In his ear…

In his ear, the voice said, “We’re working on it.”

Paz felt a boost of confidence as she continued on. While the alleyway had been convenient for her, the lighting was poor and it was hardly public. She had been propelling herself on pure adrenaline, too, and now she could feel it wearing off. She knew from running cross-country how to moderate her stride. It was time for her to calm down and let that training kick in.

After she settled into a good, steady pace, her mind couldn’t help but wander back to her predicament. She was the only one to blame. She was not familiar with Washington, DC and knew parts of the city could be dangerous at night—her parents had certainly told her that enough times—and she was a good hour and a half away from her grandparents’ home, where her family was staying. That was by car. How long would it take her to get home on foot, even if she didn’t get lost? It was already nearing eleven.

Taking a taxi home would have been the most logical option, but in her escape, the pouch she normally carried her money in had been ripped from her neck and was now likely in the possession of Brad or one of his cohorts. Her cell phone, house key, and ID were also in it, so she couldn’t even call home, nor could she get in the house once there, without waking someone up.

Even running, it took a while to get to the end of the block. Paz couldn’t tell until she was almost at the corner, what street she had been approaching. Not that it helped much. The street name certainly didn’t, nor did the block number just yet, but a direction was also included on the sign. Apparently, she was in the northwest part of the city. As she checked for cars, she felt a jab of pain on the bottom of her left heel. The entire sole of her shoe had come away and flapped each time she lifted it.