The Sinner

Prologue

My life is literally a fucked-up letter of God’s boredom.

“Damn it.” I screw my eyes shut, dragging in sharp intakes of air. Blood trickled down the side of my head. My heart hammers against my ribs, my breaths coming in short, panicked gasps.

The footsteps draw closer, thudding against the earth, growing louder with each passing second. I don’t dare look back or even try to. Instead, I weaved between the dense trees, moving as swiftly and silently as I could. My legs screamed in protest, but I pushed through the pain.

But it is of no use.

A massive body slams into my side, knocking me painfully to the ground. My shoulder collides with the ground in a sickening crunch.

“Going somewhere, pretty girl?” A man leered, his foul breath washing over me. Behind him, the others chuckled darkly as they formed a tight circle.

Rough hands twist in my hair, jerking my head back sharply. I cry out as the pain explodes through my scalp. For a few dizzying seconds, I couldn’t see past the fog swirling in my mind.

“Where’s the drive?” the man demands, his rancid breath assaulting my senses. My thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind.

The stupid drive—that cursed piece of metal—started this nightmare.

When I didn’t immediately respond, impatience got the better of him. A stinging slap cracked across my cheek, the pain blossoming instantly.

“Answer the question, you bitch,” he snarled, shaking me violently.

“I don’t know where it is,” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. I’m so exhausted, and it’s damn hard to even open my eyes and stay conscious.

The man gripped my hair again, wrenching me to my knees. I came face-to-face with his scarred face. Behind him stood two other men, equally pathetic-looking.

They do this for money. Like us. But that doesn’t mean I’ll silently endure this fuckery from him.

Once I escape, he will regret crossing paths with me.

“Listen here, you little fucker,” he spits, flecking my face with saliva. Gross. “You’ll send the drive to the Cartel, or else your pretty friend will be delivered back to you in pieces. Understand?”

No.

A panic burst into my gut. I set my jaw, glaring at him defiantly. “I told you, I don’t know where the drive is.”

He leans in close, his foul breath washing over me. “Then you better start looking, kid. That is, if you want to keep living.”

If I wanted to live.

I take a shallow breath, my mind racing. There must be a way out. Some way to buy time until I can find Jer and escape this nightmare.

“Just give me a few days,” I say slowly. “I can track it down, I swear. Just don't hurt him.”

The man studies me for a long moment before a slow, sadistic grin spreads across his scarred face. I can almost see the twisted gears turning in his mind.
They do not have a choice.

“Three days,” he says. “Then we start sending him back to you piece by piece.”

“No. I need more than a week,” I snapped back.

I need time.

If I won’t be able to retract Drive, I need another plan in motion.

One that will keep me and my best friend alive with our limbs attached to our bodies.

“Fine. But try to run away again and you will have no legs to walk or run.” He dropped me, and I collapsed forward onto the ground.

I release a heavy breath, clogging my throat. My eyes squeezed shut, waiting for my heart to slow down.

Fuck my life.

×🐰×

Don't forget to
{ Follow • vote • comment }
xphoenixo <3