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Chapter Twenty-Three

MALLORY

I am soaked, missing a boot, and I smell like a stinky gym shoe. I’m not sure who I pissed off to get me in this situation, but seriously, fuck them. A twig snaps in the distance, which has me scampering behind a large tree trunk. This night has been awful and terrifying. I thought I was scared before, but this is a whole other level. A bunny hops into my view, munching on some grass, and I heave out a relieved sigh. Sitting down by the trunk of the tree, I rest my head back against the scratchy bark. My hair has become a nasty tangled mess, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s started to form matting back there. Closing my eyes and heaving out a sigh, the events from last night play on a loop behind my eyelids.

One second I’m clutching onto Maverick’s leg in the bottom of the boat, and the next second I’m being flung through the air like a rag doll. My body crashes into the water below, the murky substance invading my mouth and nose making it hard to breathe. My heart is pounding in my chest as I frantically flail, trying to grasp onto anything. “Maverick!” I scream when my head finally pops through the surface. I’m able to see his blue eyes shining fiercely through the storm on the other side of the boat. He’s yelling, but I can’t make out the words between the raindrops and the water rushing in my ears. The tears streaming down my panic-stricken face blend in seamlessly with the rain pelting down on me while I do my best to stay afloat. The current is strong, and it flings my body back and forth, the muscles in my arms and legs tiring from the exertion.

A bolt of lightning blazes through the sky, lighting up Maverick’s hulking form as he throws himself through the water to get to me. His powerful arms beating at the current, eyes filled with desperation, his voice filled with dread, “Mallory!” A whimper escapes my lips before my head falls back under the water; the coldness seeps into every part of me, making my muscles seize up. My legs and arms still in the water, Maverick’s handsome face flashes through my mind with all the memories we’ve created thus far. A soft smile sweeps across my lips as my body is flung down the stream; the feeling of weightlessness takes over until my back is slammed against a hard surface, forcing what little air I had left in my lungs out. The force of the impact has my head bobbing back above the surface; water sputters out of my mouth as I cough up the thick swamp water. The current has died down to the point that my noodle limbs are able to keep my head above water.

Kicking my feet out, I use my hands to hastily brush my hair and the water out of my eyes so I can actually see my surroundings. I spy a large branch protruding out of the bank, and I slowly manage to propel myself over to it, my shaking hands grabbing onto it for dear life. My body trembles in the water while I swing myself slowly up the muddy bank. Once I’m able to get my bearings, my left boot sinks deep into the mud, immobilizing me. “You have got to be fucking kidding!” I screech out for no one to hear as I tug on my leg with what little strength I have left. A sob leaves my lips as my boot just suctions deeper into the earth. Leaning down, I carefully unlace my boot enough to slip my foot out of it and army crawl the rest of the way up the bank. My body shakes with exhaustion, and the sobs spill out of me while I drag my body farther up the earth. I don’t stop until I’m lying safely next to a large tree, far enough away from the water for my own comfort. Flipping onto my back, I stare up at the dark sky, my sobs turn into hysterical laughter and then back to sobs that wrack my whole body. My eyes eventually slide shut, and they don’t open again until the sunlight is warming my body.

Tears track down my cheeks, leaving tracks in the mud that is still caked there. I angrily swipe them away and take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. “Come on, Mallory. You’re a bad bitch, and you need to act like it.” I say as I scold myself and push to my feet. My clothes have finally dry enough that I’m not freezing anymore, but they are stiff on my body, making it hard to move. The once white sock on my left foot has now turned to a coffee brown, making me cringe. Wrapping my arms around myself, I scan my surroundings, and everything looks the same. “I’m going to die out here.” I mutter to myself and start walking through the brush; sticks, and small rocks prick my sock-covered foot, making me wince. Stopping, I stare down at my body, and a thought comes to me, making me laugh, because who would have thought little ol’ me would think of this? I use all my strength to tear off two strips of my already tattered shirt. The biggest one I fold up so it’s a thick rectangle; placing my foot on top of that, I then shimmy the small piece of fabric under it and tie it around my foot and ankle to keep it in place. Taking a few practice steps, I whoop with victory and clap my hands when the fabric dulls the sharp objects just enough to be somewhat comfortable.

I straighten up, ball my hands at my sides, and march forward through the trees. Weaving in and out of the trees for hours is exhausting after you’ve almost died. My stomach has been growling the entire time I’ve been moving, and I would kill for a greasy cheeseburger right now. Eventually I see a small stream up ahead and make my way towards it with the intention of getting this mud off of me. At the edge of the water I slip off my boot and makeshift shoe, then peel my clothes away from my body before wading into the lukewarm water. Heaving out a sigh as the water warms my frigid skin, I plop my ass down on the rocky bottom and start cleaning the mud chunks from my body before leaning back and attempting to fix my hair. Spoiler alert: there is no fixing this rat's nest. Once I’m as clean as I’m going to get, I walk back out of the water and lay back on a flat rock near the edge to air dry my body. The sun is beating down and warming up my skin, reminding me of the summers I spent out on the deck of our yacht.

The sun starts to dip behind the trees before I make it up off the rock to dress. Picking up my shirt, I rip off another thin strip of fabric, because why not at this point, and use it to tie my hair up into a messy bun. A movement to my right startles me and has me jumping back, and then there's a movement to my left with a twig snapping. My heart rate increases at my impending doom as four zombies amble their way out of the trees. They are surrounding my only exit, because the other side of the stream is covered in jagged rocks, and I know damn well I can’t make it over those. I take a few steps forward, intending on just edging myself around them, and they don’t even sense my movements. My brows furrow while I lean down and grab a hefty branch by my feet, lifting it up as I’ve seen Maverick hold his axe. Walking closer to the zombies, I can smell their rancid stench emanating off of them, and they don’t even flinch when the tree branch brushes up against them. “What the hell?” I mutter under my breath, and that gets the attention of the zombie closest to me. She limps her way towards me, and I don’t move a muscle as she sniffs directly at my shoulder before she stumbles away with the rest of them. As soon as they are a few feet away, I toss the branch and run like hell.

Lungs burning with the exertion, sore muscles continuing to strain as I run through the trees. The sun is officially setting when I burst through the edge of the forest, leaning down to brace myself on my knees as I catch my breath. Staring at the ground, my toes are touching the edge of an asphalt road. I just stay there and stare at it like I’ve never seen one before. I think I’m in shock at this point. Finally I lean back up and sweep my gaze up and down the road that is lined by dense forest on both sides, with no road markers. My feet step up onto the road, and I almost sigh with the smooth feeling that lies under my feet while my gaze sweeps left and right. “Eenie, meanie, miney, moe.” I say before choosing to walk right down the deserted road. It’s almost eerie how quiet it is out here, and it has goosebumps erupting on my skin. I trudge down the road until it’s well past dark, barely being able to see the few feet in front of me, and then I hear it. A sound that I haven’t heard in weeks, a rumble and roll of tires as a vehicle comes closer. I turn towards the noise, stopping in the middle of the road as headlights flash over my body, blinding me. I throw up my arm to shield my eyes, and I hope to god that they decide to stop, but I brace myself for the impact anyways. The screech of tires reaches my ears, and I heave out a relieved breath. A door squeaks open, and then I hear the voice that I thought I’d never hear again. “Little one, is that you?” His deep voice reaches my ears, and I drop down to my knees in sobs. I jerk back when rough hands touch my arms, but then his warm arms start to envelop me, and it starts to feel like I'm finally home.