A/N Let me know what you think?
Jolting from my position, someone had shook me by my shoulder "Wake up" Immediately looking all around trying to find the source, it didn't take long for my eyes to land on the soldier in front of me. Shifting back, I had stopped when I realised Helen was behind me; still half asleep as she rubbed her eyes.
Coming to my senses, I soon remembered what had happened and why we were in the back of a truck "Where are we?" I asked while glancing around to see we were still in the forest.
"Far away. Now get out" not moving, my brow furrowed in confusion. Why does he want us to get out? "Now…" he ordered louder. Moving to the side, the soldier allowed us to hurriedly shuffle our way out of the back seat. Once we had been evicted, the soldier shut the door with a clang before pointing out to a direction "Walk that way. You'll find a road. Follow it" he said simply before moving to get back into the driver seat of the car.
"Wait!" I called out. Walking up to the side of the car, I said "where are you going? Are you leaving us?"
"Yes" he replied. Starting the engine, I listened as the gear shifted into place. Feeling panic rise inside my stomach, I couldn't believe this was happening.
"No. You can't. You said-"
"I got you out. You're not my problem anymore" replied the man coldly. Turning away from me, he started to drive off into the distance; leaving me and Helen alone in the woods.
"He left us" Helen muttered under her breath "I knew we couldn't trust him. We're as good as dead out here. No one's going to help us. You know that"
"He did help us, and I'd rather be here than back there. Come on" I said beginning to walk off to the direction the soldier had pointed to "we should start walking. I don't know how much day light we have left" nodding her head, Helen followed me.
Looking left and right, I felt for sure that we were lost. We had walked for miles and still nothing. Trudging on through, I swatted the mosquitoes that had begun to sting both of us; covering our bodies in itchy, red spots "Wait" I said reaching my arm out for Helen to stop "…do you hear that?"
"Hear what?...there's nothing. Just my heart beating out of my chest" replied Helen. Clutching her chest, she had leaned over breathless from the long trek we had to endure.
Listening closer, I swear I heard the distinct sound of a car driving past again "No. I hear cars. Come on" pulling Helen by the hand, we started to jog through the forest; the site of a long road in front of me brining a sense of pure relief "look" I said with a smile, pointing to the path in front of me "there it is. A road"
Running further, we eventually came to a halt at the edge of the road. Looking up and down the narrow strip, I couldn't see any vehicles of any sort; it was just empty. We must be somewhere remote. Tilting my head upwards, I saw the sky starting to set with a rainbow of colours. Even though I wanted to sit and gaze, me and Helen still had to find shelter "Where do we go from here?" she asked from beside me and she stared upward.
"We'll go this way" I said pointing to the left "follow it along. See if we can find any signs or shops to tell us where we are" nodding her head in agreement, we began our journey down the side of the road. Walking for another few miles, a service station in the distance had caught our attention.
"There's someone out front. We can ask them-" stopping Helen as she went to run off to the young man guarding the pumps, I pulled her aside and out of sight.
"We can't go running up to a stranger" I said trying to reason with Helen as I clutched both her shoulders to make her look at me "look at us. Where covered in blood" sighing, Helen knew I was right.
"What about you?" suggested Helen as she gestured to my shirt "you look…alright. How about you talk to him" nodding her head at me, I glanced down at myself to see she had a point. It looked like I might have had a nose bleed or fallen over. Nothing like Helen as she got the brunt of the bloody splatter.
"Alright…your right" pulling my hair around my neck to hide some more of the blood, I breathed in deep before walking the few meters. Approaching the young man, he stood with his back turned to me as he continued to count coins in his hand "excuse me…" jumping, the short haired blonde had jumped at my obvious startle.
Whipping around to face me, I looked the man over. Dressed in a cream coloured one suit with the gas station logo printed on the breast pocket; I glanced at the name tag as it read 'Michael' "Are you lost?" he asked while looking me up and down, his blue eyes immediately finding the bump of my stomach "do you need some help Miss. You look like you've been through hell"
Fumbling with my words, I stammered as I looked around "Were am I?"
"Aldernum" Aldernum I thought to myself, that's miles away from my home. How am I supposed to get back? We have no car. No one to help or protect us, and the one person that could, had left us in the woods "…where's your parents?" he said while clicking his tongue against his teeth.
"I-I…I got lost. I can't find them" I replied, not knowing what to say. Watching Michael scratch the underside of his chin, he looked around before folding his arms over his fit chest.
