Novel Square
39
Ayla
I slow down once I’ve put some distance between myself and the beach house. Riding an ATV naked is quite the experience. I stop on the beach, still buzzed with excitement. I fucking love that I got away. That was so much fun.
I’ve covered enough distance that I know Alessio can’t be here anytime soon. I pace the beach, staying in range of the quad. If I drive it, the sound of the motor will give away my location.
Having a vehicle makes the experience of being prey very different. The things I need to consider have changed: now I am much, much more mobile, but it comes at the cost of making a loud noise. Overall, my situation is definitely better, but theknowledge that using the ATV tells Alessio where I am is a little bit nerve-racking.
I see something in the distance, all the way down the beach. Is that him? I can’t tell. It could be a rock, or even a tree. Is it coming toward me? I glance behind me at the quad. How long would it take to run back to it if I needed to?
A rustling. I spin around, facing the trees. Just the wind. Just the wind. Dammit. I jog back to the quad. My gut is telling me to change locations.
***
Alessio
In the distance, the ATV’s motor rumbles. I do one more pass through the house, looking for my phone, but I know in my heart that Ayla took it. And as goddamn frustrated as that makes me, I have to admit there’s also a grudging respect. That was a smart move. Not only did she get away and take my vehicle, but she stole the device that allows me to control it remotely. She made it a lot harder for me to stack the deck.
She’s going to get punished for this. Thoroughly. But apparently, my wife is made of stronger stuff than I thought. That realization is a pleasing one. It makes me less concerned for her safety, knowing she can take care of herself.
Not to mention, it will be even more satisfying when I catch her and make her submit to me all over again.
The backpack by the door is missing. I didn’t notice it in the rush of watching her escape, but she must have taken it with her. My first thought is that I’m glad she has the flare gun in case anything happens.
My second thought is the sAylage realization that I now have another way of turning things in my favor.
I go upstairs and get my computer. Pulling up the video feed for the backpack camera, I see trees rushing by as she rides the quad. I watch her until she stops, scanning the area around her for a landmark that I recognize.
My tablet is charging next to me. The first thing I did after she escaped was plug it in. It was at 0% battery then, now it’s at 12%. Not great, but hopefully, enough. I power it on and run the app that connects to the quad bike.
For safety reasons, I can’t kill the motor while she’s driving, and I wouldn’t want to. But I can make it so as soon as she turns it off, it won’t turn on again. Quickly, I download the software for the backpack camera to the tablet. I don’t want to carry this thing around, but it’s better than the laptop. I’ll use it to keep tabs on her location until she’s back under lock and key.
***
Ayla
I speed by a yellow flag and decide to stop. Just to check what it is. It’s a station with protein bars, bottled coffee drinks in a mostly melted cooler, and little packets of Oreos. I grab two Oreo packets and head back to the ATV.
It doesn’t start. Swearing, I give it a moment and try the ignition again. Still nothing. Fuck. Is it out of gas? I hop off and circle the vehicle, looking for anything wrong.
Then I jump as the motor revs. Vrooooommm. Vrooooooooommmm. Holy shit, that scared me. For a moment I’m excited, thinking I somehow fixed it, and then I realize:
Alessio is toying with me.
The motor stops, and a chill comes over me. I’m being hunted again, without a vehicle. And something tells me Alessio is going to be even more forceful this time.
I take off into the woods, neck prickling with goosebumps.
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Maybe 20 minutes later, I’m feeling slightly less anxious. I haven’t seen or heard a hint of Alessio, and despite the tantalizing dread of knowing that can’t last forever, my escape seems to be going pretty well so far. I munch my Oreos, trying to chew quietly.
Then, in the distance, the motor starts. And it doesn’t seem to be staying in one place. My heart thumps as I realize this can only mean one thing:
My husband has the ATV again.
The good part is, now I know his location on the island, at least roughly.
The bad part is, it sounds like he’s coming right at me. The rumbling just keeps getting louder and louder, until I realize in a flash that I have to move.
I scurry through the bushes, ducking my head, and then, to my terror, Alessio rides right past me on the quad. He turns, and I’m sure that he sees me. I take off running, ditching the backpack so I can move faster.
The motor screams behind me as I start to full-on sprint. I’m going in the opposite direction he was, so I know he must be scrambling to make a U-turn. I just run and run and run, and somehow, the engine doesn’t seem to be getting louder. Heaving for breath, I drop down and crouch behind a big rock.
I can still hear him driving, searching for me. But it’s obvious that he doesn’t know where I am. I remain in my hiding spot, formulating a plan for my next move.
***
Alessio
Fuck! I just had her! I can’t believe I let her slip away. Where the fuck did she go? Grunting in frustration, I pull the ATV to a stop and check the video feed on the tablet.
All I can see are palm trees swaying gently against the sky. I stare at the image before realizing the obvious truth: she must have gotten rid of the backpack.
There goes my biggest advantage.
I circle the island one more time, then drive back to the beach house to regroup. Pulling up the quad, I stomp to the front door and pull it open.
Or at least, I try to. It doesn’t open. Shaking my head in confusion, I twist the handle harder.
The door is locked.
I guess I must have locked it from the inside before I left. Shaking my head, I go around to the other door.
Also locked. Okay, shit. In my hurry to leave, I didn’t bring the keys. I’m trying to figure out what I should do, and that’s when I hear a tapping at the window.
Ayla waves at me from inside the beach house, sipping a glass of orange juice. She dangles the keys in front of the glass, grinning.