Josh’s hands cup my face roughly, forcing me to look up at him. I flinch before meeting his bright eyes. “Trust me, please?” he pleads. “We can’t let them get away, Capri.”
I shake my head, slipping out of his grasp. “Okay. But if you die out there, I’m going to be so pissed.”
“Same goes to you,” he says, grinning, swinging his metal bucket back and forth. “See you on the other side!”
I take the opposite path, jogging at a quick pace. My lungs are on fire. My body has hit its breaking point. But I can’t stop. Every so often, I pause and wait for Lexi to yell again. She’s not as close as I initially thought, but whoever she’s yelling at must have really pissed her off.
Lexi’s taunting voice rings through the air again, “COME OUT, COME OUT WHEREVER YOU ARE!”
It sounds like it’s coming from behind me, while also above me. I’m at the bottom of some type of hillside.
“Echoes,” I mumble to myself. “Her voice is echoing off the hills.” I start running deeper into the forest, hoping to find an opening so I can find a way to climb up. Being up high is always an advantage, right?
Another voice shouts from ahead. Only this time it’s definitely a man’s voice. “HELP! LEE! LEX!”
I stop short, my heart thumping in time with my frantic breathing. Did he just say,Lee?
“LEE!” My voice comes out like a strangled whisper as fear and relief engulf my senses. Choking sobs escape my throat as I propel myself forward.
I can’t give up now. Not when I’m so close. I make a silent promise to tell Lee everything about my past the moment we’re reunited. I’m not leaving this place without him and my daughter both safely in my arms.
My body gets a second wind as I race around the hill, searching in earnest for a spot to climb. It’s useless. There are no paths that lead up, and the hillside is flat and barren, almost as if it’s been made to be unclimbable just to torture us. Every time I think I have a handhold, the dirt crumbles beneath my fingers. There’s no way to climb it. It’s only ten feet or so, which makes my failure cut even deeper.
My people are right up there.
“I’m coming, Lee! Lexi! I’m coming!” I try to shout, my voice hoarse and dry.
I’m exhausted. Dehydrated. Nearly dead on my feet. But I can’t stop. I have to find a way up. I have to help them.
There’s a guttural, terrifying, and definitely female wail from somewhere above. I look to the sky and watch a person dressed in black fall from the ledge just a few yards away from where I’m standing. I can do nothing but stare and wait in horror as the person falls to their death.
Except the body doesn’t hit the ground the way I expect it to. They don’t hit the ground with a sickening thump. Instead, their body hits the ground, then bounces several times before coming to a complete stop, almost as if there’s a trampoline hidden under the debris of the forest floor.
What is happening?
The person has an axe in their hands, making their body look abnormally twisted. They shift their head towards me, and I see that their face is covered in some sort of ski mask.
The person moves again, a strangled groan escaping their lips. The mask slips askew so that I can make out masculine features.
I can’t move.
Can’t breathe.
Black spots plague my vision.
No, no, no. Please don’t be Lee. Please don’t be Lee.
My knees buckle, and the last thing I see before my world goes dark is the axe. Why is it taped to their hand?.
There’s a strange pounding in my head. It’s as though someone is taking a hammer to my skull.
Thump, thump, thump.
“Wake up, lass. Please wake up.”
Thump, thump, thump.
I drift in and out of consciousness, the thumping lulling me to sleep, then pulling me back to reality.
