Stolen By Him | ✓

day fifty eight point five

a/n: wow, it's been a hot minute, hasn't it? i'm REALLY sorry about that. it's
literally 4 a.m. and i couldn't sleep and suddenly had the urge to post lmao. anyway, just wanted to say that christmas holidays are approaching and i PROMISE i will be posting more during that time. so thanks to whoever has stuck around, and enjoy the chapter :)

||DAY 58.5

She was jolted awake by the rustling of leaves and her first thought was he found me. And then she instantly regretted taking a break from running, even though from the colour of the sky she could tell it wasn't for that long. It was her own fault for overestimating her strength- thinking she was ready when she was not.

In the dense layer of trees, she had convinced herself if she stayed low, he wouldn't be able to find her. So, stupidly, she had let slumber take her away.

Scrambling off the ground in response to the noise, she took cover behind a tree, not really knowing if that was a good idea or not. But in the next few seconds, a shadow darkened the clearing before her, and what she saw went beyond her beliefs.

Her eyes bugged slightly to see the figure of a man.

But it was unfamiliar.

It wasn't him.

It had been so long since she had seen any another person that at first she didn't know what to do. But then she reminded herself that this wasn't a bloody tea party- this was a matter of getting to safety. There was hardly any etiquette for that. So, she stepped out from her cover, exposing herself completely.

"Please," she said, voice horse, and the man's face snapped over to her. "Help me." She took a few steps closer. "You have to help me."

"Help you?" The man said and, as she took a couple more steps, his features began to sharpen. Slim face, small eyes, maybe middle-aged.

"Yes, yes. Please. I was kidnapped. I was kept in this- this small house in the middle of the woods that nobody knows even exists." As she spoke, her words quickened to the speeding pulse of her heart. It was as though they wouldn't spew out fast enough. "Nobody knew I was here. B-but we need to leave. Now. Before he finds me. I really don't want him to find me. I can't go back there."

"Oh dear God, you poor girl. Are you hurt?" He started to come closer.

"I'm not hurt. We have to leave now. Please help me get out of here." They were standing face to face now, and the urgency in Lana's voice was unmistakable.

"I have a camp nearby. We can go there. You'll be safe." He motioned to reach out to her, but after a second, seemed to think better of it.

Tears of frustration started to leak from her eyes as she shook her head vigorously. "No, no I don't want to stay here. I want to get out. Please."

"Honey, it's too dark to try and leave the forest now. It would be better to leave at day break. I promise though, we'll keep you safe there."

Staying here for another night was the thing she wanted to do the least, but what other choice did she have? And Lana was tired- just so damn tired- that she wanted to believe what this man was telling her. That she would truly be safe.

His hands were outstretched slightly, almost as if she was a lost child and he was trying to pacify her.

"Okay," she all but breathed out.

"Come, dear. We've only a little ways from here." He started to lead the way, and she followed, finding that, despite the sudden reassurance of safety, she was shaking. "What's your name?"