The drive was long. I never kept track of how much time passed, but each minute felt like an eternity. With every breath I took, it seemed another thousand trees disappeared behind the car, and another hundred miles was placed between me and Samuel.
Raven was driving. She hadn't spoken a word since I clambered into the front seat. Will was sprawled across the back of the car, taking turns napping and staring out the window. He'd tried making conversation, but those attempts soon died off.
It was dark. The car was musty and I was suffocating. I wanted nothing more than to open a window, but Raven told me our scent would travel. We were in an abandoned car that the pack had stored for years, so unless we did something drastic or opened a window, the old smell would overtake our own and we were untraceable.
"We're coming up on the border," Raven broke the never ending silence with a hushed voice.
Will perked up in the backseat, placing himself between Raven and me. "That didn't take long."
I took a deep breath, refusing to look at the clock. Time wasn't cooperating with my mind, tonight. "How long?"
"Any minute now." Raven paused. "There shouldn't be anyone there. If there is, they should be with Samuel."
Will and I nodded, but he spoke the question lingering in the air. "And if they're not?"
Raven remained silent. Will waited for a moment, then looked at me with wide eyes. I gave him a small reassuring smile, turning my gaze to look out the front window.
"Don't worry, Will. I've escaped before. It wasn't that hard."
"They still caught you, eventually," he mumbled.
I resisted the urge to scowl and looked more earnestly at the path before us. We'd taken the least used route possible, in order to exit the pack land in the weakest spot. Already I could see that the road was barely there, and the trees were overgrowing into the path. When a fence eventually appeared on the horizon, it was rusted and bent.
"Do you see anything?" I asked Raven.
Her eyes were trained on a spot beyond the fence, but she shook her head. "Nothing."
I couldn't help my heart as it tensed and began to beat faster. The last time I'd escaped it had been almost too easy. This time seemed strikingly similar. Unlike last time though, my heart wasn't stretching forward into the unknown, yearning for the freedom of the woods. It wasn't feeling, at all. There had been no time to process my goodbye with Samuel, his parting words, or how I felt about any of it. I guessed there would be time for that when we'd truly escaped, but a small part of me feared the feelings would be lost by then.
The car slowed as we drew closer to the fence. Raven parked the car in front of a dilapidated gate, long abandoned of any patrol. When the car stood still, the three of us did the same. We each knew what needed to happen next, but none of us wanted to leave the safety of our metal box.
Eventually, Raven cleared her throat. "I'll be back, I guess. If anything happens, you know what to do."
Before we could respond, she opened the door and crept into the night. She disappeared into the darkness, blending with the shadows until she came upon the fence. I was just able to see her at the entrance, tugging at the lock and gate until they gave way. The minute the chain was loose and the gate opened, Raven darted back to the car.
When she sat in the driver's seat and closed the door, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. The three of us sat still for another moment, smiling and laughing our way through the tension.
Our laughter was cut off as soon as it began.
A deafening crashing echoed through the night. Our gazes whipped to the fence just in time to see the gate rattling shut. It wasn't locked, but the once open entrance had now been closed off.
When the sound of the gate shutting died off, the only thing to be heard was the heavy breathing of everyone in the car. None of us dared to speak, move, or turn away from what had just happened.
That all changed when something smashed into the side of the car. My startled scream rang through the night, prompting another push at the vehicle in the very spot Will was sitting. He sprang from his seat, throwing himself to the other end of the car the same moment I took the keys from Raven's hands and shoved them into the ignition.
"Go!" I screamed at her as the back of the car was hit, propelling us forward.
Raven fumbled for a moment before slamming on the gas, barreling the car straight through the crumbling fence. The large car easily pushed over the metal, but the assaults against us refused to cease. As soon as we'd cleared the fence, something heavy came down on the top of the car, plunging the roof down on our heads. This time, Raven's screams echoed my own.
The car swerved when something appeared in the road ahead of us. Raven tried to gain control as we were hit from the side, but the momentum was too much. We collided with the trees. My vision went dark and all I could hear was the crunching of metal and snapping of wood.
By the time we stopped moving, my head was spinning and my ears ringing. There was darkness all around. I strained to hear past the ringing to listen for the sounds of Raven or my brother, but there was nothing there. Nothing, until I was propelled from my seat and lifted into overpowering arms.
I fought against their grasp, and as soon as I did, they let me go. I blinked several times, forcing my eyes to adjust to my surroundings. The first thing that came into focus was Will's eyes, staring wide into my own. The next was the blood running down his face.
