn't catch her first.
Without a second further to delay, Sasha sprung from her hiding spot and yelled "Here I am you sons of bitches. Better grab me before I cast a spell over this entire town." After the words left her mouth and hung in the air, she immediately regretted them. Not because of how they would be misconstrued as a false admission of guilt but because of how corny it sounded, even to her own ears. Still, it had been said and now the entire mob had been alerted to her presence. She didn't stick around long enough to see or hear any reactions. Instead, she took off running at a full sprint in the opposite direction.
At first, she thought the plan had failed and no one would come after her. Several seconds went by before she heard the thundering sound of the mob in pursuit. She must have really caught them off guard. I bet they weren’t expecting me to pop out like that she thought. The thought gave her a sense of pride and accomplishment. For once, she may have done
