Page 10 of Eat Me

“Help! Please! Someone, anyone!”

My head begins to pound at all of the screaming and crying. “Enough!”

Elijah's voice rings out, loud and full of power. It was like a roar, it cut through the screaming and crying, almost instantly everyone shut up. It’s clear to everyone that if they didn’t obey his order there would be very dire consequences.

The uneasy silence is only broken by a few of the girls giving small hiccups as they try to calm down and stop crying. A few of them sound as though they’re close to hyperventilating. I’m really hoping they won’t faint given the fact that we have thick black hoods over our heads.

“Ah, sorry for yelling ladies, but I was starting to get a headache. Now, since we’ve all calmed down, I'm going to explain today's test for you all. We’re going to take you to the woods nearby and you’ll have to not only survive on your own but you’ll also have to avoid some of the traps we’ve set up.”

I feel a glimmer of hope spark to life in my chest. If they set us loose in the woods, then there’s a chance we will be able to escape. Then again, he did say they set up traps, plus I doubt they would be stupid enough to let us roam around without some kind of contingency plan. Why risk us getting away and getting help after all the effort to capture us? As if reading my thoughts Elijah spoke up again.

“Now, some of you might think you can get away and find help. Let me assure you, you have no chance of escaping. We own not only the woods you’re going to be left in but every mile between us and the next hundred acres. If, and this is a big if, you manage to get even close to the edge of our property, rest assure we can and will track you down and make you regret even trying to get away.” The threat in his voice is crystal clear and it makes a few of the girls give small cries of defeat. It only makes me grit my teeth and push me to not only survive, but to rub it in their faces flares to life to replace the small spark of hope they've just snuffed out.

I keep still as I try to come up with a plan. I know I can’t have anything concrete till I can see again and have my hands back. Taking a deep breath, I count trying to relax as I let the person behind me lead me away. I can hear the girls around me being taken further away. That means they’re separating us. That’ll make things easier for me. It may sound cold, but I don’t want to interact with the other girls. I don't want to worry about connecting with them and then they end up in the way of my survival.

It’s cold but I knew the survival rates from my talk with Eilijha and his brothers. There’s a chance none of these girls…myself included will survive. I'm determined and I’m going to survive. Even if I have to do things I wouldn’t normally do…I would survive. I didn’t get through my childhood just to be taken out before I even reach twenty-five.

Iwillsurvive byanymeans necessary.

Chapter Nine

Victoria

I’m not sure who’s dragging me, where they’re dragging me to or even how long the dragging is going to last. I can’t see a fucking thing because of this damn blindfold. My other senses should be heightened by my level of panic and anxiety is so high that my ears are pulsing in rhythm with my racing heartbeat. I’m literally being dragged so I can’t even count footsteps. We’ve gone up, down, under and I think around so many things we could be back where we started, and I wouldn’t know the difference.

I know Elijah said they have hundreds of acres, but I’m holding onto the hope that there’s a road, a river or something that will scream civilization. Shit, that reminds me of the threat Elijah spoke of. How they would be stalking us and how they’ll be able to easily track us down. Even if I’m able to outrun them and find the police, how in the hell do I explain this and not sound like a complete lunatic. The number of scenarios runningthrough my anxiety ridden, panic inducing adrenaline filling brain is completely thought shattering.

Rough hands jerk me to a stop and force me to stand still. That rag, bag or whatever is suddenly being ripped off my head. My eyes being suddenly exposed to light causes my eyes to dilate. Blinking to help my eyes quickly adjust, I’m able to see there’s plenty of daylight left to the day. My body stays tense as someone is releasing the binding on my wrists. I’m waiting to see what’s happening next and my body must be ready for it too.

As soon as I can no longer feel his grubby hands on me, I turn around to see who was dragging me and before I could say anything he takes a step back. “Good luck. Let’s hope you can live up to the praise that’s already been given to you.”

Watching him take a few steps backwards, his rough, dark words keep echoing in my ears. Turning his back on me, he walks away leaving me alone in the forest. My gut tells me to follow him, but I have a feeling he’d lead me into a trap instead of a way back or even out of here.

Taking a deep breath, I let the crisp air fill my lungs. Looking around me there’s trees and foliage for as far as my eyes can see. Biting my lip, I turn in a not so graceful circle. I’m not seeing anything that gives a hint at the best route. I know I can survive this. What’s making me wary are the traps they said would be out here. With what they’ve already shown, I have to assume these traps are most likely deadly.

“They never said how long this test is supposed to last,” muttering to myself is the best way for me to think through everything that’s been said. Hoping for possible subliminal clues is a waste of time, because there aren’t any.

Priorities. I need to think this through quickly. I need shelter, water, food, and maybe some sort of weapon. Trying to think like these people is maddening, that damn near made me laugh. They are fucking mad and that forces me to think ofthe possibility of them sending someone out to hunt us down. Wildlife, shit. I’ve got to be able to hide away from the local wildlife too.

I keep muttering, “One thing at a time,” as I randomly pick a direction and start walking. Staying on guard, I’m not allowing my eyes to focus on anything. I don’t know anything about the damn traps, so it’s best to go slowly and be cautious from here on out. I’ve got to play it safe.

Keeping my steps as light as I possibly could, I think it’d be best if I can find somewhere to lay low. Comfort has nothing to do with this, it’s all about safety. Looking over some bushes up ahead of me, I see rock formations that have to stand over ten feet tall. The bushes at the base look to be dense and a perfect hiding place from humans and animals. Although in this case I’m not sure who possesses the bigger threat.

Muttering to myself gives me something familiar to listen to, although it does make me feel weird. “Branches. I need to find some good branches.” The miserly sticks at my feet are not the size I need. Moving to one of the lower trees, I see what I need. Bending down to pick up a few branches, my hair flops in my face. Growling, I use my hands to brush it out of my way and as I’m gathering it to put it in a sloppy bun, I freeze. I feel like I’m being watched, but glancing around my surroundings, I don’t see anyone or anything.

‘You’re paranoid Tori, fucking focus,’refusing to let my mind wander I focus on my mission of breaking a handful of branches off trees and some clusters of bushes. Quickly moving back to the spot I found, I crawl into the bushes, breaking some of the inside branches off so there’s a bit more room for me. I’m basically making a human size nest.

I need to make sure I’m not only covered but protected from the outside. I can’t allow anyone to see me or get to me through the small openings. The broken branches and pieces of busheswill help fill in any holes. This isn’t perfect by any means, but it’ll hold up for what I’m needing.

Crawling inside my human nest, I begin to settle in when everything around me goes quiet. A high-pitched scream pierces the quiet causing me to slide out of my hidey-hole. Dusting the dirt off me, I have two choices; I can ignore it and slip my ass back in my spot and hide like I was originally planning, or I can begin walking in the direction the scream came from.

“Fuck.”I muttered under my breath, starting to walk in the direction of the scream, I stop, turn around and walk back to my safe place.‘Motherfucker, what am I doing? Help them or leave them? I can’t rescue myself, but I’m... well, fuck.’What’s that damn saying, curiosity killed the cat? I’m not a pussy. Besides, my curiosity got the better of me and as I begin walking in the direction of the scream, another one pierces the quiet.

The second scream makes me jump, snapping my head side to side as well as spinning three hundred and sixty degrees to make sure I’m still safe. I don’t want to run into any of the obstacles or traps those crazy assholes have planted. The next scream is louder and more terrifying

“You motherfuckers! You are insane!! I hope you die!”

Registering the words I’m hearing; I’m going to take a wild guess and say someone got stuck in a trap of some kind. ‘At least she is alive.’

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