He was cupping my jaw, moving his lips with words I still couldn't hear. When his gaze darted behind him, I realized we were sitting outside the crumpled and smoking car. Raven was a little ways off, holding her head and leaning against a broken tree. Behind her, a figure lingered.
Garbled speech left my lips as I reached out to warn her. Will whipped around to face where I was staring, but he wasn't quick enough. The figure reached out and took hold of Raven's arm, pulling her into the shadows.
All at once, my senses came crashing down on me. The pain in my head. The lingering echoes of screams. The thick smell of smoke. Liquid running down my face.
"Samantha!" Will pulled my attention back to him, screaming my name.
My breathing quickened as trembling hands searched for his. He took hold of my wrists and lifted me off the ground, leaving the car to our backs. We both scanned the forest around us, straining to hear anything other than our own panicked minds.
"Will," I whispered, "what's going on? Where are they?"
He moved his hands to grip my shoulders, holding my swaying body in place. "I don't know. I don't know what happened. Can you stand? Are you hurt?"
I chanced shuffling my feet, finding my balance growing steadier by the second. "I think so, and no, I'm fine." I gasped then, catching a look at my brother. "Will, you're bleeding-"
He cut me off and wiped a hand down his face, shaking his head. "I'm okay. Whatever it was is healed." His eyes narrowed as he looked at a spot near my temple. Without warning, he reached forward and ripped off my sleeve, folding it into a makeshift cloth. "Hold this against your head. It should slow any bleeding."
Will made sure I did as he said before he turned around and headed for the car. He dug through the shattered glass and broken metal for a moment, reemerging with one of our bags. He slipped it onto his back, scanning our surroundings. When the only thing that greeted us was darkness, his face fell.
"Did you see who it was?"
I shook my head. "No."
He nodded once and pulled something out of the bag, placing it in his pocket. Then, he pulled out a heavy pouch, holding it out to me. I didn't have to ask what it was, to know it was the gun Samuel promised us for the journey. I took it with trembling hands, tucking it into my jeans.
Will stood by my side, and each of us watched the forest with bated breath. As silence enveloped us, dread fell heavy on my shoulders. It seemed to fill every space around us, molding with the air we breathed. Something was watching us. Something was waiting for us. Something didn't want us to leave.
A quick glance at the car and I knew there was no way we could get back inside to drive away. Broken glass littered the seats, the doors were pushed against each other, and the tires were no longer facing the right direction.
Another scan of the forest let me know that there was no way we could make a run for it, either. There was no marked path. The sky wasn't visible from underneath the thick trees. Even if we could navigate our way through the maze of foliage, we wouldn't last a day without our supplies, which were somewhere buried beneath the wreckage of the car.
The only way out would be to fight for our lives.
My gaze darted up to Will, who seemed to be realizing everything in time with me. He glanced back at me, and I could see the panic leaking into his features. His wide eyes were all I needed to take a deep breath and let my voice ring out into the night.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
We were met with silence. Long, painful, silence. When it grew to be too much, I took a step forward, holding Will beside me. He mimicked my actions as I took another step, further away from the car. We walked several feet before we stopped dead in our tracks. A voice had cleared behind us; a voice we both knew too well.
"I wouldn't go any farther."
We whirled around, only to come face to face with the eyes that haunted my dreams.
My voice trembled. "James."
"We should have known," Will spat, pushing me behind him.
A triumphant smile shone from under his unkempt beard. "Yeah, I guess you should have." For once, James words weren't slurred. They were articulate and clear, laced with an underlying menace. "You should'a known a lot of things."
I was suddenly ripped away from Will, tight hands squeezing my waist as they dragged me back. A startled scream tore through me, but the moment Will reached for my hand, he was thrown to the ground by James. My hands grappled with those around my waist as I twisted and turned, fighting off whoever held me. I kicked and lashed out, but my limbs never met anyone to maim.
"Stop moving, or your brother's dead."
My body stilled. My heart raced. The only thing I could process was the image of James holding Will's head in his arms, ready to twist at any given moment.
He smiled. "Good. Raven, dear, let her go, now."
Hands let go of my waist. The world stopped turning. I stayed frozen on the forest floor, refusing to look behind me to confirm the end of all hope.
"Come and hold the boy."
Feet moved from behind me, slow and heavy. I watched them creep toward James and my brother, stopping when Will was handed over. Only then did my gaze travel upward to stare into the eyes of the one person I thought was my friend.
Raven's gaze was on the ground, but her arms were restraining Will. He fought against her, but she was much stronger than he. It took only a minimal effort for her to pin his arms and shoulders down.
