Hunter's Rose (First Draft)

Chapter One

I was running. The tree branches snagging my hair, the rocks digging into my feet. On occasion I could feel the sting of a limb slapping against my legs.

I could hear my labored breathing and my feet pounding against the damp forest floor. There were no other sounds, no animals or insects making their presence known.

Before I could stop myself I was falling, my foot had gotten caught on a root protruding from the ground and my left knee slammed into a jagged rock. I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from screaming, taking deep breaths through my nose. I quickly scrambled up, feeling blood flow down my leg, and pushed the pain away as I continued running. I had to get away, as far away as my body could take me.

It was the dark, I was unsure of the time of night. The moon shone brightly, lighting the path, I tried to stick to the shadows as I ran. I ran as hard as my body would allow, away from my captors. I had been here for around seven months, if I had counted my days correctly.

It was New Years Eve when I was kidnapped. My roommate Lisa, a couple of our co-workers, and I had gone a few cities over to a club to celebrate the new year and Lisa's new job offer. I had really only gone to make sure everyone got back home safely, I wasn't a big drinker so I had offered to be the designated driver. We had been at the club for a few hours before I had stepped outside with an overly drunk Lisa, who needed a breather after most of her drinks came back up. After a few minutes of fresh air, and a lot of drunk hugging, she was ready for another round.

She had finally stumbled back inside, when one of our friends stepped outside yelling for her to come dance. I stayed another moment outside, staring up at the moon and making a quick wish that everyone would be ready to leave soon. I turned to go back in when I felt someone step behind me and a sharp pain on the back of my head.

When I came to, I was in a dark room with a thin mattress on the floor and a small barred window. When I tried to stand, my head throbbed and my vision swayed. I held onto the wall and moved towards the door, only to be stopped by a quick pull on my leg. Looking down, I noticed there was a chain wrapped around my ankle. It was now sometime in the fall, that was what the chill in the air made me assume.

I had finally caught some luck. Jacob, the seemed to be in charge and the one that caused the most of my misery, had left the night before on a trip. I had tried to escape multiple times before, each time being caught by him or one of his brothers. I prayed for a death each time they gave me a 'lesson' for trying to run, but it never came. Eventually, I gave up. Jacob had come into my 'room' the night before and let me know he planned to leave, with a baseball bat and a 'small example' of what would happen if I misbehaved. That night, after he finally left, I curled up on the thin mattress and began planning. I was getting out of here.

There were sounds now, thundering footsteps and voices murmuring to one another. They were too close. I needed to hide, if I could hear them then surely they could hear me. I tried to control my breathing and soften my footsteps as I continued running, it was becoming harder. They were getting closer, their flashlights swinging through the trees, I could hear parts of their conversation.

"Where the hell did she go?" I heard one of them grumble.
They were far enough away that I couldn't decipher who, but close enough that I could hear their uneven breathing.

I slowed my running into a slight jog, the gash on my leg beginning to take its toll, trying to calm my breathing. I quickly glanced around, I wouldn't be able to outrun them but I could hide until they gave up and left.

"She couldn't have gotten too far, not in these woods and not as weak as she is. I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it." Another said, I could hear the click of a lighter as he lit a cigarette.

The smoke was close enough to smell, their lights were getting closer, I needed to move. I dropped to the ground and began to slowly crawl towards a thicket of underbrush, climbing into it. I ignored the thorns that were scratching and embedding into my skin.

I heard the sound of flesh hitting flesh, a sound I was too familiar with now. "What the fuck!" The one who lit the cigarette, whose voice I could now decipher as Jed, compained.

"It's your fucking fault she got away in the first place!" The other one ground out, Brad.
My stomach rolled, I ground my teeth together to avoid any sounds coming out. "Jacob is going to be pissed when he finds out she escaped, and you'll get worse than just a black eye if we don't find her."

Jed was the easiest to trick, I was thankful he had been the one to escort me to my bathroom break. He got distracted easily, mumbling more to himself about food than actually noticing that I hadn't been right behind him, and as soon as he turned the corner I ran towards the front door.

They had been too cocky about keeping me hostage, all that was between me and my escape was one flimsy lock. I quickly turned it and stumbled out the door, rushing into the forest ahead.

"Like I said she couldn't have gotten far, dumb bitch probably didn't even make it past the fence." Jed laughed. The scratches on my back from the barbwire stung from the mention of the fence.

"Dumb fuck," Brad fumed, "she's smarter than you think."

I peeked towards the sound of their voices, they were walking towards the bush. I held my breath, slowly moving my hand up to cover my mouth and nose.

"You're still upset about her landing a punch on you the other night?" Jed quipped, my body tensed as they walked past the bush, their lights barely skimming it. "It's not like you didn't return the favor."

"Shut he fuck up." Brad growled. "How are we supposed to hear anything if you keep running your mouth? There was blood on that rock back there, she definitely came this way"

Jed started snickering, "Yep, still upset."

Their voices started to fade as they kept walking. I released the breath I was holding and my body relaxed into the ground. I could feel the injuries on my body start to throb, the adrenaline slowly fading away. I'm not safe yet, I reminded myself as I slowly began to crawl out the backside of the bush. I would rather wait until they pass back through, but if I waited too long I would give into my body's demand of rest.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before gritting my teeth and pushing myself to stand. I would have to start out slow, to adjust my body into moving again, but at least I could do that quietly. If they assumed I came this way, then I would assume it's the way out of this hell hole. I crept more towards the left of their trail, I would have to stick to walking in order to keep quiet, and stay far enough back that they wouldn't notice.

I glanced up at the moon, the only thing lighting my way and sent up a quick prayer for strength and guidance. I closed my eyes and looked down as I felt the familiar sting of tears, those would have to wait. I took one more glance at the moon and began walking, my limp starting out strong before slowly fading into a numbing sensation, in the direction they went.