Chapter 9
Chapter 9
AVERY’S POV:
48%
I bolted from the thicket, leaving the gruesome scene behind me. My pulse thundered in my ears as my bare feet slapped against the damp, cold earth. The maze loomed, suffocating in its enormity, its hedges closing in like walls of an unending prison. I didn’t care about getting lost anymore–I just needed to keep moving. I didn’t think about Axel, bloodied and monstrous, or the guards, or even the possibility of being caught. Survival had taken over, and every breath burned as I pushed my body past exhaustion.
The jagged edges of branches snagged at my arms and legs as I tore through the maze, leaving faint trails of blood on the leaves. My dress now shredded and caked with dirt, mostly torn. My feet stung with every step, the soft soles of my shoes long gone, leaving my skin exposed to the rough ground. A sharp stone tore through the arch of my foot, and I bit back a scream, my teeth sinking into my lip until I tasted copper. I couldn’t stop. If I stopped, I was as good as dead. I just witnessed a murder.
Eventually, I broke free from the maze. The sprawling estate stretched before me in the moonlight, every shadow a potential threat. I didn’t know how I managed it, but I found a gap in the wrought–iron fencing surrounding the property, squeezing my bruised body through. The sharp metal edges caught on my skin, ripping open a fresh wound along my side, but the sting was nothing compared to the relief of being out. For the first time that night, I breathed without fear of hearing Axel’s men closing in.
The road stretched ahead, dark and empty. I limped forward, each step agony as the cold night air bit into the open cuts on my feet. My head swam from hunger, from exhaustion, from pain, but I kept going. The ground felt uneven beneath me, my bare feet slipping against the gravel, but I didn’t care. All I could think about was putting as much distance as possible between me and Axel’s house.
Time blurred as I trudged through the night. My thoughts flickered in and out, a haze of pain and fear that left me staggering.
pt walking, hoping I could find a lift, but no one paid attention to a bleeding and haggard–looking girl.
I found myself on the outskirts of the city. Buildings began to emerge in the dim light, their shapes familiar and yet distant. Looking around, I knew I was lost,
I stumbled forward, each step feeling heavier than the last. My feet were raw, leaving faint smears of blood on the gravel, and my breaths came in short, sharp gasps. I couldn’t let myself stop, not even for a moment. If I stopped, he might catch up to me. The thought of Axel–or worse, his men–dragging me back to that house made my stomach churn.
Every sound set me on edge–the rustle of leaves, the distant howl of a dog, the faint rumble of an approaching car. The first set of headlights cut through the night, the bright beams making me freeze in place like a hunted deer. Panic rose in my chest as I scanned for cover, spotting a shallow ditch on the side of the road. Without thinking, I threw myself into it, the cold mud seeping into my torn dress as I pressed myself against the earth. The car passed slowly, its tires crunching on the gravel, and I held my breath, praying they didn’t stop.
When the sound of the engine faded, I lifted my head cautiously, my heart still hammering. My limbs felt stiff as I climbed out of the ditch, but I couldn’t stop to rest. I glanced back down the road, half–expecting to see another car or Axel’s men searching for me. The thought alone was enough to keep me moving.
The road eventually led me to a dark building, most of the windows shuttered as the town slept. I avoided the main streets, sticking to the shadows and darting down alleys whenever headlights appeared. My hands shook as I reached out to steady myself against a brick wall. I couldn’t go to a hospital- not yet. Seeing Axel, I could tell he had influence, money, and power. He could find me there.
I spotted a payphone on the corner, its chipped paint gleaming faintly in the pale glow of a nearby streetlight. My legs carried me to it almost on instinct, though I realized quickly I didn’t have a single coin to make a call. My fingers clawed at the side compartment, hoping by some miracle someone had left loose change, but it was empty.
Frustration surged through me, my throat tightening with the urge to cry, but I couldn’t fall apart. Not now. My eyes darted around until they landed on a worn phone book dangling from a chain beneath the phone. I flipped through its pages frantically, my vision blurring with exhaustion as I searched for anything familiar, A street name, a landmark–anything that could help me find my way back home. My hands trembled as I traced the names listed in fine print, but nothing jumped out at me.
Then I saw it–a page for emergency services. My hand hovered over the receiver, hesitation tugging at me. Would they even believe me? If I called the police, would they actually help, or would Axel’s reach extend even there? The memory of his bloodied hands flashed in my mind, and my stomach
churned. I didn’t have a choice.
1/2
+5
Chapter 9
1 lifted the receiver with shaky fingers and dialed the number listed under “Police Emergency.” The ringing felt endless before a voice finally came on the line.
*This is 911. What’s your emergency?”
“1” My voice cracked, hoarse from dehydration and fear. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak. “I’ve been kidnapped. Please, you have to help me. I escaped, but… but I don’t know where I am. I don’t know how to get home.”
“Ma’am, stay calm. Can you tell me your name?”
What name could I even give them? Avery Russell–my father’s name? That felt like a lie, a connection long severed. Avery Grayson? Chase had divorced me, stripping that name away along with everything else. Avery Blackwood? The thought made me sick in my stomach. Taking that name would mean I’d accepted being tied to the monster who had dragged me into this nightmare.
2/2
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