I Ran From My Psycho Step-brother Straight Into The Alpha's Lap novel Chapter 4

**When Night Grows Softer Hope Returns To Lead Us by Asa Rowan Finn**

Marietta.

Loane didn’t care about the view outside the bus window. The moment the vehicle came to a halt, she sprang into action, her heart racing. There was no time for contemplation, no time to choose a direction. Her eyes caught sight of another bus, its engine rumbling, preparing to depart. Without a second thought, she dashed forward, her feet pounding against the pavement.

She squeezed through the pneumatic doors just a heartbeat before they hissed shut behind her, the sound echoing in her ears.

“Close call, kid,” the driver chuckled, amusement lacing his voice.

Loane merely nodded, a jerky movement that barely acknowledged the comment. She fumbled with her cash, shoving it into the driver’s hand, and then slunk into a corner seat near the front, her body sinking into the worn fabric.

This bus was bound for Jacksonville. It wasn’t until the road signs began to flash past, confirming that she had indeed crossed state lines, that Loane finally allowed herself to lean back against the seat.

Crossed state lines.

The thought sent a shiver of relief through her. It meant she was putting a vast expanse of distance between herself and that hellhole in Georgia. Between her and the monster named Brody.

But even with that small victory, she knew she couldn’t stop. She had less than three hundred dollars tucked away in her pocket and the clothes on her back. To pause meant to risk everything, to put herself in danger again. Stopping was not an option; it felt like a death sentence.

The next three days transformed Loane into a wandering specter, drifting through states like a lost soul.

Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee… the names outside the window blurred together, a dizzying swirl of landscapes, and her meager three hundred dollars vanished just as quickly.

Board. Sleep. Off. Transfer.

This monotonous cycle continued until the early hours of the third day, when she found herself in a desolate layover in Minnesota.

Standing before a massive map, Loane felt as if the world was closing in on her, the weight of her circumstances threatening to crush her spirit.

Three days without a shower. Her hair, a greasy, tangled mess, clung to her scalp, and even she could smell the stench that clung to her like a second skin. The gnawing hunger in her stomach had long since faded, replaced by a chilling numbness that settled in her core.

Heard that’s what happens when you starve. Not exactly a great sign.

She stared at the map, a wave of despair washing over her.

With only enough cash for one last ticket, the world felt impossibly vast, yet there wasn’t a single place that felt like it could be her refuge. Where the hell is a fugitive supposed to go?

Just when she was about to succumb to hopelessness, a flyer at the bottom of the map fluttered in the breeze, catching her eye.

Hopewell, Wisconsin.

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