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She’d almost reached the corner to the next street when tires screeched from behind her, making her jump out of her skin. Turning around, she caught sight of a black van speeding down the road. She pressed up against the closest gate, looking for somewhere she could hide. Dread settled in her stomach and adrenaline kicked in, propelling her forward.

Sprinting as fast as she could under the poor lighting and with even poorer footwear, Peyton tried to outrun the vehicle. She knew it was stupid, that she wasn’t fast enough, but it didn’t stop her from trying. Just like how she knew said vehicle was coming after her.

As she was about to turn the corner, she tripped up over the uneven sidewalk, falling flat on her face. She tried to push herself up but pain shot up her leg, radiating around her ankle. She must have twisted it as she fell. There was nothing she could do as the van skidded to a halt on the sidewalk, the side door flying open.

Two large figures jumped out, their faces covered with black masks. They grabbed Peyton by the arms and hauled her to her feet, shoving her forward with unnecessary force. She fought against them, but their grip on her was iron-tight, and she could feel her skin beginning to bruise already.

“Let me go!” Peyton bellowed at the top of her lungs, kicking her legs out beneath her.

Her struggling made no difference as they threw her into the van and climbed in beside her. There was another hidden figure inside, who leaned forward before shoving a hood over Peyton’s head. The material was rough and scratchy against her skin and smelled like sweat and sawdust.

She continued to scream as the door closed and she felt the vehicle move again. Hands grabbed her by the shoulders and wrists, rope being tied tight to bind her. She kicked out with her uninjured foot, only to have it shoved back.

“You made this too easy, you know,” a voice said. It was a man’s voice, rough and crackly like he was a chain-smoker.

“Yeah, didn’t your mommy ever teach you not to walk alone in the dark?” another voice chimed in, earning a chuckle from Old Smokey.

Peyton screamed and kicked out again, her foot connecting with what felt like a stomach. The man let out an annoyedoofand grabbed the hood, seizing a bunch of her hair in the process.

“You little bastard!”

“Go fuck yourself,” Peyton seethed, wriggling her wrists to see if she could get free of the rope.

“You’ll pay for that,” Old Smokey rasped in her ear, before slamming her head into the door. When it was obvious she hadn’t passed out, he did it again.

Pain radiated through Peyton’s head, her ears ringing. Black spots swam in her eyes and her vision blurred. Slowly and painfully, unconsciousness pulled her under until there was nothing but darkness surrounding her. When her eyes fluttered shut, the last thing she saw was Hadina’s face. Peyton was slipping into the shadows but Hadina wasla reina de las sombrasand she’d keep her little temptress safe there.