“Brooke!” he shouts, his voice carrying through the trees. “You stupid bitch, get back here!”
I flinch at the sound of my name in his mouth, but I don’t slow down. I can’t. My feet are screaming now, every step sending pain shooting up my legs, but fear is louder than everything else.
I duck behind a thick cluster of trees and stumble down a small slope, sliding on loose dirt and leaves before I catch myself on a trunk and crouch low, pressing my back against the rough bark.
My whole body is shaking.
I clamp a hand over my mouth, trying to quiet my breathing, trying not to sob, because I know if he hears me, I’m done.
Somewhere behind me, I hear a car door slam.
Then footsteps.
Heavy. Fast. Angry.
“Brooke!” he yells again, closer now. “You think you can just run from me?”
I squeeze my eyes shut, heart slamming so hard I swear it has to be echoing through the trees. My cheek throbs, my feet ache, and the cold is seeping through my skin, settling deep in my bones.
I stay still.
I don’t move.
I don’t breathe.
Leaves crunch as he stomps through the woods, swearing, calling my name, cursing like he’s hunting something instead of someone. I can hear him breathing hard, hear the frustration in every step, and I’m so scared my vision starts to blur at the edges.
Please don’t find me.
Please don’t find me.
Then, suddenly, the footsteps stop.
There’s silence for a long, terrifying second.
And then I hear him again, farther away this time, crashing back through the brush toward the overlook.
Another door slams.
An engine turns over.
I stay frozen, forcing myself not to move, not to panic. Nothing but the sound of wind in the trees and my own ragged breathing. I finally let myself pull in a shaky breath, but I still don’t move. When I don’t hear the engine anymore, when the night settles into that quiet, empty stillness, I finally reach into my purse with trembling hands and pull out my phone. The screen lightsup, too bright in the dark, and I fumble to turn the brightness down, terrified it’ll give me away even though I know he’s probably gone.
My hands are shaking so badly it takes me three tries to unlock it. I don’t even think about who to call. I just hit his name. It rings once. Twice.
“Princess?” Rev’s voice comes through the line, already sharp, already wrong in that way that means he knows something is bad. “What’s wrong?”
My chest caves in, and the sob finally breaks free. “Rev,” I whisper brokenly, trying to keep my voice down even though I’m pretty sure I’m alone. “Rev, I need you. He… he hurt me, and I ran.”
“Where are you,” he says, and his voice goes deadly calm, the kind that makes my knees feel weak with relief. “Baby, I need you to tell me where you are.”
“I…I don’t know,” I choke out. “There were trees and…I ran into the woods and I think he left but I’m scared he might still be here.”
“Princess, listen to me,” he says, slow and steady. “I’m on my way. I need you to send me your location, and then I need you to stay where you are, you hear me?”
I fumble with my phone again, tears blurring the screen, and hit share. When I hear the confirmation tone, another sob tears out of me.
“I sent it,” I whisper. “I’m cold and my face hurts and I don’t have my shoes.”
