If Only She'd Loved Him

Chapter 23

Friday 2:45 pm

Dazed, Erik stared at the blood running down his arm. As he looked up, Megan ran out of the bedroom. Blood trickled to the floor as he pulled himself to his feet. The cut wasn't deep but it stung. Cursing the fact that he hadn't locked the front door, he ran after her. Hearing her call out, he panicked.  His body flew after the noise she made.

Megan heard his feet running after her.  "Oh please, please, somebody help me!" she screamed. "He's going to kill me!  Help me!"

Turning her head, she risked a glance behind her.  She couldn't see Erik.  She ran faster.  After only a few minutes, her feet were beginning to hurt, scratched and torn by the rough forest ground.  Socks weren't any protection against rocks and thorns. Ignoring the pain crunching into them, Megan pushed branches out of her way.  She went towards the deeper woods, hoping the trees would act as camouflage.  She cried for help again and again.

Erik paused for a second as he lost sight of her.  Then he heard her voice.  Cursing, he changed direction towards her cries of help.  She didn't know it, but she was running towards the lake, and there might be people around the old cabins there.  He sped up the chase, his feet crackling as he ran.  Megan heard each and every crunch as he got closer.  She began to look for a weapon.  One found her first.  Nearly running head first into the dead branch, she yanked it off the tree.  She hefted it as she ran.  Her breath now became more important to her.  She concentrated on running, not screaming, and she was able to speed up, but still Erik's feet pounded after her.  He slowed down to listen, but she had stopped yelling.  He slowed down further and waited.  Her feet answered him, and again he veered to the right.  It was there he saw her about forty yards ahead.  He smiled.  Something inside Megan made her turn around.  She saw him grinning after her, and she redoubled her speed, clutching the branch at her side.

"Megan, stop!"

This time, Megan refused to turn around.  She twisted to the left, then the right, frantically trying to find someplace to hide, or somebody to help her.  Erik's feet were relentless.  He followed her at every turn.  The pain was sudden, jolting, sharp.  Her left foot buckled under as the thorn entered it deep.  She screamed and fought every instinct which said to look at her foot, to rip out the thorn, and stop the pain. Teeth gritted together, she kept running, but she favored her hurt foot, and it slowed her down.  She knew she had to make a stand.  Hands digging deep into the rough bark of her weapon, she slipped behind a tree. 

Erik paused, uncertain as to where she went.  Head cocked, he listened for her footsteps. "Megan, I'm not going to hurt you," he called.  "Come out, and we'll talk." 

A flash of pale skin catching the corner of his eye, he crept towards the tree Megan hid behind.  Again the sun flashed down on something white, and this time he thought he saw a hand.  Erik paused about five feet from the tree as he waited for Megan to dash out and run, or at least start screaming, but she did neither.  She wouldn't come to him; he would come to her.

Bam!  The tree branch caught him full force in the face.  He fell to the ground, rubbing at his eyes, but Megan didn't run, instead she picked up the wood and slammed it into his chest.  Letting out a great whoosh of air, Erik struggled to block her next blow.  Again, she raised up the branch and hit it at him.  Fury shook through her body.  She kicked him again, this time with her left foot, only to cry out as he raised up and caught it.  He grabbed at her ankle and twisted.  She fell to the ground.  Clutching her ankle, Erik pulled himself to his knees.  She flopped like a fish, trying to free herself.  Still holding the branch, she hit him as hard as she could on his sore chest.  Again, he fell, but this time he fell across her legs.  She was trapped.  His body was too heavy and too strong for her to move out from under him.