Take a drive in the dark. He was determined to find a new car before the sun rose in the early morning. He would drive to the side of a country road, to the isolated houses.

He tiptoed around people to test their car doors. I wanted to shout for help, but I didn't want them to die like that innocent guy at the gas station. Ben was lucky in the third house we visited. I sat in the truck and watched as he opened the door, reached in and pulled a set of keys from the driver's seat. He ran back to the truck. He didn't say anything to me, just reached behind his seat to get the duffel bag. He fumbled underneath all of our clothes and pulled out a license plate. I frowned at him and he smiled.

"I'm always one step ahead of them," he said.

"Where did you get it?" I asked.

"I told you Bethany gave me a lot of freedom," he said. "When she went to the office, I was unscrewing the license plate at the scrapyard. I've been preparing for a while now. ”

He took out his screwdriver and jumped out of the truck. I watched him swap license plates in a matter of minutes. This must be the reason why no one has been able to find Bethany's car. He changes the brand regularly.

With that, he reversed the car to the side of the road. He grabbed my hand and duffel bag. When Ben pulled me into the car, I pretended to limp and gritted my teeth. But I could tell he was getting impatient.

My mind was stuck on those license plates. Ben always told me that he never intended to leave Bethany. He said the only reason he wanted to leave was because of me. There's no way he's going to collect these license plates until we go to the doctor.

Alexander's?! He has never left Oliver's home since we met.

I woke up from my thoughts as he helped me buckle up. He slowly pulled the car out of the driveway. When he got back to the gravel road, he picked up speed. I sat in my seat. My eyes were moist, and I rubbed them with the base of my palm. My stomach churned when I realized I was touching my eyes. The sunglasses fell off my face as I tried to stop the man from bleeding. Before I could get a chance to put them back, Ben threw me into the truck. I slammed into my seat and looked out of the passenger window.

This is my chance.

Maybe someone saw my eyes and knew it was me.

This would never have happened if it had been on a country road. We only overtook that strange car, and when we overtook we were flying so fast that they didn't even have a chance to look at the window.

When the sun began to rise, Ben hummed to the music. I smiled as I felt the warm yellow light slowly spilling over me. We must have been driving for over an hour before Ben realized I wasn't wearing sunglasses. He rummaged through the glove compartment until he found a pair of glasses. He forced me to take it.

"We're on the outskirts of Muskoka," Ben said, "and I can't wait to show you around this cottage." I think you'll love it.

"I want to ask him to pull over. I was going to lie that I needed to go to the toilet, but my mind was full of the man's bloody corpse. I can't let more innocent people die.

Ben taps the steering wheel to the beat of the music. Hours passed in silence, and the city around us slowly turned into woods. Ben made a few turns, and the road was muddy. When a car is driving on rough ground, the car jolts from side to side. We passed by the strange huts, but they all looked empty. I was kidnapped at the end of September. I'm used to learning tracking exercises. I didn't expect everything to change overnight.

I never thought about how long I was gone. Many days seem to be mixed up. I spent a lot of time in Oliver's basement. Being in the Caribbean makes it difficult for me to judge how much time has passed. The trees around us are covered in a series of warm yellow and orange leaves.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Huh?" He asked.

"I'm just curious," I said. "It's been a long time since I've looked at a calendar." "October 26th."

It's been a month since I was taken away. Ben smiled. He reached out and put his hand on my knee.

A chalet. The house is surrounded by a porch and a bright red door. I got out of the car and walked towards the cabin. I put my sunglasses on top of my head and squinted my eyes to try to get a clearer view. I could hear the dripping sound and see a lake behind the cottage.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ben said. I looked back and saw Ben walking towards me. The duffel bag was slung over his shoulder, and his lips opened to reveal a big smile.

"It's just you and me here," he said.

Ben put his arm around my waist and we walked towards the hut together.

The deck creaked under our feet.

The cold wind blows through the leaves, and the trees are blown by the wind.

Ben unlocked the door and I walked inside. My nose was filled with the smell of mustard. There is a kitchenette in the corner. The fridge is plastered with magnets and some pictures hung on it. A fireplace. Opposite is a sofa with a red and white woven carpet on the floor. Ben put the bag on the couch.

He put his arms around me and spun me around. I pressed my hands to his chest. I needed to resist the urge to push him away from me, so I slid them onto his torso. When I reached his belly, he flinched.

He let go of me with one arm. I looked down to see him holding his hand to his side.

infected skin, which he pretended did not bother him.

"Is it worse?" I asked.

"Don't worry," he said.

"Let me see," I said.

"Dee—"

I pushed his hand away and pulled him up at his shirt. The red spot above his scales doubled. Pus oozes from the edges of the scales. Ben grabbed my wrist and pulled his shirt down.

"You have to go and ask for help," I said. "Ben, you have to go to the doctor." "You know I can't do that," he said. "They're going to take me away from you."

"Ben, that's going to kill you."

He took a deep breath. He put his hand back on my hip. He pulled me closer, then bent down and pressed his forehead against mine. His warm breath brushed my skin. His hand left my hip and held my face.

"If I have to go, you come with me," Ben said. "I can't live a day without you."

The gun must still be in the belt of Ben's jeans. I bit my lip. I should have shut up.

I stood on my tiptoes. I put my hands around his neck and pressed my lips against his. Ben staggered back from my clumsy movements. My teeth hurt from hitting Ben too quickly. The sunglasses fell off my head and onto the floor. I leaned back a little so I could speak.

"We can't die," I said. "We just arrived in Muskoka. We're finally here. We can't leave now. ”

Ben's shoulders relaxed, and he gave me a gentle smile. He brushed a hair from my face.

"We're going to spend the rest of our lives here," Ben said. "I hope it will be a long time, but I can't guarantee anything. I'll figure it out. ”

He leaned over and kissed me again.