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DELILAH

M y fingers hurt from how tightly I’m holding his hand, but he squeezes mine just as tightly. There’s no malice as he keeps me tucked behind him, removes his shoes, and slowly walks to the door, peering out to make sure there’s no one watching.

And then we run.

There’s no time for caution. My parents are locked in caskets and Helene is upstairs, so we run through the house and out of the large front door, leaving it open a crack.

As soon as we hit the cold air, Kane pushes me ahead of him and we drag each other through the winding driveway.

The steep decline works in our favor, forcing us further away from the ungodly house.

My lungs burn and a breathless laugh escapes me.

We did it.

I did it.

My plan worked. Helene’s a sick fuck, a freak who enjoys pain just like my parents. I’ve finally figured it all out.

Kane copies me as I look over at him. The smile on his face is full of disbelief as he pulls me closer and picks me up. I wrap my arms and legs around him, kissing his cheek as I squeeze him because we’re going to be safe.

“I’ve got you,” he whispers.

We slow down as we reach the bottom of the hill. The perimeter is walled behind stone and a large iron gate with spikes at the top. There’s an electrical box beside it and it’s too high for us to be able to climb, but he kisses my cheek. “You’ll fit through.”

He peels me off him while I argue, “What about you?”

“I’ll be right after you.”

My ribs hurt as he forces me through the gap between the gate and the stone wall. I can barely squeeze through, but he keeps applying more pressure to my body. I have to duck to prevent smacking my head on one of the heavy-duty hinges.

I have one foot outside of the property when loud barking rings out. He slowly turns his head, his face falling and his hands more urgent. “Fuck, Delilah, go!”

A tremor works through my hands as I try to grab his arm to defy physics by pulling him through the gap, but he steps back and smiles. “Go, koukla mou. I’ll be right behind you.”

Blinding floodlights click on one by one along the wall, getting closer to revealing exactly where we are.

I don’t move. My legs are frozen as I reach for him again.

“Go,” he urges. “There’s a house on the other side of the island. Call Ruby.”

“I don’t have her number,” I whisper, my bottom lip wobbling.

The lights are getting closer, the barking louder—multiple dogs, all salivating to protect or destroy.

“Delilah, fucking go!” Kane snaps, hitting the gate and making me flinch. “Fuck off. Run. And do not look back.”

“Not alone.”

I won’t survive. I don’t even know how to get out of here. What if the people here are worse than people in this house? I do something stupid and try to crawl back through while Kane pushes against my face.

“What the fuck are you doing?” He increases the pressure against my nose. “Fuck off. I’ll make sure that you burn if you don’t.”

The floodlights shining at the top of the hill show the silhouette of the dogs eager for our blood. They’re huge, even in the distance, and I cry, “Kane.” My chest stutters and I beg him, “Come with me.”

“No. You’re a stupid fucking cunt. Run.”

“Come with me,” I beg, uncaring. “I don’t know where to go or what to do on my own.”

Static fills the air and it’s then that I notice that the tops of the walls are covered in fire mesh that glow orange. Wires. They heat up and Kane says slowly, wide-eyed, “Fuuuuck.”

The dogs move faster, charging down the hill while my begging gets louder, “Please. Don’t leave me alone.”

He grabs the ornate bars of the gate, rushing out, “Move, run. I’m coming.”

I stumble back, watching him attempt to scale the gate as the barking becomes deafening. There’s a low-pitched whistle, more barking, then he shouts, “Run!”

Slowly walking backwards, I wait for him. He finds some strength or adrenaline that allows him to plant his foot on the bar and pull himself up. His foot slips as the dogs get closer, the air in front of their snouts fogging in the harsh spotlights behind them.

Fuck.

Running forward, I thread my fingers together and push his foot up. I keep doing it until he can reach the top of the fence, but the dogs are right there. Right in front of me on the other side of the gate where Kane is dangling.

One of them lunges forward, their teeth sharp and angry, making me fall on my wrist. Pain shoots through my arm and Kane’s groans mix with my whimpering as he kicks backwards to get the dog to move away.

Their sharp teeth have latched onto the bottom of his foot with enough force to make him slip on the gate.

My arm aches as I get up, looking for anything to help him.

Loose stones litter the ground but that won’t be enough to distract the dogs, so I ignore the pain as I push my hand through the gap in the gate to punch into the dog’s throat with tears streaming down my face. “I’m sorry.”

