The Shadows That Dwell Within (The Warrior Queens book #1) (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 4 - Adelaide

Adelaide ran faster than she ever thought she could run. She still couldn't keep up with Rosaline. She lost her in the labyrinth. But she couldn't stop. Some of the hooded figures were still gaining on her. Every step was agony, but Adelaide kept running until she was sure she had lost them for good. She eventually ended up in a forest. Tired, hungry and alone. She sat propped against a tree and tried to catch her breath. The silence was like a deafening ringing in her ears. She really was alone.

The figures which had been hot on her trail were now gone. Even if they found her, Adelaide doubted she would have strength to fight them off, or even run away. Pain coursed through her, burning like fire. Most of the pain was laced across her ribs where a hooded figure had kicked her. Adelaide tried to take deep breathes to calm herself down but her airways were closing up, suffocating her. Was this the poison making its presence known?

Adelaide's thoughts became foggy. Her clothes were drenched in blood and too much it belonged to her. She felt light-headed, so she lay down, hoping the dizziness would pass. The sound of leaves crunching under feet startled her, but no matter how much Adelaide willed herself to move, she just lay there.

Adelaide always thought she would die, surrounded by loved ones. When she became an AIA agent, she knew there was very little chance of her living past forty. But still Adelaide clung to her dream of dying at a ripe old age. Here she was. Twenty-two, dying in the middle of a forest. Alone. A single tear slid down her cheek before she succumbed to the darkness.

Uh oh. What has happened to Adelaide? Don't forgot to like/comment if you like what you read.