Chapter 10
Chapter 10
AVERY’S POV:
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“Avery Grayson,” I whispered, gripping the receiver so tightly my knuckles ached. It was the last name my ID bore. It should give them a heads–up on finding me. “I was taken to a house… a big estate. There were guards–armed guards. I escaped through the woods, but I don’t know where I am now. Please, they’ll find me if I don’t get away.”
The dispatcher’s tone shifted, becoming sharper. “Avery, can you see any street signs or landmarks? Anything that might help us locate you?”
I looked around frantically, the faint glow of a nearby store sign catching my eye. “There’s… there’s a gas station down the road. I think it says ‘Jefferson Fuel.“”
“Good. That’s a start. Stay there if you can. Officers are being dispatched to your location now.”
“No!” I blurted out, panic taking over every nerve. “I can’t stay here. What if they find me first? I can’t be taken back to him. I won’t survive.”
“Okay, Avery,” the dispatcher said calmly, “do you know the address of where you’re trying to go? We can help guide you.”
My parents‘ house. It was the only safe place I could think of. “I… I need to get to my parents‘ house. 143 Maple Street. It’s a white house with blue shutters. Please, just tell me how to get there.”
The dispatcher began giving me directions, and I followed them as best as I could, weaving through the streets with my heart lodged in my throat. I avoided every car that passed, hiding behind dumpsters and parked vehicles until the coast was clear. My my soles searing as dirt and gravel embedded themselves deeper. I didn’t let myself think about the pain, focusing instead on putting one foot in front of
My feet burned with every step, the open cuts on the other.
I wasn’t far now. My parents‘ house was just a few more blocks away. The thought of safety of warmth, of food–spurred me forward even as my legs trembled beneath me.
By the time I reached the front steps of their house, I was barely standing. My vision swam, and I had to grip the banister to keep myself upright. The pristine white door loomed in front of me, a sharp contrast to the filth and blood that clung to me like a second skin. My hand hovered over the doorbell, shaking violently. For a moment, I hesitated. What if they turned me away? The thought was paralyzing, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.
I pressed the bell, the chime echoing faintly inside.
I waited, my breath hitching with every passing second. When the door finally swung open, my heart clenched not with relief, but with dread. Astrid stood there, her phone pressed to her ear, a bright smile lighting her face. She was dressed immaculately, her hair perfectly styled, her makeup flawless. The kind of picture–perfect appearance that screamed she hadn’t spent the night running for her life.
in
The sight of me
Her smile faltered the moment she saw me. Her eyes widened, taking
-disheveled, bleeding, and barely standing. I expected her to scream or gasp or even demand to know what happened, but instead, her lips parted, and all she said was:
(
“Avery?”
She pulled the phone away from her ear, her brows furrowing in a mix of confusion and something else–something closer to
amusement.
“Astrid,” I croaked, my voice cracked and weak, barely audible over the pounding in my chest. The world swayed around me, and I felt my knees buckle, but before I collapsed, I managed to whisper, “I need help.”
The field stretched endlessly before me, a dreamscape so vivid it felt almost real. The grass beneath my bare feet was soft, cool, and alive with the faint hum of a breeze. I was dressed in white, the fabric flowing and weightless as I ran, laughing like a child tasting freedom for the first time. The air smelled fresh, untainted, and the sky above was painted in impossible colors–deep purples blending into fiery golds and soft pinks. Scattered across the meadow were strange creatures, their shapes unfamiliar but oddly beautiful. Their skin shimmered with colors that shifted like sunlight on water, and their presence felt… safe, even magical.
I twirled, my laughter spilling out into the open air, unrestrained. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt light. Free. My heart soared, unburdened 1/2
21:25 Wed, 16 Apr
Chapter 10
by the weight of reality. But then, it started.
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14
The sky dimmed, the colors bleeding out into a dull gray. The creatures retreated into shadows, their vibrancy fading until they were little more than silhouettes. The warmth disappeared, replaced by a cold that seeped into my skin, My steps faltered as the world around me grew heavy and unfamiliar.
And then, I saw it. Blood.
It was on my hands, staining them a deep, terrifying red. My breath caught, and when I looked down, the world tilted beneath me. There, in my arms, was a man. His body was limp, his head slumped forward, hiding his face. Blood soaked his clothes, his skin, and even the white dress I wore. It was
everywhere.
My chest tightened, panic clawing its way up my throat. I tried to speak, but the words came out as broken sobs. “No, no, no… Please, wake up. Please.” My voice cracked, desperate. I shook him gently at first, then harder. The blood kept coming, warm and sticky, its metallic tang choking the air around
- me.
“Please,” I begged, my voice splintering. “Don’t leave me!”
And then the world shattered.
I woke with a scream, my body jerking upright as if I’d been pulled from the edge of a cliff. My heart hammered against my ribs, sweat clinging to my skin in cold, clammy patches. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. The nightmare’s grip still lingered, the weight of that man’s body in my arms
so real it made my hands tremble.
This dream–it wasn’t new. It had started two months after I was sent to prison, and it hadn’t stopped since. Every night, it was the same field, the same man, the same helplessness. No matter how many times I woke up gasping, drenched in sweat, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it meant something.
I pressed a shaky hand to my forehead, feeling the cool cloth there before it slid off. Blinking against the dim light, I tried to ground myself. Then I saw
her.
My mother stood at the edge of the room, her arms crossed and her face set in that familiar expression of disapproval. Her eyes swept over me, taking in my damp hair and trembling hands, but there wasn’t even a flicker of concern.
wwwww www
For a moment, I let myself hope. Maybe she’d soften, just this once. Maybe she’d step forward, ask me what was wrong, hold me like she used to when I was little and the world felt just as scary.
But that hope died as soon as she opened her mouth.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her tone sharp and unforgiving.
* Max W..
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AD
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Chapter 11
Chapter 11
