CHAPTER TEN
MY FEET SOFTLY landed on the soft, powder-dry dirt. I froze, expecting Zane or Jackson to come rushing forward. I pulled the screw from my pocket and closed my fist around it so that the pointy end stuck out in between my index and middle finger. I raced around the RV to the old, blue Cadillac. My fingers bent under the handle. I pulled and the door opened.
Holy shit, yes!
My heart hammered. I ducked inside, landing on the driver’s seat. I put my hands on the steering wheel and looked at the ignition. There were no keys.
Son of a bitch.
I hit the steering wheel, angry with myself. I should have looked inside the RV for his keys. But I didn’t. I screamed in frustration. I madly opened the glove box and pulled down the visors. I was wasting time.
The smell of body odor and cigarette smoke inside the old Caddy suffocated me. I needed out. I needed to leave. The interior door handle was sticky, but I didn’t have time to grimace at the mystery substance. I wrapped my fingers around it and pushed the door open.
I moved out of the car and looked at the RV. I could see the man’s large silhouette moving behind the pulled curtains in the small bedroom. I put one hand on the doorframe and bent inside, ready to pop the hood and try my best to damage the engine when the RV creaked. I didn’t want the man to drive away and find Zane. Or follow me down the road… if I made it that far.
Adrenaline surged through me, pricking every nerve in my body. I jumped away from the car, consternation pulling me into irrational darkness. I spun around and took off, sprinting down the dirt driveway. It had to lead to a road. It just had to. And once on the road, I would run into a car, and that car would take me to safety, just like I imagined.
“Hey!” the man yelled from behind me. “Where the hell do you think you’re going? I can see you, bitch!”
Keys jingled, and the door slammed. I jumped off the dirt road and crashed into the trees, feet catching on tangles of weeds and uneven earth. I threw my hands out in front of me to catch myself. Low hanging branches hit my face, tearing open the skin on my cheeks.
I cried out when my knees hit the ground, tree limbs and roots biting into my flesh. I pushed myself up and blindly ran forward, not realizing how much noise I was making until I was several yards into the forest. I came to a sudden halt and put my hand over my mouth, trying to quiet my rapid breath.
Red-hot fear radiated off of me and hung in the thick air, cloaking my body in a sticky reminder of the danger I was in. I pressed my back against a tree and closed my eyes, trying to force out a slow, steady breath. Around me, the wildlife was blind to the horrors and went on with its usual night routine. Something whizzed past me and landed in my hair. Too worried about my life to freak out, I calmly batted the insect away.
Moonlight filtered through the thick vegetation, casting dark and eerie shadows off the trees. With my hands still pressed against my lips, I looked around, unsure of exactly where I had run from. I made a straight line off the driveway, right? Branches snapped behind me, and I jumped, making an irritating squeaking noise I winced and scooted my feet back until my heels protested against the roots of the tree. The underbrush crunched under someone’s feet from only a few yards away. I edged around the thick tree trunk and put my shaking hands on the bark.
I counted to three and pushed off. Bits of sap pulled at my hair and stuck to my hands. Ignoring it, I dropped to the ground and out of sight. Slowly, I lifted my right hand and left knee simultaneously and moved forward. Something squirmed under my hand and I recoiled; my elbow hit a tangle of weeds that trembled from my touch.
“Shit!” I mouthed and battled against the urge to give up and sprint away. I put my hand back down and moved, only to repeat the slow process two more times before freezing.
“Yeah, the bitch escaped,” the man’s gruff voice carried through the humid air. I could see the glow of a cell phone only feet away. My heart plummeted to the ground, beating so fast and loud that he had to be able to hear it. “I chased her down the driveway, but the whore went into the woods. I didn’t pay for this,” he angrily spat. “Bring me another and find your own cunt-ass bitch!”
My eyes finally focused on his large shape. He turned around, swatting at bugs. His shoulders were tense, and his free hand curled into a fist. He lowered his phone from his ear and slammed this thumb onto the screen.
“Un-fucking-believable,” he mumbled before shoving the phone into his pocket. He pulled something else out and put it close to his face.
The sudden brightness of the cigarette lighter blinded me. I flattened myself on the ground and closed my eyes, the shape of the flame burned into my retinas. The stench of smoke wafted slowly through the thick air, mixing with the scent of the man’s overpowering cologne.
I peered through dew-covered leaves and watched the red end of his cigarette glow as he took a drag, then disappear from view when he turned around. Gravel crunched under his feet as he walked up the driveway. I let out my breath and crept forward, not daring to get up. When the nasty smell of cigarette smoke was gone, I painstakingly crawled on my hands and knees to hide behind the fat trunk of an oak tree. I pushed myself up and took off again, putting what I had hoped was yards between us before I darted onto the driveway again.
