escape | ethan dolan

saved • 14

Grayson... Grayson?

What the hell is he doing here?

"Leave. Her. Alone." he repeats, this time more stern. The nerves in my body begin to settle down, but I'm not quite stable yet.

"Oh cmon'. We was jus' messin' with her. Weren't we now?" The men look to me with wicked sneers across their faces. I don't move.

"Get away from her!" Grayson raises his voice and the two men jump, startled. I almost laugh at their reaction.

"You're a silly little boy," They snicker at him. The two strangers look back to me and inch closer.

"I said, get away !" Before I can blink, Grayson sprints at full speed, eyes locked on the men. I'm paralyzed, stunned- in utter shock. What's he doing? How did he find me?

I snap out of my thoughts when I hear the painful grunts and yells of the three wrestling boys. All I can think to do is squeeze my eyes shut and pray that this all goes away. Obviously, it doesn't, so I anxiously think of what else I can do.

Grayson throws a punch at one of the guys, but he instinctively grabs his wrist and twists his arm. I cringe as I watch Gray cry in agony. The second man knees Grayson in the stomach, and he collapses to the ground. This can't go on any longer.

"Stop!" I scream. For a moment, it's like the whole world has stopped, and I'm trapped in a big bubble of trepidation. Grayson's lying on the cement, clutching his stomach like he's holding on for dear life. The two strangers peer at me with smirks on their faces. I'm quietly cursing at myself for speaking up, but at the same thing I know it was the right thing to do- to protect Grayson.

"You got quite some nerve, little girl," The one scoffs.

"I am n-not a little girl," I try to steady my voice, but it's no use.

"What'd you say?" The other raises his tone and it makes me shiver.

"N-nothing." I gasp.

"Nothing? No, you sure said somethin'," He chuckles, showing his nonexistent front teeth.

They both smirk at each other and nod, as if they're communicating with their eyes.

"Well, there's only one way to shut you up," The man clenches his jaw and glares at me. Chills dance throughout my body when I see him pull out a knife from his back pocket. He walks closer and closer, cornering me between the brick wall and dumpster.

And then I accept that this is how I'm going to die; in the back of an alleyway, cold, and hungry. I'll never be able to say goodbye to Ethan or Lisa or Chloe. I'll never get the chance to do the things I wanted in life. I'll never marry or grow old, I'll never get to travel the world. Right here, right now- my heart will stop beating. The pain and fear will leave my body with a single puncture. Once I stop breathing, those thiefs will snatch my satchel and run. I'll be dead, and after years and years my body will blend with the concrete beneath me.

Those are the thoughts in my head as they kill me.

One. The man grasps he knife and sharply stabs me in the hip.

Two. Another hit- but this time in the thigh. I scream out in despair, hoping I will just black out so the pain goes away. All I can think about is how I can make it stop. But my head is spinning, and I'm breathing heavily. It's getting so hard to focus.