BRIELLA

I ran as if my life was on the line.

I ran so fast, I thought I was going to get dizzy. I skipped through the branches and twigs, having no shoes on and that gave me a disadvantage. They hadn't let me wear shoes for the same reason, it would be hard to run without them in the forest but the thought of going back to that group of vultures was even worse.

I'd rather die than go back to Scar; the man who'd bought me.

A sharp pain stabbed in my feet, I knew those were thorns but I kept going, refusing to take a break even for one second. If I paused, there were chances of getting caught.

I couldn't risk that happening.

My throat went dry and I felt thirsty all of a sudden. I ran for what felt like hours, slowing down only for a few seconds to check if anyone was following me.

The sun went down, and I realized that I needed to take cover. Find a safe place for the night until I could navigate through the woods to find a road in the morning.

Was there even a road ahead? I wondered. So far, I hadn't had much luck.

Finally, I found a place by a large tree where I sat down. I collected leaves to put them on the ground where I planned to sleep because I feared the ants would bite me. My stomach growled reminding me of having skipped both lunch and dinner. I only had some fruits for breakfast in the morning before we had left.

I didn't know when I drifted off to sleep.

I had a dream.

In the dream, I was back in the bar, chatting with the patrons, putting on my charm, flirting with them. I smiled at the memory.

Then I heard the mummers.

I snapped my eyes open in the dark and my body switched to alert.

"She must not have gone far." One voice said.

"We have to find her or Scar will have our heads."

I froze when I heard Scar's name.

My entire body was sore, my legs were numb and hunger was driving me crazy. I was pretty sure my feet had blisters on it by now, but I knew I couldn't give up.

The thoughts of being owned by a person made me sick and the will to survive this situation propelled my body forward. I climbed to my feet and dashed into the opposite direction from where I had heard the sounds coming from.

I didn't stop running until I knew I had gone far. I found some berries on the way that I grabbed desperately and had eaten them, but a few minutes later I felt sick and I threw up. The wild berries weren't edible, and out of desperation; I hadn't even bothered to make sure.

There was no energy left inside my body as I pushed forward. Tears stained my cheeks, thirst, and hunger was making me delirious.

I knew I would collapse any second.

And as if the god had listened to my prayers, I came across a clearing, rows, and rows of fields. A scarecrow remained crucified in the center of the field; the moonlight was giving it an eerie look.

An old house towered over the tall grass at a distance and the only one in view.

I almost sobbed in relief.

I hated to put their lives in danger, but I had no choice. The people living in this house were my only chance at survival. There was no other house in the vicinity and I didn't know how many miles I would need to travel to get to civilization.

I would beg, grovel; I'd do whatever I needed to get inside the house. I didn't need much space. I could even stay in their basement.

I was desperate.

I reached the wooden steps and climbed it slowly. The door had an old fashioned handle that you could use to knock.

Here goes nothing.

I picked it up and rapped it a few times.

A second passed, and then some more. I picked it up and knocked again, "hello? Can you please open the door?"

Thankfully, I saw the porch light turn on and the sound of footsteps thumping on the floorboards. I waited there anticipating the worst. I was ready to talk my way out of any situation, shoulder my way inside if I need to.

The door swung open and a tall man stood at the threshold, looking at me with a deadpan expression on his face and I wondered if he would throw me off his property any second. He was a large, muscular man with hair that was a mix between dark brown and blond, he looked straight into my eyes and then quickly averted his gaze, staring at the floor.

"Please help me." I pleaded. "I was kidnapped by some people who are following me right now. I've been running from them all day. I just need a hiding place somewhere inside your house for a few minutes and if I could also borrow your phone to call for help, I'll clean your house in return or anything that you need. Please..."

He continued to avoid eye-contact but stepped away and pointed inside, "Go straight and take the door on your right that will lead you into the basement. Hide."

I stumbled and walked inside, I could kiss this man right now. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

My feet hurt, and I was going to need some medical attention later on but right now, I needed to hide.

I took the stairs downstairs to the dark basement and I noticed there was only one dim light on. The floorboards creaked with every step. The area was littered with a lot of unwanted stuff, mostly knick-knacks, and smelled like wax and a slight stench of what could have been an animal's pen. An old couch was on the far end of the space.

A small door below the stairs led to a storage area that was dumped with old furniture. I crawled into the tiny space and hid underneath it.

The house was silent so I heard every footstep and thump echoing through it. I probably spent a good ten minutes in peace until I heard the door open and the sounds of men's chatter. I had no doubt in my mind whose voices they belonged to, it was Rust and Hammer. They spoke with the man whose house I was currently invading.

I hoped and prayed the man didn't rat me out, in case he thought I wasn't worth all the trouble.

The sounds of the footsteps neared. They were standing right at the top of the basement stairs.

"We'd like to check the premises if you don't mind. She's a wild little thing," Hammer chuckled, "A little on the crazier side, and she likes to make up outrageous stories. We wouldn't want her troubling you, sir."

They were lying through their teeth.

I heard the loud thumps of the footsteps as they made their way downstairs.

I held my breath, covering my mouth with my hand.

"Rust, you look in that direction and I'll look this side."

"Got it."

There were some shuffling sounds for a while. I saw Rust's boots closing up on me, he was so close.

I was going to get caught.

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