Page 11

RUN, BITCH, RUN.

T aking a deep breath, I stepped onto the stairs. I paused, then took another. Then one more, and soon, I was on the ground. The crunch of the snow under my boots was foreign, scary, and yet, invigorating. I looked back at the house. I could have gone back inside, hidden, looked for a phone or tried my internet, but I didn’t.

I’m moving forward.

I inhaled again, steeled myself, and took a step toward the pitch-black trees.

Every step away from the house was like a tether being stretched. In an instant, I could be yanked back, and a part of me wanted to return to the house and hide. Another part of me knew that I needed to do this. I needed to find Tobias.

He told his dad I had his heart.

A man I’d known for an afternoon. A man who’d taken my virginity by force with an icicle but still tried to make it feel good. A man who later fucked me loudly to get an intruder to shoot off all their bullets. A man who...

I stopped short when I heard voices.

“You can’t let her live,” Neve said from somewhere in the darkness. “You saw her face when she saw the video. She’ll tell the police. You’ll go to prison, and all those animals will starve to death. Let’s just end things now and get out of here.”

My stomach twisted. Was she talking to Tobias?

I moved closer toward her voice. Someone was replying, but the voice was too low to identify. I was sure I could get close when I stepped on a twig and it snapped loudly under my boot.

“What was that?” Neve asked. Suddenly she ran out from behind a tree about ten feet ahead of me. She pointed dramatically and snarled, “You. How did you get out?”

“I-I can leave whenever.” I didn’t believe it for a second, but I tried to be strong.

“Yeah?” She put her hand on her hip. “And what is going to happen if you leave? Where are you planning on going? I bet I can get you back to that house in a flash and once you’re there, you won’t ever leave again.” She reached for her backpack again.

She was right. If I ran back inside, I’d never go back out. I’d live the rest of my life hidden away. And if no one brought me food, then my fears truly would be the death of me. I’d be found in a closet, having starved to death and scared to turn on the lights.

Neve dug into the bag and pulled out a large knife, unsheathing it.

“I can’t miss with this one. You better run, Lumen. Because when I catch you, I’m going to carve pretty little designs into your flesh. Tobias won’t be able to recognize you.”

I bolted to the right, heading further into the darkness. While my eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, I was still tripping on everything.

“You might want to be quiet. Your little screams are going to lead me right to you.”

I pressed my lips tightly together and focused on moving slower and stepping on snow, but the first patch I caught turned out to be slush and I slipped and fell face-first. My head hit the cold, ground hard, and I saw stars. I struggled to my feet and tried to wipe the snow and mud off.

“Gotcha!” Neve shouted as she popped from behind a tree and swung her knife. I scurried back and ran in the other direction.

“You only saw the video without sound. You should hear it with the volume turned up. Your parents’ screams are horrific. But that didn’t stop Tobias. He was smiling as he massacred your family. Is that the man you want? You should just give up. He wasn’t meant for someone like you.”

She taunted me as she chased me through the woods. While I was still confused about my feelings, I knew jealousy when I felt it.

She thought she was meant to be with Tobias?

Over my dead body.

I wasn’t going to let that happen. I clenched my fists and turned. She came upon me a moment later and I swung my fist. It collided with her cheek, sending her reeling back.

“You bitch!” she screamed as she fell down. I lunged for her, straddling her middle. I grabbed her arms and held her to the ground. The knife was in her right hand. I squeezed her wrist to drop it.

“You think Tobias will want you after this? You’re delusional.” I snickered. She kicked her legs up, trying to hit me. I laughed and leaned down to whisper. “Tobias is mine.”

Her eyes went wide and suddenly she regained her strength. She yanked her arm out of my grip and swung at me. I screamed as the knife sunk into my shoulder blade.

I fell back, the knife still in place. Neve scurried up, kicking me to roll over. She gripped the knife and tore it from my flesh, causing white, hot, excruciating pain to shoot through me.

“Say that again and I’ll end things right here.”

I trembled as I rocked, trying to breathe through the pain.

“But I’m not entirely ready for this to be over. I want to drag this out. We’ve waited a full year, you know. I want Tobias to see the life go out of your eyes as he and I make love.”

I rolled over and managed to get on all fours. My body was screaming for me to lie back down, but I refused to give up. Neve kicked my ribs, sending me to the ground again.

“Get up and start running. I’ll give you a head start.”

I struggled to my feet and glared at her.

“Tobias would never touch you.”

She laughed. “Really? Because he already has. We’ve been together this whole time. Why do you think he was so quick to do what I ordered? Tobias was never yours. You might want to move before I stab you again.”

We didn’t speak for a moment, so I turned and limped away. I couldn’t run like before. My back was on fire, and I could hardly breathe. The further I got, the easier it became. I was able to walk slowly.

Tobias and Neve? I didn’t want to think about that. He couldn’t have done what he did with me and also do it with her.

But he also did kill my family.

I saw the video, my parents, then my sisters. He spared no one, and like Neve said, he’d been smiling the entire time. Why did he do it? And why was I conflicted over it?

I should hate him for what he did, but... I wasn’t sure I could.

“Lumen…” His voice in the darkness startled me. I spun around and glared.

“Go away!” I demanded, even though I didn’t want him too. I wanted to ask for his help. I was freezing, my fingers and toes numb. My clothes and face were covered in wet snow and mud, and I had a gaping wound in my back.

“Lumen.” Tobias stepped out from the trees. My heart squeezed with yearning to run into his arms, but instead I stepped back.

“Don’t come near me. You’ve been on her side this whole time, haven’t you?”

“What are you talking about? Lumen, watch?—”

“Watch what? That video of you stabbing my mom and dad and then my sisters to death? I don’t need to see it again. Once was enough. You’re a sick bastard.”

His face fell, shattering my resolve. He was so handsome, and his hands had been so kind to me. Was this the same man from that video? I continued backing up, until I stumbled on something slick.

I turned but the movement made me fall completely, and I realized I was on ice. I’d made it to the lake.

Oh no.

My body shook as I tried to scoot carefully back to land. I’d never been on ice like this? Could it hold my weight?

“Jesus Christ,” Tobias snarled and stomped out of the trees. I pivoted, deciding the ice was safer, but I was too slow, and a second later Tobias’s hand was on my pajama shirt, yanking me back to land. I screamed as pain shot through my shoulder. It was blinding hot and I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

My body was going through shock, hot from the stab wound, yet trembling from the cold. I feared it was also from being this close to Tobias again. My body revolted against my mind. His warm breath on my neck sent delicious shivers down my body straight to my core. After all I’d experienced tonight, I still craved more. I hated him, and yet... needed him. I groaned and pushed my ass against his groin. He was hard.

He wanted me too.

“There’s no escaping, Lumen. You’re going to finally fucking listen, and then you’re going to be mine.”