[63] The Forest

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  Avery Holmes

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  "Good." Jake breathed, standing behind me and holding me in a headlock, the barrel of his gun pressed firmly against my forehead. "Now let's see if your friends will come to your rescue, eh?"

  I chose to ignore him. His sweaty body stuck to mine and he smelled so awful that it made me feel like I was going to gag. I breathed out of my mouth instead of through my nose because I knew that if I bent over to puke from his scent he would shoot me. His specific instruction were to 'scream for your friends and don't move' and I wasn't about to push my luck.

  Kate was across from us in the small clearing, a grim smirk on her face and a gun in her hands. She had already cocked it and, much like a hunter going after a deer, waited for the prey to come into the trap. It disgusted me and there wasn't anything that I could do about it.

  "Scream again." Jake said.

  "I think I'm losing my voice." I lied, trying to sound like it actually was.

  "Really? How about now?" He asked, pressing the gun closer to my skull. The cool metal was intimating and terrifying, but if I tried to take the gun from him Kate would just shoot me. I was racking my brain with different possibilities to get me out of this situation.

  I let out a shrill scream once more, hoping that everyone hiding out in the woods wouldn't try to follow it. I would be willing to sacrifice myself to Jake and Kate if it meant that my friends, boyfriend, and daughter would stay safe.

  I wonder what Aimee is thinking right now.

  I prayed that she wasn't scared. I hoped that Niall was taking good care of her and keeping her safe, because at the end of the day it was her safety over mine. It might sound like an incredibly selfless thing, but all mothers would think the same. Once you first hold your child, you know that you would do anything to keep them safe, including giving your own life up.

  "What do you want?" I demanded. "You have me!"

  "Shut up." Jake grunted. "Kate, how long has it been? Why aren't they here?"

  "Don't ask me." She said. "Remember, I get the boy. I don't care what happens with her, but I will be the one killing him." My heart dropped into my stomach and I struggled under Jake's grip. For a drunk that did nothing but go out late at night, he was strong. Stronger than me, at least.

  "And as for the others, who cares." Kate continued. "They're just in the way. If you need to shoot them, go ahead." The way she talked about people I cared so dearly about made me want to scream. My face was red with fury knowing that I couldn't do anything to save them.

  "Oh yeah, and what about the little girl?" Kate asked. My heart stopped for a moment and I shook my head, my jaw dropped down to the ground.

  "No." I gasped. I promised myself that I wasn't going to show any weakness in front of them, but if they kept this up I was surely going to burst into tears, there was no doubt about it.

  "Just let that one go." Jake said. I could hear the uneasiness in his voice and realized something- Jake still cared. I'm sure it was only a small amount of him that cared, but there was still at least a fiber of sense in his being.

  "You care." I blurted.

  "I wasn't speaking to you." Jake said.

  "But you care." I pointed out again. "Please, Jake, think rationally about-"

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