Tesla hurried toward the bus stop as fast as her luggage would allow. A gnawing, unshakable feeling had haunted her all morning. She wasn’t supposed to feel fear anymore—not now. But it clung to her like cold sweat.
She was early. That didn’t matter. She just needed to get away.
Footsteps suddenly pounded the pavement behind her.
Then—“Get back here, you little shit!”
Tesla’s stomach plummeted.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw her nightmare come to life: Nane, charging toward her like a missile.
Tesla launched forward, trying to run, but her suitcase yanked her back like an anchor. There was no way she could outrun Nane. Not even if the bus was already there. Why the hell wasn’t the bitch at work?!
She darted her eyes toward the street. A few taxis passed.
Nane’s voice cut through the air: “I said get back here now!”
Tesla didn’t dare look back again. She waved frantically at the next cab.
It zoomed right past her.
Terror turned to panic.
But then—blessedly—the taxi behind it slowed. Tesla wrenched the door open and flung her suitcase inside, not waiting for the driver to get out. She leapt in behind it and shouted, “Go! Hurry!”
The driver looked startled. “Ich spreche kein Englisch.”
Damn it!
Tesla locked the door just as Nane’s hand slammed against the window.
“Go! Please! Zum Flughafen!” she cried, switching to German.
Understanding finally clicked. The driver nodded and hit the gas.
Tesla barely caught her breath before she saw a car come skidding wildly across the intersection in the rearview mirror. It spun in a blur—straight toward Nane.
“Oh my God!” Tesla gasped, eyes wide. “Oh mein Gott.”
The driver swore under his breath.
Tesla stared, frozen. She hadn’t wanted to hurt Nane. Just to be free of her. But now?
She didn’t know what she felt.
As the cab pulled into the airport, reality slammed back down. She didn’t have enough money.
She handed the driver everything she had. “Es tut mir leid… danke.”
Then she bolted, dragging her luggage through the crowd before he could get out and yell after her.
Only when the plane was halfway over the ocean did her heartbeat finally slow. For the first time in almost a year—she felt safe.
Until the plane landed.
The return to California felt like crossing lifetimes. Her stomach twisted with nerves. At any moment, she expected sirens, handcuffs, and steel bars.
As she stepped into the terminal, she spotted Aunt Julissa.
Tesla ran toward her, nearly collapsing into her arms. She’d never been happier to see her in her life.
“It’s so good to have you back safe and sound,” her aunt said, holding her tight.
“Thank you. So much,” Tesla whispered.
They approached the checkpoint. Tesla’s chest tightened. Any second now.
“There’s something you need to know, Aunt Julissa,” she said.
“What’s that, honey?”
“I need to tell you—”
Too late.
“Passport, please,” said the uniformed official.
Tesla tried to keep her hand steady as she handed it over.
The man scanned it, his face unreadable.
She braced herself.
Then—“You’re good to go, ma’am.”
What?
Tesla blinked. “Thank you. Have a good evening.”
As they exited into the California sun, Tesla couldn’t hold it in. “Aunt Julissa?”
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I have to tell you the truth.”
She spilled everything: the bounced checks, the court date she missed, the warrant.
Her aunt listened quietly, then said, “Honey, why didn’t you just come to me if you needed help?”
Tesla shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Well… it’s up to you now. Turn yourself in—or stay off the radar. Just don’t repeat the mistakes.”
“But… didn’t they just check my name?”
“Probably. Maybe it was an error. Those happen, believe it or not.”
Tesla stared ahead. “What would you do, honestly?”
Julissa thought a moment. “If I was hiding from a madwoman? I wouldn’t go anywhere near a police station. I’d stay quiet, stay smart, and move on with my life.”
Tesla smiled faintly. They spent the rest of the drive talking about Nane—and the car.
“You saw her get hit?” her aunt asked.
“Not quite. But the car was definitely coming right at her. I’m sure it hit.”
Tesla had been home just over a week.
Warm breezes rustled through the trees, the hills surrounding her California trailer peaceful and alive. It was a far cry from the cold, choked streets of Munich. No more cramped rooms. No more control. No more fear.
She cooked herself dinner and sat on the porch with a cup of coffee, watching the sun dip low.
Later, curled up inside with a book, a faint thump echoed outside.
“Raccoons,” she mumbled. “Or cats. Or skunks.”
She didn’t bother getting up.
Instead, her mind wandered—to Nane. To the spinning car. To the silence since.
What disturbed her most wasn’t what she’d seen.
It was what she hadn’t.
No reports.
No obituary.
No news at all.
She opened her laptop, searched again.
Still nothing.
“I guess Germany’s just more private,” she told herself aloud, unconvinced.
But deep inside… something felt off.
Like maybe it wasn’t over.
Not yet.
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