Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Mr. Cross, you can’t seriously think you are well enough to leave this hospital and go on a search and rescue. That’s just absurd. Let the law enforcement do their job.”
I ignore the doctor’s pleading demands and turn back to Christine. “Do you have a car?”
“Yes,” she whimpers.
“Let’s go. You’re fucking taking me there.”
She complies instantly. The doctor still yells for me to return as I make my way down the hall. I need to save my girl.
LIFE’S A BITCH, AND THEN you die.
I feel like that saying fits me pretty well right about now. When planning out my dreams and goals, I seem to have failed to add in being kidnapped, tortured by a lunatic, and tied to a chair in the middle of the woods. I thought my biggest struggle was living in a home where money was scarce. The hardships of having to manage on one income. I wasn’t spoiled with all the newest trends. My outfits were mostly hand-me-downs from family friends, and I just didn’t shine like most kids at school. I learned from a young age if I wanted something, I was going to have to work hard to get it. I always labeled myself as a go-getter. A self-starter. I busted my ass, turned down dates and social gatherings—okay, maybe those were never put on the table—but I sacrificed those so-called things to make sure I rose above.
Basically, I spent my entire adolescence holed up in my house like a bookworm all so I could die at the hands of a psychopath.
I’m not sure what time it is. It’s still dark. And thankfully, I still have my face and all its parts in place. Just as Sylvia was about to rearrange my nose with the log, I convinced her blood splatter would ruin her pretty dress and Damien hates blood. Loathes it. Luckily, for me, that swayed her to drop it. The bad thing, she left immediately after to change because naughty Jake may have gotten some on her clothes. So that leaves just me and possibly dead Jake stuck in the woods.
“Jake?” I whisper his name, but nothing. “Jake!” I yell this time, but he doesn’t budge. The heebie-jeebies quickly set in at the thought of a dead person just inches away from me. I start to have trouble breathing. “Don’t panic. Don’t panic.” I’m totally starting to panic. I open my mouth to start screaming bloody murder when Sylvia reappears.
“Jesus, where did you go! You can’t just leave me here tied up with a dead guy!” I snap. When she comes into better focus, I notice she’s changed. “Dude, are you wearing my green dress?”
She smiles and spins like goddamn Cinderella wearing the dress Damien bought me on the first night of our arrangement. “It looks way better on me, don’t you think?” She does another twirl. She’s been in my room. In my closet. And how has no one found me? This is not looking good for me. I’m hungry, weak. My running ability has diminished terribly since I can barely feel my ass from being stuck in this chair for so long. Not to mention my horrible headache.
“Sylvia, don’t you think you’re taking this too far? I mean, hoes before bros, girl. Let’s talk about this. He’s just not that into you.”
Okay, so maybe the reason I don’t have many girlfriends is because I suck at the whole girl bonding thing. I basically agree to my own reasoning, because she comes at me and slaps me across the face. “Ouch! What was that for?”
“For being such a poor sport. You’re supposed to tell me how beautiful I look.”
Maybe I should ask her where her pills are and suggest she take the whole bottle. “Oh, I’m sorry, you’re right. You look amazing. Wow, I looked like a fat, ugly cow in it. Good thing you’re gonna do us all a favor. I think Damien is going to just…wow, yeah…go nuts for you in that.”
Her smile is so cuckoo and bright, it may just light the entire woods. It also makes me realize I’ve been taking the wrong approach. “So, what do you think you’ll say to him once he finds me dead and you’re there to save him? I bet he’s gonna be so happy to see you. Now that I think about it, he did tell me once he has a thing for blondes.” The words are sour coming out of my mouth.
“Oh my God, really? You think so?” She comes at me again, but instead of slapping me like a bitch, she kneels in front of me. “He would never be happy with someone like you. I can fulfill anything he wants.”
“Oh, I agree, girl. This is a much better idea.” God, she’s nuts. Her smile is telling me she is actually feeding into all of this nonsense. “I wish you two the best. You know he did mention you when I was with him, thinking even more about it. It pains me to admit this, but he did say he couldn’t love me, but someone like Sylvia, he saw a future with.”