Page 1 of Bound By Mistake
SIERRA
How the hell do things like this always happen to me? It’s like when I was in school and somehow always ended up in detention for things I didn't do. Like the time I got blamed for releasing all the frogs from the biology lab. I swear I was just trying to clean their tank, but next thing I knew, there were amphibians hopping down the hallways and I was spending my Saturday writing lines.
Or when my idiot boss somehow managed to staple something to his thigh, and his wife walked in as I was helping him and thought I was giving him a blow job - as if! The resulting cat fight I found myself in was not pretty, and I ended up getting fired for ‘unbecoming conduct’. But at least I got a glowing reference out of it, and, as it turned out, a better job.
But this... this is a whole new level of wrong time, wrong place.
I’d seen the other girl sprint past me but hadn’t thought much of it. Trail running is a thing, and we’re all at this wilderness campsite for different reasons. Now, I realize how similarly we’re dressed. Denim shorts and a pale, short-sleeved top, just like most people around here, and now, instead of an angry teacher or wife, I've got a bloodthirsty mob on my tail.
Which is why I'm running. Running like my life depends on it. Hell, right now it probably freaking does.
My lungs burn as I sprint through the dense forest, branches whipping at my face and arms. The angry shouts behind me spur me to run faster, even though my legs scream in protest. I have no idea who these people are or why they’re chasing me - or the other girl - but the murderous rage in their voices means I really don't want to find out.
Ducking under a low-hanging branch, I veer left, hoping to throw them off my trail. The ground is uneven, roots and rocks threatening to trip me with every step. But I can't slow down. Not with those maniacs on my heels.
"There she is!" a gruff voice bellows. "Don't let her get away!"
Panic surges through me. How did they spot me so quickly?
Sweaty and breathless, I plunge forward, my flight through the forest nothing but a disorientating blur of shadows under the dense canopy, the world tipped on its axis as adrenaline-fueled fear drives me forward.
Brambles tear at my clothes, leaving scratches that sting and break my skin, but I’m oblivious to those small pains in my desperation to get away. And the sound of my frantic heart drumming loudly in my ears is matched only by the noise of the ruthless chase by these relentless pursuers.
I dare a glance over my shoulder and instantly regret it, as in that split second of distraction, my foot snags on a hiddentree root and sends me sprawling to the forest floor. Pain shoots through my ankle as I scramble to my feet, and my hands are shaking uncontrollably from both fear and shock as I push off the ground. Useless tears well in my eyes and my knees threaten to buckle under me, but I will them into submission. Neither will do me any good. I have to run; I have to escape. The alternative is unthinkable.
I push down the panic rising in my throat as I take off again with a pronounced limp. I can see lights bobbing in the distance, coming closer, cruel laughter echoing among the trees. I'm not going to outrun them like this. I need to find somewhere to hide; to outwit them so I search around frantically, looking for something, anything…
There! A dense thicket of bushes off to my left. It's not much, but it's the something I prayed for, and right now, it’s my only hope. I dive into the prickly foliage, ignoring the thorns that tear at my skin and clothes.
As soon as I pause to get my bearings, I feel a sharp pain in my side. For a moment, I just cower there, gasping for breath, clutching at the stitch. “Fuck!” I don’t need this.
With gritted teeth, I force myself to keep moving, but finally it seems like luck is with me, as I hear the distinctive sound of water. Pushing through the underbrush, I find myself in a small clearing by a bubbling river, and I hurriedly descend to its edge. I splash water onto my face like it can wash away my terror and suck mouthfuls of the life-giving liquid from my cupped hands to ease my parched throat.
Suddenly a crack echoes through the night, followed by another and another. They’re getting closer.
Fear shivers through me, and I realize I’ve made a mistake, staying still for so long. I can hear individual voices now, not just distant laughter.
Without wasting any more time, I force myself to my tired feet and wade into the water. It’s deeper than it appears, and the current is stronger, too; it tugs at my clothes and tries to knock me off balance, surprising me. But I can't afford to fall; I need to cross to the other side and hopefully throw off the madmen behind me.
Gritting my teeth against the icy chill of the water, I push onward, willing my rapidly numbing legs to keep moving. Panic wells up inside me again as I fight against the current, but I can't let it control me. Instead, I channel it into determination.
Just as I reach the other side, a twig snaps on the opposite shoreline. My heart pounds in my chest as I check over my shoulder.
My plan has failed.
They’re right there.
The feral dregs of humanity who appear to see me as nothing more than sport. Just another animal to be hunted, captured, tortured and tormented before they leave me for dead after using my body in whatever way they want.
Okay, so maybe I’m getting a little paranoid, but that’s how it feels in my petrified mind.
I curb the desire to vomit at the thought of being caught and turn to scramble up the bank, but my strength is waning, stolen by cold water and panic. With no time to catch my breath, I lose my balance and plummet into the river once more.
The icy water engulfs me, stealing my breath and sending shockwaves through my battered body. For a moment, I’m paralyzed, my mind blank with terror while the current drags me under, tumbling me helplessly downstream.
It seems like eons later before instinct kicks in, and I claw my way to the surface, gasping for air. The voices of my pursuers grow fainter as the river carries me away, but I don’t think I canrely on it for long. I’m too exposed in the open water… All they need to do to find me is follow the bank.
Fighting against the current, I struggle towards the opposite shoreline once again. My limbs feel like lead and my sodden clothes are weighing me down.
