The Last She (Books 1-3, the Last She Series)

Ch. 2, Nothing But My Freedom

On my way to the city, I'd found a fallen tree that spanned a boiling, white capped river. Father would never have allowed it, but I was desperate to make it to the city before the first snow-fall and crossing there would save me days. The bark had been stripped clean, slick with river water, but Father had always called me sure-footed as a ram. I was confident I wouldn't slip. And I didn't.

The rotted wood gave way beneath me.

I was plunged into a world of ice and darkness and panic. Only once I lay trembling on shore did I realize I'd lost Father's bow, his beautiful arrows, and all our supplies. I was left with only an empty pistol and the foreboding knowledge that a single mistake in this world could end everything.

It was the same feeling when I realized the four tracks had become three.

The world seemed to go silent as he stepped out from the undergrowth, not twenty feet from where I stood.

A man.

The first human I'd seen in months.

Neither of us moved.

A thousand emotions went through me. Shock, surprise, fear, curiosity. We surveyed each other, like two animals meeting in the wild. He was tall and well built, with curly hair and strange, green eyes, like the forest itself was watching me. In a different life, I might have thought him handsome, but now I saw only an enemy stronger than myself.

How the hell had he gotten behind me?

"Beautiful day for tracking, don't you think?" He had a slow smile, almost like a dare. He took a step forward.

I pulled out my pistol, two hands on the cold steel.

His smile faded.

My heart pounded in my ears, my throat dry, words gone.

Seconds inched by as he took in my gun, my tattered clothes and thin form. He lifted his hands slowly, his voice almost sympathetic.

"Listen.... Why don't you put the gun down? We can talk."

"I'm not much for talking." My voice was soft, but my heart was running itself ragged. Every survival instinct in me screamed to bolt, but something else, some deep, human ache, held me frozen. Besides my father, this was the first human I had talked to in three years.

Which somehow felt worse, because if I had a bullet, I'd put it in him without blinking.

He took a small step forward. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Kaden, I live nearby. Let me help you."

"I said stop!" I shook the gun at him. No one could help me.

He stopped, but this time his eyes were hard. "Alright, shoot me. I can't say I don't deserve it." The gun trembled in my hands as he took a slow, measured step forward, his eyes locked on mine. "But see, here's the thing. I think if you were going to shoot me, you would have already. My bet is, that gun is empty."

"You want to bet your life on that?"

He stopped again.

"How about this?" I took a step back, motioning with the gun. "You go your way. I go mine. No harm done."

He didn't move. Instead, his eyes flicked to the trees behind me.

It's a trick, don't look.

"How about this?" he said. "Surrender, and when we get back to the clan, I'll put in a good word for you. We could use a smart kid like you. We've got food there. You don't have to starve anymore. And my men won't hurt you."

Men?

Behind me, a twig snapped, and something went cold inside me.

Don't hesitate, Ara. There are no friendly men in this world. Not for you.

I pulled the trigger.

Click.

The second he flinched, I'd already flung the pistol at him and vaulted into the forest. I dumped my backpack and sprinted through the trees.

Better to have nothing but my freedom.

Another man raced through the trees to my left, and I heard the curly-haired man behind me. Without the pack, I flew, adrenaline surging through me, fear making me fast. They wouldn't catch me; I was once the fastest high school runner in the state.

I glanced over my shoulder.

The curly-haired man was still in the clearing, the other man's pursuit a joke. He would never catch me. My feet barely seemed to touch the ground-

I slammed full force into a body.

It was like running into a wall.

A wall that wrapped around me.

The forest became a blur of trees and grass as we went down hard. I caught a glimpse of red hair, and long limbs. A vicious desperation came over me as I kicked and thrashed.

(Let me know what you think of the story so far! And please don't forget to vote! Thanks for being here guys! <3 -Hannah)