Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 79145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Oh, God,” Ellie whimpers, and I stop and grab her shoulders.
“Listen to me. We got this far; we are going to get out of here,” I tell her. Even as scared as I am, there is no way I’m giving up. Not now, not when we have come so far.
“I’m not giving up, but I’m scared,” she says.
“Me too, but we need to keep moving. That’s the only way we’re going to be able to make it out of this alive,” I say then begin pulling her with me again. We run forever without coming across any sign of life, and my body is beginning to shut down from exhaustion. I know Ellie is in the same shape, because we both start to stumble more. Then I see lights shine through the trees, as the sound of the four-wheeler gets closer than it has been.
“I have a plan,” I whisper when I see the lights coming closer. “But you’re going to have to be brave.”
“What?”
“I’m going to stand out in the open for him to see me, and you’re going to hide behind a tree. When he gets close, I want you to hit him in the head with the two-by-four,” I say, looking down at that weapon both of us have taken turns carrying since finding it.
“I think you should hit him. I’ve been here for four days. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to hit him,” she whispers.
“Are you sure?”
“We have a better chance if you do it,” she replies, and the lights get closer, so I know we don’t have time to debate with each other who’s doing what. I slip behind the tree, keeping my eyes locked on Ellie.
“I’m here, and we’re not going down without a fight,” I tell her, looking into her scared eyes.
The lights land directly on her, and she yells, “Please, the other girl is hurt. She needs help!” She starts to cry, and I see the four-wheeler move closer, driven by a guy I don’t recognize.
“Where is she?” he growls, reaching out to Ellie, so I take that moment to run out from behind the tree. His head turns my way and his eyes grow with shock as I hit him in the side of the head. His body slumps forward and I push him off the four-wheeler.
“Let’s go,” I tell Ellie, who seems to be frozen in place. Her body startles then she jumps on behind me.
“Do you know how to drive one of these things?” she asks as I pull off quickly. Uncontrollable laughter bubbles out at her question, and I don’t answer, just drive faster. “I hope so.” She wraps her arms tight around me.
“I know it’s stupid, but we need to go back to the house and follow the road. We stand a better chance of making it to safety if we do.”
“You’ve gotten us this far,” Ellie says, and I just hope I can get us to safety.
We drive for a good hour, and I’m actually really surprised how long it takes for us to get back to the house. When we get closer, I notice a figure standing outside. I zoom past him, fishtailing, then press the gas harder as we head down a long dirt road.
“He’s coming!” Ellie screams right before the four-wheeler jolts forward. “Oh, God! He’s got a gun!” she cries, and I yell, “Duck,” getting down as low as I can while pulling back on the throttle. Then I see it, off it the distance—headlights. My pulse kicks up, and I know if these are his friends we are as good as dead. Shots ring out from behind me as I drive faster, and then I pull off the road and into the forest when the headlights coming from the other direction get closer.
“July!” I hear roared, and I’d know that voice anywhere. Wes. Then I hear gunshots, and my body begins to shake with worry. I turn, going back towards the road, and stop.
“Stay here,” I tell Ellie.
“No.” She grabs my hand, but I don’t have time to fight with her. I need to make sure Wes is okay.
“I need to get to my fiancé,” I tell her in a panic, and then we hear two more shots. I sob, trying to get to the road.
“July!” Wes roars again, and I yell back, “Over here!”
I step out of the clearing, my eyes landing on the truck that was chasing us. The door is open, and the guy is slumped onto the steering wheel. Mic, Harlen, and Z are standing next to him, and Jax, Talon Everett and Sage all look at us as tears form in my eyes.
“He’s dead baby,” Wes says, pulling my attention to him. His eyes meet mine then do a sweep over the rest of me. I run to him, pulling Ellie with me, only letting go of her when I throw myself into Wes. His arms wrap around me, holding me so tight that I feel myself molding to him. “Jesus.” He lets me go and begins to look me over, his hands moving over my body.