Must find Voodoo.
Voodoo is safe, he’ll take care of you. Not just protect you but make sure you're okay, clean your skin, dress you in something warm, hold you in his arms, maybe even kiss you.
Despite her exhaustion, the thought of Voodoo kissing her made Indigo smile and gave her a small burst of energy that spurred her on for another few minutes.
When she burst out of the trees, welllurchedout of the trees was probably a better way to describe how she was moving right now, she found herself at the base of a steep incline, in front of a river. It was rushing too fast for her to consider crossing, although, despite the risk of her body’s temperature dropping even further, she might have tried it if she thought it was feasible that she wouldn't get washed away.
Staggering over to it, she dropped to her knees at its side, barely feeling the pressure of whatever debris covered the ground digging into her skin as she held her hands together like a bowl and scooped up some water to drink.
It felt like swallowing ice as it slid down her throat, but it was water, and her body craved it, so she scooped up another handful, and then another, and another.
Satisfied for the moment, she leaned back against her heels and weighed her options. Crossing the river would make it harder for the burning man to follow her, and might lead her closer to civilization again, too. She had no idea how far away she was from the closest road, the closest building, the closest person.
Even if she could find somewhere to get help for herself, leaving the forest meant leaving Voodoo. He was looking for her here, and she had no way of contacting him, no idea how to even begin.
No. Wait.
Shedidhave a way of contacting him. If she could find a way to get to a person and then a phone, she could find the number for Prey Security and call them. They’d know how to get in touch with Voodoo. They’d find a way to let him know the revenge he sought was close enough for him to reach out and grab hold of it.
A sound somewhere behind her had Indigo scrambling sideways, realizing she’d made a major tactical mistake in stopping and then getting lost in thought when she knew she was being hunted.
Spinning around, expecting to see the burning man sneering at her as he strode through the trees toward her, instead, she saw no one.
The forest was empty. No one was walking toward her.
Must have imagined the whole thing.
Great, now her mind was giving out on her just like her body was.
Readying herself to shove to her feet, the non-event still a wake-upcall, she gathered her reserves of strength. Staying in one place, even for a few minutes, was foolish. Her body would give out on her eventually, but she wasn't quite there yet. As long as she was able to, she was going to keep walking, and when the inevitable happened, she’d just have to hope and pray that burning man passed her by without ever realizing she was there.
Wearily, she managed to stand, and was about to start moving again, probably walking this time, she wasn't sure she had enough energy to run, when she heard it again.
A sound.
A person.
She’d bet anything on that.
Too exposed by the river, she had to decide if she was going to try crossing it or if she was going to keep moving. The ground in front of her went sharply up to form almost a cliff running along the edge of the river. Getting up there would be next to impossible, but she couldn’t go back either because back meant heading toward Dr. Gardner and the remaining guards.
Forward it was.
A flash of movement at the top of the cliff had her jerking backward, falling flat on her bottom, terror clawing at her.
It’s okay. He’s up there, and you're down here. He can't get to you. Not easily anyway, you have time to get away.
The reminder was all she needed, and she scrambled back to her feet right as the figure on top of the hill called out her name.
“Indigo, wait.”
He knew her name. Called her by it, not bait, or kitty, or some other term meant to demean her. But she didn't recognize the voice.
How did this person know who she was, but she didn't know them?
“It’s Thunder,” the man called out. “Do you remember me? I'm one of Voodoo’s teammates.”
Thunder. Yeah, she remembered that one of Voodoo’s teammates was named Thunder. But the guards would know their names, too. This could be a trick, a way to make her think she was safe so she’d willingly go with this person because she thought he was safe.
