Hide (Sequel to RUN)

Chapter 1

My knees were slowly growing numb from the concrete floor supporting them. The blood in my arms rushing back down to my torso due to gravity. I could barely feel the metal cuffs biting into the soft flesh of my wrists anymore.

My vision swam, coming back into focus with agonizing sluggishness.

A groan escaped from my chapped lips. The weight of whatever drug had been used to knock me out still lingered over my mind.

What had happened? I couldn't remember anything about...

Before I could finish the thought, Aaron seemed to appear in front of me. But he must've just come into the line of sight without me noticing immediately. Or I could've blacked out for a second. Either way, he was there.

Aaron flicked his hand, twirling the knife in it. I gazed at it closer, realizing with a sick jolt that it was my dagger.

"You must really like my dagger," I moaned, leaning my head against my suspended arm to gaze up at him.

In a second, Aaron was up in my face. The dagger pressed against my pulsing carotid artery.

I didn't dare move.

"Are you going to kill me with my own knife?" I asked him, drawing out my words. What was it with me and asking for it?

"No," he breathed, "I'm glad you didn't move, though. If you had, you probably wouldn't be breathing at the moment." He relieved the pressure with the knife and drew the tip down my throat.

"I can almost see your heart rate accelerating." His lips barely moved as he watched the knife reach my collarbone.

"Too bad it's not," I told him.

Aaron flickered in front of me.

I shook my head, sure I was just seeing things. He solidified in front of me again.

"Oh, Beautiful. I'm positive that it is." Suddenly, as if in response to his comment, my heart was thrumming in my throat. Trying to get out by jumping.

I gagged, like my heart was actually in my mouth. My eyes closed automatically as the retching took over my entire body.

When I opened my eyes, Aaron wasn't there anymore. I was back in the church.

The light streaming through the stained glass window was suddenly on my face. I gazed into the light, transfixed by it.

It was just a vision, I thought gratefully, sitting back on my knees. I let my head fall to my knees, starting a technique my therapist had recommended for times like these.

One. Two. Three.

I couldn't stop shaking.

Four. Five. Six.

Deep breath in. Deep breath out. Deep breath in...

Seven. Eight. Nine.

The shaking was subsiding. The panic clearing from my head.

Ten.

I sat up slowly, taking one last shaky breath.

It was over.

The therapist had actually been right.

Smiling now, I stood and made a beeline for my original destination. My heels clicked against the hardwood as I made my way to the center of the pew and sank into the thinly cushioned bench.

"Hey, God," I muttered, bowing my head for a different reason this time.

I'd been praying for three minutes seven seconds when a pair of footsteps entered the church. I closed my prayer quickly and got to my feet.