Prologue

Liza

“Come back here you slut!” yells my step father. “When I get my hands on you, I promise you, that you will regret it.”

Running thru the dark streets, I can’t believe I got away! I can hear my heartbeat pumping in my ears, but I have to keep moving. If my step father catches me, I know he will finish what he started in my bedroom. No!! I can’t go back.

'I just need to make it to Amanda's house. There, I can be safe, until I can figure out what to do,!' I say to myself.

I kept running as fast as I could down the road. To my right, I noticed the short cut Amanda and I always took when we were younger, so I headed straight for it. I can’t shake the feeling that I am being watched, and I just hope and pray my step father hasn’t caught up to me.

As I round the corner I duck behind the dumpster, just as I hear footsteps approaching. Throwing my hands tightly on my mouth; inhaling deeply, I begin holding my breath and I sit and wait. I am so sure I am going to get caught.

'Please! Daddy, I beg of you. If you can hear me, PLEASE, let me make it out of this tonight. In two months, I will be 18, so I will finally be free to leave that house behind. So please daddy, I beg you. Find a way for me to stay safe.' I pray, hoping my dad can hear me, (wherever he is up there).

The footsteps come closer, whoever they belonged to, they just stopped right in front of my hiding spot. Sitting really still, I wait for what seemed like an eternity, before whoever it was runs back the way they came. Slowly, peaking my head out I can see the backside of my step father.

'OK! When he's gone, I'm going to make a run for it!' I say to myself.

Just a few more moments pass by, when I am sure he isn’t coming back I bolt. I turn to look behind me to make sure Mark isn’t following me. I didn’t notice the man until it’s too late, and I ran right into his hard chest.

“Oof.” The stranger says as if I knocked the wind out of him.

“I am so sorry I didn’t see…” I started to apologize.

“My, my, my, what tasty treat do we have here boys.”

Panicked I tried to get free, just as three more men walk out of the shadows looking at me, as if I am to be devoured. Then everything goes black.