Page 3 of Captive Heart

For now, at least.

"Get in here, bitch!" She heard the loud booming roar of Master's voice as it carried on the air of the silent night.

Soon, he would go looking for her, and it wouldn't be very long after that before he realised she was gone.

How much more time did she have before he investigated the only real option for escape?

If she was lucky, he'd have to find a coat and shoes before he ventured outside. Then he'd surely check the garden to see if she'd sheltered somewhere, maybe the shed.

Logic told her he'd head for the gate first to see if it was still locked; that would all buy her precious minutes to make it to the relative safety of the next boundary line.

It would all depend on whether or not he noticed the tarp was missing from the log pile sooner…or later.

She prayed for later.

Her feet found an added spurt of speed as she heard him shout some more.

"Where the fuck are you, bitch? Just wait till I get my hands on you, you little slut, you'll regret messing me around like this!"

She could hear the anger in his voice and couldn't help the whimper that fell from her lips at the thought of him catching her.

“Please, God, no!” She'd never survive if he managed to get her back.

Vaguely, she wondered if his shouting might alert the neighbours, but it didn't seem to deter him, so obviously, he wasn't too worried. It added to her belief that she was right not to trust them.

She sped across the silent grass, oblivious to the cold and pain in the soles of her feet, her only focus now on managing to successfully get away.

Her breath sawed in and out of constricted lungs, part exertion, part fear, and she thanked the Lord for the haze of mist which obscured the white puffs of her breath that decorated the air around her.

She was almost there, just a few more metres.

"Slave!" The thunderous bellow seemed to reverberate all around her.

Oh, God! Was he closer? She didn't dare look; the trees were clearer through the tendrils of the dark, now that she was close up, so instead, she searched for the best way through.

When she spied a gap, she veered in that direction, stubbing her bare toes on a fallen branch and taking a sprawling dive in her haste. She dragged herself up, only vaguely aware that she had damaged her foot.

She didn't care.

It didn't matter.

She just needed to make it through the fence line and into the relative safety of the next field, where she would be out of his line of sight at least, if nothing else.

She continued on with a staggering gait, limping badly, but oblivious of anything except the beacon of survival that shone brightly in her mind.

A few more feet, and she'd cleared the trees.

A ragged sob of relief was torn from her throat, and she squeaked a little at how loud it sounded in the quiet silence of the dense night, before clamping a hand across her mouth in automatic response.

Her lungs hurt, and her foot throbbed, but she didn't dare to stop, not even to catch her breath and take stock of her surroundings.

There was another boundary, closer this time, and she could hear the tell-tale spew of a rain swollen stream. Dear God! She dared not take a dip in any frigid water. That truly would be the death of her, and she didn't have enough time or light to investigate another way across.

A yellow glow of lights in the distance seemed to signal to her. She didn't want to risk finding people, but, at least, where there was a property, there was hope for a way around the river, so she headed in that direction and prayed it was late enough not to disturb anyone.

The shouting from behind her had diminished, thank goodness, and she slowed her pace just a little, allowing her laboured breath to subside and quieten and easing the pressure on her damaged foot.

She regained a little of her equilibrium and tried for stealth as a building came into view. It was surrounded by blessedly shielding trees and she stayed within their shadowy protection as she looked around.

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