Page 37

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

ERIN

I hurtle into the darkness, leaving the cabin behind.

My silky dress flaps in the wind, and its icy chill wraps around my limbs.

I stumble in Eli’s oversized socks, pausing for a second to pull them back up my calves.

Each step is like wading through a vat of sticky caramel, but once I’m out of the mud, running on the grass flanking the dirt path makes it easier to cover more ground.

It’s slippery, but I grab tree trunks to support me, darting from one to the other like a pinball.

I push aside my thoughts about other potential predators lurking in the shadows.

They can’t be any worse than the three men I’m running from.

All I have to do is find the road and follow it into town.

But, despite my good sense of direction, it’s impossible to see.

Without getting down on my hands and knees to follow the indents left by motorcycle wheels, I’m led by pure instinct.

It won’t be long until morning, though. I can hide out until sunrise, right?

“Little Ghost!” Lex’s voice echoes through the forest. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”

I freeze and hide behind a tree, hugging its bark as if my life depends on it. A single beam from a flashlight slips through the leaves, and I back away from it.

Footsteps crunch through the undergrowth.

“You can’t hide from us,” Aiden says.

He’s close.

I hold my breath.

The light swivels and turns away from me. I set off again, keeping each step light. Without shoes, I don’t make much noise, but I’m still not quiet enough…

Another light appears, shining straight at my last hiding spot.

“Over here,” Eli says.

I must get away. Adrenaline propels me forward. Branches tear at my skin, but I barely feel it. Aiden’s news has numbed me, regardless of whether it’s true.

The ground slopes, giving me some hope I’ll be able to escape down the mountain. However, a bulky rock has other ideas. I trip, breaking the fall with my hands at the last second, and land on my knees.

I lose precious seconds, allowing the men to gain on me.

Even though I’m ahead, I swear I hear them breathing down my neck.

Keep going, Sarah. Wait, did I just call myself Sarah?

My brain is rattled after their revelation and is doing anything to cling to her memory.

I muster all my strength to pull myself up and sprint on. You can do this, Erin.

“You can run,” Aiden yells. “But you can’t hide.”

Another tree branch tugs on my hair and makes my head jerk. Its thorny fingers hold strands captive, and I yank myself free, leaving a tuft behind.

They’re too close.

In my panic, I make the mistake of looking back.

Three flashlights move fast.

Too fast.

I yelp and fall again. I tumble, rolling down the steep incline on my side. It reminds me of a snowy day from my childhood, filled with gleeful laughter when me and my sister threw ourselves down an untouched, white-topped hill. I couldn’t be any further from that now.

I dig my nails into the earth, desperately trying to cling to something, but it’s no use.

Uprooted plants lie in my wake as I keep rolling and pick up pace.

I might plummet to my death in a rocky ravine any minute.

I whimper as my shoulders bounce off the rocks, and they skin my elbows. Twigs snap as I reach for them.

Thwack!

I hit the base of a tree and groan, coming to a harsh stop. Pain shoots up my spine. I wiggle my toes, thankful I only have bruises to worry about, but the worst is still to come…

A light beam hits my face.

They’ve found me.

I sit up and scramble back, wincing from the pain as another spotlight blinds me. I’m cornered with nowhere to go. Although I can’t see, I hear them. Steady footsteps approach, mercilessly crushing anything in their path. Snapping sticks sound like snapping bones.

I tremble with trepidation as the lights suddenly go off, plunging us into darkness. My brain wills me to move, but terror grounds me.

The chase is up.

I shriek. Gloved hands grip my ankles and yank me forward. I resist, tossing and turning, grabbing fistfuls of leaves, but they force me to lie flat on my back. Someone steps over me, then strong thighs clamp around me, holding me in place as another pair of hands hold my wrists above my head.

“Don’t resist,” Eli says. He’s on top of me. “You’ll only make it more difficult.”

“Let me go,” I pant, struggling to get the words out due to his crushing weight.

Someone props a flashlight under the tree, illuminating the canopy above. I can’t see Lex or Aiden yet, but sense their presence.

