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She had to keep moving.
She didn’t know how long she dragged herself through the woods. She lost all track of time. She didn’t stop until her body gave out on her.
When she was physically unable to move another inch she lay there panting. Just drawing in her next breath was a struggle now.
She was so tired.
She needed to sleep.
Her eyes were fighting to close, but she knew that if she allowed them to shut there was a good chance she would never open them again.
She wanted to hold on. To keep battling. To cling to life.
She was so drowsy.
Against her will, her eyelids fluttered down and then refused to lift back up.
Still, she wouldn’t give up. She tried to keep her mind active, replaying in her head everything she wanted to say to her dad and Nick when she saw them again.
She shivered. She was so cold.
Her mind was fading. She clawed, desperately seeking a finger-hold in consciousness. She was trying so hard to stay awake, but she knew she was losing the battle.
She prepared herself for death.
To die alone, here in the woods, with so many regrets.
She wished she had given her dad a chance to talk before knocking him out.
She wished she had accepted Nick’s apologies while she had the chance.
She wished she had seen her brother for who he really was.
She wished her fatigued body wasn't about to give out on her, but it did, and she slipped away into unconsciousness.
* * * * *
12:18 A.M.
She had to be around here somewhere.
How far could she possibly have gone in her condition? From the size of the pool of blood in the cabin’s hall, Nick knew that Aggie’s injuries were serious.
When he’d left the house to go looking for her, he had headed in the direction of the road, assuming that that was the way Aggie would go. But it was dark so he couldn’t find a trail to follow, and he didn’t want to use the flashlight on his phone because he didn’t want to alert Andrew to his location. For the same reason, he couldn’t call out to Aggie.
Andrew was dangerous. So far Nick had to assume that he didn’t know about their presence here. Hopefully, that would work in Aggie’s favor. If Andrew thought he was still alone out here and that no one was on to him, then he had no reason to kill his sister immediately. He’d kept Emily Hadden alive for days, he obviously derived pleasure from torturing his victims, so Nick had to believe that he had time to find Aggie before it was too late.
If it wasn't already too late.
No. He couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t accept that. After everyone he had lost he deserved a chance to at the very least make things right with her. To atone for what he’d put her through.
Something crunched. Nearby. Someone was there. Andrew or Aggie?
With his gun out, he moved quietly forward. His eyes, which had adjusted to the dark and he could now see reasonably well, were carefully scanning from side to side.
The sound continued.
It sounded like someone dragging themselves.
