Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 64751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 259(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Marek moves, ripping us apart.
He steps out of the tent, and the blistering sunlight burns my eyes, forcing me to put my hand up to stop it. My legs are numb as Marek drags me toward the exit. When we come to a stop, I drop my hand and stare down at my blood-soaked shorts. It takes everything inside me not to scream, to cry, to do something to make all of this stop.
“Leave. If I see you again, I’ll kill you. When you get back, tell your bikers this isn’t over.”
Staring up into the cold eyes of the monster who has held me captive, I fail to come up with anything.
So, I turn to Ellie.
“You don’t have to do this,” I whisper.
“I won’t let you die,” she tells me, her eyes welling with tears. “I won’t.”
I don’t care if he likes it or not, I step toward Ellie and I throw my arms around her. She holds me tight with her one free arm, and I hang onto her until she’s being tugged away. Before she goes, I whisper into her ear, “I’m going to find a way to get you out of here. I swear it.”
She offers me a small smile as the guard pulls her away.
Marek throws his arm out. “Go.”
I’m scared to move, fearful that he will shoot me the second I turn my back to him, but I also know that he isn’t going to wait for me to consider my options. So, without any further thought, I run. I run as fast as my wobbly, weak legs will take me. I dart out onto the quiet road and realize very quickly we’re in the middle of absolutely nowhere. All I can see for miles is trees and sparce woods.
I’m dehydrated.
It occurs to me very quickly that the reason Marek agreed to let me go is because he doesn’t think I’ll make it out of here alive.
I’ve had no food, no water, and I’m bleeding.
The chances are slim.
Reaching a large tree, I press my back to it and gather my thoughts. I have to get out of here, because if I don’t, nobody in the world will help Ellie, and I can’t allow her to live out her life being Marek’s slave. I have to get back because her life depends on it. But I’m not going anywhere if I don’t get some water soon. Peering back around the tree, I look toward the large ground where they are set up.
There is water back there, but I’m risking my life if I return.
Daring to go a little closer, I duck down low and use the trees for coverage as I sneak closer to get a better look. If there is a way I can just get some water, then I can find my way out of here. Once it’s fully back in view, I can see that every entrance is guarded. The fence is far too high for me to climb over, and I don’t have any tools to cut through it. My options are limited, at best.
Perhaps when night falls, I might have a better chance at getting close enough to find some water, but that could be hours away. I have no idea what time it is—judging by the sun, I’m guessing sometime in the afternoon, but that’s a guess. Watching from my position behind a thick line of trees, I see the guards rotate stations. There is a moment, a small window, where the gate is unguarded as they walk to the next one. A mere minute or two, before the next lot of guards arrive.
I could run in, get some water from the tap that sits outside the tent, and get out if I’m quick.
It’s a risk, but if I don’t get some water soon, I’m not going to be able to walk another step.
So, I decide it’s worth the risk.
Even if it costs me my life.
IT TAKES LONGER THAN I’d hope for the guards to change stations, so I find myself a position I can sit in without causing too much movement, and I wait. The cramping in my lower stomach is intense, and the bleeding intensifies. Though I know there is nothing I can do about it, it doesn’t change that the pain is crippling and with every cramp, my heart breaks a little more.
I can’t afford to cry, though.
Not right now.
Not when I have to save all my strength to get out of this place.
Movement at the main gate catches my eye, and it’s slowly beginning to grow dark on the horizon. The lights surrounding the large tents have already come on, and soon, I will be shielded by darkness. It’s a car that catches my attention, rolling in slowly from the long road. It stops at the gate, and the driver’s door opens. A man gets out, who, I don’t know, and walks around to the back door.