Page 66 of The Lies We Tell Ourselves

“Run, little rabbit, run.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” I screamed. Tears flowed freely from my eyes as a wave of boiling hot nausea flushed through me. I bent over double and braced my hand on a tree as the contents of my stomach surged up my throat. Their thundering feet on the ground sounded like a cavalry charge.

They were hunting and I was the prey.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, swirled spit around my mouth, and spat out the acidic taste burning my taste buds. I almost swallowed my tongue when I caught sight of more figures all dressed in black racing through the shadows. When they hit the path, I did the only thing I could do.

I ran like my life depended on it.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

JAMIE

Imight not be the fastest runner—god knows I wasn’t built for sports—but I was fast when I needed to be. I was small and agile, so I used my build to my advantage. As I neared the sports courts, I slipped between the chain link fences that separated two of the tennis courts and dropped to my knees, hiding behind the low solid wall separating the courts. I leaned back against it, sucking in a heaving breath to center myself.

I counted to ten before rolling onto my stomach and commando crawled along the patch of dirt, praying I could get to the little shack before anyone found me. Grit bit into my hands and scraped along my stomach through my clothes, and my knees felt like they were bleeding. Every time I moved, pain eddied through my body, pulling a whimper from deep inside me. In the silence of the night I could hear them as they swarmed around me over the thudding of my heart in my ears.

By the time I reached the end of the courts, I was covered in sweat. The distant sounds of my hunters’ shouts as they moved farther down the fields let me breathe a momentary sigh of relief. “You’ve got this,” I whispered to myself as I pushed up onto my feet.

Not knowing how much time I had before they came back here looking for me, I ran blindly in the direction of the rundown groundskeeper’s storage building and prayed to every god in existence that I’d get there before I was caught.

“He can’t be far away.” A distorted voice sounded way too close to comfort, and my heart shot up my throat. The cloud covering the moon cleared enough for me to see four figures dressed head to toe in black heading towards me.

“It’s now or never.’” I gritted my teeth, dug deep into my mental reserves, and ran with everything I had. My vision blurred as sweat dripped down my face. The building was within touching distance when cold hard dread slithered down my spine.

“He went that way.”

“Quick, I can see him!”

My leg buckled underneath me and I crashed into the corner of the building. White spots burst in front of my eyes as I fell to the ground just outside the open door. “Shit.” I bit down on my lip and dragged myself though the small opening and quickly sat with my back to it. My hands were shaking so violently, it was almost impossible to get the bolt across the door. My slick fingers couldn’t grip it, but by the grace of a god I didn’t believe in, it snicked shut before vomit filled my mouth and coated the floor.

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and the screen lit up through my pants. For the first time in what seemed like hours, I thought I might be able to get out of this without getting seriously hurt. I needed help. I desperately needed someone to come and save me from this nightmare. “Fuck!” I whispered as it slipped out of my hand and cracked on the cement floor. Please, please, please, don’t be broken.

“He was just over here.”

My heart beat so hard, even my eyeballs pulsed. The grass crunched under their feet as they drew closer. I held my breath and covered my mouth with my hand so I didn’t make a sound. The door behind me groaned, and I jerked when they threw themselves against it.“Fuck. It’s locked.”

“Is there another door?”

“No, there’s just that one. And if it’s locked he can’t be in there. Only Jerry has the key.”

“Alright, let’s move on. He can’t have gotten far.”

Sweat poured down my temples and dripped into my eyes. My tee clung to me under my hoodie and coat, my body drenched in perspiration. My fear permeated the room as I shook uncontrollably. My lungs burned from lack of oxygen, but I held my breath until the only thing I could hear was silence before letting out a ragged exhale.

I blindly patted the ground, trying to find my phone. My fingers brushed the metal case, and I wept tears of joy. I grabbed it and called the only person I could think about. The only one that mattered. I knew in my heart he’d do anything for me.

“Hello?”

“D-Dillon?” I croaked, my dry mouth and thick tongue making it almost impossible to get my words out.

“Little crow? What’s wrong? Where are you?”

“I-I n-need you… h-help.”

“Where are you?”

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