Chapter 4: THE ESCAPE AND ENCOUNTER

Allison's POV:

I continued running, my heart racing uncontrollably. I could have abandoned the plan to investigate him, but I didn't. My ambition to advance in my career pushed me forward, leading me into a situation where escape seemed impossible. Those people chased after me as I screamed and ran, consumed by fear.

"Stop!" one of them shouted from behind, followed by another gunshot that made me scream even louder. "Please!" I pleaded, crying as I ran with all my might. Gunshots rang out behind me, narrowly missing me as I managed to run away. Running towards the right, I reached the road, constantly glancing back to see if they were still pursuing me. However, as soon as I turned to face the road, a car nearly collided with me. I screamed, but the car stopped just in time. Gasping for breath, I stared at the vehicle in disbelief.

To my surprise, the person who stepped out of the car and walked towards me had fawn hair, rosy white skin, and sterling grey eyes. It was Isaac, my college friend.

"Isaac!" I called out, struggling to catch my breath. He approached me with concern in his eyes as I looked back to the left, checking if our pursuers were still on our tail. Assuming they wouldn't want to harm me in the middle of the road, I felt a sense of safety.

"Allison..." Isaac began anxiously, gripping my arms. "Isaac... Can I – Can I get in the car with you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Yeah, of course, sure," he immediately responded, creating a path for me to walk towards the car. I kept glancing behind to ensure no one was watching me.

"Allison," Isaac started suspiciously, "are you okay? What's happening?" he asked restlessly.

"Yeah... yeah, can we please get in the car and talk?" I asked, still struggling to catch my breath. Isaac nodded without hesitation, and I got into the car while he followed suit. My hands were still shaking from the thought of how close I came to losing my life. This could have been my last day, but perhaps fate had something else in store for me. I hoped it would mark the beginning of my success.

"Allison, tell me, what's happening? How did you end up in front of the cab like that? You were definitely running from someone..." Isaac speculated.

"Um, no..." I began, calming my breath before adding, "I was just... Yeah, I was running, but um, not from someone. It was... a dog," I said nervously.

"What?" he asked, disbelief written across his face.

"Yeah..." I turned to face him and continued, "There were street dogs, and uh... they were chasing me, so I was running from them."

While Isaac struggled to believe my explanation, I continued to scan my surroundings, unable to believe they would simply let me go. However, I couldn't afford to take any risks.

"Um, can you please start driving?" I asked the cab driver.

"Sure, the destination is just around the corner," the cab driver replied, and I shook my head.

"Um, Isaac..." I turned to him as he still pondered over the street dogs, finding it hard to accept my explanation. "Can you please drop me off at my office?" I requested, and he quivered, looking up at me.

"Yeah, what?" he said in confusion, then added, "Yeah, of course..." Leaning forward, he instructed the driver, "Um, please take a U-turn... I'll change the destination."

"Sure," the driver acknowledged and made the U-turn, while I kept glancing around.

As Isaac updated the location on his phone, he turned to me and grabbed my arm. "Look, Allison... Are you really telling me that you were running from dogs?" he asked, still in disbelief.

"Yes, Isaac," I affirmed, taking a deep breath as we left the area. "You know Kenton town has street dogs. People have been complaining about them," I confidently explained, though he still regarded me skeptically.

"Um, Allison, you're not lying, right?" he suspiciously inquired.

"Of course not, Isaac. I'm not lying... I swear, they were dogs," I insisted, meaning every word. Those people were nothing but dogs. I hadn't said or done anything to provoke them, yet they had fired shots at me. I could have lost my life. They should have at least questioned me or asked if I had seen anything. I gained nothing from their actions, yet they treated me as guilty.

"But - But..." he started, closing his eyes for a few seconds before reopening them, concern etched on his face. "Okay, I believe you. But why are you here in this town? I mean, your office is..." he trailed off.

"Yeah... yeah, I know. I came here for some office work," I explained.

"What kind of work?" he inquired.

"Um, it's something confidential, Isaac. I can't tell you," I said, lowering my gaze, and he leaned back, nodding.

"I get it. We can have secrets. It's not like we're a couple," he commented, sighing, while I felt awkward and looked away.

"Um, Isaac..." I started, but he shook his head, signaling me to stop.

"It's okay, Allison. I asked you out, and you didn't answer, but now I know what the answer is. You don't need to say anything," he said, averting his gaze out of the window. I swallowed hard and lowered my head.

Silence enveloped us, becoming increasingly awkward. I couldn't bear the silence any longer and felt the need to break it. "Um, what... what were you doing in this town?" I asked him.

"Actually, I was here for a meeting with our client at the Astral Hotel," he informed me.

"What?" I turned to him in surprise. "You... you had a meeting? Why didn't you tell me? You should go..."

"Allison, Allison... The meeting is in an hour," he explained, then added, "I left home early, so I thought I'd grab breakfast somewhere near the hotel."

"Oh, um, okay... Thanks for dropping me off," I said to him, and he smiled at me.

"I'd do anything for you," he replied, and I took a deep breath, trying to ease the awkwardness. I turned my face away and looked out the window, attempting to ignore the discomfort. Fortunately, after ten more minutes, the car came to a stop. I quickly glanced up and realized I had arrived at my office. Relief flooded over me, and I smiled before turning to Isaac.

"Thanks again," I expressed my gratitude, and he smiled and nodded, no longer making things awkward for me. He was a nice person, and no one could say anything negative about him. However, he wasn't someone I saw myself spending my life with. I didn't want to start dating him, as I knew it would lead to a breakup within a month, jeopardizing our friendship.

Smiling at him, I stepped out of the car and walked towards my office. Before heading to my department, I decided to stop by the cafeteria to grab a cup of coffee. Entering the cafeteria, I approached the coffee machine, filled my cup, and then made my way to a table, sighing with relief. It had been a hectic morning, and I was grateful to have made it back to the office unharmed. Suddenly, I realized I hadn't answered Josiah's call.

When I took out my phone from my pocket, a wave of fear swept over me. My ID card, which should have been there with my phone, was missing. Restlessness took hold as I checked the other pocket, but it wasn't there either.

"Oh, God... My card," I said, starting to panic. I searched through every pocket, hoping to find it, but it was nowhere to be found.

"I had it when I left this morning," I mumbled to myself, and then the earlier incident rushed back to my mind. I wondered if I had dropped my ID card when I stumbled and fell among those bricks.

"Oh, my..." I whispered, my eyes widening in shock, my heart skipping a beat...