Page 18 of The Hunt
Suddenly, a car slammed into me from behind. I hit the breaks, my entire body jerking forward and my car spiraling across the two-lane freeway, around and around and around. A piercing scream left my mouth, my seat belt digging into my chest.
I didn’t know how many times I spun, but nothing would stop, no matter how hard I pressed on the breaks, no matter which way I moved the steering wheel. My car was flying across the road and headed straight for the woods.
The back of my car hit the ditch first, and my head snapped back and forth.
Then, everything was still.
Ears ringing, I grabbed the door handle with shaky hands and tried to shove it open. The taste of metallic filled my mouth, and I was sure that I was hurt, but I… I couldn’t feel, I couldn’t think of anything other than getting the hell out of here.
If I stayed here, nobody would find me. The snow would bury my car.
God, I should’ve listened and stayed at the hotel.
My breath came in quick, panicked gasps. I finally got the door opened and stumbled out onto my knees, my shaky arms barely about to hold me up. Where had that other car gone? Were they okay? Were they hurt too?
In my blurred vision, I spotted a man hurrying toward me.
I lifted my head. “Are you okay?”
Nothing.
When he got closer, my eyes widened, and I found myself turning onto my ass and scooting closer to my car. It was him. Mark. The guy from the gardens, the one who had been following me all over, stalking me.
“Daphne,” he murmured, his voice too calm and way too friendly.
“What… What are you doing here?” I held up an arm. “Stay away from me.”
But he continued to approach, at an alarming rate. I used all my strength to try to get back into the car, to try to lock myself in it, but my arms gave out, and more blood filled my mouth. Mark seized my arm.
“Stop it!” I screamed, struggling against him. “Get away from me! Stay away!”
“Don’t make this harder on yourself,” he said, bringing me to his car. “I’m here to help.”
Help, my ass! He isn’t here to help!
“Let me go!” I shouted, my voice getting drowned out by the howling wind. “Let me go!”
But no one was around to hear me, no matter how loud I screamed. Mark opened the trunk of his car and threw me into it, slamming it shut without a second thought. I kicked and I screamed and I tried to get out.
Yet the more I struggled, the harder it was to keep my eyes open.
My stomach dropped. I was trapped.
I was trapped, and I didn’t have anyone who cared enough to come and find me.
CHAPTER 12
APOLLO
Cold seeped in through the cracked hotel window, and I groaned softly to myself, not wanting to get out of bed. It was the first night in months that I had a good night sleep because I wasn’t home, listening to some maniac who I called Dad tell me how shitty of a son I was to him.
When another gust of wind drifted through the room, I turned over in the bed to snuggle closer to Daph. But my arm fell right on the bed with no body to wrap around. I slowly blinked my eyes open to see the bed empty.
Where is she?
Darkness engulfed the room, the only source of light coming from the full moon outside. I slipped out of bed and turned on a lamp, waiting a moment for my eyes to adjust to the brightness. Then I glanced around the room for her.
Bed, empty.
