Catching the Escapee

Chapter One

“Nice to meet you. Is the hot chocolate all right? Come to think of it, do you even like hot chocolate?” She smiles, “Oh, yes.” Alena takes a sip of the hot cocoa. “Oh, good! Hot drinks are a must for recovery from hypothermia. Hot chocolate is a favorite, but tea works as well. I favor tea over hot chocolate if I am, to be honest. I like to drink Earl Grey.” Azazel pauses for the moment. “Oh, is the soup ok as well?”

“Yes. Sorry, I’m not hungry, though.”

“No worries. I can just save it for another time. I'll put away the sweet bread as well.” He gets up, takes the plates containing the food, and rushes to the kitchen to preserve them. Azazel shouts to Alena, “How's the fire? Does it need more wood?”

“I think it is fine.” Azazel returns to the living room. “Ok, good. It wouldn't be a problem to add wood to the fire. I have a decent stack. I would chop wood every week. It's great for muscle development and endurance.” Alena finally returns her attention to Azazel, “Why do you live so far away from the city?”

“I wanted to get away from the city for a change in scenery.” She laughs softly, “So you choose the only place to rival Russia for the lowest temperature?”

“Well, now that you mention it, this place is practically a gulag. I work hard in the cold weather, and I use crude tools. The only differences are that I use safety equipment, and I feed myself quality food.” Azazel lets out a hearty laugh. Alenas’ smile wavers as she begins to wonder how far did she go when she was running. It wasn’t snowing back in Colorado. Azazel notices the fading smile. “What's the matter?” He asks out of concern and slight confusion. “Could you tell me where we are?”

“We are in the outskirts of Foremost. It's a little town in Alberta.” Her eyes widen as she begins to get lost in thought, ‘How could I have missed my target by that far?’ He takes notice of the look of fear on her face. "What's the matter?" She meets his gaze, “Oh, um.” Alena is not sure how to explain her current problem since it just seems to be adding up to more trouble. “I’m guessing you're not comfortable telling me what's going on in your life. I understand-we are strangers to each other.”

“Colorado is not near Canada, so either I am missing time or... I’m still working on what else could’ve happened.”

“You mean to tell me that people are chasing you out of the United States with no cold-weather gear?! Holy crap! Where's your car? Your wallet and ID?” Alena falls silent, now taking a moment to remember she’d left her bag at home. Azazel rubs his face and shakes his head out of sympathy. He takes a deep breath. “You have no money, gear, papers, or a car.” He takes a seat and begins to brainstorm for ideas. He thinks to himself. 'Oh man, this girl is screwed.'

“Did I also mention I’m not a native US citizen?” Azazel looks at Alena with a shocked look on her face. “I think I am going to cry for you. How in the heck did you end up with such bad luck‽” She sighs, “My brother.”

“Right. You told me your brother passed away, and people were chasing you the next day. Hang on. How did you end up here in Canada? I don't think you drove here.” Alena looks away, “Still working that part out for myself as well...”

“You have no idea?" Azazel pauses for a moment. “If my deduction is correct, you enter into unconsciousness, and they smuggled you into Canada. You woke up later and escaped.” Still looking away now over at the fire, “I guess so.” Azazel's curiosity sparked when Alena turned away from him. 'Now, why would she look away from me? Is she still trying to recollect memories or hiding more details from me? If there are more details, it will make sense for her to hide them. I am just a stranger to her. However, she was just unconscious, so I wonder....' Azazel asks Alena. “How's your head? Do you think you might have a bump?”

“I have a slight headache, but I’m pretty sure it's from being thawed out after the ice age.”

"Well, do you remember seeing anything before being frozen?"

“Just that I was being chased.”

"Hmm. Did you get to see a face? Any characteristics that stand out? How dangerous were they? They could be simple-minded thugs or lethal hunters." Her face turns slightly pale, “Sorry, I didn’t get a good look at them. By their voices, though, I could tell I’ve never met them before, but there was something about what they said as they ran past where I was hiding.”

"What did they say?"

“If we don’t find her soon, he is going to have us reassigned to the Ice. No one comes back from that.”

"Ok. It seems that the chasers are under the employment of someone with power and connections. So, why would this person want you?" She shrugs, “I told you I don’t know.”

