Because of Them

Chapter 3

Winnie woke up feeling white, hot pain throughout her whole body. Even still, shivers racked everything.

She pulled at her chains, realizing they weren't as heavy as they usually were. Her shoulders weren't as stiff from hanging in one position for too long either.

She glanced down, realizing one of the shackles on her wrist wasn't as tight as it normally was and she could slip it free.

With both of her hands free from the wall, she bent down, tugging at the chain that bound her left ankle.

She didn't have much luck. Everything hurt, and her vision darkened around the edges. She didn't even want to escape at this point. She had been through this for so long. This had to be all there was.

She heard someone coming, so she slipped the shackle back on, pretending to be asleep. It was the only way to prevent anybody else from hurting her. She focused on her breathing. She didn't want it to speed up to give away her lie.

She didn't recognize their smell, whoever it was. Then again, her wolf was weak and barely there these days.

She stilled, realizing they were right in front of her. She prayed that whatever they did killed her. She didn't want to do this anymore.

That wasn't the case. They did something she never expected. They unlocked her ankle, and then they were gone.

Winnie moved away from the wall quickly, so fast that she wobbled and collapsed onto the dusty, hard ground. She sniffled. She had just been given the chance at freedom and she wasn't strong enough to even walk.

But she had to.

She pushed herself up, wincing as her arms shook beneath her. It hurt. Everything hurt. She desperately wanted to lay on the ground and sleep.

She stood, waiting until her vision focused before attempting to walk again. She pushed open the door to her cell, going up the long stairs. It was a painstakingly slow process. What if someone came down right now?

She knew their routines though. After being passed around like a ragdoll, she would be tied up until they needed her again. Someone would bring her breakfast in the morning.

The only problem was, she had no idea how much time she had, not until she got outside.

Outside. When was the last time she had ever been outside? Her steps faltered at the memories that she had tried so hard to push away. She had to keep going.

At the top of the staircase was a door that led into a storage area, almost like a garage. That room had its own door that lead outside into the woods.

She listened carefully before proceeding. It was empty as she expected, but she could still hear voices. They seemed to be coming towards her. This was her only chance.

She wasn't sure the door to outside, to her freedom, would be unlocked. Her hands shook so hard that she could barely grasp the knob. She was exhausted, physically and mentally.

The door opened, revealing green. Everything was green. It sparkled in the low morning sun that was just starting to peek through, filtering through the trees. It smelled fresh, not like that musty basement.

Once it was in sight, Winnie mustered the strength to run as fast as she possibly could.

She didn't know if they would be looking for her, but she needed to get as far away as possible. She wasn't very fast, and she knew they could track her by smell, so she walked through the creek. She followed the path it did.

It took three days for her to stumble onto a house. She didn't want to trust someone for help, but she couldn't keep going. Her bare feet were torn and bloody. She was still beat up, and she was hungry and exhausted.

The worst case scenario, who ever lived there would kill her.

She stumbled through the front yard, up the pretty porch. Winnie felt guilty for getting the nice wood so dirty.

She knocked softly on the door. Whoever answered smelled amazing, but she didn't get a chance to look at them before she collapsed.