Hiding out in an abandoned shack from their abusive pasts, Allison and Ethan Bryson entertain themselves by imaging all sorts of curious characters near the frozen lake outside their hut.
But after Allison witnesses a man murder a young woman and di...
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Judith's panicked screams echoed throughout the forest. I stared at the gloomy clouds above as the melted snow began to soak my back. At times, the thin branches atop the trees seemed to sway from the power of her cries.
When I sat up, her screams stopped. After blinking the dizziness away, I stood and turned to see the melancholy look on Ethan's face as he appeared from behind several thick bushes. His eyes connected with mine, but the sadness that surged between us made my heart sink.
He was too late.
An urge to run to him and melt into his safe embrace came over me, but the brooding trees at the tree line stopped me in my tracks. My heart sank into my throat at the thought of being helpless.
Deep within the forest, the sound of Owen got our attention. "Ethan! Get back here and help."
Ethan continued forward until he was at my side. "We need to figure a way out of this." His hushed voice took all my attention. "We can't run. We'll never get far."
I nodded, knowing how difficult it was for me to face whatever was beyond the trees, fearing ending up like Judith if I tried. "We attack him."
"If he gets a leg up on one of us it can backfire quickly." Ethan rubbed his temples and paced. "I'm not as strong as him, he will be able to take me. And you're no match either."
"You took him before." My mind immediately went to the time he tackled Owen in the snow. The day Owen walked away hiding his arousal.
"That was different." Ethan continued to pace. "He wasn't really trying to hurt me then. Besides, I'm not as strong as I was before, and definitely not as strong as him. I don't think I even have enough stamina to try. We haven't been taking care of ourselves the way we should. I mean, look at us. We're weak. Barely have any meat on our bones."
Ethan spoke fast, getting as much out as he could before we'd have to face Owen. A part of me was shocked that he spoke so many words in one session, but we'd never been in a situation like this before. It was now life or death.
"So, what do we do?" I looked to him and Owen and to him again as he paced back and forth, leaving a shallow trail in the snow and worry on his face.
He paused. "We continue to do what he wishes until the right time."
"I can't do this anymore!"
"What other choice do we have?"
Images of our last night with Mr. Bryson flashed before my eyes. I squeezed my eyelids shut to will away the sickening pictures. "Fine. But the first chance we get-"
