Izzy's lip quivered. Her hands were folded in front of her, white knuckles bulging against her thin skin from the pressure.
My brain blanked out, and then the questions hit in a ruthless volley.
Was she serious? Was this another test? Were the tears building in her eyes the least bit sincere?
“Cassie. Forget the weeds.” She stepped forward and placed her palms on my cheeks. They were burning up. “Are you deaf? I said run!”
I dropped the weed whacker, turned, and took off without a glance back. My feet were beginning to burn when I reached the flimsy gate. I threw my hands against it and practically tore it off its hinge.
The deep, dark forest beckoned. I took off down the trail and must've went half a mile before the neat paved path narrowed and turned to dirt. At least she'd given me new sneakers this morning, new shoes to go with the hopes and fears twisting my stomach in fiery knots.
Run. Run. Don't look back.
I couldn't bear to see her face again. Not that there was much worry about that. Evan's whole big house would've been totally obscured by the dense trees. But I hadn't gone far enough, not until I was completely out of his grasp.
I had no clue where I was heading. This place couldn't have been that far from Beacon Grove, and isolation was definitely a factor. My mind worked overtime, fighting through the fire ripping up my legs and filling my lungs, the blaze I refused to extinguish until I was really, truly free.
Galloping on, the forest became denser, forcing me to slow. The path turned to narrow overgrown dirt. I jerked my arms and legs through several clustered branches, never wasting a single second. Sharp wood scratching at my skin didn't stop me. Warm blood pooled around my left sock.
Run. Have to escape them. Have to escape the monsters at the house, and maybe I'll lose the one inside me too.
I felt it through the fire. The beast was reaching out to my heart and giving it a squeeze, casting a dozen doubts, hurting me because I'd fled like a coward and would never see him again.
It wasn't until I really knew there was a chance I'd make it that I began to regret my flight. I slowed because my knees literally wouldn't bend anymore. My whole body ached like I'd rolled my way down a jagged mountain, and all the little half-clotted cuts were stinging up my arms and legs.
I had to breathe, gather my senses for the rest of the journey.
Evan couldn't help me anymore. He couldn't torment me either, and he definitely couldn't rend my body, mind, and soul with his cruel pleasure. No matter how much the cancerous desire inside me longed for him, the sane part of me knew I needed to avoid my fate. I couldn't go to the other man.
I'd rather die out here, alone in the wilderness. Running ruined any trace of goodwill I'd forged with him anyway.
If some miracle led him to me, there would be no mercy, no love and hate. There would only be a killing punishment for defying him and disappearing, damning him to whatever waited if he didn't hand me over.
And what would happen to Izzy? I shuddered to think about it.
She'd just put her whole life on the line to help me get away. Sobering up must've freed her guilt, but it had also given her courage to go against him.
I mouthed a quiet, thankful prayer as the hours drew on. Hope replaced the burned out exhaustion in my veins. I'd gone plenty far from the house.
If I could just find my way to the road, flag down some car, I could hitch a ride to the nearest town. I didn't have a clue what I'd do then. I had no money and no skills, and the only kin I still had was a prisoner to the cult.
I let my imagination go wild. If I could find a job and settle in for a little while, I could figure out a way to get Heather away from them too. She'd always accepted the Prophet's beliefs without the awful questions I had. But if I had some money, I could drag her out of there kicking and screaming, maybe un-fuck her brain.
It was the least I could do for my poor slave sister after Izzy had freed me. I didn't have a clue how the universe really worked, but I had a feeling God rewarded good karma with responsibility.
The early autumn sun was starting to set by the time I reached the road. Stepping out of the forest that concealed me gave me plenty more to worry about, but it wasn't like I had much choice. I didn't want to be in the brush at night, and flagging down somebody was my only hope.
My heart leaped into my chest when I saw the headlights. It was a sleek black car like the kind Evan owned. I was a heartbeat away from diving into the nearest ditch when it went right past. A man and a woman were inside, way too close to be my keepers.
Two more vehicles passed, each one ten minutes apart. They blazed right by, though the drivers had to have seen me.
I didn't blame them for avoiding a ragged girl who'd just climbed out of the woods, but I was starting to lose hope. What if nobody took a chance? What if this forest became my new prison?