the chain link fence. My
fingers claw at it, dragging myself up it in frenzied panic. I reach the top
but my boot is grabbed. I jerk and kick but I'm pulled hard. I kick again and
get loose. I pull myself up again and scramble up to the top. I swing over and
start to scramble down the other side. My assailant's sunglasses meet my eyes
mid fence. He smiles, "I like when you run little girl." I gag. His
voice is creepy and sadistic. I jump, feeling something pull in my ankle. I run
hard. I hear him land with a grunt. I push my legs harder. They are just
starting to warm up. I dig in. There is no way he will catch me. No way. I run
around a building and though a parking lot. I round another building and push
it down an alley. I'm completely lost. I end up in another parking area. I slide
between two vehicles and catch my breath. My ankle burns and my lungs hate me.
I
almost cough but I hold my breath. I hear his footsteps. He's still running. My
back is against the cold hard car. My muscles are trembling from the crouched
position and my vision is fuzzy. Lack of oxygen and too much adrenaline.
"I
know you're here. I'm tracking your cell phone." He has an accent. It's
English. No Australian. I glance around and think of what to do. If I pull the
phone from my pants he won't be able to find me. But then neither will Stuart.
I decide to risk it. I fish my phone out of my pants and check the signal. I
have a bar. I text as fast as I can.
'HELP!
BAD GUYS! PLEASE COME FIND ME!'
It
delivers. I hear a ping in the parking lot. My stomach sinks. I close my eyes
and wonder if he IS the bad guy or dead at the hands of the bad guy.
My
breath is gone. My legs become concrete. His footsteps get closer. I slowly
place the phone on the ground. I back up silently, fighting it as it starts to
over. His feet crunch the old dry snow. I'm trembling. I back up. My exhale
makes mist in the air. I try not to breathe. I hold my mitten over my mouth. It
makes me sick, but I don’t have any other choice. It all feels familiar. The
mitten and hiding amongst the cars. I start getting lightheaded.
I
lean into the car more, needing the support.
I
need to keep backing up.
"Emalyn
Spicer. Such an odd name for a girl who was adopted into a Catholic church.
Don’t they usually name you after a saint?" His voice is like nails on a
chalkboard. It burns and hurts. He isn’t my benefactor. I would know his voice
anywhere. This is a bad man, who wants to hurt me to get at my benefactor. Just
like he said they would. I was foolish. Why didn’t I listen? Why didn’t I stay
with the car? I had to walk and be stubborn because I didn’t want to see
Stuart. Stuart who is now fighting for me. No doubt out numbered and hurt. My
heart is aching.
I'm
panicking, as his steps get closer. I can hear him stepping in between the cars
next to me. I look around. There is nothing. Nothing I can see. I count to
three and jump up. I sprint behind the cars and jump over a small barricade.
His shoes slap the hard road behind me. It's the moment I've trained for.
What
I haven’t trained for hits me in the butt cheek with a stabbing pain. I slam
into a building. The lonely comes fast and hard. My feet won't move. They're
concrete boots. It's like I'm wading through the water, clutching the side of a
building. His feet are crunching on the crusty ground behind me. I fall into
the cold snow. My knees scrape on the hard crust. I'm still dragging myself
when I see dark-brown shiny leather shoes walking up to me. I see his shoe come
back, like he's going to kick me. I blink but my eyes don’t open. The shoe
connects with my stomach. I grunt and cry out. I hear it but it doesn’t feel
like it comes from me.
I
feel something woolen pull down over my face. And then I'm out.
Chapter Nine
The
dark is a quiet place. Reflection and contemplation are the only things to do in
it. Well that, and imagine the worst things possible.
I
don’t have to
fingers claw at it, dragging myself up it in frenzied panic. I reach the top
but my boot is grabbed. I jerk and kick but I'm pulled hard. I kick again and
get loose. I pull myself up again and scramble up to the top. I swing over and
start to scramble down the other side. My assailant's sunglasses meet my eyes
mid fence. He smiles, "I like when you run little girl." I gag. His
voice is creepy and sadistic. I jump, feeling something pull in my ankle. I run
hard. I hear him land with a grunt. I push my legs harder. They are just
starting to warm up. I dig in. There is no way he will catch me. No way. I run
around a building and though a parking lot. I round another building and push
it down an alley. I'm completely lost. I end up in another parking area. I slide
between two vehicles and catch my breath. My ankle burns and my lungs hate me.
I
almost cough but I hold my breath. I hear his footsteps. He's still running. My
back is against the cold hard car. My muscles are trembling from the crouched
position and my vision is fuzzy. Lack of oxygen and too much adrenaline.
"I
know you're here. I'm tracking your cell phone." He has an accent. It's
English. No Australian. I glance around and think of what to do. If I pull the
phone from my pants he won't be able to find me. But then neither will Stuart.
I decide to risk it. I fish my phone out of my pants and check the signal. I
have a bar. I text as fast as I can.
'HELP!
BAD GUYS! PLEASE COME FIND ME!'
It
delivers. I hear a ping in the parking lot. My stomach sinks. I close my eyes
and wonder if he IS the bad guy or dead at the hands of the bad guy.
My
breath is gone. My legs become concrete. His footsteps get closer. I slowly
place the phone on the ground. I back up silently, fighting it as it starts to
over. His feet crunch the old dry snow. I'm trembling. I back up. My exhale
makes mist in the air. I try not to breathe. I hold my mitten over my mouth. It
makes me sick, but I don’t have any other choice. It all feels familiar. The
mitten and hiding amongst the cars. I start getting lightheaded.
I
lean into the car more, needing the support.
I
need to keep backing up.
"Emalyn
Spicer. Such an odd name for a girl who was adopted into a Catholic church.
Don’t they usually name you after a saint?" His voice is like nails on a
chalkboard. It burns and hurts. He isn’t my benefactor. I would know his voice
anywhere. This is a bad man, who wants to hurt me to get at my benefactor. Just
like he said they would. I was foolish. Why didn’t I listen? Why didn’t I stay
with the car? I had to walk and be stubborn because I didn’t want to see
Stuart. Stuart who is now fighting for me. No doubt out numbered and hurt. My
heart is aching.
I'm
panicking, as his steps get closer. I can hear him stepping in between the cars
next to me. I look around. There is nothing. Nothing I can see. I count to
three and jump up. I sprint behind the cars and jump over a small barricade.
His shoes slap the hard road behind me. It's the moment I've trained for.
What
I haven’t trained for hits me in the butt cheek with a stabbing pain. I slam
into a building. The lonely comes fast and hard. My feet won't move. They're
concrete boots. It's like I'm wading through the water, clutching the side of a
building. His feet are crunching on the crusty ground behind me. I fall into
the cold snow. My knees scrape on the hard crust. I'm still dragging myself
when I see dark-brown shiny leather shoes walking up to me. I see his shoe come
back, like he's going to kick me. I blink but my eyes don’t open. The shoe
connects with my stomach. I grunt and cry out. I hear it but it doesn’t feel
like it comes from me.
I
feel something woolen pull down over my face. And then I'm out.
Chapter Nine
The
dark is a quiet place. Reflection and contemplation are the only things to do in
it. Well that, and imagine the worst things possible.
I
don’t have to
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