Haven

27. Turning Point

Norah waited anxiously, her heart pounding a frantic tempo in her ears. She didn't know how long Liam would leave them there, but it couldn't be for long. The others surely had come back to the clearing by now and realised what had happened. They had to have seen the massacre - seen Annie. Norah bit her lip, a tear escaping. How could they do this to their own family? They would be looking for her - she hoped - and they should be able to track her scent.

She hoped.

Standing for a few minutes, Madison came to stand beside her. Her fingertips were a faint blue and Norah wondered how long she'd been in the freezer. Surely they hadn't kept her in here for the last couple of days? Norah grabbed her hands, folding them in Madison's jacket. Madison shot her a weak smile.

The sound of a chain rattling clanged against the outer wall and both girls tensed. Norah lifted the meat hook high, desperately putting all her remaining energy into her arms. They trembled slightly but she stood strong, relying on the adrenaline she was sure was running through her to give her the strength to do this. There was a good chance this would fail, but she had to try.

The door opened and for a brief moment, her heart stopped, her entire being focused on the task at hand.

Once the door was open enough, she swung the meat hook, gritting her teeth as she felt it connect. She turned, pushing it harder and came face to face with Nick. His eyes were wide with surprise. He was too strong and resisted her, it was difficult to push the meat hook through his body - it was blunted from years of use - and she felt a sliver of despair.

Madison suddenly came up behind Norah, her hands covering her own and helped her push. Nick grunted, falling to the ground and the girls fell on top of him, helping to push the hook all the way through his chest. He gurgled, hands reaching for them but Norah slapped them away, scooting away from him.

"Quickly!" Norah hissed. She rushed to stand, attempting to drag Madison. Madison was trying to pull the hook out of Nick and she swatted her hand away. "Leave it, there's no time!"

Grabbing Madison's hand, Norah looked around. There was a light through the trees to her right and she guessed there was a house there. Not that way. She turned to her left and rushed into the forest.

The light of the moon was enough to show them the way, but she stumbled on unsuspecting branches that lay fallen on the forest floor. There was no sound behind them and she wondered how long they would have. It wouldn't take them long to realise they were gone.

"Where are we going?" Madison huffed.

Norah pulled her along. "I don't know. As far away as we can."

Norah's chest was tight with pain. The beatings had taken their toll and after running through the forest, her body was beginning to warm and the pain was making an unwelcome return to her limbs. The side of her face throbbed painfully and she felt her vision blurring every so often. The kicks  to her chest made it difficult to breathe and what should have been an easy run for her was excruciating.

Madison lagged behind and she knew the poor woman had to be weaker than her after being tied up for so many days. Still, she didn't complain and she pushed herself to match Norah's pace, neither of them very keen to get caught once more.

Howling tore through the night air and Norah felt tears sting her eyes. They'd been discovered. "Run faster!" She cried, knowing their time was running out. She wanted to scream for Rylan, for anyone for help, but if she did it would only give them away to Liam and Daniel quicker.

Oh, how she wished it had been Daniel who had opened that door! She would have stabbed that meat hook through his body repeatedly until he could never move again. Of course then she would have been caught and it would all be for naught. Maybe it was better he hadn't been the one who opened the door.