CHAPTER ONE

LA MUJER MUERTA

The onslaught left me there gasping for breath, my chest burning and my hands clawing at the dirt. The blood spewing from my nose only caked the dust on my face that my labored breath was puffing up. Fire coursed through my veins as hot tears escaped my eyes. I just knew I was going to die. I was going to lay there in my own pathetic blood and die. How dare he set his hands on me? Who the hell did he think he was?! Nausea rocked my body as my stomach curled. I tried to push myself up but my arms had locked in fear and pain. Growling into the dirt I cursed everything I could think of that would have put me in that situation. I had no idea how extensive the damage was. I did know, however, that someone would find me. Fuck I didn't want that to happen. Especially when my stomach lurched upward sending vomit spilling from my mouth; and with no where to go but the dirt in front of my face it splashed back onto me. That was it. I wished that I would just die. How could I be found in that kind of condition!? It was disgusting, pitiful and down right vile. My body shook as the stench filled my nose. Bits of chef's horrible food lingered in my mouth along with the taste of bile and blood. I closed my eyes and waited, hoping death would take me so that I wouldn't have to bare the embarrassment of being found. I was far enough in the woods that I could have been dead before someone found me. But oh what luck do I have? Through my own crying and the ringing in my ears I heard footsteps. I dreaded the thought of one of the other campers finding me. I was horrible to them. I wouldn't have put it past them to laugh and walk away, I would have. Mustering up enough strength to finally push myself a little from the ground, I crawled. Crawled! On my belly like a worm till I got under a bush. I could die there without being noticed. I set my head down on the ground, the vomit and blood free ground and closed my eyes. I could hear the blood rushing in my head and the ringing had yet to subside.

The foot steps came closer then stopped. Fuck. I couldn't hear any voices and I thought I had only heard one set of foot steps. Perhaps I wasn't truly willing to lie down and die or perhaps I just have rabid curiosity. I opened my eyes slowly, not really wanting to see who it was but really having nothing better to do than lay there in pain and wait for death. I watched as that delinquent leaned against a tree.

Wonderful, of all the campers that had to be out there it had to be the one most likely to laugh and watch her writhe in pain. Another wave of nausea hit me and I tried to let it roll on over. I succeeded but it only made the pounding in my head intensify. I looked over at the prison-bound rodent and watched as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Without hesitation he lit up one and pocketed the rest. Bitterness took over me as I watched him enjoy his cigarette. Who was he to be comfortable while I tried to fight back torrents of agony? I almost verbally cussed at him but my mouth didn't want to open. If it had of I might have thrown up again. Through half lidded eyes I watched him. Cursing his very existence until he stopped. He was looking at the ground, his brow furrowed and his eyes concentrating on something. I realized it then, I had left quite a trail. His eyes moved along the vomit and dirt disturbed trail. Fuck. Fuck. Yeah that was about the only semi-intelligent thing I could think of. He followed it slowly, a puff of smoke spiralling form his nose. He took the tobacco stick out of his mouth and crouched down. He looked under the bush and just stared at me for a moment.

He really didn't seem surprised. Actually he didn't have much of an expression at all. I couldn't help but curl my nose up. I didn't have enough strength to crawl away. I didn't have enough strength to reach out and slap him. Good thing was that I didn't have the strength to cry. So what did I do? I just laid there looking back at him.

"Damn." One single solitary word summed up my entire predicament so easily. But don't think the bastard jumped to help me. Noooo. He finished his cigarette before crushing it on the forest floor. He pushed the branchess of the bush back and reached out for me. Me, being the prideful bitch I am, tried to move back but once again the strength issue came into play. He pulled his hand back and glared at me, his face taking on that dangerous glint that set him into the criminal stereotype.

"If you are going to die, you should at least go with some diginity. Look at you you are covered in vomit and dirt." Crude. Insensitive and painfully true. His hand clamped hard around my arm and he drug me from the bush. Drug...not gently pulled. I mean he drug me like I was already dead. Once clear of the bush I rolled over onto my back. My vision swam and I knew I was going to pass out but I didn't. Duncan looked down at me and shook his head.

"You're fucked up." Well gee, ya think? Idiot. If I had the strength to I would have either punched him in the nuts or flipped him off. Before I could muster up the strength to call him an ass hole he picked me up. Oh yeah he could have been sweet about it, cradling me in his arms like I was a fragile thing. Humph. Could have. He slung me over his shoulder, not worrying about what might be broken or the torrent of dissiness that filled my head. There I hung, limp and vulnerable. Maybe he was going to throw me off of the cliff. I would have a long enough fall to die before I hit the water, only to be eaten by sharks. Yep. That was an ideal way to go, in the bellies of brutal mindless beasts. I thought he would walk in the way of the camp. But he walked away from it. Yep I was going to die.

He stopped at the edge of the water and set me down, using one arm to hold me in a sitting position.

"Feeling any better?"

"Fuck..you." There. See? I was feeling better. At least I had enough strength to say that. He nodded and picked me up. Cradling me that time...but something was wrong. He walked out knee deep into the dark water and dropped me. The bastard drope dme! Into the icy water. Panic raced through me as I didn't have enough strength to swim to the surface. But when one is near death a weird survival thing kicks in and I thrashed about. He grabbed my by the arm and pulled me out of the water. My teeth chattered as I glared at him.

"Basssstard." He smirked as he drug me back out of the water. He settled me into the sand with a thunk of my head and looked over me. He frowned as he pressed roughly on my stomach.

"Does this hurt?"

I shook my head and frowned. Everything else ached but my stomach didn't hurt other than the slight lingering nausea.

"You've got three seconds to tell me who did this to you before you get dunked in the water again." His eyes were narrowed and even in the dark I could see a glint. Fuck him. I rolled over onto my side with what strength I had and closed my eyes. Darkness surrounded me and I ignored the sounds he made. My body rushed with warmth and I drifted to sleep.