Page 129

My feet sting from running across fallen branches and rocks, but I push through until I can’t anymore. Because my body is tackled to the ground. The impact causes pain to ring out throughout my body. We roll down what I think is a hill as I’m gripped from behind tightly.

“No!” I scream as we reach the bottom, the person holding me taking most of the impact.

I fight. I kick, I claw, I punch. But it’s no use.

“Stop fucking moving,” Luke snarls in my ear.

“Let me go!”

Other footsteps and heavy breathing join us.

Scorching pain shoots into my thigh, and I scream out in agony. A hand clasps over my mouth.

“Shut the fuck up. You’ll bring attention to us.” That’s not Luke; it’s someone else.

I don’t know what’s happening anymore; there’s more than one person here. It’s dark. There’s pain radiating through my body. I can’t see.

Warmth starts spreading over my leg, and another sharp scratch shoots through. I scream into his hand, my teeth biting down on the flesh as my scream subsides.

“Fuck!” Luke shouts, yanking his hand away from my mouth. “Crazy bitch.”

“Let me go. I swear I won’t tell anyone about anything. Please, just let me go.” I sob and beg through gritted teeth and panting breaths as I try to ignore the pain in my leg.

Someone laughs, and something silver glints in the corner of my vision. I’m thrown to the ground on my back, stones pinching my skin. My hand shakes as I press it to my thigh and feel it’s all wet.

Is that blood?

Someone sits on top of my chest, immediately cutting off my air. He pulls the hem of my leggings from my body, and I feel as they loosen around my waist.

I’m starting to numb, and choking sounds leave my throat as I try to breathe in any air I can. But it’s useless. I try to move my arms, but they’re trapped beneath this man.

Luke’s face comes into my vision. A wide, evil grin paints his mouth as he holds a bloody knife up next to his face.

He tuts. “You shouldn’t have done that, Chicken.”

My eyes widen with the lack of air. I don’t know how long I can take without oxygen.

Everything starts to spin, and my head feels detached from my body.

“That’s enough. Get off her.”

The weight lifts, and I drag myself to the side. Coughing, spluttering, gasping for any air that I can. My lungs burn inside my chest as I desperately cling to life. The feeling in my body starts returning, and cold air brushes over my legs that wasn’t there before. Twigs and rocks dig into the bare skin there, and a burning pain explodes on the side of my thigh where I’ve been stabbed.

Cold metal scratches my throat as it’s pressed against me, and my breathing halts.

“I was going to leave you alone tonight,” Luke slurs in my ear. “But you tried to escape me. There is no escaping me, Camila. And bad girls get punished.”

“No, p-please,” I croak.

Luke pulls the knife away, but not before he slightly nicks the skin there.

“Who wants to go first?” He asks.

“No,” I whimper, tears already leaking down my face. I hear a unison of laughter as I’m yanked onto my back, and the sounds of rustling material fills the night air.

My body is in a tremendous amount of pain, and I cannot move. No matter how much I will myself to try.

“Shit,” someone curses.