bamboo doesn't grow in dark spaces. [80K Words / Complete]

chapter thirty-four, part two.

Case flattened into the shadows, tracking Sir as he resumed his patrol of the property. Sir left his line of sight, but he could still hear him—the big, scary, grown-up man voice getting further away as he moved to the other side of the house:

"I know where you are. You're being stupid. You can't hide forever. Come out."

Okay—the coast was as clear as it was going to get now. Kicking through the lattice wasn't going to work. Too loud, too risky. Case rolled back onto his stomach, making another go at digging. Slowly, steadily. Ears perked for Sir's movements, Case scooped out handfuls of dirt, widening the hole he'd already dug.

"I'm going to find you, Casey," Sir said, his tone a threat as much as it was a promise. "And you're gonna be so fucking sorry when I do."

Case kept digging. Digging until his nails were scraping hardened clay.

Sir shot across the front yard. Case froze, deer in the headlights, about to be roadkill. But Sir kept moving, storming up the porch steps and back into the house. Thunderous footsteps shook through the subflooring as Sir roamed the first floor of the house.

This was it—Case's chance for a head start getaway. It'd be a tight squeeze, but it was the best he could do. Arms and shoulders first, he forced himself through the hole. Splintered wood scraped along his flank. Bruised into his hips. The earthy taste of fresh soil filled his nose and mouth.

Almost there . . .

Almost . . .

And . . . he was out!

Case stumbled to his feet, squishy grass cushioning his soles. Chest heaving, he inhaled deep gulpfuls of fresh air. He staggered across the lawn, whirling, disorientated as he tried to take in his surroundings. The brightness, the openness of the world was too large for him, everything blurring into a radiant wash of gray.

"Holy shit," Case gasped, awed by the world, and himself. He'd done it. He'd actually escaped the basement!

Case steadied himself, the environment around him beginning to crystalize. The air was warm and still, holding the sweet-but-sharp aroma of ozone. Storm clouds brewed in the sky. An empty, black road bisected a quiet suburban street. There were dozens of beige, cookie-cutter homes, but no sign of neighbors or other life. He was an alien, crash landed on an empty planet.

He hesitated. All his planning for an escape, and what he'd do when he was home safe . . . But what now? Where did he go, what did he do?

Fight. Flight. Freeze.

Freeze—but only for a second. New survival instincts kicked in, overriding his usual programming: Flight.

Case burst into action, running full sprint down the street. Bitumen cut into his feet, but adrenaline masked the sting. He had no idea where he was going, but that didn't matter. What mattered now was creating as much distance between the basement, between Sir, and himself as possible. The further he ran, the stronger he felt a giddy kind of elation rising inside him. Emotions burst from him, a triumphant cry of cheering, screaming and laughter. Free—Case was finally free.

So was The Hobbit. As Case ran, the book bounced free from his waistband, falling loose and tumbling onto the road to be left behind.

Leave it. It was just a book. He could buy a new one anytime he wanted. Could buy a whole new collection of books, ones that he'd get to choose for himself. He'd gotten Sophie's book out of the basement, fulfilled his unspoken promise to a dead girl. He had to keep running.

He slowed. Doubled back. Unable to abandon something that had brought him so much comfort and peace.

The paperback had landed open-faced on the road, its pages bent. Cade made it halfway to retrieving the book, when the stillness in the air was disturbed by the roar of an engine. A hundred yards away, a shiny black pick-up truck reversed from one of the driveways. The truck swerved, facing Case, paralyzing him with fear. Headlights flipped on, the truck awakening like a yellow-eyed beast that had set its sights on its prey. The engine revved, wheels burning rubber as it shuddered into gear. Black exhaust fumes curled around the beast as it charged toward Case.