I scramble to my feet and pull my pants back up. I don’t let anything distract me, survival mode at its best right now. I take one last look at the man bleeding out on the forest floor. There’s too much blood, there’s no way he’ll come back from this. The ground is stained red, and it feels as if it’s trying to follow me. Swallowing back a sob, I grab my bag before taking off further into the woods.
Everything becomes a blur as I keep running. I don’t stop, not until I reach the road. And even then, I keep going until my legs give out and I fall to my knees.
Taking in deep heavy breaths, I force everything that just happened deep down and allow the numb shock to take hold of me. I don’t have time to break. He doesn’t get to do that to me.
The sound of a car has me looking up. Two bright headlights shine in my eyes, causing me to squint.
The car comes to a stop and a man gets out of the driver's side. “Are you okay?” He rushes over to me. My instincts tell me to run, but I don’t have any energy left in me.
“Oh my god, you’re bleeding. Come with me, I’ll get you some help.”
“What’s going on?” a woman asks. “Oh my god. Is she okay?”
“I don’t know,” the man says.
“Oh hunny, come. Let’s get you to safety.”
For some reason, my brain believed this sweet sounding woman. Surely they were here to help, right?
They get me to my feet and guide me to the back seat of their car.
As the car takes off, they continue to talk, trying to ask me questions. I don’t answer, I can’t. I feel my body shutting down and my eyes closing. I have nothing left in me right now. I want a new life, please God, let something good happen to me now. I want to leave Ava behind and emerge a new person.
Little do I know, it would seem I’ve run from one monster, only to end up in the grasp of another.
Chapter
Two
Thirteen years ago
BRIAR
The soundof applause fills the room around me. I grin as I give the audience a little wave before stepping off stage.
Generic music starts playing in the background and the chatter of the club picks up. It’s a Friday night, one of our busiest nights of the week. And one of my favorite nights to sing. I sing most nights, but it’s not as exhilarating when the club is slow.
Not like tonight, where the drinks are flowing and people are excited to let loose for the weekend.
“You sounded amazing, as always,” one of my best friends, Lexi, says from her place at the bar.
“Why, thank you,” I wink. “Are you performing tonight?”
“Maybe,” she shrugs. “My hand is still hurting so I’m not too sure.”
Lexi dances occasionally, but she mostly works as a server. Her thing is mostly the silks but she had a mishap in the kitchenlast week and cut her hand. Seeing how she needs them to do what she does, I can understand why she wouldn’t be up for it.
“Rest, get better, they’ll still be there waiting for you,” I wink.
“Are you working anymore or are you done for the night?”
“I think I’m gonna call it a night,” I tell her, giving her a wave. “See you later, babe.”
“Bye!”
It’s been ten years since the girls and I came to Widows Peak. Since the start of our new lives, our second chance. And I’ve loved every single second of it.
We might not have met under the best circumstances, but they quickly became my found family. A family that is a million times better than the one I was born into.
