THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

CHAPTER 5

It had been nearly a day since I was brought here, and the so-called "boss" still hadn’t shown up. Not that I wanted him to, but his arrival might provide some clarity about why I was being held captive. My gut told me this had something to do with Liam’s case, but I didn’t want to dwell on that thought just yet.

I decided I wasn’t waiting any longer. I had to escape before the boss arrived.

I glanced around cautiously. Only one of the men was still nearby, seated close to what seemed to be the entrance door—but he was fast asleep. The others had disappeared into another room, their muffled voices occasionally drifting through the air.

I scanned my surroundings, searching for anything sharp enough to cut through the ropes binding my wrists. A metal table with jagged edges caught my eye. Farther away, I noticed a broken tile on the ground.

Weighing my options, I decided the table was my best bet. It was closer, and I could move towards it with less risk of making noise.

I glanced at the sleeping guard again, his even breathing confirming he was still out cold. Slowly, I began inching my chair toward the table. The faint screech of the chair legs against the floor made me wince, but the man didn’t stir. Encouraged, I continued.

Suddenly, he shifted in his sleep. I froze, heart pounding. After a tense moment, his breathing steadied again.

I turned the chair so the ropes on my wrists faced the sharp edge of the table. Moving my hands up and down against the jagged surface, I felt the ropes begin to fray. My heart raced with each stroke. Just as I thought I was getting somewhere, I heard muffled murmurs from the other room. Panic set in. I worked faster, ignoring the stinging pain as the rope bit into my skin. Warm blood trickled down my wrist, but I didn’t stop.

Finally, the ropes loosened, and I freed my hands. The relief was short-lived as I quickly untied my legs, stood, and began tiptoeing toward the door.

I was almost past the sleeping guard when I felt a hand clamp around my ankle.

"And where do you think you’re going?" he barked.

Instinct took over. I yanked my leg free and shoved him aside with every ounce of strength I had. His shout echoed through the building, surely alerting the others. I sprinted toward the door, slamming into it and bursting outside.

The sudden burst of sunlight blinded me for a moment. I realized I had been inside an abandoned storage house surrounded by dense bushes. Without hesitating, I bolted into the thick underbrush, my legs burning as adrenaline carried me forward. I didn’t stop running until the storage house was well out of sight.

When I finally stopped to catch my breath, my chest heaved as I leaned against a tree trunk. My lungs burned, and my legs felt like jelly, but I was free.

That’s when I noticed the sharp pain in my right hand. Looking down, I saw a jagged cut along my palm, the result of my frantic escape. Blood seeped from the wound, but it wasn’t too deep.

I dug into my pocket and, to my relief, found my handkerchief still there. Using my left hand and my teeth, I tied it tightly around the cut to stem the bleeding.

Once my hands were free again, I surveyed my surroundings. The forest stretched endlessly in all directions, the towering trees casting long shadows as the sun dipped lower in the sky. I needed to find a way out before nightfall. Escaping that storage house only to become prey for a wild animal was not an option.

With a deep breath, I set off again, determined to find a way out of this forest—and to uncover the truth behind my abduction.

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