Drew concentrated on breathing evenly as she willed herself along the beaten blacktop. Her dog, Jake, panted lightly besides her enjoying the evening exercise. She was jealous of his at ease trot as she pushed herself each step of the way, sucking in air. Her keys and cell phone bounced loosely in her pocket in rhythm with each stride.
She happily reached her four mile marker and looped back around towards her car. Sweat ran down her forehead and slowly dripped down her chin. The sun was beginning to set and she knew she needed to fasten her pace to make it back before dark. The evening was finally starting to cool off making the landscape around her more enjoyable. It was her first time to run Red Fair. She chose the back road for the long stretch of hills and woodsy scenery that surrounded it. It was beautiful with the sunlight peeking through the trees making everything glow. She still had an eerie feeling as she ran along the rough asphalt glancing every now and then towards the trees on both sides. Jake was making her uncomfortable as he kept his ears alert and stopped every quarter mile to look into the trees. He was sensing something she wasn’t.
“Come on, boy.”
She was less than a quarter mile from reaching her car at the end of the road when Jake’s barks interrupted the peace. She stopped completely and looked at him. She was about to urge him to come along again before a shrill scream pierced the air. Jake erupted with more barks before darting into the trees. Without giving it a second thought she dashed after him begging her deadened legs to carry her farther. Lord protect her, us.
Jake was quicker than her dodging trees and clearing fallen branches. She lost sight of him as he broke into the clearing and she cautiously hung back ducking behind a tree. A man’s voice growled not too far away from where she was. Her hands were shaking as she inched closer to the voice and a low fearful whimper. Jake’s barks angered the man as he swung around just in time to see the dog pouncing out towards him. In one swift moment he flung his fist out against Jake’s head. Jake hit the ground hard and Drew held in a gasp at the dogs whimper and jaw that went slack. Jake tried to retaliate and get back up but it was too late, the man pulled out a gun and shot him dead as he was struggling to get back to his feet. Drew tightened her hand around her mouth trying not to panic. She thought of the woman lying in the grass being attacked. The man’s voice came out of nowhere startling Drew.
“Sara, Sara, Sara.” He said in a sing-song voice.
“Raleigh, please. Let’s go home. I’ll do whatever you want.” Her voice cracked on the last words.
He laughed cruelly swinging his foot back and kicked her in the head. Drew cringed at the thud and her sharp cry.
“Raleigh!” she pleaded.
Drew could hear her crying now desperate for him to leave her alone. He ripped her up from the grass and slammed her against the tree opposite form Drew. Her shorts hung down on her ankles and blood trickled down her legs and flowed down her eye. He growled something else at her that Drew couldn’t make out before he violently began raping her. Sara tried to scream but couldn’t get it out. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she absorbed the pain. Weakly she tried to push him off of her. He pulled away, rearing back his arm about to beat her with the butt of his gun; she cringed ready to take the blow. She heard a loud crack before tumbling into the dirt. She knew she wasn’t the one that got hit. She looked up and saw an unconscious Raleigh face down in the ground his black locks of hair slowly starting to matt with blood. She let out a blood curling scream that only Drew could hear out in the middle of nowhere.
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Drew dropped to her knees next to the young woman who was horrifically screaming bringing herself close to hysterics.
