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RUN LITTLE LAMB…

T he feeling of a calloused hand brushing my cheek wakes me from my sleep. Slowly, my eyes flutter open, and there is Josh.

Smiling.

His presence doesn’t startle me. I’ve grown used to his unexpected entrances.

"Good morning. I wanted to check on you. I hope I didn’t scare you." His gentle tone grounds me, and I rub my eyes, trying to shake off the sleep.Josh sits beside me, his gaze searching my face. "How are you feeling today?" he asks, his brow furrowed with concern.

I open my mouth, wanting to ask him about the other night—but I don’t. Shame knots inside me, tightening my throat. I can’t bring myself to say it. To admit what we did. So I lie. "I'm okay."

"Good," he whispers as he leans closer, cupping my face in his hand, kissing me. His tongue sweeps my lower lip, demanding access but not in a dominating way like Rey, but gentle. Our tongues dance with one another, two dance partners syncing with every movement. The weight of him on the bed causes my side to dip. I should stop him, I couldn't do this, not in the same bed I lay with my husband, but I think of the late nights, the lack of affection, the scratches, and the bruises.

My hands move underneath his black shirt, pressing against his firm, muscled body as our kiss deepens. My stomach turns from the adrenaline of the moment, the need, and the guilt. But when his hand cups my ass and he moans into my mouth, when my engorged breasts press against him, the thoughts drift away, and all I can focus on is the hardness of his cock pressing against me. My hand moves over his jeans, feeling his thick girth, and I moan when he presses against me, helping me lay back down, my legs spreading open for him.

"Tell me yes, tell me you want this, Serena," he breathes against my lips as his hand hovers over my wet panties.

No. I should say no. I'm married.

But my husband walked out on me long before this moment.

So my mouth says the opposite.

"Yes," I breathe, and we both moan when his fingers part my pussy lips and dip inside my tight cunt. It's been so long.

"That's it, Lily. Be a good girl."

Josh's voice morphs into my husband's.

Lily.

Who's Lily?

I moan, but it's not my voice. This one is raspier. "Such a good girl," she moans as he continues to fuck me—her—slowly. Taking his time with each thrust, and I close my eyes, my arms wrap around his neck. But when I open my eyes, this isn't my Rey. He's younger, the salt-and-pepper hair all black now. The scar that slashes through his left eyebrow—gone. This Rey has no tattoos on his arm, only muscle, and his thrusts are slow, passionate—nothing like the animalistic and brutal thrusts I love. The smell of iron fills the air, and I hear a small wheezing sound. The fabric clings to my skin as his thrusts grow more painful.

I feel something firm beneath me.

I feel something wet and sticky. My hand moves beneath me, and I feel the warmth. Bare skin. A wound. A sob escapes my lips, causing the person above me to distort, blending from Josh to Rey as he fucks me. A scream escapes my lips as I bring my hand to my face, and I notice that it's blood.

"Serena, wake up. It's a dream." Josh's voice calls out to me, "Snap out of it."

"Lily," the name comes out of my mouth before my eyes flutter open, catching a glimpse of her as she stands over Josh. And despite the different eye and hair color, I can see the similarities in their features.

"Lily." I repeat, catching her off guard, like she had also forgotten her name. She looks at me, confused, and then angry. I'm so invested in the woman before me that I don't notice Josh pull away, his eyes teary as he snatches my wrist painfully. "How do you know that name?"

"I don't know." I shake my head, trying to free my wrist from his hold. "I had a dream, and the woman in my dream—her name."

Looking up, I watch as Lily shakes her head. No .

So I stop speaking, my body was on high alert. Using all my might, I kick him between the legs, causing him to release me. My stomach tightens, but I force myself to run.

She is warning me.

As I take off out of my room, I see the tall shadow and realize it isn't a shadow but charred skin. From up close, I can see the cracks that expose the pink flesh and the flakes. Bile rises in my throat, but I push out of the room, down the hall, and almost down the stairs before Josh is on me.

"Serena, stop!" he yells behind me, but even as I almost fall, I don't stop. Even through the pain, I don't stop.

"SERENA!"

Opening the front door, I look out at the fields, the wind making the dead flowers sway. The sky is dark, heavy, the smell of rain thick in the air—once comforting, now suffocating.

My heart sinks.

My stomach tightens.

My hands clasp over the door trim.

Not now. Please, not now.

The pounding of my heart drowns out everything else as I stumble down the front steps. Behind me, I hear him closing in.

A raindrop hits my forehead. I wipe it away with the back of my hand, glancing up at the sky just as the storm breaks. Rain falls in sheets, soaking my clothes, clinging to my skin. The sound of snapping dead lavender stalks behind me makes my breath hitch, but I push forward, bile rising in my throat from exhaustion. My lungs burn, my legs scream—but I keep running. Despite the pain in my center. Despite the pressure building inside me.

I keep running.

Not into the woods.

Not deeper into the darkness.

I won’t die here.

I see it now.

The road.

A surge of relief crashes over me, my legs pumping harder as I see the wet cement up ahead. Harder. Harder.

"Thank God," I cry out as my feet hit the pavement. Headlights approach in the distance, glowing through the rain, and for the first time, the overwhelming sense of safety overpowers my fear.

I made it.

I turn back, looking over my shoulder, expecting Josh.

I see his figure emerging from the dead fields, his face shadowed, watching?—

But then the car door opens. My stomach clenches, hard and merciless, making me double over as a sharp contraction seizes me. Small rivers of water trail between my legs, warm despite the freezing rain.

I look up, gasping for breath. And it’s no longer Josh.

It’s Rey.

His figure is sharp against the backdrop of the storm, his face calm, too calm, as he steps forward, rain dripping down his temple.

"Mi Reina," he says, voice smooth, familiar. "Are you alright? Let’s go back inside."

I don’t move.

I can’t.

My stomach twists violently, but it’s nothing compared to the panic freezing me in place.

I made it.

I made it?—

Didn’t I?

Rey moves toward me, hands steady, his voice laced with concern.

"Come on," he soothes, guiding me gently by the arm. "The storm’s getting worse."

My body moves on its own.

Numb. Weightless.

I step forward.

The passenger door opens.

I slide inside.

The door shuts.

The locks click.

The windshield wipers scrape against the glass, clearing the rain, but my vision remains blurred. Rey shifts into drive. The road disappears behind us. And just like that, he takes me back to my grave.