It had taken the group a while to make their way through the festival, going on every ride they could see. Beth had even seen her family at one point, but they were leaving so she figured she'd have to walk back home.

The sky had changed without her realising and by the time she was ready to leave, it had gotten quite dark. She thought about calling Maggie to pick her up but on second thought decided that a night time stroll home would be quite relaxing. Goodbyes were passed around the group and they all took off in her separate directions, Beth heading to the outskirts of town.

The path she was walking took her straight past the group of men who came on their motorbikes. She picked up pace a bit and avoided eye contact, her earlier buzz diminishing after realising just how scarce the streets now were.

"Hey, sweet cheeks!" she heard one of the men call after her but she didn't respond. She carried on walking but he called after her again. "I'm talking to you, girl." She felt his presence behind her, matching her pace as she walked down the street. The man grabbed her arm and pulled her round. A few of the others were trailing behind him, watching with looks of amusement. "Why don't you come join us for a drink? Mighty beautiful..." his eyes roamed over her body, "...voice you've got, darlin'." He winked and Beth felt herself shiver in disgust.

"No thank you." she replied tersely, trying to pull herself from his grip with no avail.

"Wasn't question, darlin', Come on." he pulled her with him back toward their bikes and she started panicking.

"I said no. Let me go." she struggled and lashed out at the man holding her. There wasn't much aim in the swing but she managed to scratch the man across his face. His face flashed with anger and he replaced the hold on her arm with one in her hair. Beth gasped at the pain but he didn't seem to care. He just pulled her closer until they were face to face.

"Bad idea there, kid." Bet squeezed her eyes shut, readying herself for whatever he was going to do next but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, two men had joined the group. They both looked equally bored, one slightly angrier than the other.

"What's goin' on here, boys?" the one drawled, "Really Joe, thought you'd be smart enough to know jailbait when you see it."

"Fuck off, Merle. This ain't any of your concern." Joe growled back at him. It was a matter of seconds before Merle had punched Joe, sending him reeling back towards the pavement. The shock of the hit had caused his hold on Beth's hair to loosen enough for her to get free. She took the opportunity to run and didn't stop to look back until she was a few blocks over.

She stopped to catch her breath and realised that she had missed the turning which would take her home. Her lungs took in oxygen at an alarming rate and Beth questioned for the first time in her life whether she should be in better shape or not. She sat down on the pavement and tried to regulate her breathing whilst contemplating her options. She could turn around and hope she'd get home safely, or she could call Maggie and wait for her to come and pick her up. The risk of bumping back into the men would reasonably low but the fear that maybe they were waiting for her was fresh in her mind. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't hear or pay attention to the motorbike driving up and stopping in front of her until the man was slowly walking towards her crouched figure.

Her eyes widened in fear when he came near and she started scrambling to her feet and away from the man. He slowed down even more and held out his hands to show that he meant no harm.

"I ain't gon' hurt you, kid." his voice echoed slightly on the empty street and Beth looked at him in disbelief.

"Why should I believe you?" he moved a step closer to her and Beth saw that it was the man stood with Merle just minutes ago.

"Fine, don't believe me." his voice was gruff as he shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't blame me when Joe and his pisshead gang come lookin' for ya, and trust me, they will find ya if you don't hurry." Beth looked around for an escape, not finding one. Her eyes met his and she realised that he was the man who had been staring at her when she was playing earlier. He had seemed safe enough then, but being this close to him made her weary.

The roar of engines could be heard in the distance and Beth knew she had to make a decision. She stood on shaky legs and made her way over to him. Either way she went, there was a possible danger. She had nothing to lose at this point.

"You'll help me?" she questioned. The man shrugged again.

"S'pose I will." he walked over to the bike and threw his leg over. "Get on." Beth gawked at him.

"On your bike?" she sounded unsure and the sound of the engines seemed to be getting louder with each second.

"We ain't got time for this, Barbie. Either get on or get caught. Your choice." he started the engine and looked at her expectantly. She nodded nervously and moved until she was behind him, straddling the leather seat. Her hands automatically went around his waist, holding on for dear life as he rode away from the pavement and gained speed.

R&R lovelies! I know that the chapters are quite short but its because I write a few chapters in one big chunk and then break it down to where I think it fits? If that makes any sense? So they will be getting longer soon!