"Ok, we will put a pin on that. Anything else you think you need to tell me?"

“No.” She shifts how she was sitting. "Ok. Now, I don't suppose that you have a plan, do you? Does it involve returning to the US?"

“I’m sure there is a way once I speak with the police.”

"Hmm. If you were to tell the police that you ran from kidnappers, they wouldn't care about your missing papers. You have to persuade them to take your story."

“Well, I’ve heard Canadians are nice, so here’s to hoping.”

"We are fairly nice. Ok, then! I suggest we get some rest and go to the police tomorrow. The snow is too thick outside."

“Alright.”

"I have a spare guest room. It has a queen-sized bed and a bathroom. It's on the second floor, first door on the left.” Alena looks slightly confused, “The second floor?”

"Exit through the other side of the living room, and you'll find a flight of stairs on your right."

“Oh!” Alena gets up and walks across the living room, finding the staircase that Azazel had mentioned. "Let me know if you need anything!" Azazel shouts from the other side of the living room. Alena gets upstairs and heads into the guest room. She carefully examines the rooms’ layout. Finding a window, she walks over and looks out. The snow was indeed still pretty thick. She checked the lock on the window to see if it was secured correctly. Since it wasn’t going to open without some serious force behind it, she sat down on the bed. She already knew she wouldn’t be getting any sleep. The only thing Alena was regretting was not grabbing her phone before leaving because at least then she could call. She sighed, hoping the snow would let up soon, then an exit strategy would be more plausible.

Azazel grabs a seat next to the fire. He stares at the fire and begins to reflect on the event and the data he collected from his observations and conversation with Alena. About two hours had passed before the snow finally started to let up. Alena springs up, attempting to open the window. It opens with some effort. She climbs out onto the roofs' ledge carefully. The snow may have slowed down, but the ice that lays hidden under the snow has not begun to melt. With swift movements, she jumps off the roof, landing safely on the ground. Alena had given it some thought as to where she would go from here. Her best bet was to get to the border, and then she could get home. Azazel's eyes begin to droop. He mutters to himself before falling asleep. "Hmmm. I suppose a cat nap wouldn't hurt. I'll check on Alena later." By now, Alena was almost at the border; she was feeling a bit more confident about her plan. Azazel jolts from his chair, awake. He looks around the living room for the clock. "Two hours. I better go check on the guest." Azazel makes his way to the guest bedroom; he knocks on the door. "Alena? Are you doing, ok?" He hears no answer. However, he hears the wind blowing. "Hmmm."

Azazel opens the door and finds the open window. Without hesitation, he checks his pockets for house and car keys and sprints to his truck. Before he exits the porch, Azazel spots footprints on the snow. "Way to give yourself away." He sprints to his vehicle, ignites the vehicle, and follows the footprints. Alena stops a few feet away from the border and scopes out the area beyond. Closing her eyes as the world around her drifts away and reappears. She opens her eyes, “Now I just need to make it back to Colorado and collect my things.” She continues making her way to the closest city, now being on the other side safely. Hot on Alena's trail, Azazel sees the border from a distance. "Unbelievable." He drives to the nearest road to get to the border entrance. Once there, he opens the glove compartment to retrieve his passport and presents it to the border patrol. The gates open, and Azazel continues his chase. He spots Alena running towards the nearest city; the truck passes her and stops in front of her. "What the heck are you thinking?" Azazel shouts at Alena as he exits the truck. Alena stops, not expecting that Azazel to follow her, let alone find her. She chooses to alter her course and picks up her speed. Closing her eyes, willing the world to shift and allow her to disappear but only for a moment. The cold had finally gotten to her as she stops. Not having the strength to attempt that jump again. Azazel sighs heavily and shakes his head. He gives her an irritated look. "I'm sure there's a hotel in that city. We will go in, sleep in there for the night, and resume your little adventure. We are already in the US. I might as well continue to help as I promised." Azazel offers her his hand to escort her to the truck. Alena hesitantly takes his hand, “Thank you.” Azazel escorts her to the truck. "I'm mad at you for sure, but I'm not going to hurt you. Come on. Let's get you to the hotel ASAP. You've suffered enough."