I curled myself tight into the fetal position, fighting against the bindings, but I couldn’t break free.
All the air left my lungs when I heard the low rumble of an engine starting. The floor beneath me vibrated, the movement traveling through my bones as I felt the vehicle speed forward.
I rolled helplessly with the motion, landing on my back and trying to drive my knees into the trunk lid, but that didn’t work. I was trapped, and I could do nothing but wait for their next act of torment.
The car whipped through turns so hard that my body slammed against the sides of the trunk. Nausea crept up my throat as the vehicle spun again.
Are they doing fucking doughnuts?
My head swirled, and I struggled to keep myself from vomiting.
The vehicle stopped, and my face slammed into something hard. I heard another click, then voices nearby, but couldn’t make out their words or who they belonged to.
My head was still dizzy when they hauled me out of the trunk and dumped me onto the ground. I hit the soil hard, pain flaring through my arm as my elbow struck the dirt. Broken branches scraped against my skin.
Fear shot through me like a drug in my veins when someone hoisted me up and slung me over their shoulders, as if I were a bride on her wedding day, but instead of a honeymoon, they were carrying me to say my vows to the devil.
My body bounced with every step whoever was carrying me took before he stopped abruptly. When he dropped me, our heads knocked together before I hit the ground again.
Pain exploded through my body as I caught myself on my palms, feeling the cold, damp earth against my skin.
My world tilted, the vomit still threatening to come up.
I needed to see. To move.
Two large hands seized my arms and pulled me upright, butmy bound legs refused to cooperate, so they held most of my weight as my shoes sank into the dirt.
Something sharp and icy slowly traced along my clenched jaw.
The wind carried his evil chuckle through the trees, the sound bending around the branches before slamming into me like another warning.
“Try to run from us, little Fawn,” a voice said in my ear.
Whoever it was cut my hands free and roughly shoved me back to my knees.
Trembling, I forced myself to my feet and ripped the blindfold from my eyes. The tape came off next, tearing painfully from my lips. My heart battered against my ribs as I shook out my stiff arms.
Somewhere in the distance, a fox screamed.
Before I could fully recover my senses, a shove knocked me back to the ground.
I looked up and around the woods they’d brought me to, but saw nothing but staggering trees and tangled branches. I heard nothing but the restless wind moving through them. Somehow, they’d all just,poof, disappeared.
Seconds ticked by as I spun in a circle, waiting, and stopped when I heard a crunch from somewhere.
My heart caved in, ready to hide itself in my chest, as I tried to find the source of the noise, but couldn’t.
“You’ll never escape us,” a voice echoed from somewhere to my right.
Or was it my left? In front of me?
I spun in all directions, searching the darkness for them.
The trees towered above me, their branches like a canopy covering the stars. I had no idea where in the woods we were. The last time Enzo had left me out here, I could see the glow from the university in the distance.
This time, there was nothing that could lead the way.
“Over here, little Fawn.”
