I screamed as I swung the branch. It caught Matt right in the temple. The branch cracked and splintered as it hit him, and he went down like he had been shot. His body sprawled over the ground, and the impact had made him pinch the plant up from the roots. It rested in his hand. He moaned softly and his head lolled to the side. There was no blood, and I was almost certain that I hadn’t killed him, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out.
I dropped the branch and turned on my heels, sprinting away. My muscles began to ache almost immediately. I wasn’t the fittest person in the world at the best of times and I had been through quite an ordeal already, but I fought the throbbing pain, hurtling through the forest as quickly as I could. I thought my best bet was to keep within the forest as long as I could, and then to go through the mountains. If I found the road then it would be easier for them to track me down. In the wilderness there was no chance of them finding me, the only danger I had was from nature itself, and a lack of food and water, but I was free. I was free! Elation ran through my heart as the branches whipped my face and skin, but I didn’t care. The lashing pain reminded me that I was alive, that I still had a say in my destiny.
Chapter Seven
My throat ached. Every breath was like swallowing shattered glass as I yearned to slake my thirst. The forest seemed to be unending. The trees were all the same and I had long lost my bearings. I ran ahead, although I had turned to the side as trees had gotten in my way. Occasionally there was a break in the leaves and shards of sunlight burst through, hitting me with a warm glow. I stumbled over fallen logs, but I didn’t let them stop me. I dared not look behind me for fear that I would see one of them chasing after me, hunting me. The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood up with a dread feeling that there was something coming after me. The day was still light, but I feared the approach of the night when all kinds of dark creatures would come out of the shadows.
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I stopped whenever I found a brook or a stream, which wasn’t frequent enough for my liking. I dared not stop for too long though, so I nourished myself on handfuls of water before I left again. I had no way to carry water, so I had to live in hope that I would find another one before my body surrendered. Fruit and berries hung from trees. I was wary of some of the berries and wished that I had asked Matt about them before I had left him, and I left my stomach to rumble. Insects buzzed about me and a few small animals scurried about. I swear that at one point I heard a snake slithering by, but I decided to not let my fear get the better of me.
I continued on, driven to escape the forest and work my way around the mountain, hoping that there was something else on the other side, something that led to civilization. All I needed was for one truck to see me and I could escape, I could flee and tell the police about what had happened.
Then I could hide for the rest of my life.
There were plenty of other people who had survived on nature and I told myself that I still could last a few days without food or water. As long as I had a little shelter during the night I would be fine, and I’d feel better once I was confident that nobody was going to find me.
I knew that I was a part of a wider world. I knew that out there, there were cities filled with masses of people and millions of souls, each living their own lives. I knew that there were whole industries churning along, a whole society with its laws and rules and boundaries…but as I ran through the forest I felt alone. I might as well have been the only person in the entire world, except for the three men who had kidnapped me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that if they had found me once they could find me again. No amount of steps seemed to be enough to escape their reach and I started to wonder about life if I escaped. Would I have to move somewhere else and change my name, or even leave the country? My entire life would have to change because of this. I couldn’t believe that it had only been one night. It felt like a lifetime ago when I was in the bar with Rachel, lamenting the state of the world.
I staggered along and eventually I had to give up and rest. My legs were screaming and as soon as I stopped I sank onto the ground and heaved in heavy breaths. I gulped in air as though it was water and let my body enjoy some ease. The glade was filled with soft grass and I lay down, knowing that I needed to rest if I was to continue on my journey. The need to soothe my aching muscles overrode my fear of being caught. I must have put enough distance between myself and them now to be confident of an escape. I figured I had at least an hour before Matt awoke, perhaps even longer, and then he’d have to go back to the clubhouse and tell the others. Then they’d have to scour the forest, not knowing in which direction I’d gone. I breathed a little easier as I thought it through and it became clear to me that they wouldn’t be able to catch up.
As far as I was concerned I was completely free and there was no chance of them finding me. I breathed a little easier and a smile crept upon my face. I thought to the future. Part of me just wanted to leave this all behind and not even think about it again, but I knew that if I didn’t come forward other women might be at risk. I couldn’t let that happen. I would expose them for what they were and the hammer of justice would slam down upon their heads. I would be a hero and, ironically, it might even catapult me to the fame that Mom had always wanted for me. Everyone loved a true crime story. I was certain that I’d be interviewed for all the daily talk shows and I might even have a book or a Hollywood movie made out of my ordeal. Maybe Scarlett Johansson could play me…what a dream.
Mom would probably say that the trauma was all worth it if something like that came out of it. What a cruel joke fate was. This is why I didn’t like to believe in anything grander than mere chance pulling my life along, for if there was such a thing as fate then it had a malevolent sense of humor.
I was so exhausted that I probably could have stayed there for the rest of the day. My legs were heavy and my mind was dazed. My clothes clung to my body with uncomfortable sweat, but I knew if I stayed there I would lose all the advantages I had gained. I pushed myself up with a groan and continued forward, ignoring the lancing pain in my legs. The loneliness was getting to me though and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching me. I glanced around. Shadows danced, but I saw no other person, yet I couldn’t get rid of this feeling.
