Amber Alert [Published - Sample only]

Prelude*

A knife suddenly lodged into the tree beside me, cutting off a lock of my hair. That could've been me, I thought. He was getting close, but all I could see was the thick foliage that surrounded me. His footsteps echoed off of the trees, sent fear through my veins and in my panic the only thing I could think to do was run. I wasn't sure where I was running too, but I knew what I was running from. I knew my pursuer – intimately.  I had only seen his face a few times, but I'd never forget it after what he did to me. I shuddered at the thought, and pushed it away before it could delve further. It was the stuff nightmares were made of.

I needed to focus, find someway to get away from him. This was my only opportunity to escape, and I was determined to make it no matter what. I wouldn't go back to that house; that prision. I wouldn't survive, and if I was going to die it was going to be here, in these woods and on my terms. 

I raced through the trees until I found dense set of bushes to hide behind. The footsteps drew near, instantly my eyes shut tight and my breath halted, hoping against all odds that I wouldn't be found. After they passed, a sigh escaped my lips and once I felt it was safe I raced in the opposite direction. The trees started to thin after a few minutes. I hoped it meant I was close to a road, I needed help, but I wasn't getting any. As I entered the clearing the last bit of optimism I had to escape completely vanished. There he stood, waiting for me. There was nowhere else to go, the trees were all I had, and I now I had revealed myself. 

I watched as his shoulders moved up and down, he was laughing at me. The anger grow in the pit of my stomach, but my terror quickly extinguished it. He lunged toward me, and before I could make another escape attempt, he grabbed me. The second his hands latched onto me I knew I would never escape again. He spun me around to face him, the anger in his features prevalent. He forced me to look into his eyes. The ones that haunted me even while I was awake. I saw the desire that filled them as he looked me over, he wanted me share his emotions, but all I felt was fear.

He leaned down, allowing me to take notice of the knife that had once been lodged into the tree. As I saw the glint of the knife edge ever so closer to me, a scream erupted from my throat and my foot instinctively crashed down on his providing me with an escape. I raced into the trees without a moment of hesitation. I was just focused on getting far away from him. He would chase after me. I knew he would never stop, he needed to keep me or his secret would get out and the police would be after him. There was no other choice I knew if stopped running he'd kill me or take me back, it was terrifying to think about. 

A loud crack broke my thoughts and caused me look over my shoulder, but when I did I tripped over a branch. The fall was sudden, and with no time to react I crashed into the ground. The momentum I had built up running transferred as I rolled down a hill. I crashed into every bush, branch, and other litter on the ground until I finally came to a stop at the bottom. A groan escaped my lips, I had to get up and continue running. The pain was unbearable as I made my move to get up. A hit to my spine, head and ribs made it impossible to get up because of the searing pain that raced through me with the slightest move. A ragged breath reached my lungs just before a hand clasp down over my mouth, muffling the scream that erupted as soon as I felt his hands on me again. Memories flashed through my head as I kicked to get loose as he used his body to hold me down.

"Shh, don't scream."

He attempted to comfort me while his other hand started traveling up my inner thigh. He seemed to enjoy my struggling from the upward turn in his cruel smile. He kissed my neck, his free hand roaming my body, eventually stopping wherever he pleased. I struggled against his touch, fighting as I felt my clothes being lifted from my skin. I couldn't go through this again, not another attack, and there was only one way to stop it. Just before his fingers could get close to what he was after I screamed again, breaking a direct order.

"Fine, have it your way!" The coolness of his knife blade lightly touch my neck. "I'll find someone new to play with. I always love a new chase," he laughed while he sliced my neck, his hands still traveling over my body. I screamed at the pain, but only a gurgling sound came to my ears. The last thought to cross my mind before everything went black was about how much I just wanted to go home.