Chapter 4
When I came to, I frantically sat up and glanced around. It was pitch black, and it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust. There was just enough moonlight coming through the windows for me to try my original idiotic escape plan. 'Eva, I'm so sorry, but I will come back. If you're still here, keep Damian downstairs as long as you can.' I was still wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but my shoes were gone. I crept across the room to the table and started inching it as quietly as I could toward the window. 'This is such a bad idea.' It felt like it took forever to get it over there, but I did it without anyone coming in. As I grabbed a chair to set on top of the table, I felt my stomach knotting up. 'A really, really bad idea.' I carefully climbed on top of table and stood on the chair. The window sill was about chest high, so I pulled myself up and inched toward the edge. 'At least I can't see how far down it is.' I clamped a hand over my mouth, so I wouldn't scream. 'Okay. ... I can do this. ... I can do this. ... Hopefully, I'll heal fast.' It took every ounce of will power to force myself to close my eyes and jump. 'OH, MY GOD!!!! WORST IDEA EVER!!!!'
It only took a few seconds, before I hit the ground, but, regrettably, the impact didn't knock me out. It felt like every bone from my shoulders down shattered, and I clamped both hands tight over my mouth. Panting and gasping in sheer agony, I started healing myself. Slowly but surely, I was able to breath fairly normal and get up. I kept healing myself as I took off running. I had no idea which way to run or where I'd possibly go. The only thing I knew was I had to get away. Even if it was only long enough to bye Vincent, Myron and Melanie time to get away, too. 'If Damian finds me missing, before they leave to meet them, they'll have a chance. They might be okay.' I kept running until I was exhausted and the sun was high in the sky. I was hungry and scared, but I couldn't stop moving. 'Keep going. ... They could be behind you. ... Just keep moving.'
By the time the sun set, my legs burned and ached. My feet felt raw, and my stomach was growling. I kept pushing myself forward, until my legs finally gave out. I staggered a few feet and fell to my knees. "No. ... Get up. ... You have to keep going." I whispered to myself. When I tried to get up, my legs wouldn't hold me, and I fell to knees, again. 'Damn it.' I crawled toward a large pine tree and hid underneath its low branches. 'Just a little rest. Then, I have to move.' As I laid there, curled up in ball, I listened to every noise around me, waiting for someone to find me. There was only the sounds of the forrest around me, and I slowly relaxed. 'Maybe, they haven't noticed I'm gone, yet. That would mean, I'm a day ahead of them. ... But what about Vincent, Myron and Mel? ... What if Damian -or Eva and Joanna- went to see them? ... What happened?'
I drifted in and out all night and waited for the sun to rise enough for me to see. I forced myself to crawl out from under the tree and get to my feet. My whole body ached and screamed for me to get back under the tree, but I forced myself to start walking, again. 'Keep moving.' I kept chanting to myself. 'There has to be something out here. I've got to run into something, eventually.'
By the time the sun was over head, I could barely pick my feet up enough to take a step forward. After I fell to hands and knees, I glanced around and noticed a small raspberry bush. 'Great. Now, I'm seeing things.' I crawled closer and reached for a berry. To my surprise it was real, and I slowly ate handful after handful. Gradually, I felt my strength coming back, but knew I wasn't in clear. I still needed water, and I had to keep moving. I staggered along for a few hours, before I heard something behind me. 'Shit! ... Should I run or hide?' Whatever it was sounded big, and I quickly decided 'Run! .... Definitely, run!'
I knew it wouldn't take long to find out what I'd heard, and I'd happily take a bear over Damian at that moment. I came to a fallen tree and tried to get over it and hide, but something grabbed my leg and yanked me backwards. As I hit the ground, I frantically rolled to my back to see what or who had grabbed me. I had only been kidding about the bear, but there it was, staring at me like I was a main coarse. 'Lay still! Don't move! That works, right?! ... I really hope so!' I tried not move or make any sounds at all, but, when it lashed out at my chest and gouged its claws into my skin, I screamed in pain and tried to scramble away from it but hit the fallen tree.
