Mafia's Woman

2- Woods

I bolted my way through the woods, trying to get far away from the road. I saw a massive fallen tree and hid behind it. I looked behind me to see the car approaching and speeding past the woods in a different direction. Sighing in relief, I stood up and placed my hand over my heart, feeling adrenaline flooding my veins.

I continued to walk through the woods trying not to trip over fallen trees or walk into holes, all the while trying not to be attacked by a coyote; being that they roam all through these woods. It was very dark by now, and the multitasking was difficult.

I had no food and I was starting to get hungry, but I could not risk going into town and being spotted by an ally of my father. So I continued with my walk, used to being hungry as we rarely had good food in the house. I continued to walk for what felt like hours and I knew hours had gone by because the sky was slowly getting lighter and lighter.

I heard a rustling sound behind me and turned my head, but continued to walk. Being the clumsy person I am, I turned my head at the wrong time and tripped over a stump, landing on my right ankle. Immediately, pain raced through my foot and ankle. I repositioned my body so I no longer held any weight on my ankle and inspected the injury. It was swelling up rapidly as well as bruising, too.

Within seconds my foot and ankle were huge due to the swelling and the pain was very intense. It wasn't the worst pain I had ever felt though.

For a few more moments I sat on the ground and tried to calm myself down. I controlled my breathing and squeezed my eyes shut until the pain wasn't as intense. When I opened my eyes, I looked up at the rising sun. The view would've been much prettier if I weren't sitting on the forest floor in pain after walking all night long because I ran away from my abusive father.

I scanned the area, trying to figure out my next move when I spotted a long stick that looked like the perfect walking stick. I crawled over to it and slowly pushed myself up while using a tree to support my weight.

Using the stick to help take the weight off my injured ankle, I began slowly limping my way through the woods again. I stopped walking and turned back to see if I could spot the animal that made the noise. A little mouse ran from under the leaves and dipped underneath a log about fifteen feet away from me.

After a few more hours, I saw the sun beginning to rise and I was exhausted. I had been walking through the woods since 8 pm last night and it was now around 8 in the morning. Thankfully I had a watch on, one I got to make sure I always knew the time in order to have dinner and other chores done for my father.

My body was physically exhausted and I knew I needed to take a break. I sat down on a stump and thought over the events of the past few hours.

I was overjoyed that I got away. A huge smile formed on my face and I started to laugh with joy. I got away. I actually got away. I had been dreaming of this day for years, and it had finally come to fruition.

I let myself rejoice in the wonderful feeling of freedom before reality sat in. I had barely any money. I had no family because my grandparents were dead, and both of my parents were only children. I was also an only child, so I had literally nowhere to go. I decided not to dwell on reality for too long and got back up after my twenty-minute break. Thinking about my depressing reality wouldn't help me get out of this situation.

Night was falling again, and I had walked all day long. I was running on no food, no water, and no sleep. I had taken a few more breaks, but I didn't stop for longer than half an hour. I also haven't heard any sounds of civilization like vehicles on a road, the sound of people talking, or even a fire whistle.

How long would I have to walk through these woods before I find a road? I knew I had been walking for just over 24 hours, and I didn't think I could walk much more.

Just a few moments after that thought, I looked up and saw a house peeking through the trees. Just as I was getting ready to give up, a miracle occurred. I could ask whoever lives there where the closest town was. I hated talking to new people, but I had to get over my anxiety and do this if I wanted to get out of the woods.

The house was getting closer and closer and I soon realized it was not a house. No, it was a mansion.

In front of the mansion was a massive circular cobblestone driveway. In the middle of the circle was a large fountain. Surrounding the fountain were beautiful rose bushes. There was a marble staircase leading from the driveway up to the two huge wooden front doors. The mansion itself was a three-story building. The exterior of the house was a beautiful stone.

There were windows all throughout the house, but no lights were on. The house intimidated me as I knew it must be owned by someone wealthy. Someone who would probably laugh in my face when a dirt-covered girl hopping on a stick comes to them asking for help. That is if someone was even home. The house looked empty.

As I walked closer to the mansion but was still hidden in the woods, I saw a limousine pull into the driveway and stop at the front doors. I could see from the glow of the lights on the outside of the house that the driver got out of the vehicle and walked to the right side of the car. I heard a door open and close and saw the back of a man as he stepped out of the car.

Even from my distance away, I could tell how tall and muscular he was. He stood at 6'5, possibly taller. His muscles were visible even from this far away. I could see his broad shoulders and his large muscles against the fabric of his black suit. He had short black hair that was styled nicely, though it looked as though his fingers had run through it a few times. The man then walked into the house as the driver got back into the limo and drove down the very long driveway that I could not see the end of.

I immediately grew nervous thinking of walking to the house and talking to the man. He seemed very intimidating and authoritative due to the way he was holding himself and how confidently he walked. And of course, he owned this massive house so he must be wealthy.

I shakily limped out into the driveway and begin to make my way to the front door. I stepped out of the woods before I could convince myself to change my mind and turn around in hopes of finding a road or something. I could not continue wandering around without having a clue where I was going. It was nighttime again and I had no food or water and I was exhausted. Besides, I would most likely never find a town at the rate I was going, being that it took me over a day to find this one place, and of course, the fact that I was in the middle of the woods.

I surveyed my surroundings, trying to find a road before I knock on the door, but I was only met with more woods and a very, very long driveway that I could not yet see an end to.

Gaining up all the confidence I had, which was essentially nonexistent, I hobbled up the stairs, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

Around 45 seconds later, the left door opened up and I saw the man that walked into the house just a few minutes ago. I looked up from my swollen ankle and saw his face. He was strikingly handsome.

I was a relatively tall girl at 5'8, but gosh this guy was tall. I only reached to his chest and I had to strain my neck to actually see his face. He was very tanned and very muscular. He had changed from his suit into gray sweatpants that hugged him in all the right places, showing off his muscular legs. He also wore a black t-shirt that clung tightly to his strong arms, broad shoulders, muscular chest, and very visible abdominal muscles.

I looked up at his face after glancing at his body for a second and I was struck by his beautiful crystal blue eyes. His face looked like it was sculpted from stone. His features were very sharp. He had a strong jaw and high cheekbones.

I was so distracted by his handsome face that I didn't notice the pistol in his hand until he said, "Who the fuck are you?" In a very thick, Italian-sounding accent.