“Can I punish her?” Lex asks enthusiastically from behind Eli.

“Fuck you,” I snarl. “Fuck you all!”

My bitter anger boils to the surface. An anger that’s been rearing its head more and more recently, and I’m no longer able to suppress it.

Dad trained me to be a meek mouse, obedient and unquestioning.

This fury is new. It’s been lying dormant in a dark corner of my soul, and now it’s finally unleashed.

A few months ago, I’d have been too scared to fight back, but I’m not the same person I was then.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I yell. “I’ll make you regret it.”

“Oh, really?” I turn to the left and see Aiden’s boots. He kneels and grabs my hair. He forces my head upward, tugging on my scalp, then slams me down again. “You’re helpless, Little Ghost. You’re at our mercy.” He looks to his right. “Punish her, Lex.”

Eli blocks my view of Lex, who forces my legs roughly open.

I kick to bat him away, but he’s already positioned between my knees.

Any attempts to get him off will only give him better access.

In the cold, the heat radiating from his flashlight warms my inner thighs as he subjects me to an examination.

“You think you’re so brave,” I taunt. “But you’re all cowards! Is this the only way you get girls? By torturing them and taking them against their will?”

Aiden’s hot breath tickles my ear menacingly. “Usually, girls beg us to pin them down.” He catches my lobe between his teeth and bites hard, then withdraws. “You’re fighting, but this is how you like it, Little Ghost.”

“You don’t know what I like,” I hiss, spinning my head and gnashing my teeth.

“See? You like it rough.” Aiden pushes my cheek into the dirt. “I bet your tight little pussy is dripping.”

Lex pulls my slip up. He rips my panties off, tearing through the fabric like an animal.

“You’re right,” Lex says. I hear the grin in his voice. “She’s soaking.”

My face burns with shame as Lex parts my pussy and slides a finger between my wet folds. His scorching touch contrasts the otherwise freezing night. The hands of the devil fan my desire.

I kick out, but he pins down the lower half of my body with his knees, letting my legs fall open wide. Between the three of them, I’m completely immobilized.

“We’ll show you how you like it, Little Ghost,” Aiden promises. “Being fucked in the soil like a dirty whore.”

Lex spits on my pussy like a cobra shooting venom. His searing spray sends tingles from my pussy to my toes as he massages my clit. He slathers me in his spit, then slips inside to fuck me with two fingers. I cry out as Aiden tightens his grip on my hair.

“Gag her, Eli,” Aiden commands, using his hold to turn my face.

Eli’s shadowy figure edges closer. He unzips his pants and releases his throbbing cock.

When I open my mouth to hurl another insult in his direction, he squats over my face and forces his cock into me, silencing me instantly.

Meanwhile, Lex’s pumping grows more vigorous until he suddenly withdraws and replaces his fingers with a plastic cylindrical object.

I want to tell them to stop, but I can’t. Tears stream down my cheeks as Eli forces his member farther down my throat. His shaft blocks my airways as he rocks into my face to muffle my screams.

Lex twirls the mysterious object around my entrance, stroking it against my wetness before pushing it inside me. It’s smaller than Eli’s cock, but it’s the first time I’ve taken something so large.

“You don’t seem like a virgin to me,” Lex purrs, fucking me aggressively with the object. “Look at our little ghost. Getting fucked by a flashlight in the dark.”

Eli bucks his hips, and I gurgle on him.

His balls slap into my chin, then they rise into his body, signaling he’s about to blow.

He grunts as he comes. Salty liquid spills down my throat.

I gag, drowning in the wave of cum and swallow it down.

Finally, he pulls out reluctantly, smearing any remaining semen over my lips with the tip of his dick like gloss.

At the same time, Lex forces my pussy to take the end of the flashlight.

My body quivers, jolting with each motion.

He holds me in place, leaving me with no choice but to accept it.

With his spare hand, he rubs my clit, spitting every so often to keep me slick.

The pressure on my clit is so intense that it’s borderline painful, yet his warmth is akin to sitting next to a toasty fire.

It’s impossible not to succumb to the blissful sensation in the cold.

