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I gulp in a deep breath, desperately trying to stay composed amidst the chaos. The branches lash against my already sore arms, leaving what I’m sure are scratches and blood trailing down them. My pajamas, torn and muddied, hang in tatters around my legs, while each step sends shooting pain through my bare, bruised feet, pierced by the occasional sharp twig.
I’m so focused on my frenzied escape, that I fail to notice approaching footsteps until it’s too late and an arm coils around my waist, yanking me off balance. A scream claws out my throat as I crash to the ground and my assailant tumbles with me.
The force of the impact steals the air from my lungs, leaving me gasping and coughing in a struggle to regain my breath. As I desperately try to inhale, the weight of my attacker pins me down, further reducing my ability to breathe.
Before I can recover, I cry out as my arms are wrenched behind my back, contorting my body in an unnatural position. My face is mercilessly pressed to the unforgiving ground, dirt and debris digging into my skin as I fight for air.
I feel someone’s face near the back of my head as my attacker snarls through his slightly ragged breaths, “Thought you could escape from us, bitch?”
I can’t answer because I’m still struggling to breathe.
“Oi, Ryan! Did you get ‘er?” I hear a voice in the distance.
“I caught the dumb bitch, alright.” Ryan spits on the ground next to my head.
“Let’s get her back to the truck. The others won’t have kept those two busy long enough for us to dawdle here.”
My self-defense training flashes to the forefront of my mind and my trainer’s voice rings into my ears.
Don’t let them take you to a second location, Lara.
Fight as hard as you can. Kick, scream, thrash.
Do what you have to do, to remain where you are as long as you can because the odds of being found once you’re moved are slim to none.
Better off dead before you’re moved than to be kept alive wherever they take you.
My body bucks against the one restraining me and I unleash a piercing shriek for help, my shrill voice echoing through the surrounding darkness. Agony radiates in my side as a foot ruthlessly strikes my body causing me to double over in coughs and wheezes.
But in the midst of the pain, I refuse to be silenced. With cruel precision, my assailant binds my arms tightly behind my back, cinching ropes around my limbs with such force that I cry out again.
“Shut her up!” One of the men screams at Ryan who is frantically pulling me off the ground.
One of the others has caught up, and he scoffs, “I’ll fucking shut the whore up myself.”
My head snaps to the side as someone’s fist collides with my face, and sudden pain radiates from my jaw through my neck. With the taste of copper in my mouth, I see red and thrash against my restraints.
“I’ll fucking kill you.” I snarl, but my threats do nothing more than make the men in front of me laugh loudly, and the sound echoes into the dark of the forest.
The remaining men have caught up, and I find myself surrounded by all five, their faces shadowed and painted black, and their clothes are dark and form-fitting.
In the dim light, I can discern their physical differences. The one who initially apprehended me has a toned physique, his companions however, display the opposite.
“What do you want?” I ask loudly, wincing through the pain in my jaw, and Ryan chuckles.
“We just want money. Hope you understand it’s nothing personal, dove.”
I roll my eyes.“Who hired you?”
One of the other men replies with an amused huff, “Someone with a lot more money than you.”
With a forceful grip on my arm, Ryan yanks me upright, disregarding my protests as I shout at him, “The fuck do you think you’re doing?! Let me go!”
My defiance fuels my struggle, but it merely invites retaliation. A searing pain radiates from the side of my head as I crumple and collide with the ground, my face meeting the earth once more.
“The fuck, Bryce?” Ryan’s voice holds a tone of annoyance.
As I struggle to clear my blurred vision with fatigued blinking, I lift my head from the ground slightly.
