With a look back over his shoulder, Samuel saw that around ten people had given chase and there were others further back in the distance probably considering whether it was a fight they were interested in joining or not. Devon and Eric were nowhere to be seen. Samuel was still baffled about why Devon had given away their location. They had almost been home free, just another couple of minutes and they could’ve said their goodbyes and gone their separate ways.
“Turn right!” Samuel shouted forward to Austin, directing him toward his apartment building. Austin glanced back at Samuel and saw the older man was struggling to keep up, but also noticed the mob that was chasing them and so didn’t slow his pace. Still he took the next right when he reached it, running for his life and not really caring where the route took him.
Samuel knew he needed to dig deep if he was going to keep up with Austin and get the pair of them into his apartment building unseen. It wasn’t like the people who were chasing him were athletes. All he had to do was stay just far enough ahead of them to be safe. With his life on the line, that wasn’t too much of an ask.
He gritted his teeth and kicked on, pumping his arms a little faster and willing his legs to do the same. Samuel closed the gap between him and Austin. “My apartment,” he panted, just loud enough for Austin to hear, who thankfully slowed just enough for Samuel to catch him and run alongside the man. “It’s not far. If we can make it,” he paused and gasped for breath, learning how difficult it was to run and hold a conversation at the same time.
“Got it,” Austin replied. “Which way.”
“Next left.” Samuel managed to say, before going back to concentrating all his efforts on running. He didn’t dare look back over his shoulder to see how many people were still chasing them. The sound of their boots hitting the ground was enough to keep him going; his apartment building was barely a five-minute walk away now, at their pace, Samuel hoped they could make it in one.
“Which building?” Austin asked as he took the left turn, Samuel having dropped slightly behind him again but still within earshot. They had perhaps a ninety second lead on the first of their pursuers, which Austin estimated was just long enough to get off the street without being noticed. So long as the building they were heading for wasn’t at the other end. As Samuel veered off the road and towards one in particular, Austin heaved a sigh of relief. They were there. Now they just had to make it inside.
Fumbling in his pocket, Samuel pulled out his keys and quickly tried to insert the correct one in the lock. His heart was hammering away like a hummingbird’s, his breath caught up in his chest as Samuel struggled to fill his lungs, all his attention focused on getting the door open and getting inside. No one had caught up with them yet, but it was only a matter of time before they were spotted.
“Yes!” Samuel couldn’t stop himself from exclaiming with joy as he turned the key and the door clicked open, tugging it toward him with such force that it shuddered at the hinges. He and Austin rushed in just in time, closing the door and both standing as still as they could manage behind it, the leaders of the chase group appearing around the corner. Samuel held his breath. He worried that they would hear his heart slamming into his ribcage or that they had seen the door of his apartment building close. There was one tiny window in the door which he made sure neither of them was visible through, listening carefully for any approaching footsteps.
The two men remained frozen in place for a number of minutes, allowing their pursuers to pass by, yet to realize that the people they were chasing had vanished. They stood so close to each other that Samuel could feel Austin’s breath on his cheek, both frightened that any movement would give away their location. Samuel wasn’t willing to use the elevator after their climb down the shaft in the Trident building and knew there were windows in the stairwell. Until he was absolutely sure that they wouldn’t be spotted, he intended to stay precisely where he was.
“I think we’re okay now,” Austin whispered some ten minutes later. They hadn’t heard anyone run past in some time and while a few shouts of confusion had carried down the street, most people seemed to have given up any hope of finding them. “What do you think?”
Samuel stayed quiet a few seconds longer, still frightened to speak. It wasn’t Austin they were looking for, he needed to be extra careful that he wasn’t going to be caught. It was ironic that after everything Samuel had done, with his intentions always being to find out the truth and share it with the public for their benefit, that he had ended up being hated for those very actions. It was a sad trait of humanity, that they often wanted something so much, they didn’t realize how hard it was going to be when that thing was given to them. Samuel wished he’d never answered the call from Trident, or even gone looking for them again in the first place. He had been safe for a time in his apartment and he should’ve stayed there – leaving was a mistake that he didn’t plan on making twice.
“Yeah, okay,” he replied to Austin eventually, waiting another minute before daring to open his mouth. “I’m on the third floor.”
The two of them walked slowly up the stairs, both checking out of each window before passing by. Samuel was scared that at
