They’re too close.
In my panic, I make the mistake of looking back.
Three flashlights move fast.
Too fast.
I yelp and fall again. I tumble, rolling down the steep incline on my side. It reminds me of a snowy day from my childhood, filled with gleeful laughter when me and my sister threw ourselves down an untouched, white-topped hill. I couldn’t be any further from that now.
I dig my nails into the earth, desperately trying to cling to something, but it’s no use. Uprooted plants lie in my wake as I keep rolling and pick up pace. I might plummet to my death in a rocky ravine any minute. I whimper as my shoulders bounce off the rocks, and they skin my elbows. Twigs snap as I reach for them.
Thwack!
I hit the base of a tree and groan, coming to a harsh stop. Pain shoots up my spine. I wiggle my toes, thankful I only have bruises to worry about, but the worst is still to come…
A light beam hits my face.
They’ve found me.
I sit up and scramble back, wincing from the pain as another spotlight blinds me. I’m cornered with nowhere to go. Although I can’t see, I hear them. Steady footsteps approach, mercilessly crushing anything in their path. Snapping sticks sound like snapping bones.
I tremble with trepidation as the lights suddenly go off, plunging us into darkness. My brain wills me to move, but terror grounds me.
The chase is up.
I shriek. Gloved hands grip my ankles and yank me forward. I resist, tossing and turning, grabbing fistfuls of leaves, but they force me to lie flat on my back. Someone steps over me, then strong thighs clamp around me, holding me in place as another pair of hands hold my wrists above my head.
“Don’t resist,” Eli says. He’s on top of me. “You’ll only make it more difficult.”
“Let me go,” I pant, struggling to get the words out due to his crushing weight.
Someone props a flashlight under the tree, illuminating the canopy above. I can’t see Lex or Aiden yet, but sense their presence.
“Can I punish her?” Lex asks enthusiastically from behind Eli.
“Fuck you,” I snarl. “Fuck you all!”
My bitter anger boils to the surface. An anger that’s been rearing its head more and more recently, and I’m no longer able to suppress it. Dad trained me to be a meek mouse, obedient and unquestioning. This fury is new. It’s been lying dormant in a dark corner of my soul, and now it’s finally unleashed.
A few months ago, I’d have been too scared to fight back, but I’m not the same person I was then.
“Don’t fucking touch me,” I yell. “I’ll make you regret it.”
“Oh, really?” I turn to the left and see Aiden’s boots. He kneels and grabs my hair. He forces my head upward, tugging on my scalp, then slams me down again. “You’re helpless, Little Ghost. You’re at our mercy.” He looks to his right. “Punish her, Lex.”
Eli blocks my view of Lex, who forces my legs roughly open. I kick to bat him away, but he’s already positioned between my knees. Any attempts to get him off will only give him better access. In the cold, the heat radiating from his flashlight warms my inner thighs as he subjects me to an examination.
“You think you’re so brave,” I taunt. “But you’re all cowards! Is this the only way you get girls? By torturing them and taking them against their will?”
Aiden’s hot breath tickles my ear menacingly. “Usually, girls beg us to pin them down.” He catches my lobe between his teeth and bites hard, then withdraws. “You’re fighting, but this is how you like it, Little Ghost.”
“You don’t know what I like,” I hiss, spinning my head and gnashing my teeth.
“See? You like it rough.” Aiden pushes my cheek into the dirt. “I bet your tight little pussy is dripping.”
Lex pulls my slip up. He rips my panties off, tearing through the fabric like an animal.
“You’re right,” Lex says. I hear the grin in his voice. “She’s soaking.”
