Page 27

27

HARPER

M y lungs seize as I stumble through the dark woods, fleeing for my life.

Confusion and disorientation have me in a chokehold as my eyes dart around wildly.

Everything blends together.

All the trees, rocks, and jagged branches shaking in the wind, all of it indistinguishable, not offering me any clue as to where I’m heading.

Am I still on the right path?

Does this trail lead me back to the safety and security of Ford’s arms?

Hell, I’d even take Connor’s class clown behavior over whoever in the hell is wearing the white mask behind me.

I hear the crunch of rocks and leaves beneath his feet as he chases me.

Don’t look back!

Keep going!

A sharp, stabbing pain goes through my ribs.

A frantic, desperate whimper rolls from my lips as the terror takes control of me.

I hear an evil, cackling laugh behind me.

A shiver races up my spine, and my sweat-slicked skin is covered in goosebumps.

“Dear God. Please, save me.”

The wind shakes the leaves harder, increasing my panic.

A whisper that sounds like, “You’ll never escape me” hits my ears.

I’m in such a panic, so terrified, I can’t distinguish reality from my fear.

Did the masked man whisper those words, taunting me?

Or is it the tall trees around me, watching as I run in circles, knowing the inevitable truth—I won’t be escaping these woods tonight?

“Someone… help. ”

Although I use every bit of energy to scream those words, they come in a pitch barely above a whisper.

A loud crack behind me makes my heart seize.

It sounds like a firecracker… or a gun.

My legs nearly give out as the sound rips through my ribs like an electric shock.

Am I… dying?

My heartbeat is sluggish as I slowly turn my head, looking over my shoulder.

My eyes fly wide.

The masked man is right behind me.

My foot snags on a rock.

My eyes widen, my mouth contorting in horror as I flail my arms, trying to maintain my balance.

But it’s no use.

I’m watching it in slow motion as I lurch forward, falling.

A scream rips from my lungs as the ground rushes up to meet me.

The wind claws at my face.

My stomach lurches into my throat.

When I hit the ground, it’ll be all over for me.

Tears spill from my eyes, rolling down my cheeks.

The leaves on the trees shake harder, the sound a frenetic warning that they were right, and I was wrong.

My life flashes before my eyes, and I realize with a startling, sickening sense of irony that my biggest regret is Ford.

All I can think about is him as I fall.

I wasted a decade.

Tossed us away like last week’s trash.

I should’ve fought for us.

I close my eyes.

I love you.

I’ve always loved you.

I’m sorry.

So goddamn sorry….

I brace for the pain. For the end.

But then I feel an iron-clad grip grabbing me, preventing me from falling.

My eyes fly open, and I look over my shoulder.

Oh, fuck.

The masked man caught me.

My body goes numb for a moment, my brain short-circuiting.

Cold metal grazes my skin, and I blink rapidly, my gaze jerking away from him.

Did he… stab me?

My brain stutters, trying to catch up.

A knife?

No, it can’t be.

There’s no pain.

No copper scent of blood.

Cold metal bites into my wrist.

There’s a click and a snap.

It’s… handcuffs!