I didn’t dare turn around. I just ran. Chest heaving for air, I ignored the pain and pressed forward. This was my chance. I was going to get away. And then I’d send the cops back here and smile when they arrested the sick, twisted men who occupied the house. The girls would be rescued too, of course, and everyone would be all right.
My heart fluttered when the tall black gate came into view. I skidded to a stop, realizing that I was so winded I couldn’t breathe. On its own accord, my body doubled over as my lungs begged for air. Gasping, I put my hands on my knees and took a shaky breath. I tried to slowly let it out and failed. Close to hyperventilating, I gasped for air, which only made me panic more.
Hold it together, I told myself. I squeezed my eyes shut and just thought about breathing. A few seconds later, I was able to stand up. Still wheezing, I put my hands on the gate and pushed. The hinges screamed into the night.
I stumbled over the small indentation between the driveway and the road, falling on my hands and knees. Pain bit at the peeled-off skin. I pushed myself up and cradled my hands against my abdomen, glancing down at the rawness of my palms. Blood dripped down my left knee, and it stung every time I took a step.
Limping, I scrambled down the street. Wispy clouds rolled over the moon. A barbed wire fence hung from decaying wooden posts, lining a long-forgotten field. A dead oak tree was directly across from me, its spider web of bare branches reaching toward the night sky. An owl sat at the top; only its shadowy outline was visible in the dark.
The gates creaked behind me. I whirled around, hands held out to my sides, ready for a fight. White fear tingled down my spine, and my heart beat so fast it hurt. The wind blew and the gates groaned again. I let out a breath and felt my shoulders relax the slightest bit. It was only the wind.
I walked into the middle of the road and stopped. I looked at the woods and then at the field, knowing that I had to pick one to run through. Being in the street was too obvious. Deciding that the over-grown field was better than being anywhere near Nate’s property, I crossed the street and carefully wrapped a bloody hand around the rusted barbed wire.
Bits of metal flaked off on my fingers. I pulled the sagging wire up and ducked down. Carefully, I stepped through. Then the owl took off, its wings flapping ominously in the silent darkness of the night. I froze, wondering if its absence was due to my presence or if something else had startled it. I lowered my head and squeezed through the wire. My hair caught on the blunt barbs. I grabbed my curls and yanked them free, leaving several strands blowing in the night.
And then I saw it, the thing that made the owl leave. I scrambled back through the fence with less grace and scraped my back. The cut instantly burned, and I was happy I had given in and gotten a tetanus shot like my mom suggested after I cut myself on broken picture frame in the gallery last summer.
“Hey!” I shouted and waved my arms. I tried to run towards the yellow glow of headlights but faltered with each step. “Hey! Stop!” I screamed though I knew the car was still too far away. Suddenly afraid that I gave away my location and Zane or Jackson would burst through the gate and tackle me to the ground, I pressed forward, wincing with each step.
The pain increased with my speed but I didn’t care. I was so close. I was getting away. A manic laugh bubbled from my throat, and I waved my arms over my head once more. The car was approaching fast. I didn’t want them to miss me. I limped into the middle of the road. “Help!”
Tires squealed. I stood rooted in the spot and watched the vehicle fishtail as the driver slammed on the brakes. They were stopping; they had seen me! But they hadn’t seen me soon enough. My eyes widened and I made a move to jump out of the way.
But I was too late. The front end of the car made contact with my body. I fell forward, leaving bloody handprints on the hood. The car came to a stop and I tumbled back. I hadn’t been hit hard, but I lost my footing and tripped as I backed away, falling and landing on my back. My head hit the pavement, and a wave of nausea rolled over me instantly.
The bright lights from the car only added to my blurry vision. I felt everything in the next few seconds. The heat from the engine. The sticky warmth of the pavement. The rocks underneath me. Every scrape, cut, and bruise on my body screamed in pain. I tried to sit up.
“Holy fucking shit!” The driver frantically spoke. “You came outta nowhere!”
I moaned as the pain in my head began to throb. I reached out, my hand slapping the bumper as I attempted to get up. “Police,” I mumbled, not wanting to be taken to a hospital. “Take me,” I breathed.
“Don’t move. I’m calling 911!” the guy told me. His voice was familiar. My eyes fluttered closed. I felt his presence as he moved over to me. “Just don’t—” he suddenly cut off. “Hey!” he said in surprised. “Shit,” he swore again. I heard a rustled of fabric as he knelt down. “Sh-iii-t,” he said once more, this time drawing out the word.
“Police,” I tried again, mustering up the strength to open my eyes. The fuzzy outline of a young man leaned over me. One hand went under my shoulders and the other snaked under my back. With a grunt, he hoisted me up and held me against him.
“Everything’s gonna be okay,” he soothed, sending chills through me. He turned, and a bout of dizziness passed over me. My ears rang. I knew I was going to lose consciousness. And something wasn’t right. My face was pressed against the man’s neck. I lifted my head up and forced my eyes open just long enough to see the glowing red eyes of a black widow spider.