CHAPTER 4

Behind her, the hillbillies were making one hell of a ruckus. It sounded like a demolition crew was taking the guts out of the station. The girl darted for the woods through the cold rain, hoping she could lose her pursuers in the dense brush. Her first few steps beyond the tree-line found her snagged by briars. She tore through them and ignored the pain caused by sharp rocks and twigs jabbing the bottoms of her feet.

It was dark in the woods, and her panicked mind sent her in one direction and then the next, each turn looking the same as the last until she ran head-first into a thick oak, putting her on her back in a mess of wet leaves. Dazed, she stood on unsteady legs, tried to contain her weeping by cupping her mouth and nose in her palms. She leaned on the tree to support her weight and tried to figure out her next move. To her surprise, she hadn’t made it far, as she could still see the single street light at the front of the gas station.

Two options presented themselves to her; run or hide. Neither of them seemed very good, but putting distance between her and the savages that would no doubt murder her if she was caught seemed like the better bet. A snapshot of her mother’s lifeless body lying at Skooter’s feet came to mind, bringing fresh tears to her cheeks. She knew that if she didn’t get away it would be her lying dead on the ground, and that her death would be far worse than her mother’s. The hillbillies would see to that.

She peered into the woods, an endless expanse of ominous gray and black confusion that threatened to swallow her whole. It was now or never. Do or die. Run and hide. But before she could take a step, Hollis called out and a flood of fear rooted her to the ground.

“Little darlin’!” His gruff voice echoed between the trees.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit,” the girl whispered to herself with wide eyes. She tried to make out her attackers but couldn’t.

“Come on back here so we don’t have to walk in the rain, you fuckin’ cunt!” continued Hollis. She looked toward his voice but found nothing but the trees.

The girl’s legs were trembling, her heart beating so loudly she thought it might give her away. She would hide, for better or worse; she would hide. And she would pray. She knelt down and pushed her bruised body against the cold bark of the tree, tried to make herself as small as possible. She wished she’d worn a darker color today, wondered if they could already see her yellow dress shining like a beacon in the dark forest.