slams shut, and the vibrations of the engine stop when the driver shuts off the car. In hurried motions, I feel around for a weapon, a tire iron, a damn shoe, a water bottle, anything someone throws in the back of their car but there isn’t anything.
Oh, wait! I wrap my hand around something long, skinny, and round. It feels like a stick or a rod of some sort. I hide it against my side and the trunk unlocks. The one thing I want to see is the face of the man who took me.
But I don’t get the chance because when the trunk opens and the night is revealed, the man is wearing one of those creepy baby masks with a hint of blush on the cheeks and a smile that would give someone nightmares.
He grips my arm hard enough to bruise. It isn’t like when Tongue touches me, bites me, cuts me, because it’s what we both yearn for. I need him to mark me like that so I can feel his love for me, so I can see his love for me.
This man is hurting me.
“Come on, kitty. We have a long walk.” He yanks me out of the car and my injured knee hits the inside of the trunk, right against the latch, and I bite back a cry of agony. I keep the stick to my side as he drags me out of the vehicle, and when my feet land on the ground, I fight.
And I fight like hell.
I lift the weapon in the air and slam it against him. “You bastard!” I keep slamming the wooden stick against his head, neck, then shove the end in his stomach. When he grunts, doubling over in pain, I do what every woman does when they need to run. I swing the rod between his legs and nail him right in the damn crotch.
He falls to the ground, cupping his cock, and I freeze, watching him gag from the pain scorching his balls.
Holy moly.
That worked.
Shit. Run, you fucking idiot!
I drop the rod and run down the dirt road. I’m surrounded by desert, rocks, and trees. I follow the road, deciding it’s the best bet to stay on a path. Paths are good. They lead in…a direction which is better than where I was before.
My foot hits a rock, and I crash face-first into the ground. Rocks cut along my cheek, but I don’t stay down long. I inhale a few pebbles, chew on a few grains of sand, but don’t bother spitting them out. There isn’t time for me to think to spit. I stumble as I try to get up, the palms of my hands burn from the rubbing of the rocks.
My lungs are balloons, inflating and deflating with every inhale and exhale as I run. Tears fly down my face, and I pump my arms so I can run faster. My knee throbs, but I can’t give in to the pain. There isn’t anyone here.
It’s me.
And him.
The oddest thing I’m noticing right now is the sky. I’m scared out of my mind, sweat is a blanket over my skin, and I’m running for my life, but the night sky is gorgeous right now. Blue and black hues are so deep and crisp, I feel like I could jump and touch the stars with how bright they are twinkling.
I guess if I’m going to die, out of all the nights, I’d rather lose my life under a beautiful sky instead of a rainy one.
I’m tackled from behind, and I hit the ground again. This time, my teeth pierce my lip and there is a high-pitched ringing in my ears. Someone grips my shoulders and flips me over. I struggle to open my eyes, but I manage, tasting blood from the cut across my lip. My hands lifted into the air and zip tied.
All I see is the baby mask. It’s a clouded pale flesh color. I can see hues of his face, but not enough to make an I.D. It’s something someone wears on Halloween.
“Do you know how long I’ve been watching you?” the man’s voice is garbled, but not naturally, either from smoking cigarettes or damage to his throat. All I know, is it’s a sound I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.
I’ll hear him when I close my eyes. It’s the kind of voice that’s rememberable. If I’m surrounded by a crowd and he speaks one word, I’ll hear him, and I’ll