Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 29520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
My breathing turns rapid as the full impact of what Karina is saying hits me. She intends to abandon me in this random field, and I’ll die of exposure.
“You can’t just leave me out here! It’s supposed to be sub-zero tonight,” I beg her, not caring that I’m crying and sniffling in front of this ogre.
“Watch me,” Karina snaps back. “Oh wait!” she laughs maniacally. “You can’t, your eyes are covered.”
And without another word, I listen to the sound of the truck doors slamming and the engine turning over. I strain to hear if the truck hits the dirt path at any point close by, but it’s no use. As the sounds of the engine fade into the distance, my sobs start afresh, panic sweeping over my body.
She left me here to die, I think over and over again. But why?
After all, Karina didn’t just tie me up and leave me outside – she left me in the middle of nowhere, fully aware that the frost tonight will likely kill me.
And no one knows, I lament.
I don’t have plans to see Shane and Stanton this evening, so they won’t even realize I’m missing until tomorrow at the earliest. And as friendly as I am with the other girls, none of them would think to check in on me tonight. I haven’t made a real friend here at the Lazy R, even though I’ve been here for months. It’s just been Shane and Stanton the entire time, and now, I may not live to regret it.
I cry harder, the rough burlap around my eyes growing unbearable as my tears soak through the coarse material.
Once my tears finally run out, I realize just how cold I am. The world beyond the blindfold is growing even darker, a purplish tint signaling that dusk is fast approaching. I struggle against the restraints on my hands, my wrists chafing with the effort. I realize that they must be bleeding, the cord cutting into my skin with every attempt to get it off. I wriggle my feet to try a similar tactic with the tightly fastened rope around my ankles, but it’s no use. I’m trussed up like a pig, and I’m going to die.
9
Juniper
I must have passed out from panic because when I come to sometime later, the world around me is pitch black and I hear owls hooting in the distance. I listen intently for the sounds of any nearby predators, my imagination running rampant with thoughts of mountain lions and bears ready to attack me at any moment.
“And this,” I mutter aloud in an effort to comfort myself, “is why I don’t like nature.” But nature doesn’t answer – instead, to my relief, the world around me is still and quiet.
Too quiet.
Normally at night, there are sounds. There will be the tinkle of wind chimes, the lowing of a cow, or even one of the other girls coughing or sniffling against the cold. The absence of these familiar sounds tells me that I’m not only nowhere close to home but likely too far away to even dream of a rescue tonight. No one would know to look for me all the way out here… wherever that could be.
I shiver violently. The temperature has dropped considerably and I can’t even wrap my arms around myself, tied as they are behind my back. I wriggle against the freezing ground, grabbing at dirt to see if the frost has set in yet. The clump of sod in my hand is damp, but not yet frozen, a good sign that if I can start moving, I might have a chance against the impending nighttime chill.
I’m lying on my side, my entire body stiff from being curled in the same position. But slowly, cautiously, I begin to inch my way around on the dirt, debating which direction to head in. Considering that the girls stopped the truck just a couple of feet in front of me, I reason that that must be the direction of the road or some path, however roughly hewn it might be.
With painstaking slowness, I scoot my way forward, scared that I might hit my head against something. I can still taste dirt in my mouth and my hair feels filthy. My rib throbs from Karina’s kick, but I don’t think it’s broken.
I move forward like a caterpillar, a few inches here, a few inches there. But still, there’s nothing save silence and darkness as I creep along the ground.
“You have to get the blindfold off,” I tell myself aloud, my voice loud against the still night.
Part of me is terrified to remove the blindfold – what if I take it off and my worst fears are right in front of me? What if there’s no one, and I really am all alone? Part of me also wonders if this isn’t some horrible hoax. Maybe Karina and the other girls are watching nearby, enjoying my panic and giggling silently. As sad as that sounds, I hope it’s true. At least I would be saved, eventually.