One Deception

Chapter Ten (Part One)

Written by Kenz (TogetherWeRise)

Chapter Ten; Part One

Rosalie

I don't know how long I laid there for. It felt like days, though it couldn't have been more than an hour at the most. I'd stayed there, completely frozen, trying to listen to the sounds of the surrounding forest over my own harsh breathing. Every time they'd called out my heart had stopped all over again. 

There hadn't been any sign of them in over twenty minutes. Though I'd promised myself that I would get up and run the moment they faded out of earshot, I hadn't moved a single muscle. If I didn't plan on getting recaptured I would have to make a move soon and I knew it. It was only a matter of time before they came back out searching.

Shuddering, I recalled the chase, the most terrifying moments I'd ever lived through. As I ran away from the house, my legs and midsection burning like a fire had been lit within me, the only thing spurring me forward had been that raw fear and the sound of their jeering behind me. 

All I could think about was the horrible death I'd suffer if they'd caught me.

They probably would have, too, if it hadn't been for the blessed foxhole. As I was running, I'd rounded a tree and my foot had gotten caught in a small hollow within the base which looked like it had housed a family of animals before me. I hadn't seen it because darkness had began blanketing the forest and the floor had all blended into one murky shadow. While the hole had caused me to fall and twist my ankle painfully, it had also given me a place to hide.

Knowing that if I kept running that they'd eventually catch up, I'd curled into the smallest ball possible and wedged myself into the hollow. If I hadn't lost so much weight in the recent days I would never have been able to fit. Even with how thin I was, I still wasn't completely hidden. My legs and part of my hips had poked out.

True to my belief, not ten minutes after I had found the foxhole, Louis had walked by in his search for me. He'd passed within inches of me, nearly stepping on my exposed ankle. My saving grace then had been the curtain that night provided and the fact that I was covered from head to toe in dirt and mud. I'd thought for sure he'd notice me, but he didn't.

And that lead me to where I was right now, trying to force myself out of the hollow to go and find help. They would come back out again, all five of them, and they would probably bring flashlights along with them. If I didn't move now I was a goner, but the thought of leaving my safe place caused me to begin trembling violently.

What if they were still out there waiting and I stumbled right into their laps? I would be dragged back to the desolate cabin and would suffer the same fate as all of those girls before me- As Miranda. But if I stayed, I ran the risk of undoing all of the progress I'd done. Miranda's sacrifice would be for nothing.

Her face flashed in my mind, pale and sunken, set with large brown eyes and plump lips forming the words, "help me". That was the last I'd seen of her before she'd been pulled back through the window. Guilt panged in my chest; I'd promised her that we'd get out of there alive, both of us. I hadn't been able to save her.

The only thing that I could do for her now is get out of here and have the band brought to justice so that they didn't hurt anyone else ever again. 

Taking a deep breath, I unfurled my legs and arms, stretching my aching limbs tentaviely. I uneasily got to my feet and took a moment to steady myself. My plan was to take it slow and not over exert myself anymore than I already had, but the sound of a twig snapping in the distance had me off and running like a shot, desperatly trying to pull the frigid air into my lungs to keep going...