Run Free (sequel to A Lesson Never Learned)

s e v e n

*kinda pervy, sorry*

After Max bandaged me up, he allowed me to sleep in his bed. He decided to be a gentleman and sleep on the floor. After sleeping on cold concrete floors for a few days, the bed felt like a little slice of heaven. I didn't dream of anything while I was asleep. At home, I had a dream journal on my bedside table and I would write in it every time I had a dream. Sometimes my mom and I would look up what they meant online. My dad said it was a load of bullshit and our dreams won't change our fate, but my mom always scolds him and tells him not to ruin this for me.

The pills that Max had given me did their job, and when I woke up, I only felt achey in my bones. He's really good at stitching people up. It made me wonder what he would be doing if he wasn't in a gang. My guess is probably a doctor. Or a veterinarian.

Max was gone when I pulled myself out of the bed. I rubbed tiredly at my wrists, relishing in the feeling of not having handcuffs, ropes, or chains cuffed on them. I couldn't hear Oliver anywhere, and I should have felt relief, but I could only be struck with worry. If he wasn't where I could see him, then where was he? He could come out of nowhere and torture me some more. I didn't ever want to go back to that basement, and after Dan Flint spoke with my father on the phone last night, I had my sights on going home. My father knew our exact location and they came up with a plan to take me home. I kept running our conversation in my head from last night. "Don't worry. Dan and Max made a plan with me to fix this. They're going to sneak you out when Oliver's away. Then once you're in the clear and in hiding, we're going to move in on the house and massac-" he cut himself off, not wanting to tell me too much. He still thought I wasn't beyond damaged. He still thought I didn't know about the things they did on their 'missions'. "It's not important. All that's important is that you're going to be home with us soon. And you're going to be okay."

I didn't know when Dan was going to sneak me away, but I noticed Oliver was getting more and more angry as each day passed by. Max even admitted to me that he didn't know why Oliver kept me alive this long. How comforting.

I limped to the door and slowly creaked it open, looking around. No one was in sight. It was eerily quiet. I chewed on my lip. I could try to escape and get somewhere to a public road, but the thought of trying to escape during the day made a flash of pain flare up from my scalp. I couldn't get the image of my scalp tearing out of my mind.

I was deep in my thoughts when a voice startled me, making me jump and collapse against the door, forcing it to swing open and in turn, making me fall to the ground.

A large hand closed on my arm, hauling me to my feet.

"I hope you weren't thinking about running off." Beau mumbled, holding me tightly.

"N-no, I wasn't." I whimpered. Beau looked down at me, unimpressed.

"Doesn't matter anyway. I'm here to get you breakfast and take you to the woods."

"What?" I croaked. I was unaware that Beau was in on the plan too. "The woods?"

"M'not supposed to tell you too much." Beau flashed me a crooked smile with a tint of evil underlying it. "Sykes says you'll put up a bigger fight."

My heart dropped to my toes. "Wh-what-"

Beau pulled me forward and I shouted out, my leg twisting painfully. He adjusted his grip so one hand stayed on my arm while his other hand grasped the back of my neck, facing me forward.

"Come on." he pushed me down the dimly lit halls and I felt my panic increase with each step. This was all wrong. I was so close to getting away from here, and now I was being relocated to the woods where I would probably be cut up into tiny pieces and fed to his dogs?!