"There's a payphone in side. Come on" he said gesturing to the gas station "I'll get you something to eat" looking behind me, I tried to find Helen but I couldn't. Turning back to Michael, he stood looking me up and down again before giving me a smile "you coming, or not" taking a second, I wondered if this was a good idea; although it wasn't as if I had choice. Nodding my head, I followed the young man into the gas station. Finding ourselves to be alone, I felt a sudden sense of uneasiness. I'm not so used to being around strangers.
Watching Michael as he walked over to the hot box, he quickly came back with a glass of cold Cola and a meat pie. Setting it down on the small strip of counter lining the glass window viewing the gas pumps, he gestured to the red leather stool. Giving a faint smile, I walked over and hopped onto the seat before making a start on the food "Thank you" I spoke after taking a bite of the mouth-watering pie. It's been a long time since I've had food like this. Maybe I was wrong about my uneasiness. Michael seems nice.
"You're welcome" he said smiling at me, his blue eyes glistening from the fragments of the afternoon sun beaming in through the window. Finishing the pie and half of the Cola, Michael had gestured to the telephone booth on the other side of the shop "here" reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a few pennies before handing them to me "you can call whoever you want" nodding my head gratefully, I got up from the stool. Walking over to the telephone, I slotted the pennies when a warm hand wrapped its way over my mouth. Squealing in surprise, my back pressed up against a firm chest. Getting a view in the chrome covering the payphone, I saw it to be a blurred version of Michael. Kicking and screaming, another arm had wrapped around my waist and was pulling and twisting me back into a separate 'employees' room.
Feeling my mind go into over drive, I instantly clamped my teeth down hard into the flesh of his hand earning me a hiss before I was dropped to the ground "You fucking bitch!" he growled as I crawled on my hands and knees, trying to get away from the man behind me "were do you think you're going?" he said taking the few steps to catch up to me. Feeling his hands wrap around my ankles, he dragged me back into the room as I screamed.
"Let me go!" twisting my body around, I kicked him as much as I could. But as the exit closed and Michael had started to straddle my waist; I didn't know what else I could possibly do. Helen was just outside, but I know she wouldn't have heard me from this distance. This was a bad idea. I was stupid to go in alone.
Trying to push Michael away from me, I looked up with widened eyes as he seethed down at me; struggling to hold me down from my abnormal strength. But even with this small enhancement, it wasn't enough to get the man off of me "Stop moving!" Michael shouted as he whipped out a pocket knife.
Freezing from the sight, instead of trying get away; I had started to choke up with tears and sobs "Please don't hurt me" I cried out as tears started to stream down my face.
"Shut. Up!" he ordered as the tip of the blade pressed against my throat, a bead of blood pooling to trail down my skin. Moving it after a second or two, the knife had trailed down the centre of my chest before reaching my belly button. Pinching the fabric of my shirt with his other hand, he started to tear it open with his knife.
"Please..." I whined again "I won't tell anyone. I promise, just let me go" I add with another wave of sobs and tears. My whole face and body felt hot with embarrassment and pain from the pressure of his body on top of mine. Why was this happening again?
"What did I just tell you? Hmm" he said sneering down at me as he tapped my forehead with his finger, as if trying to tell me I was dumb "what?" he said with a laughable smile "you'll spread your legs for someone else but not me" he said gesturing to himself and my stomach "I'm not good enough for a feral bitch like you?...tell you what. You got some nerve sweetheart" feeling a hard slap whip across my cheek, I felt white hot pain as it spread like wild fire.
Tasting blood, he must have split my lip. But that wasn't my concern as I felt my shirt continue to rip. Laying back with my head lolled to the side, I had almost lost the fight when a series of loud bangs echoed into the room. Puncturing through the door, I stared up in shock to see Michael's chest riddled with bullets before slumping to side. Hearing the door burst open a second later, the full weight of his body had been lifted off of me when I caught sight of him – the soldier.
Feeling more sobs rise up from my chest, the soldier clad in his black outfit had kneeled beside me; mask covering his face and gun in his hand. Clambering to sit up, I had lunged to wrap my arms around his neck; forcing him to sit down. Pulling myself up closer into his chest in order to hug him tighter, I couldn't help but realise that he had come back for us.
Burring my face into his shoulder crying, the soldier had eventually wrapped a gentle arm around my back to support me "We need to go" he announced before picking me up off the floor.
Nodding my head, I hesitantly unwound myself before dropping down onto my feet. Tilting my head with his fingers as I wrapped my arms around my half torn shirt; the soldier wiped the rest of my tears from my swollen cheeks "are you alright?" he asked, while inspecting my split lip.
Nodding my head, I calmed my erratic breathing "…Why did you come back?"
Watching him briefly glance down at my stomach, he sighed "…Come on" he said while placing a hand on my lower back. Giving me a slight push to start moving, he gestured to outside "go get in the truck. I'll take care of this"