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He’d catch up with her

He’d kill her

But in order to run, she’d have to come out from behind the tree

Where is he?

No ht her yet, he soon would There was no way he’d let her go now Why had she trusted him? Because he’d said he loved her?

Stupid

He wasn’t capable of love She’d known it in her head, but her heart had wanted to believe

And now the truth would kill her

At the beginning of the evening, she’d considered walking into the cold lake and putting an end to herdown her neck, terror had taken over Her survival instinct overrode any fears about her future

I don’t want to die

Her last words to her grandparents had been angry She’d lied to theument would be their final memory of her They weren’t perfect, but they loved her Now there’d be no way for her to say she loved them back, that she hadn’t meant what she’d said, that she’d been upset about the mess she’d made of her life and she’d lashed out at them

She wouldn’t have a chance to say she was sorry

She had to get away She had to live To apologize for hurting the two people who loved her the hall out, she picked her way to the trail With no idea where he was, the less noise she made the better If she didn’t knohere she was, maybe he didn’t either

Underbrush snatched at her bare legs as she stepped onto the path and eased into a slow jog The packed dirt under her sneakers felt fa snapped, and she bolted like a rabbit A cloud drifted in front of the ht, and she fell Pain zinged through her kneecap as it struck an exposed tree root On hands and knees, she paused, catching her breath and sing the terror that clogged her throat Tears ran down her cheeks

Keep going!

She got one foot under her body and stood Forcing her shaky legs to nized the scorched tree She’d run in a circle She stu

Toward him

The rustle of dead leaves echoed, loud as a crack of thunder

Please Please, don’t let him catch me

Tears blurred her vision Swiping a hand across her face, she cleared her eyes, then broke into a weak run

A shadow stepped out from behind a fat tree She skidded to a stop, the worn soles of her canvas high-tops sliding in the dirt

Her bones tre or the slightest bit out of breath

And she knew The truth struck her like an open hand against her cheek

She was going to die

Panic wrapped around her neck and tightened its grip until breathing was as hard as sucking air through a straw

“Did you really think you could get away?” He shook his head

She turned and ran, blindly shoving at the branches in her way She couldn’t outrun hied in and out of her lungs in ragged gasps Behind her, his footfalls were even and sure

She burst froe of the dark water, a thick patch of cattails waved in the breeze The ground was soggy underfoot as she bolted into the thick stalks One thought dominated her brain:

Hide!

The wet ground pulled at the soles of her sneakers, the squishing sound betraying her A hand shot out and grabbed her bicep He dragged her toward him