Kicks rain down from above as Kane grits, “Move.”

Blood is dripping down the chin of the dog, staining the white fur around its jowls. It whimpers when it takes a knock to the top of the head, allowing Kane to pull himself further up. But the dog acts within its nature, barking to alert the others.

Kane manages to make it over the spikes with burns tearing through his shirt as he lands beside me. Breathless and in pain, we find each other’s hands, lending each other enough strength to stand as the gate rattles from the force of the other dogs jumping up, knocking against it.

Trees line the road we’re on and he pulls on my hand, dragging me into them. The barks echo around us, leaves and moss crunching under our feet and I ignore the scratches against my soles as he asks, “Can you run?”

I nod. It’s a lie because I freeze at the sound of the electric gates creaking open.

“Good girl.”

“Can you?” I whisper.

He lies too. “Yeah.” Then curses. “Fuck.”

We run in a zig-zag pattern through the trees, dragging each other, forcing the other to carry our weight and slipping into the rough bark.

I’m sure I’m seeing shit when blurry faces hide within the densely packed trees.

The barking is still there. Loud. Deafening.

Fucking driving me crazy, but there are faces too.

Small faces, like we’re surrounded by thousands of small children.

Something falls from one of the trees, hitting my cheek and I swipe it away, but it’s quickly replaced by another. Then another. Until the sound of rain replaces every other noise, even my own heartbeat and breathing, as Kane drags me through the mud that quickly turns swampy.

The rainfall is heavy, breaching the cover of the branches above us, and reducing our visibility.

I look behind, trying to see if I can see a dog chasing us, but the sheets of rain are difficult to see through with the leaves it’s pulling down. It’s like an echo chamber, and the sound is so loud that it diminishes my other senses.

My foot gets caught on a root and I scream as I fall forward. He tugs on my hand, attempting to keep me steady, but I end up dragging us both down.

He rolls into me, knocking me into a patch of mud that slides out from underneath me and I scream louder as I try to snatch at the air to pull myself up.

“Fuck, Delilah!”

Kane wraps his arms around me, rolling with me as we get battered with the rain, the mud, rocks, and branches then fall through air as the elements continue assaulting us.

This fall isn’t like the others. There’s no freedom, only fear as we land in shallow water. My entire body aches, but I can’t breathe through it with his weight bearing down on me.

“You’re okay,” he whispers, lifting off me and holding my face in both hands. “You’re okay. Please tell me you’re okay.”

“We’re okay.” I cup his face, closing my eyes to protect them from the rain.

The water we’re laying in begins to rise and there’s a loud crack as a large branch falls overhead. It’s too long to tumble down and hit us, but I wrap my arms around Kane’s shoulders like that will protect him.

“Look at me,” he grits. I do it automatically. “I’m sorry, Delilah. I am so fucking sorry for not talking to you. For everything I did. Okay?”

I nod as he softly kisses me. It’s not out of lust, or to cause pain; he just kisses me like he’s trying to tell me something.

Then moves back and lifts me with him. The lace trailing behind me floats on top of the water as we trudge further away from the lit-up house.

Without the trees covering the sky, I’m able to see the faces we pass.

Every single tree has a doll tied to it.

Some are broken, weathered, while others have missing eyes or limbs.

But there isn’t a tree without a doll watching us.

I can’t breathe with the rain clinging to me and Kane doesn’t make it any easier as he pushes against my back. “Run.”

My steps slow. I’m too lethargic to move. But he stands in front of me, brushing my hair off my face and neck. “We’re in a ravine. It’s going to fill up and we won’t be able to move once it’s above our knees. I need you to move, my pretty girl. Can you do that for me?”

I turn my head, looking at each wall surrounding us, and he’s right. The edges are wet, rainwater running over them, the murky water dimpling with the heavy raindrops splashing up against them.

I can’t move though. I don’t have the energy to.

“Delilah.” Kane gently shakes me. “Hold my hand?”

Rain clings to his lashes and I squint to clear my vision as they drip down my face. There’s something beautifully tragic about the fact that we’re lost right now, stuck in a ravine that’s slowly filling up, yet I’ve never had more mental clarity in my life.

“I remember everything.” My voice is barely audible over the rain but I smile, repeating, “I remember everything.”