Page 12 of Fragmented Illusions

My brows draw in and I squint my eyes into the darkness. The black blanket of darkness.

The light is gone—and so are they.

What the fuck?

My head swivels around, searching for them, but I can’t even see my own hand in front of my face. My heart thunders loudly in the ringing silence of the cabin, pulling me from my panic.

They’re gone, so maybe they are letting me go?

Fat chance.

Taking the opportunity while I have it, I spin around and feel along the wall for the door I know I am close to. After what feels like an eternity, my palm skims over the cool, warped metal and I grip it harshly as I yank it open.

My eyes blink rapidly, attempting to adjust to the sudden light as I step onto the sagging porch.

The moonlight has shifted direction but it’s bright in the clearing of trees surrounding the cabin, so I’m able to make my way down the stairs easily enough, tiptoeing the entire time. My heeled boots make it a little more difficult for me to move around, but I don’t want to walk barefoot through all of those trees. God only knows what I could step on—or if a stick would go through my foot or something.

I don’t know where those men went but somehow,nothaving them in my sight is just as terrifying as them being visible. Because now I don’t know. I don’t know where they are. If they can see me. If they let me go.

The unknown is more terrifying than the known.

The unknown is full of questions. Of uncertainty.

The unknown is what drives us absolutely mad.

And that fear of the unknown is what is driving me right now.

I sprint across the clearing and into the trees, trying to remember how I got here. Thoughts of what Trenton did to me earlier are long gone as the fear induced adrenaline pumps through my veins, pushing me onward. My steps are unsure as I make my way over the uneven ground while also weaving around the trees.

I couldn’t have made it very far from the house, could I?

As I stumble through a particularly dark patch of trees, I hear a snap.

My limbs lock and I hold my breath as I strain my ears.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

The sound of my heart battering my ribcage and the echoing of blood rushing through my ears muffles the sounds around me, but I still try anyway, though I know it is fruitless.

With my hands shaking by my sides, I clench my fists as I wait. I’m standing next to a few trees, so I’m hoping their shadows help block the sight of me.

After what I think is a few minutes of nothing, I trudge forward again, in the direction of what I’m hoping is the frat house. The frat house with people—lots of people.

Ahead of me, barely breaking through the twisting branches of the trees, is light. And noise.

I made it!

I heave out a deep sigh of relief as I push myself through the last section of trees.

The security of people I have been craving since I witnessed what I did is right in front of me. So close I can barely taste it.

“Naughty, naughty, pretty girl.”

No.