Chapter 1

Beth

"Ah!" I scream. The knife slashes against my side as I drop down to the ground. I spit out dirt back onto the earth as I hear the man behind me chuckle. "Ha! Had enough, blondie?" Of course I've had enough. I've had enough ever since you dragged me into the car. I don't voice my thoughts. I want to at least try to stay alive. Blood seeps into my yellow polo. I sit up on my knees, still refusing to acknowledge the harsh man. I wipe the back of my hand across my forehead, removing the sweat due to the sun.

Then I'm being lifted onto my feet. The man grips my hair and jerks me forward towards the shed. I slam into the door, bumping my head on the wood. I still haven't been able to use the knife I had in my boot. They hadn't taken that from me. They forgot to search for any weapons. That's what they get for thinking I'm a useless little girl. The man grips my arm as he opens the door, then throws me inside. The blow knocks the breath out of me as the door slams behind me.

There's just one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling of the small space. It's the only illumination in the small barn. The air smells of cigarette smoke. The shed looks old and rusted. It's completely empty except for me and my kidnapper inside. He's been driving me for a day, he's told me. I woke up as he was pulling up here, so there was no time to fight back. And I was still weak from whatever liquid he put in my neck with the syringe.

I hear the clatter of metal in the corner and I immediately tense up at the sound. I crane my head to look. The machete lies in the corner with blood stains on it. My blood. I shudder. I struggle to stand up with the rope tied around my hands. I turn around just as the skinny male starts towards me. He has a sick smile on his face. Almost like the governor's right before he chopped off daddy's head.

I swallow back tears as he grabs my neck as slams me against the wall. I hiss as my head bangs into the chipped wood. "So, what's your name, blondie?" The man asks. Instead of a reply, I spit at his face. Immature, I know, but it's the only thing I have right now. My eyes flicker across the room to the large knife. I need to get to it. But will I be able to kill this man? He delivers a punch to my jaw, then another into my gut, sending me crouching on the ground.

I gasp for air and he leans down next to me and grabs my neck, squeezing my airways so I can't breathe. I claw at his hands and he drags me to my feet. "I have a theory, that you want to die." He spats in my face. The he shrugs. My hands are still struggling to remove his hands from my throat. "I guess it doesn't really matter since you're going to die, anyway."

What did I expect? Us to make a sparkling friendship and for him to just let me go? I think somewhere deep inside me I knew I wasn't going to live, but now that he confirmed it my eyes go wide and I freeze. He laughs, amused. "What, you think I was going to let you go?" His expression gets fierce again and his hand loosens a bit. I gulp thin air into my lungs, then he squeezes again. "You make me laugh, blondie." I'm being thrown to the ground again as he reaches into his pocket.

I cough up blood onto the now red floor. Then I feel myself being pushed and pinned down on the ground. I feel him left to shirt up off of my back, and then I feel a scorching pain. I scream in agony, then realize what he's doing. He's branding me. Burning me. It goes on for an eternity until he finally lets me go. My vision is fading in and out as he lifts his arms off of me. I stay lying on the ground. The cold air stings the scars on me, but I do nothing about it. If I wake up from consciousness, my voice will be hoarse and strained.

Right before I drift asleep, a face pops up in front of me. "See you soon, blondie." Then his fist connects with my cheek and I'm out of it.