After Solitude

Chapter 8

Zoey's POV

Run! Get out of here!

My feet carry me faster than what my brain is comprehending.

I keep looking over my shoulder, making sure they aren't about to kill me.

My heart bangs against my chest, my head fills with pressure, and my lungs refuse to breathe in.

Once I find the door, I pull as hard as I can, but it's not budging.

No, they locked me in here! They're going to kill me!

I slide down to the floor, accepting defeat.

I'm going to die before I've even lived.

Hot tears roll down my face as I shake on the floor. I don't know if it's the adrenaline making me shake, or the coldness of this marble floor.

I hear faint yelling coming from upstairs, but I can't make out any of the words.

"She's crying!" I hear Wyatt yell.

My eyes close, expecting them to just hurry up and finish the job.

"Doll." I hear Wyatt say from in front of me.

I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing my fear before he kills me.

"Zoey," I hear him sit next to me on the floor, "we're not going to hur-"

My body jolts away from him as his hand brushes against my back.

Before he can say anything else, I'm pushing and pulling on the door, trying with everything in me to get it to open.

Wyatt's hand grabs the fancy golden knob and the door opens with ease for him.

I don't take a second glance, I run.

I run far. Passing trees and fallen limbs, jumping over large logs and rocks.

As my legs begin to burn and my lungs give out on me, I collapse somewhere in the woods.

I've had to of been running for hours, it's now evening and the sun has set behind the trees.

All I can hear at first is my breathing being amplified in my ears, then the sound of crickets.

A lightning bug floats by me and lands on my arm, buzzing his butt to make it light up.

"Hey little guy, you're so pretty." I whisper to him.

Rustling of leaves brushing against each other pulls my eyes away from the lightning bug. It shakes for a moment but quickly stops as I continue to look at it.

Probably a bunny. I shrug it off as I pull my phone out of my pocket.

Only one bar is displayed on my screen, showing how bad my signal is.

After listening to Poppy's dial tone, she finally picks up.

"Poppy? Poppy, I need you to come get me." I wave my hand around for affect.

"Wha-? I can't- ear- yo." She cuts up on the other end.

"I said that I need you to come get me." I repeat.

"Zo- a- okay? I ca- stan- you." Poppy cuts out again.

I sigh and move around, thinking maybe if I'm moving, I'll hit a good spot, "Can you hear me now?"