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Chapter Seventeen: Runaway (notes)

NOTE: This chapter contains possibly triggering content. Please read at your own risk.

Trigger warnings for this chapter:

• Graphic depictions of violence

• Death threats

• Gun violence

• Rape

• Triggering language

• Mentions of suicide

• Suicidal ideation

• Violence in general

• Physical violence and physical abuse

Please remember to take care of yourself when reading.

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*Monday, May 11, 2020; 9:40 P.M.*

*Linden's point of view*

This might sound really stupid, but I regret all those times when I said that I wanted to die, or even had thoughts about ending it all.

Truth be told, I don't actually want to die, I just want to be myself, and live a normal life.

I don't want to die before I've gotten to do everything that I never had the chance to.

I don't want to die before I get the chance find my biological parents, and become reunited with them.

I don't want to die before telling the love of my life that I love her.

Unfortunately, it looks like fate isn't going to be on my side this time. Oh, who am I kidding; fate was never on my side in the first place, so why would it be in my favor right now?

As of now, I've been running for about 6 minutes, and I haven't been able to stop, as I can still feel that someone's following me.

I see what looks like a streetlight up ahead, and I almost gasp in happiness as it increases in size, while I continue to run toward it. I look back, and I no longer have the intense feeling that I'm being followed, but I'm still continuing to run.

The light continues to grow larger and larger by the second, until I trip over something, and I feel a jolt of pain shoot through my entire right leg, while also feeling something under my foot shift.

I fall forward, hitting my head on the ground, which sends a barrage of stars, and black dots swarming in my eyes.

My mind is screaming at me to get back up and start running again, but I don't listen to it; instead, I stay put for a few more seconds.

Not even knowing that this is probably the worst thing I can do in a situation like this.

I'm in the middle of trying to get back up, when I feel someone wrap their arms around my waist, lifting me up, and towards them.

I attempt to scream, but my attacker puts their hand over my mouth, to muffle my scream.

I repeatedly squirm in their hold, trying to get them to let me go, also while slapping their hand, but to no avail.

We stop under a tree, and before I even have the chance to try and fight them again, they bang my head on the tree, making the stars from earlier return.

While I'm watching everything around me spin, I feel water rolling down my face. I'm in so much distress right now, that I didn't even notice that I had started crying.

My attacker removes their hand from my mouth, and forcefully shoves me to the ground. I fall so violently, that I swear that I felt a couple of my ribs move when I fell.