Page 16 of Through The Woods

Chapter Five

Day three…I wanted to die.

The cravings were unlike anything I’d ever experienced. If it were up to me, I would’ve given in by now. I wanted to shed my skin and these restraints and run until I found what I needed. It felt as if there were millions of insects roaming over every part of my body. I needed to scratch and claw at my skin until I got relief, yet my captors kept me bound.

“Formication…that’s all this is.” I mumbled quietly to myself, feeling each word as it rolled around in my mouth.

Funny how, in the midst of withdrawals, I was able to retain access to the useless information in my head. Useless, because it didn’t change a thing about the predicament I found myself in. Here I was, chained to a table like a rabid animal—but at least I knew the medical term for the sensation of insects crawling on my skin.

I think I’d called poor Doc every name in the book. The friggin’ idiot still refused to release me though. Sure, he’d loosen the bindings long enough to help me to the bathroom, but there always seemed to be someone else nearby, so all plans of escape were just out of reach.

I was exhausted, but couldn’t sleep.

When I did manage to doze off, my dreams were nothing short of nightmares. Most of them involved me falling into large piles of snow where I’d snort line after line until everything else faded away.

Then I’d wake up, expecting to feel relaxed, only to remember that it was a dream and I was still strapped down to a damn table. To say I was irritated would’ve been the understatement of the century.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

“You need to try and eat something. You’re starting to ramble to yourself like a crazy person.” Doc held up a bowl of what might’ve been oatmeal and my stomach turned.

The first twenty-four hours I’d been starving and had eaten everything they put in front of me. It had been so long since I’d ingested real food, so my body had rejected it almost instantly.

I’d ignored the pangs of hunger after that; refusing anything that Doc or Rooster brought me. Everyone else seemed to stay away—I guess my screaming to be let go got to them.

I shook my head as he held the spoon toward my face. That was the problem with being strapped down in here. It was obvious that this room was used as a makeshift clinic for the bikers when needed, so everything smelled medicinal.

Sterile.

Not at all what you’d want to smell while trying to eat.

There were no windows, so I was treated to the sight of Doc’s face and bare walls day in and day out. A girl needed sunshine. I’d tried and failed to convince Doc that he should move my bed outside.

“Charm wouldn’t like it.”

That seemed to be the end to every argument. Charm this. Charm that.

And where was the man himself?

Damn if I had a clue—it wasn’t like he’d given me his itinerary before leaving me in here. Hell, he’d been ready to send me back into the forest to die.

Jerk.

Doc sighed and placed the bowl on a small table before lifting my shirt to change the bandages around my wound again. Trace amounts of blood had seeped onto the sterile white pad, but it was so much better than what it was when they brought me here. He’d done the best he could, stitching me back up, but I was going to have a gnarly scar. He was a biker, not a plastic surgeon—he was also the man who saved my life, so I couldn’t exactly complain.

And I didn’t—mostly. I kept my mouth shut when they brought me gently used clothing that had obviously belonged to a female. I’d had a lot of questions, but chose to keep them to myself. I didn’t need Charm changing his mind about letting me stay, especially since I didn’t know if Clint was still combing the woods looking for me.

I had to wait it out. Maybe I’d win the trust of these bikers and then make a break for it—Clint would eventually lose interest in hunting me and I’d be free.

For the first time in four years, I’d be on my own.

The thought was equally exhilarating and terrifying.

Doc finished placing the new bandages before resuming his quest to get me to eat. I shook my head and he sighed. “You need to eat. Don’t make me resort to Plan B.”

I laughed weakly. “What are you gonna do—force it down my throat?”

He didn’t even crack a smile. “Alright, Princess. You wanna do things the hard way? I’ll be right back.”

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