99. Vulnerable

99. Vulnerable
Cindy

My heart thumped against my ribcage. 

I knew he was right and that sucked. I covered my chest. He was going to hear it. That asshole didn’t deserve to. I must maintain some kind of control over myself. The last thing I needed him to know was how much of an effect those words had on me. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he left, using those same ugly wolf nails to produce those annoying sounds.

I tried to calm my breathing. I didn’t move until his sharp footsteps faded completely. Once I heard the door slam, I let out a breath of relief. 

My gaze subconsciously drifted back to the girl across from me. There was no telling how much time I had left before Roger turned me into a makeshift human explosive. Reiss and the others must be mad with worry right now. I need to warn them.

That’s when something caught my eye. A sliver of opportunity. Not only was the ceiling rotting, but it was also held up by rusty nails. I made sure no one could see me and stood on the bed. Out of everywhere else, the corner right above a stained pillow looked the weakest.

I pushed as hard as I could. I managed to create a small gap, but it wasn’t enough.

Come on! There was no way they were doing maintenance on this thing. As long as there’s a gap, then there is a chance.

Dust fell on my face. A cobweb became undone. The dead spider that occupied it fell after being forced to detangle itself from the threads.

Come on… Come on…

Something cracked. The wood creaked as the gap widened. I’m almost there. If only I could push hard enough.

I stopped for a moment and calmed my breathing. I’m this close to freedom, and I’d be damned if I let Roger use me as a hostage to keep my boyfriends in line. I pushed again.

My feet sank into the mattress. My arms strained under the force. I gritted my teeth. And finally, my prayers were answered. 

The planks of wood broke apart, creating a space big enough for me to enter. 

Pulling myself up was a hassle, to say the least. There was no telling whether the rest of the wood would break apart. The only light in the dusty crevice came from the cracks beneath me. 

Rats ran in the other direction when they saw me coming. The dirt on my knees was driving me nuts. I held back my sneeze more times than I could count.

I turned a corner. A gush of wind hit my face. I looked up ahead and smiled.

Four kicks were enough to get the screws loose. After a few more, the vent fan finally went flying. 

My palm touched the dirt as I pulled myself out. I glanced over my shoulder at the seemingly normal building. The girls were being held underground, no wonder no one could find them. I got to my feet and ran straight ahead.

Someone must have heard all the noise. It didn’t matter how deep into the forest I ran as long as I could get away from here. The further, the better. I would look for a road once I knew I was safe. 

Sunlight pierced through the leaves overhead. Cold air hit my face. My pajama shorts were comfortable enough to move in, but they weren’t built for this type of exercise. If someone saw me now, they would have thought I was some mad woman who rolled around in the dirt. 

I braced myself on a tree to catch my breath. Running never hurt this much, even when I was competing against Elijah. I would much rather go back to those days than run for another mile.   

A flock of birds flew overhead. None of them were of the same species. My hair rose on the back of my neck. A warning.

I instinctively crouched down. Something was tearing down the low branches behind me. It huffed like an angry beast.

I booked it. My instincts told me to duck. Something flew over my head. A log connected with a fallen tree in front of me. If I hadn’t ducked, I would have been knocked out. 

“Why are you leaving, little birdie?” The voice sounded similar to Roger Bryce’s, but much deeper. More, predatory. 

Did I dare to look back? I did. 

Roger ran on his hind legs. His dusty brown fur covered almost his entire body. His slender hands had stretched and transformed into long claws. He was nearly twice his usual size, dashing past scrubs and bushes as if they were nothing but miniature weeds. The only part of him that was remotely human was his face. Instead of a wolf’s snort, all features of his hairless face were there. 

But those wild eyes of his were locked onto me. They were definitely those of his wolf’s. They were hunting me, and I couldn’t depend on an angry wolf to be rational enough while on the hunt to bring me back to the basement in one piece. 

This was when I knew there was no room for mistakes. I ran forward without ever looking back, no matter how much he taunted me. A low vine caught my leg. I tripped, but I regained my balance without falling. My instincts told me where to go, and I didn't think about it. There was a certain path that just felt right. 

“Do you really think you can stop this?” Roger continued to taunt. I couldn’t tell if he was getting closer or whether he was simply speaking louder, but I wasn’t turning around to find out. “What exactly are you planning to do, tell them that the Big Bad Wolf is coming?”

“Aren’t your feet tired?”

“I will kill you as soon as I catch you, mark my words!”

“You know you have nothing to worry about, so why are you still running?”

“I’ll keep you safe.”

“No one will keep you safe!”

“Stop running, you bitch!”

It won’t be long before he eventually catches me. I only need a single hiding spot, a little break that will give me a chance to rest my legs. All I could make out was the beating of my own heart and his nasty words. Low branches scratched my arms. I won’t be able to do this on my own. I need help. I want someone to save me. I’d give my savior anything they wanted, as long as they got me far, far away from here. 

I’ve never felt so weak and vulnerable in my entire life. Then, I remembered wrestling on the ground with the wolves following Elijah after the race. I remembered the things that Allister and Emery taught me in the training gym.

An idea popped into mind. 

I stopped running. 

And fell back as convincingly as possible.