Page 31 of Captured

It soaked my skin, dripping down my arms in strings of dark red and pale pink as the rain mixed in. Carson’s throat had been slit from ear to ear, his mouth still open in his own scream of shock and horror. Just like Tyler’s had been.

I did my best to crawl backwards in the muck and blood, sliding then falling directly on Jessup’s dead body. “Oh, no. No. No. No.” I pressed my hand against his face, the gaping hole at the base of his chin making me sick inside, lightheaded from the horrific wave of nausea. A sudden desperate need to survive kicked in, especially when I head a cracking noise as if someone was clearing the trees.

Every inch of my body shaking, I managed somehow by the grace of God to jerk up, tumbling backwards, fighting the urge to vomit all over the ground. After having the common sense to scoop up the light, I was ready to bolt toward the house but I was wrong about where I’d heard the noise.

As if taken off a screenplay for a horror movie, the moment I flashed the light toward the back of the house, a figure stepped into view. He or it was too far away for me to make out any features, especially since the person was wearing a hoodie, but there was no chance I could return to the house. Not through the door I’d come out of anyway.

“What do you want?” I called, fighting laughter. As if the monster was going to tell me.

“You.”

The shock of hearing his voice once again was like a knife being shoved into my gut. I hadn’t been dreaming. He’d been in my room. He’d spanked me and fucked me and… Oh, God. The rush of fear finally outweighed the ridiculous desire. “No. I… Go away. Go away from me.” I took several steps backward, narrowly avoiding tripping over Jessup’s lifeless body all over again.

“Emily. Don’t run from me or you will be punished. And I assure you that it will be much worse than you received before.”

I wasn’t imagining anything. This was real.

This was dangerous.

This was my life.

Oh, fuck, no.

“You bastard. You’ve been in my house!”

He laughed, the sound wrapping around me softly. “Did you enjoy our sinful encounter?”

“Get away, you freak.”

I backed away more defiantly this time, uncertain what I could do. Except I knew of a road few people knew about less than a mile from my father’s house. I had to go through a small river on the back of the property but there was no other choice. Not if I wanted to live.

I took off running, fighting my way through the terror and images that would never leave my mind. It was him. I was certain of it. He’d come for me just like I knew he would.

But he was a monster after all. Just like the rest of them. Just like my father. My heart continued to pound, my mind a horrific blur as I ran and ran until my legs ached, refusing to look behind me.

Until I heard a sound.

Laughter. Deep laughter. I slapped my hand across my mouth and headed behind a tree, cutting the light. I couldn’t breathe, wasn’t entirely certain where I was. But I had to keep running. I had to get away. Did my father know this was happening? Was this why he’d left? I counted to five, fighting the nerves before taking off running again. If I wanted my freedom, I’d need to fight for it.

So I took off running again. No horrible monsters were going to prevent me from getting away. I sprinted, proud of myself for keeping on without losing what might be left of my mind. I didn’t care if I was soaked to the bone or that low tree limbs were slapping me in the face. There was no pain or maybe I should recite the mantra I’d adopted years before.

No pain, no gain.

The last stupid psychiatrist had said just that in jest to try to bring me out of the darkness when everything else the ugly little man had tried had failed miserably. I continued my round of hatred for him as I powered through to the back of the property, able to hear the water of the river tumbling over the rocks. All I had to do was make it to the other side and turn right, heading toward the Millers’ property. They were a nice older couple, although they hated my father, but they’d help me. Right?

I kept my legs going, envisioning the way the doctor had looked at me the last time I’d stormed out of his office. As if he’d visit me in a loony bin in a few short weeks. I’d turned all my fear and hatred into my love of music, able to pull myself out of the darkness within weeks.

A feat I was proud of.

The skills I’d learned from being a sick little girl were invaluable. I would get through this.

I found myself at the riverbank’s edge, shuddering as I heard a loud howling sound. It was eerie, a wolf baying at the dark sky. Or was it human instead? It didn’t matter at this point. Whoever or whatever it was should be considered dangerous.

I trudged off, thankful I knew almost every rock and crevice in the river having explored it dozens of times in my effort to find peace and tranquility. If there was such a thing.

Somehow, I made it through, falling on the opposite bank not once but twice. But I crawled and fought my way to the other side, dropping the flashlight only once. Powering forward, I still fought to catch my breath as I rushed back into the last line of forest keeping me from reaching the road.

When I finally burst through the trees, I laughed and fell to my knees briefly, gasping for air.

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