Saturday 7:58 pm
Jean flew towards the shot she heard. Deep into the woods she ran towards the sound that sparked the night and scared her to death. Megan. She didn't know how she knew, she just did. She ignored the calls Matt made after her. She ignored the flashlight that was flickering behind her. She filled up her lungs with all her faith and she ran. Her eyes adjusted fast to the lack of light. Like a cat she jumped rocks, ducked under branches and skittered over leaves. The third shot rang out. She felt a jolt in her arm as she crashed into a tree. No, not a tree. It was a bush covered in things that stung and pulled at her curls, ripped at her jacket, bit into her jeans, tried to hold her captive in the woods. She screamed. With her bare hands, she pulled at the thorns that struck at her from every side. Tossing her head, she tried to free her hair and cried out as they ripped a scar into her cheek. Bleeding, scared she fought at the bush, beating at it, kicking it, until she tore herself loose. She was off and running towards the sound of the third shot.
Matt caught up to the bush where Jean had been. Shining the flashlight he'd grabbed from Sean's glove box, he saw bits of Jean's hair hanging on its edges like red tinsel. Rubbing a strand between his fingers, he held very still. He heard crashing off to his left.
"Jean, wait! I'm coming!" he called, spinning after the noise. Jean knew he was following her and was glad of it. The shots had stopped. The night was dark. She didn't know where to go next. She called out to Matt.
"Matt, here I am. I'm over here."
"Jean?"
"Matt, I'm over here."
Matt shone the flashlight towards the sound and caught a flash of red. Jean. He ran over to her. "What did you think you were doing? Why didn't you wait for me?"
"They're out here." She raised her finger to her lips. "I can feel it. They're out there." Her breath formed a fine mist as she spoke. "We need to find them. We need to listen."
The night gave them no clues. Soft as the last raindrops pattering around, it filled the air with silence. Matt hugged Jean close to him. Ears straining, they both prayed and didn't pray for another shot.
Muzzle fire lit the sky.
YOU ARE READING
If Only She'd Loved Him
Mystery / ThrillerIt's a good thing when you give a person hope, isn't it? At least that's what Megan told herself as she broke up with her boyfriend. But why do you really do it? Is it for them or for you? Megan Powell likes to play games. Hot pink Uzi hooked o...
