Still Waters Run Deep

Chapter 27: On the Run

Chapter 27:

On the Run

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move her arms and legs. She felt like someone was sitting on top of her. She opened her eyes and saw a figure coming towards her, a gleaming sliver of something catching the light from the moon. A knife.

She struggled to move, to break free of whatever was holding her down. Had they drugged her?

Of course they had. The venom was the only thing that could keep her from fighting back.

"Please don't do this." Her voice was hoarse. "I have a family. Please..."

The person, the monster, in front of her dropped down to his knees. He lowered himself over her and leaned forward until his arm was against her throat, cutting off her airway. He raised the knife up to her cheek and pressed the blade against her skin, dragging it down and slicing into her skin leaving behind a red oozing gash in its wake. It was like a burning papercut being doused in alcohol.

Of course. The one part of her body she could feel was where he chose to cut her. He followed the same motions on her other cheek. He pulled his arm away from her throat and laid the blade against her neck, pressing just hard enough to draw blood. He was playing with her, toying with her like a cat before the kill. He wanted to bat her around for a bit and give his little mouse an inkling of hope, make her think that maybe he would retract his claws and let her get away.

She felt a tight pressure on her stomach and she realized his knee was digging into her gut. She struggled to breathe.

"What the hell did I ever do to you?" She spit angrily, tears in her eyes.

The cloaked figure stood up. He put one foot on either side of Emily's hips and then held the knife out to the side, letting the handle slip through his fingers. The tip of the knife fell into the soft ground next to Emily's head, landing upright in the soil, the blade resting against the side of her neck. A few inches to the left and it would have severed her carotid artery. He stared down at her as he slowly reached behind his head to pull down the mask over his face.

She didn't see him reaching for his hidden gun. She was too focused on seeing his face. He stopped just short of revealing himself and then put his finger against the trigger. She heard the shot ring out and felt a popping sensation in her stomach. It burned. He moved the gun over her chest and then pulled the trigger again. Everything from the night suddenly flashed through her mind, replaying like a bad memory. Time felt like it was completely nonexistent. Her life came at her in flashes, the bright explosions like bombs exploding in her face.

Then everything went black. All she could see was darkness. For several minutes she didn't feel anything. Then her senses returned to her and she couldn't feel anything except pain. Her body ached. Her muscles were burning, but not the kind of burning that came from a good high like exercise. It was a bone-chilling rigidity that happened only when you were so cold that it actually felt like your skin was on fire.

She felt the internal chill scorching her from the inside out. Her clothes were so heavy that she felt like she had a weighted blanket on top of her crushing her body, holding her down. She groaned.

"Mom, get up."

Emily's fingers twitched, her instincts trying to respond to her child's voice. She was trying to reach out, trying to save her.

"Grace..."

"Get up. You have to get up."

The voice sounded distorted. It wasn't her daughter's voice anymore, but she recognized it.