Her Only Chance

Prologue

A/N: Omg Hi everyone!!! AHHH I am so excited to be doing this again!!!! Things have changed and you will see here if you are a reread of the original ;). If not... then enjoy!!! I am so excited and thank you so much for opening the novel!!!!

Prologue:

Stumbling, I trudged my way through the puddle of mud below me, holding a hand to my face trying to see in the distance through the pouring rain.

I shivered as my wet, sticky clothes clung to me like a second skin. The cold rain of the storm above soaked through the flimsy, torn clothes that hung off me, much too large. My teeth chatted loudly matching the raging storm above as I slowly made my way through the cold night.

"Milly!" I yelled catching a glimpse of the large brown cow, cowering under a small tree, shaking in fear.

Lighting suddenly lit the sky and struck the ground nearby. The impact vibrated through my whole body as booming thunder seemed to awaken the world around me. The few precious seconds of light was all I needed to see Milly jump before running away from the tree and straight towards me. She seemed to have not realised that I was standing in her path, and just so suddenly, I was impacted by her large body and flailed to the side straight into a puddle of mud.

My knees rang with the abrupt impact with the hard ground and I grunted. I struggled to pick myself up from the instant pain that began throbbing from where I fell. Milly was lowing as she ran frantically in alarm, travelling in circles just outside of the paddock she had escaped. The fencing that was meant to be fixed a few days ago but had been forgotten to be done.

The thunder grew louder as the storm reached its peak above us. I struggled to get up. I had to get her before it was too late. Hurriedly, I made my way towards her, screaming after her as the rain pelted me. It was like having pebbles being chucked at me.

"Please!" Screaming I ran after her, "Milly come back!"

We could not afford to lose Milly. She was our last one. She was our only milking cow, the two others we had were bulls and a single calf that was female, which won't even be able to produce milk until almost two years. We would not live long enough for that. 

We were nothing without her.

My throat tightened in pain. Milly ran straight towards the woods in the near distance. Once she reached that treeline there would be no going back. There was no way I could track her down within the woods and get her back safely into the barn.

A sob raised in my throat and my feet began to burn. I did not have the luxury of time to put on any shoes before rushing out into the rain. This was the fifth night since the crazed storms had begun and this was the biggest one of all.

Relief shot through me when Milly suddenly slowed to a stop. A smile formed on my face, relief coursing through me. 

Shaking my head, the smile did not leave my face. 

I was so close to her that if I reached with an arm I would be able to touch her smooth leathery skin. "That's right Milly," I called, approaching her. "Good girl!"

But that was when another shot of lighting shot through the sky, illuminating its black abyss that I felt my heart stop and grow still. The thunder, scaring Milly, caused her to turn and run heading straight for the safety of the trees in the woods. 

I watched as she disappeared from sight.

"MILLY!" I bellowed out desperately one final time, but it was no use.

My voice was barely hearable over the pounding of the rain, let alone the thunder that thudded around the open land of the farm before me.

Raising a hand, I clutched my hair tightly within my hands and let out a scream of frustration. There was nothing I could do.