Eli stashes his cock away and moves aside. I gulp in the air, smelling the lingering dampness of fresh rainfall in the forest. Leaves scratch my ass, and I writhe around in them, my back arching with Lex’s motions.

“You were too gentle, Eli,” Aiden reprimands. “Hold her hands.”

Eli grabs my wrists while Aiden shines his light down on my body, illuminating Lex crouching between my legs. My eyes widen, watching my pussy stretch while he defiles me with the flashlight.

Aiden takes Eli’s place, his cock already in his fist. He slaps me across the face with it.

“You—”

He silences me with another whip of his dick. His hot shaft rebounds off my cheek as he slaps me again and again. I turn to bite him but miss.

Aiden cackles, putting his hand to my throat and squeezing. “You’ll regret that,” he warns.

He pinches my nose, forcing my sealed lips to open, then shoves his cock into my mouth as I fight for breath.

He pushes deep, having to release his hold on my throat to tip my chin back a little to give him the best angle.

My gag reflex kicks in. I choke, battling the urge to be sick, but that doesn’t stop him.

He forces himself down my throat. My eyes bulge, ready to pop out of their sockets.

That, and his weight bearing down on my chest, steal all my oxygen.

Suddenly, Lex’s teeth sink into my sensitive inner thigh. The searing pain makes me shudder in a twisted mix of pain and pleasure. He does it again, biting and sucking hard, while continuing to fuck me with the flashlight.

My pussy tightens. How can I enjoy this?

My body defies me at every turn as Lex’s mouth brushes my clit and an intense orgasm blasts through me.

It’s all-consuming, transporting my body to another plane.

I stay still, not wanting to give myself away.

But I twitch involuntarily as my pussy spasms, gushing all over the flashlight.

“That’s it,” Lex praises, sensing my climax. “Come like the dirty whore we know you really are.”

Aiden takes that as an invitation. He slams into me, fucking my face as hard as he fucked my ass earlier to teach me a lesson. As much as I try to fight back, they have a physical advantage, and they’re not afraid to use it.

When I’m done, Lex removes the flashlight. He slurps loudly, licking my juices off it.

“So sweet,” Lex says. His voice sounds faraway. “Delicious.”

Aiden isn’t finished, though. I’m dizzy, unable to catch my breath, as he continues to block my airways with his cock.

A light shines into my face. Behind it, Eli’s darkened silhouette looms.

“She’s going blue,” Eli observes, frowning. “She’s had enough, Aiden.”

“I’ll decide when she’s had enough,” Aiden snaps gruffly.

Eli says something else that I can’t hear.

His comments only make Aiden fuck my throat more violently. My body convulses. Fuzzy dots swim before me. I’m a complete mess under his attack. He’s obliterating me.

Darkness descends. A vision appears in my mind’s eye. It’s like a dream, yet it feels so real…

I’m in the woods again. This time, it’s a warm summer night.

Stars twinkle above, and moonlight slips through the lush green leaves.

Aiden interlocks his fingers through mine, and I laugh at something he says.

He smiles and tells me that this is somewhere we can call home.

Lex is up ahead at the cabin, arranging logs into a neat pile to start a fire.

I feel safe, like this is where I’m supposed to be, and then my vision fades…

“Stop, Aiden!” Eli’s panicked cries pierce my eardrums, bringing me back to reality. “She’s not breathing!”

Someone wrenches me into a seated position.

I cough up and retch, my shoulders shaking.

I can’t think straight, let alone try to speak.

“See? She’s fine,” Aiden says coldly. “Carry her. We don’t have long.”

I look up to see Aiden storming away. Lex follows, lighter in hand, setting the tips of branches on fire as he walks. Lex’s flames flicker for a few seconds, helping to guide their way, before they’re extinguished by the wind.

Eli unzips his jacket and wraps it around me like a blanket, enveloping me in his scent, before scooping me up into his arms.

“You’ll be fine, Little Ghost,” Eli says. “You’ll see.”

Yet his words don’t bring me comfort, only lingering dread as my eyelids flutter closed…