Page 257 of Only Be Mine

They shoved me down.

Metal beneath my back.

Carpet lining.

The trunk.

I heard the lid slam.

Darkness closed in completely.

For a moment there was silence.

Then the engine turned over.

The vibration ran through my bones.

I couldn’t feel my legs anymore.

My fingers tingled, then went numb.

I focused on breathing.

In.

Out.

In…

The car slowed.

Stopped.

Voices again. Quieter now. Echoing.

A door opened.

Cold air rushed in as the trunk lifted.

“Here’s good,” the other man said.

Hands dragged me.

My head struck pavement.

Stars burst behind my eyes.

The pain didn’t feel real anymore.

That was the strangest part.

I expected screaming. Burning. Something unbearable. But instead, it felt… distant. Like my body belonged to someone else and I was only borrowing it for a moment longer.

Rain hit my face.

Cold.

Clean.