"Well, that's not a happy face," James mused as he began his slow walk toward me.
I scurried off the ground, lifting myself up to my full height. He still towered over me, but my attention wasn't on James. My gaze was trained on Raven. My mind refused to process what my eyes were seeing. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. I couldn't have missed something like this.
"Raven?" My voice was nothing but a whisper. "Raven, what are you doing? What's going on?"
She turned her head away from me, continuing to stare at the ground. James sauntered toward me, without a care in the world. As he drew nearer, my hands went to the pouch tucked in my jeans. He watched my movements with annoyed eyes.
"If you take that out, he'll die."
My hands froze. James smiled.
"Here's what you're going to do. Put one hand in the air, and with your other, take out your weapon and drop it on the ground."
My mind was racing faster than my heart. Keeping my gaze on Will, I raised one hand and let the other fall to my jeans. I hesitated for just a moment, holding my breath as I withdrew the weapon from the pouch. The next moment, I had it pulled out and pointed at James' head.
His eyes widened, and he raised both his hands. Behind him, Will laughed.
"You didn't think that one through, did you, pal?"
James expression darkened, and he half turned toward Will. "You best not test me. One word and your neck is snapped."
"No." I stepped forward and James shot his attention back toward me. "One word and this bullet goes through your head."
"You wouldn't want to do that, Samantha dear."
My eyes narrowed. "Actually, I think I would."
I cocked the gun. Samuel showed me how to use it, and I was well aware of how to shoot. Though my hand trembled and my heart beat out of my ears, my grip of the weapon was unmoving. My finger hovered over the trigger, ready to pull.
"Wait," James rushed out, voice harsh. "Don't you want to know?"
"Know what?" I growled.
"How your dear mother died."
The one thing that could have caused my composure to slip came crashing out of James' lips. I stopped breathing as a knowing smirk encompassed his features.
"I wish I could say it was an accident," he began. "But, it wasn't. Business is business, as they all say. I don't know much about that, but I do know it wasn't pretty."
"Stop!" Will shouted, his yell shattering the trees. "Samantha, shoot him!" His voice was silenced when Raven wound her arms around his neck, cutting off his air supply.
Not another second passed before James lunged forward. He was upon me before I knew what was happening. The gun was thrown out of my hands and I was pinned to the ground by his heavy legs atop my arms. I thrashed underneath him, tearing at any piece of skin I could get ahold of.
"No more running now, girl," James snarled. As he spoke, his teeth elongated and face morphed into a twisted combination of man and beast. He sunk his face down upon my shoulder, teasing my flesh with his pointed canines. "It's over."
There was no hesitation before he bit into my neck. I screamed louder than I ever thought possible, fighting him with every ounce of strength I had left. Despite the overwhelming pain, I pushed against James' face, ripping him away from my shoulder. He pulled back and smiled before shifting his knees to pin down my elbows. His hand covered my mouth, muffling my cries.
A sick snarl sounded through my ears, just as James descended upon me to finish my life. However, it wasn't from James that the snarl erupted. It was a foreign sound, one that caused him to pause just long enough to be thrown off balance.
Something collided with James, throwing him into the dirt. I scrambled away as he began fighting a dark-colored wolf with blood red eyes. James screamed, and the sound soon morphed into a snarl. The man and the beast fought one another, tumbling across the dirt and splintered trees.
I looked away only for a moment, just long enough to find where the gun had been thrown. The minute I saw it shining on the ground, I dove for its protection. Before I could grab it, someone else landed in the dirt next to me. I looked up just in time to see Raven bearing down on me, kicking my arms away so she could reach the gun. As she went to grab it, I twisted her legs and pulled her toward me, fighting to keep her away.
We tore at each other, limbs battling for control as our bodies tumbled across the forest floor. Our heads hit the ground hard, ricocheting off fallen trees and sharp rocks. I pushed Raven into stone as we careened into a small ditch littered with rocks. When her body crumpled, I leaped off her and stood, ready to run for the gun.
As soon as I left the ditch, my heart stopped, and my feet followed. The gun was no longer in the air but grasped in someone's hand, pointed straight at me.
***
Yeeeaaaaah I'm just gonna pretend this was posted like two weeks ago 😅 (Life happened, okay? Okay.)
Aaanyways tell me what you guys think! I mean, who saw the thing with Raven happening? (I know I didn't.) And who do you think it is holding the gun, now? Why the heck can't Samantha catch a break?
If you liked it, please don't forget to vote, comment, and follow!! <3 you guys!
Mquistey