Tears blur my vision, my lungs burning as I run. I’m almost to the highway, almost to safety, when I hear it—a cry of agony, a sound I’ll never forget.
Jake.
“No… no, no, no!” The words are a chant, a prayer, as I spin around, running back the way I came.
I stumble, my ankle twisting, pain shooting up my leg, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. Not when Jake needs me.
I burst into the clearing, and the scene before me steals the breath from my lungs. Four men in raven masks standing over Jake’s prone form, kicking him, laughing, their voices cruel and mocking.
“Not so tough now, are you, Caldwell?”
“Where’s Daddy’s little princess, huh? We got a special treat for her.”
“Stop!” The scream tears from my throat, raw and desperate.
The men turn, their masks leering at me, their eyes cold and dead behind the dark holes.
“Well, well, well… look who it is.”
One of them steps toward me, his head cocked to the side. “Come to join the party, sweetheart?”
I back away, my heart pounding, my eyes darting to Jake. He’s not moving, his face bloody and bruised.
Oh God, is he…?
“Leave her alone, you son of a bitch.” Jake’s voice is a ragged whisper, his eyes fluttering open.
The man laughs, a harsh, grating sound. “Shut up, Caldwell. You’re in no position to be making demands.”
Rage boils up inside me, searing through the fear, the helplessness.
These bastards hurt Jake.
They’re laughing about it.
Laughing.
Something snaps inside me, a primal, feral thing. With a snarl, I launch myself at the nearest man, my hands clawing at his gun. He grunts in surprise, his grip faltering, and I wrench the weapon free.
I swing the gun around, pointing it at the men, my hands shaking. “Get back! Get the fuck back!”
The men step away from Jake, their hands raised, but their eyes are mocking behind their masks.
“You fucking idiot.” The biggest man of the group, tall and ripped, his muscles straining against his shirt, turns on the one I disarmed. “You let a little girl take your gun?”
He stalks toward me, his movements slow, predatory. “Give me the gun, little girl.”
“Stop! Don’t come any closer!” I shrill.
He ignores me, keeps coming, his eyes locked on mine.
Stop, please. Stop.
I squeeze my eyes shut, my finger spasming on the trigger.
Bang.
The gun bucks in my hands, the report deafening.
