Page 47 of Captive Souls

I’d given up the habit years ago because I’d been determined not to have any vices, any weaknesses. Yet inexplicably, on the last supply trip before the mountain, I’d bought a carton of them.

I couldn’t even explain to myself why I did it then. I’d ordered her to stay in the car, as a test. I left the keys in it. I’d expected her to drive off. It was the stupid option but one most empty-headed mouth breathers would’ve made, desperate for escape. It was the beginning of my mind games. Breaking her, showing her how truly helpless she was.

There was a tracker in the car, obviously. And I’d parked an extra vehicle less than a mile away from the store, paid some local to keep it in his garage.

The car wasn’t only there for that purpose. It was a backup. In case something happened on the mountain. I couldn’t say what, but I’d learned in this life that you needed backup plans, multiple escape routes and secrets.

Secrets were what kept you alive.

Though Piper had been smart up until that point—not flagging down strangers for help at multiple gas station bathroom stops—I’d reasoned the reality of her situation was setting in. She’d be getting desperate, with civilization getting more and more sparse, making way for the wilds of Appalachia.

Part of me was looking forward to it. Craving the chase. The defeat in her eyes when I caught her, proving to her that she’d never escape me. Part of me was half-hard just thinking of that.

Which was likely why I bought the fucking cigarettes.

When I came out of the store, the car was still there. As was Piper. Nothing outwardly changed about me, it never did. But inside, I was surprised.

On the surface, people might’ve thought her stupid to waste such a golden escape attempt.

I saw past the surface.

Piper was smart. She understood the gravity of her situation completely.

And she loved her sister.

Enough to die for her.

Because that’s what going into the Appalachian Mountains with me was.

Death.

“Those will kill you.”

I will not look at her.

My head craned upward to look upon her body, illuminated by the sunshine behind her. She was wearing cutoff shorts, cowboy boots stained with mud and a white tank with dirt smeared on it. Her legs were long, tanned, defined and went on for fucking ever. Her small tits were perky, aching to be shown attention. Her neck was slim, delicate, fragile. I unclenched my left hand, taking a long pull of the cigarette with the right as I imagined circling that neck with my palm, squeezing, cutting off air, bruising it as I came.

A glimpse in her hazel eyes was a bucket of ice water on my previously dead, rotted and fucked-up libido.

She was looking at the cigarette in my hand, her hands on her hips. Whether she’d noted my gaze on her body was unapparent.

“I’ll be long dead before I can see the results of this.” I took another drag before throwing it onto the muddy ground.

Piper blew out an exasperated sigh, leaning down to snatch the still burning butt and putting it out against the wall before holding it in her palm.

She kept it there, her palm outstretched like she was holding some kind of bug.

“Littering,” she scoffed. “We don’t do that. Not here.” She waved her hand at the woods and mountains in wonder.

With reverence.

“We shouldn’t do it anywhere,” she continued. “But we do. We. Us humans. Pillaging. Destroying. Creating endlessly. Consuming endlessly. Discarding things when we’re done with them as if they no longer exist.” She squeezed her palm shut,looking at me. “I do that. I’m guilty of it all. It’s easy to forget in the city. But here…” She gazed upward, drawing in a long breath.

I watched her chest move as she did so, my eyes traveling over the soft mounds of her breasts.

“Here,” she repeated, moving her gaze back to me, but not before I returned what I hoped was a dismissive stare. “Here I cannot see you sully it. Not even with something tiny. So…”

I found her words to be captivating. Her obvious love for those woods, those mountains. It denoted a history. One that I had not discovered. Once again, I kicked myself for my lack of meticulous research, thinking this job was going to be easy. Lapsing into a false sense of security was deadly in my world.

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