Laughter circled me.
“Blair! We see you!”
“How long do you think you’ll last?”
“Run, little Fawn!”
I staggered forward, my heart screaming for me to keep running. My legs trembled with exhaustion, telling me to do the opposite, but I ignored them and ran again.
I ran, almost feeling like I was moving in circles, until my legs failed on me. I collapsed onto my hands and knees. My lungs strained for air while I tried to keep my head up to search for them.
I crawled toward the closest tree and pressed my back against the trunk.
Something moved on the other side of the tree. I slammed my hand over my mouth to silence myself. My heart thumped so hardthat I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever was on the other side had heard it.
They hadn’t just dropped me off in the woods.
They’d taken me to a hunting ground.
“Got you,” was all I heard before someone grabbed me.
“Please,” I whimpered, my fingers scraping desperately against the tree’s rough bark as I tried to twist myself free.
Before another plea could escape my lips, something sharp pierced the side of my neck. Pain flared beneath my skin.
I gasped as the sting burned hot inside me.
Everything grew fuzzy, and my legs felt weaker as I collapsed to the dirt.
And that was when I saw her.
A lone doe stood in the distance, half hidden between the trees.
For a moment, she watched me.
I forced myself to blinkone more time, seeing the white fur of her tail as she ran, before everything went black.
Cold air stirred me awake.
Still drowsy, I reached for my blanket to pull it higher up my body. My hand felt nothing but a hard, chilly surface.
A shrill tore from my throat as my eyes opened. I slapped my palms against the surface beneath me, not feeling the softness of my mattress. Instead, they met concrete.
My body shot up as I looked around in dread. Four concrete walls felt like they were closing in on me in the small space. I searched every inch for a door, a handle, a window, anything to get me out of here, but there was nothing.
Only gray walls and a low ceiling.
I turned toward the source of the chilliness, spotting a fan in the corner blasting cold air directly at me.
My body ached as I began crawling toward it, needing to unplug the damn thing. I only made it a few inches when something pulled me backward.
Metal clanked against the floor, bouncing off the bare walls.
I cried out, pounding at the floor, when I twisted around and found the heavy chain wrapped around my ankle. The other end was bolted to a hook drilled deep into the wall.
A strange haziness settled over my brain as I slumped back against the concrete, my head spinning. Everything felt slow, distant, like I couldn’t form one coherent thought.
They’d drugged me.
