Fight or Flight Read Online Free PDF

know what he could possibly have to be embarrassed about. He lived in a house. An actual house , defunct as it may have been. “It’s amazing.”
    He looked surprised and for just a moment she could have sworn the beginnings of a smile starting to form on his lips before it was gone again. “It’s not much, but it’s a roof over my head. Most of one, anyway. Come on, let’s get out of the rain.”
    He offered her a hand up onto the porch, which turned out to be necessary when he explained she’d need to skip the first step if she didn’t want to get her foot stuck in it, and then pointed out weak spots on the porch to avoid. Emerson meticulously followed his footsteps all the way to the front door, eager to avoid any more injuries or humiliating displays for the evening.
    The once red door hung awkwardly in the frame and all of the glass had been smashed out of the front windows. Below them, the inner walls and carpeting were overgrown with a thick layer of black, fuzzy mold.
    “We stay upstairs. There’s less mold up there, and that crap’s no good to breathe in.”
    “We?”
    “Yeah, I squat with a couple other guys. If they’re still here, I’ll introduce you.”
    The staircase didn’t exactly inspire confidence. The banister was more of a hazard than anything else and the steps were all seriously warped and rotted in sections.
    “Stay close to the wall,” he advised her, offering a hand to guide the way. But when she hesitated to take it, it was gone again—shoved deep into the front pocket of his blue jeans—before she could think twice.
    The second floor was a vast improvement. Ahead of them stretched out a hard-wood hallway with no bulging or warping in sight. Better yet, no mold. Standing here she could almost imagine they were inside a normal house. Sure, maybe the paint job could have used a little TLC, but nothing glaringly obvious. Along the deceptive corridor sat four closed doors. Jay approached the first one to their right and pushed it open with a brisk knock.
    “These are the guys I squat with for now.” He ushered her into the doorway beside him. “That’s Ace by the window, and the one in the corner is Skunk.”
    A dark form, silhouetted in the boarded window, turned to face them and offered her a quick nod. Caught by surprise, Emerson flicked her wrist in an awkward wave, but he didn’t seem to notice. From what she could see, the guy was tall, maybe six and a half feet. Maybe more. And he was big in other ways, as well. He was . . . built. How he managed to maintain that kind of physique living on the streets, she had no idea.
    Another body lay prone on the floor not far from where they were standing. In the dark, it was difficult to make out more than just a lump of blankets, but if she looked closely she could see them steadily rising and falling.
    “Skunk?” she whispered.
    “Yeah, he swears it has something to do with skunks being dangerous predators, but that’s a load of crap. I’m pretty sure it’s because he smells so damn bad all the time.”
    Emerson scrunched up her nose, making a mental note to keep her distance from Skunk either way.
    “And I’m Jay, by the way. What’s your name?”
    She was pretty certain Ace and Skunk weren’t their real names, and even Jay was most likely short for something else. If she were smart, she wouldn’t go around giving her name to strangers, either.
    “Em. My name is Em.”
    “Em, huh? All right then, Em, come on.”

 
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
    Jay
     
    Obviously Em wasn’t her real name—not the full one anyway—but he was impressed she had the forethought not to give it up. Names had power. Especially when you were trying to leave them behind.
    Continuing the tour, he turned to indicate the second door to the right of the hallway. “That’s the bathroom. Don’t go in there unless you really have to.” Em’s face scrunched up in confusion and Jay couldn’t help laughing at her naivety. “There’s no