31-----We finally arrived

Take a drive in the dark. He was determined to find a new car before the sun rose in the morning. He would drive to isolated houses on country roads.

He tiptoed around people to test their car doors. I wanted to scream for help, but I didn't want them to die like that innocent man at the gas station. Ben got lucky at 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, he just reached behind the seat to get his duffel bag. He felt under all 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 from the car in the scrapyard. I had been working on it for a while."

He took out his screwdriver and jumped out of the truck. I watched him exchange license plates within minutes. That must be why no one was able to find Bethenny's car. He changes brands regularly.

After saying that, he backed the car to the side of the road. He grabbed my hand and the duffel bag. I pretended to limp and gritted my teeth as Ben pulled me to the car. But I could tell he was growing impatient.

My mind lingered 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 was no way he could have collected these license plates before we went to see the Doctor.

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

I was snapped out of my thoughts as he helped me buckle my seatbelt. He slowly pulled out of the driveway. When he returned to the gravel road, he picked up speed. I plopped down in my seat. My eyes were moist and I wiped them with the heels of my hands. My stomach turned 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 had a chance to put them back, Ben threw me into the truck. I sat bolt upright in my seat and looked out of the passenger window.

This is my chance.

Maybe someone could see my eyes and know it's me.

This would never have happened if you had been on country roads. We only passed the strange car, and when we passed, we were going so fast they didn't even have a chance to look out the window.

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

“We’re outside Muskoka,” Ben said, “and I can’t wait to show you this cabin. I think you’re going to love it.

"I wanted to ask him to pull over. I wanted to lie and say I needed to use the bathroom, but all I could think about was the man's bloody body. I couldn't let more innocent people die."

Ben tapped the steering wheel to the beat of the music. Hours passed in silence as the city around us slowly turned into woods. Ben turned a few corners and the road was muddy. When the car is driving on uneven ground, the car bumps from side to side. We passed the strange cottage, but they all looked empty. I was kidnapped at the end of September. I'm used to learning to track practice. Unexpectedly, everything changed overnight.

I never thought about how long I was gone. Many days seemed to blend together. I spent a lot of time in Oliver's basement. Being in the Caribbean makes it hard for me to tell how much time has passed. The trees around us are covered in an array of warm yellow and orange leaves.

"What's the date today?" I asked.

"Huh?" he asked.

"I'm just curious," I said. "I haven't looked at the calendar in a long time." "October 26th."

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

A cabin. There is a porch and a bright red door surrounding the house. I got out of the car and walked towards the cabin. I put my sunglasses on top of my head and squinted my eyes, trying to get a clearer view. I could hear water dripping and see a lake behind the cabin.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" said Ben. I looked back and saw Ben walking towards me. The duffel bag was slung over his shoulder and his lips parted in a bright smile.

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

Ben put his arm around my waist and we walked toward the cabin.

The deck creaked beneath our steps.

The cold wind blew through the leaves and the trees were blown by the wind.

Ben unlocked the door and I walked in. My nose was filled with the smell of mustard. There is a small kitchen in the corner. The refrigerator is covered with magnets and some photos are hung on them. A fireplace. There was a sofa opposite, and the floor was covered with a red and white woven rug. Ben put the bag on the sofa.

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

He released me with one arm. I looked down and saw him holding his hands on his sides.

Infected skin, he pretended it didn't bother him.

"Is it worse?" I asked.

"Don't worry," he said.

"Let me see," I said.

"Di——"

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

"You have to go get help," I said. "Ben, you have to go see a doctor." "You know I can't do this," he said. "They'll take me away from you."

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

He took a deep breath. He put his hands back on my hips. He pulled me closer, then bent down and pressed his forehead against mine. His warm breath caressed my skin. His hands left my hips and cupped 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 waistband of Ben's jeans. I bit my lip. I should shut up.

I stood on my tiptoes. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. Ben stumbled back at my clumsy movements. My teeth hurt from hitting Ben so fast. The sunglasses fell off my head and fell to the floor. I leaned back a little so I could talk.

"We can't die," I said. "We just got to Muskoka. We're finally here. We can't leave now."

Ben's shoulders relaxed and he gave me a soft smile. He brushed a hair out of 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 down and kissed me again.