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No, no… It can’t be. I saw him. I saw Brett. There was DNA evidence. It had to have been him. Ashton told me, and the jacket, the rape kit. It can’t be. There isn’t a way. Confusion and fear slither through my insides like a snake.
The air around me grows heavy, my chest rising and falling so rapidly I’m afraid I might give myself away.
Like a bull, Nate grows more agitated. “You stupid, bitch! Come out!” He yells through the building, loud enough for hope to bloom inside of me. Someone might hear him, even though most rooms are upstairs and not on this floor, someone must hear. Maybe they’ll call campus police? Maybe they’ll…
“I’m going to fuck you up when I find you. I’m going to make you bleed. You’ll be begging me to stop.”
My whole body shivers, and I have to clench my teeth so they won’t rattle together. Swallowing down a whimper, I say a silent prayer in my head.
“When I’m done with you, I’ll send you in a box to your boyfriend. Maybe that will teach him that he isn’t god.”
Please don’t let him find me.
My heart stops, and all the air leaves my lungs when my phone vibrates in my bra. It’s on vibrate only, but even that sounds like a freaking air horn in the otherwise silent space. I completely forgot that I even had it with me.
I fish it out of my bra as fast as I can without making another sound. I look at the bright screen to find Parker has sent me a text message. I don’t even read it. All I do is unlock the screen, find Parker’s name from my recent call list, and hit the green button.
“P-parker…” I whisper into the receiver as soon as I hear him pick up.
“Willow? What’s wrong?” His voice is instantly on edge, wrapped up in concern and a hint of panic. He has no idea. Not yet.
“N-Nate,” I say almost silently. “He is… he is…” I can’t even get the words out. I feel like there is a thick chain wrapped around my throat, tightening with each breath I take.
“Where are you? Are you at the dorms?” While he asks, I can already hear the engine of his car revving up in the background.
“Yes, under the back stairs.”
“Stay hidden, don’t move. Don’t make a sound,” he tells me as if I would do anything else. The phone goes dead, and I listen for Nate, hoping he is still going in the other direction. I hold my breath, straining my ears to take in any sound.
“I know you are still here. Come out, slut!” His voice is coming closer again, but he must not know exactly where I am, and that’s my only saving grace right now. It should only take Parker five minutes to get here, but a lot can happen in five minutes. I try not to think about that, and instead will Parker to get here faster.
“You’re a fucking tease, you know that? Just wait till I find you,” he threatens, making my stomach churn. Squeezing my eyes shut, I wrap my arms around myself, wishing I could just disappear. Wishing I could be sucked into the concrete behind me, protected and safe. Then like the calm before the storm, silence blankets me. I strain to hear anything, anything at all.
He is still here, but not moving. What is he doing? The sound of a door being kicked in pierces through the air, and my whole body jerks. The phone slips from my fingers and lands on the floor with a loud clash. Shit!
“Oh, you stupid, bitch. I found you,” he laughs and heads toward me. With every step closer, my heart starts beating faster. Tears start running down my cheeks, and I feel like I might throw up any minute now.
“Nate!” Parker’s voice cuts through the air, and I take in a sharp breath, both in relief and in terror. What if Nate has a weapon, what if he hurts Parker? Oh, god. Panic circles me like a shark in blood-filled water.
“Fucking shit,” Nate curses, and the next thing I can hear is the retreating of his footsteps.
“Willow,” Parker calls out for me, his voice coming closer now. I’m still so terrified that I can’t get a word out, even knowing that it’s probably safe now.
“Willow,” Parker’s voice wraps around me like a thick wool blanket on a winter’s day. A moment later, he appears in front of me. Like a freaking avenging angel, he stands before me, tall and strong. As soon as I see him, I start sobbing. He squats down in front of me and opens his arms to me.
He almost got me. He almost hurt me.
I’m crying so hard now that he is nothing more than a blurry mess.
