pair of strong jaws. Piece by piece, we would be stripped down to bones. We had no family, so no one would cross oceans to find us. If someone did uncover our remains, it would be decades later, and the only way to determine our identity would be through dental records. But what would be the point…when none lived to care?
How did you protect someone from that?
“Raven.”
I continued to face the other way, staring at the passing landscape through a small hole in the wood. “Don’t. Just don’t…” I already knew what she was going to say, and her remorse had no effect on me. I didn’t want to hear it, not when I couldn’t forgive her.
I couldn’t forgive her… Not this time.
3
Kill the Weeds
I heard voices.
Lots of voices.
Men. Women.
It sounded like we were approaching an establishment, but what kind of establishment would exist out here in the middle of nowhere? A place that couldn’t be accessed by car? I focused my hearing to gain as much information as possible before we were thrown into the fray.
A man’s deep voice sounded from up ahead. “What do you have for me?”
“Two. Both fresh.”
Fresh? Who described someone as fresh?
The wagon came to a stop. One of the horses released a loud breath, as if he was tired from the long trek through the cold. Our bodies rolled slightly once the forward momentum ceased.
Melanie’s breathing went haywire.
“Save your energy,” I whispered. The unknown was the most frightening thing to all living beings, and I really had no idea what to expect, what my purpose was in this isolated place, but my heart rate was low, my focus primed, my instincts for survival high.
A man emerged into my sight and unlocked the hinge of the wagon, so it opened like the bed of a truck. The man didn’t have a face because it was hidden in a bulky hood, animal fur lining the edge of the heavy fabric, giving it weight so it remained slumped down over his face. The material was gray like London fog, and it was part of a cloak, a kind of garment I thought only existed in stories. His outstretched arms showed the thick leather material of his jacket underneath, the gray stitching matching the color of his cloak. The edges of his sleeves were cuffed with the same animal fur as his hood, and black leather gloves covered his hands. He looked well-dressed and warm.
I would have demanded answers and tried to kick him in the face, but I was stunned by what I saw. It was as if I’d stepped into a nightmare about a cult living deep in the forest of the French Alps.
Except it wasn’t a nightmare.
This shit was real.
He grabbed the ropes that bound my ankles and dragged my body toward him.
I snapped out of my stare, and when I was pulled to the edge, I raised my knees and slammed my feet hard into his chest. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
He fell back at the hit, as if he didn’t expect me to fight back, as if the other girls they brought here didn’t fight back.
He righted himself and stared at me for a moment, looking at me under the shadow of his hood. His face was invisible because his cloak gave his face all the anonymity in the world.
It definitely raised the stakes, because I couldn’t see his reaction, couldn’t gauge what he might do next.
I breathed hard, ready for him to make his move, yanking at the bindings that tied my wrists together, so desperate to fight but so helpless to do a damn thing.
He came back to me and grabbed me by the ankles again. To my surprise, he cut the ropes holding them together.
I stilled, unsure what was happening.
The knife moved to my wrists next, and he sliced through the restraints.
What the fuck was happening?
He grabbed me by the arm and yanked me from the wagon before he shoved me back, making me trip and land on a patch of snow on top of the cold, hard ground. He sheathed his knife somewhere in his pocket, dressed in all black, his pants the same material as his long-sleeved shirt, waterproof fabric, the kind of stuff skiers wore on the mountain.
I got to my feet, breathing hard, my hands raised and prepared for a fight even though I didn’t know how to throw a punch. Blood pounded in my ears, and I didn’t dare take my eyes off the man who