Beaten

Beaten Part 2

Chapter 2:

The sun is still beating down on me, burning my bare arms. I manage to sit up, breathing heavily. I’m thirsty, so thirsty. I must be miles away from anyone. My best hope for rescue is that someone will come walking their dog by the creek or something, and see me here. But today is so swelteringly hot that I doubt anyone in their right mind would come here. I am alone. Alone and desperate. I can’t fight the grief any longer. I let another batch of tears spill down my cheeks. I want someone to find me, anyone.

 Slowly, the sun lowers in the distance, until finally it’s no longer glaring right above me. It starts to get darker, and the sky turns a warm pinky orange. I’m so tired, so exhausted. My mum will be wondering where I am now.

Who am I kidding? No she won’t. She’ll think I’m still at Jake’s. She won’t expect me home until at least midnight. And by then, it might already be too late.

 As the sky gets darker, the air grows colder. I’m shivering, closing my eyes against the engulfing darkness. I’m terrified. What sort of creatures come out at nighttime in the woods? Owls, foxes, maybe even wolves! I’m still slumped against a tree, but I can’t move. I can’t get myself out of here. I steady my breathing, tell myself not to panic. Before I know it I’m drifting off to sleep. Not exactly peaceful sleep, but I’m relaxed all the same.

 I wake up with a jolt. I can hear something. A roar in the distance. I try and sit up but I can’t, I’m too sore. I can feel the ground vibrating beneath me as the roaring noise gets ever closer. It doesn’t sound like the noise an animal would make. It stops abruptly, and I hear something slam. A car door. With abrupt realization, I understand what was making the noise. A car. And a car means people. I can hear voices now, a boy and a girl, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. They can’t be too far away. In tragic desperation, I cry out to them.

“Help,” I call feebly. My voice comes out as barely a whisper, a mere croak that gets caught up in the wind. I try again, their voices coming slowly closer.

“Hello? Help me!” I cry, slightly louder this time. Their voices stop, and I feel my heart jolt in my chest. Have they heard me? Am I finally about to be rescued? I gather each and every bit of my strength, and yell with all my might.

“Please help me! P-Please!”

Their voices start up again, but now I can hear their footsteps crunching on the fallen tree-bark.

“Is someone there?” calls out the male voice, and my spirits begin to rise.

“Yes!” I reply, trying my hardest to get to my feet but failing. “I-I’m by the c-creek,” I say, my voice trembling with cold.

“Hold on, we’re coming!” calls the voice again, and I sigh with relief. I’m going to be ok.

 The footsteps get louder and louder, and then finally someone comes stumbling through the trees behind me. I can feel their presence, so I turn my head around. Although I can’t make out what the person looks like properly, I can tell it’s the girl.

“Help me,” I mumble weakly. She finally notices me, and crouches down beside me.

“My god, what happened to you???” she asks, shock clearly evident on her tanned visage. The moon’s dappled white light shines down on her face, and I notice that she has silvery blonde hair, and pale blue eyes. She’s thin, but I can’t make out what she’s wearing, due to the fact that my eye is so swollen I can barely see out of it.

“It was n-nothing,” I whisper, my throat starting to ache. She raises her eyebrows, but doesn’t say anything.

“Matt, I found her!” she calls out, and I assume she is talking to the boy whose voice I heard.  I hear footsteps pounding the hard earth, and he stumbles through the bracken. I watch Matt’s eyes searching through the darkness, before they finally lay on the girl and I, crouching below a tree. He rushes towards us, and sits down beside the girl.

“Oh my…” he says, looking seriously at the girl. “She’s seriously injured!”

I feel another tear escape my eye, and angrily try to brush it away with my hand. I yelp with pain, as it hurts so much.

“Ok, we’ve got to get you out of here,” says Matt, and he moves closer into the moonlight. I notice that he is of Greek appearance, with dark brown hair and big black eyes. He’s trim, but once again I can’t see what he’s wearing.

“Alright, do you think you can walk?” he asks. I nod, trying to be brave. They get up, and I know I should too. I attempt to rise, but my legs give way underneath me. I let out a cry of frustration.

“It’s alright, we’ll help you,” Matt reassures me, and he gently places his hand beneath my arm. He gestures at the girl to do the same. Reluctantly, she takes my arm and pulls. I stop myself from yelling out in pain, as I know they’re just trying to help. Matt drags my left arm over his shoulder, and I put my other shaking arm over the girl.

“That’s the way,” says Matt kindly, and he starts to walk. I feel stupid, letting my feet drag pathetically along the ground behind me, but I’m not about to complain. There’s no other option.

“We’ll take you back to our van,” Matt tells me. “It’s just a little way ahead.”

I’m too exhausted to talk, or take in what he’s saying. Just the effort of keeping myself upright is taking all the strength out of me.

“I’m Matt, by the way,” he says, and I nod to show that I already know. “And this is Eira.” I nod again.

“I-I’m Ch-Ch-Charlotte,” I stammer, my teeth chattering with the cold.

“You must be freezing, Charlotte!” exclaims Matt, taking in my thin holey red tights and sleeveless black pinafore. I nod again.

“So, are you ever going to tell us what happened to you?” asks Eira, her eyebrows raised again.

“L-like I said… i-it was n-nothing,” I stammer. I’m not ready to tell anyone yet.

“Jeez, Eira. Let her tell us in her own time,” Matt scolds her, and I can’t help feeling pleased.

“Here we are!” he says, and I look up. Right in front of us is the most peculiar van I’ve ever seen. It’s been painted a light aqua blue, and a string of coloured fairylights has been strung around the perimeter of it’s roof. The paint is chipped and worn, it’s large and old and dirty… but it’s absolutely amazing! I can’t help thinking it would attract a lot of stares on the road, but Matt and Eira don’t really seem to care. At least Matt doesn’t.

“Sorry, Charlotte,” says Eira, indicating the van. “It’s disgusting, I know.”

“N-no!” I exclaim. “I-it’s b-beautiful! I l-love it!”

“Well, you would!” she says, and pulls herself out from underneath my arm, leaving me clinging to Matt.

“Don’t mind her,” whispers Matt. “She likes the van deep down.” Yeah, but she doesn’t seem to like me, I think to myself as Eira storms off, pulls a key out of her pocket and opens the van door.