It's been two weeks since I had that conversation over the phone with Bethany, and now I'm sitting on a swing in a park near her house. Waiting for them to come. My knees are shaking with anticipation, I haven't seen them in at least two months and they've apparently made a new friend by the name of "Rebecca". I wonder what she is like. I place my hands on my knees to stop them from shaking and I hear voices coming from behind me, near the gate.
"OI, YOU!" I hear a familiar voice, Laura. Here we go. She runs towards me with the other eight running closely behind her. She approaches me with open arms, then unexpectedly punches me in the stomach which makes me want to vomit.
"Ok," I grunt, with my arms wrapped around where she punched me "did I really deserve that!?"
"I'm sorry." She mumbles quietly.
"Yeah you did!" Falcia butts in and then stomps on my toes with her white Doc Martins.
"Ok, are we going to beat the crap out of me before we even talk about what happened? Or are we actually going to discuss it before you punch me to death?" I ask, with my arms still wrapped around me. A girl with blackish-brown hair shuffles towards me and holds out her arm.
"I'm Rebecca." She smiles as she grabs my hand from my stomach and shakes it.
"Lisa." I introduce myself.
"We met her just after you went missing." Says Molly.
"Ohhhh," I say as if I only just realised "she's my replacement."
"No," replies Alice "but she doesn't leave for three months without a word!"
"Two and half months," I correct "and are we really starting this, again?"
"Well, what happened?" Charlie and Em say together.
"Well, I hit my head, went to hospital, got adopted and now I'm here." I answer.
"That's exactly what I said!" Says Bethany "they wouldn't believe me."
"Really? That all really happened?" All of them, but Bethany, question.
"Yes, yes and yes. That all really happened." I answer.
"Well, I apologise for the punching." Says Laura as if she means it this time.
"Yeah, sorry." Adds Falicia.
"It's fine," I say, because its child's-play compared to what happened all those weeks back "can we just forget about it, guys?"
"Yeah, I guess." They reply.
"Can we just go and have some flipping fun, because I've been stuck inside for over two months?"
"Hell yes!" Charlie replies excitedly.
"Thank god."
We spend the next two hours walking around various clothes shops which make me yawn and nearly fall asleep on the seats that are dotted around the blindingly colourful tops, trousers and shoes. Rebecca comes over and sits next to me.
"You know, I wasn't here to replace you." She says awkwardly.
"I know you're not," I laugh "because you're doing a bloody terrible job."
"It will be over soon and we can do something that isn't so boring that I want to fall asleep behind a clothes rack." She giggles.
"Round them all up then, before they come out with ten bags each." I order sarcastically, but she still goes to collect them.
"Come on, buy your stuff before you change your minds." I say when Rebecca returns with the other eight.
By the time the others have bought their stuff it's time for me to make my way to the bus stop.
"Well that was fun." Molly says.
"For some of us." I reply.
"Look, I'm sorry for standing on your foot and dragging you around loads of shops which you don't like." She sighs.
"I've got to go."
"Well, let us go with you. There's a shortcut I know that goes through the forest and we end up on the same road as the bus stop." Molly offers.
"Jeez, when am I going to get rid of you?" I joke.
"Come on." Molly says, rolling her eyes. The shortcut, like Molly promised, goes through a forest. But she didn't say how long it was, not exactly a shortcut. We get to a car park (which is only there because of a "nature track" that is located deep in the forest), it's empty apart from a red van labelled "plumbing warehouse ". The people in the van get out as soon as we get into view and five men start to follow us casually.
Bethany, who is walking next to me, mumbles quietly "They're following us."
"I think they are," I whisper back "follow me." I lead Bethany and the others in random directions that aren't in the path.
"They're definitely following us." I say as I push them forward "RUN!" I shout at them. An arm wraps around me neck and I ram my heel into the owners knee. He curses in pain as I run to catch up with my friends who are obviously terrified.
"WHAT DO THEY WANT?!?!" Isabella screams.
"Me." I realise.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!" She yells.
"You don't need to know!" I reply. I hear footsteps coming closer and closer. My friends aren't as fast, but I guess they haven't been training how to be an assassin all their lives. There is no point trying to run. "Go." I say as I take a step back and face my followers. They charge towards me and pin me down. I hear a several screams closely in front of me.
"LISA!" The screams come closer. They hadn't got far. Laura is in front, but before she can even reach where I lie the tallest one plunges a syringe into her neck.
"LAURA!!!" I scream, but it turns out as more of a yelp. A helpless, pathetic yelp. She falls to the floor as the others come towards me. "GO BACK!" I try to help but it's pointless, they're already crowding around Laura's body. I watch as each of the men, apart from the one with his feet on my wrists, pounce on my friends and inject them with the same deadly stuff. I let a tear roll down my cheek. I've just lost all of my friends in one bloodless battle. What's the point in trying? What's the point in living? I knee my capture in the testicles, this angers him and he jabs an identical injection into my neck.
"Goodnight, princess." He whispers into my hair. I let out a sigh before my eyes flutter shut.
YOU ARE READING
The Prey
ActionI can remember when i was little that i was jealous of other kids because they had a normal life. I wanted it so badly that i forced my family away so i could be fostered into an average home. But now my past is hunting me down.