So I started to sing.
My voice was not nearly as pure as it had been on stage, since it was bleeding with desperate breaths, but hearing an actual sound calmed me. I sang some of Mom’s old favorites. I kept my voice soft and low in the hope that it wouldn’t travel far and give my position away.
*
I had been walking for the better part of the day and was just about ready to drop when I suddenly heard a sound that chilled me to the bone. I stopped singing and the air went quiet around me, apart from some rustling in the trees, and it was more rustling than what a simple breeze could cause. My chest tightened and fear crawled like ice down my throat. My pace slowed. They couldn’t have caught up with me could they? I retraced my steps and thought about everything I had done, wondering if I should have pushed myself harder, or taken another path. I glanced behind me, trying to see if I had left a trail of footsteps lodged in the ground, but there was nothing there. I wracked my brains to figure out how they had found me, when suddenly a grim conclusion came to my mind.
If it wasn’t them, it was something else. Something dangerous.
A hunter.
I gulped as I continued moving, hoping that it was simply my mind playing tricks on me and there wasn’t actually anything to be worried about. My furtive gaze darted all around me, trying to parse the woodland for the threat I was certain lay in wait, but I could see nothing. Still, some primal instinct told me that I was in danger.
I started to run. As my body moved into a sprint I saw a black shape move to my left. It circled around, and then suddenly a wolf broke through the forest before me. Branches cracked and leaves were ripped away. The wolf, bigger than any I had seen before, loomed above me. Its teeth were so white, stark against its black fur. Its eyes were beady and dark, and it stared at me with death. A low growl rumbled like thunder and I crawled back, searching for a way out, but two more wolves accompanied it, both of them as black as night. I shook my head and pressed myself against a tree. I clutched at the trunk for safety, and clawed at it, trying to climb it to at least escape their grasp, hoping that I could wait them out, even though they looked strong enough to uproot a tree entirely.
I groaned as I glanced over my shoulder and looked at them coming towards me. I could see the desire in their eyes, wanting to tear me apart. Tears cascaded down my cheeks as I was completely helpless. I had gone from one bad situation to another, and from this there was no escape. I meekly surrendered in tears, falling to my knees and bowing my head. I closed my eyes and prayed that it would be over quickly.
And then there was a howl.
I looked up, fearful of more wolves, but these were different. One was huge, bigger than all the others, with grey fur covering sinewy muscles. Another was tawny brown, lithe and fierce. The one that came charging in with the most ferocity and passion was a white wolf. He was lean and mean, every muscle in his body seemed primed for combat. His ears were flat against his head and his black nose was pointed forward. His jaws were opened and they hissed death. The three ran in like a blur, thundering around me. I held up my hands around my head and screamed, trembled, wishing that the world would swallow me up and take me away from this forsaken place. I turned and watched the whirlwind of wolves as they sought battle with each other. The black wolves turned their attention away from me and formed a defensive posture. The white wolf ran forward, ahead of his two allies, snarling with bestial fury. He threw himself in between two of the black wolves and they went tumbling around, their tails twisting and the fur blending into a blurred vision of violence.
The bigger grey wolf crashed in like a tank. He went straight for the remaining black wolf, butting heads. The black wolf lost its balance and fell with a whimper. The grey wolf slashed and clawed. Blood spurt out in a crimson wave. The tawny brown wolf did not fight. It stood in front of me, acting like a shield between me and the violence. It didn’t make sense at the time. Was this how wolves behaved?
The white wolf yapped and bit at the two wolves around him. The tumult was so chaotic that, at first, he seemed to have the advantage. He tore flesh and fur away from the wolves and the forest was alive with the yelps of pain and the growls of fury. The initial advantage had been taken away though. Once the black wolves regained their footing they asserted themselves and swiped at the white wolf. Jaws snapped, powerful enough to crunch through bone. I gasped at such a display of animal strength. It was more intense than anything I had witnessed before and I feared for my life. I tried to move, but I was paralyzed with terror. There was nothing I could do but watch.
The white wolf wriggled and squirmed to try and assert his dominance again, but it seemed as though he had acted too rashly. He gave as good as he got, but the two big black wolves seemed intent on destroying him. They tore a chunk of flesh out of his shoulder, which sent him staggering back. If I had been the white wolf I would have retreated, but the vicious animal was relentless and would not give any quarter. Even though he was wounded he snapped back at them and tried to fight. The tawny brown wolf growled and I wondered if he was going to join in to defend his brethren, but he didn’t need to. The grey wolf howled loudly as he charged in and stood next to the white wolf, bringing his huge paw down in a vicious swipe that cut the black wolf along the side of the face. The black wolf yelped in pain and now the odds had suddenly changed. With one of them dead already and with the huge grey wolf standing alongside the white it seemed as though they had little chance, even though I could sense some of the power that surged through their bodies.
They snarled and backed away as the grey and white wolves reared their bodies ready to strike out. I could almost see the moment when they realized that thi
ngs hadn’t gone the way they had planned. They backed away, and took their terrible anger with them. The three wolves howled in unison as a final warning cry to the black wolves that they had won.