Chapter 14

Freyas pov

I rearranged everything, made sure the bag wasn’t too heavy. While doing that I also pitied clothes and blankets we would need as I wrapped a scarf around her neck.

“Alright baby, we have to be really quiet around here. No need to shout or yell or anything we need to move like ghosts so that no one will get to us.”

“But how can we move like ghosts when we are alive, mummy?” She asked as I sighed. It would be a long time before she would get what I meant so I looked around the room.

“How about we play a little game where we go for a walk and you don’t let anyone know. You can’t tell anyone.”

She nodded. “Okay.”

God, I felt like crying. But I couldn’t. Not now.

I took her hand. “Come on.”

We opened the window. The night air came in like a rush of knives, and it smelled like pine trees and rain.

I helped Zara out first and then climbed through, the bag heavy on my back.

When I dropped I looked around to see if anyone would see us from this angle. There was no one and so I moved forward.

“Your hand,” I whispered as she gave it to me and I held her close to me.

And then we kept moving. Step by step, off the grass, towards the edge of the pack. Towards freedom.

Every second I expected a shout. A light flicking on. Zac’s voice booming from the house.

But nothing.

The night didn’t want to end.

And neither did I.

I ran through the woods clutching my daughters hand as we ran.

We were free.

Gods I knew the front was not going to be any better, but we were free then.

The house, the maids and the whispers and God knows what else, I left it all behind out there in the fields. I could almost laugh. Almost.

But my luck was only short lived as Zara tripped. Her short little body slamming into the ground.

“Zara!” I dropped to my knees beside her, panic racing through me. “Baby, are you okay?”

She whimpered a bit, holding onto her leg as tears filled her eyes. “Mommy… it hurts.”

My chest imploded. I reached over and touched that leg, careful though, but she screamed out when I moved it the smallest bit.

It was broken.

Oh no. Oh, baby, no.

I helped myself together and pressed my head to her own. “I got you. I won’t leave you.”

She cried harder. The sound was the sound of my heart being torn in two.

“Stop crying my love,” I said to her as I slowly lifted her up with our heavy bags and started to trudge on further.

Still I kept walking.

One step. Two steps. Into the forest and towards the night. My tears dropped onto her head and I said, “Don’t be scared my girl. It’s mummy, it’s gonna be okay just hold on.”

Forever the forest stretched. Each step echoed in my bones. Zara whimpered against me, her pain a knife through my chest. I wanted to scream, to cry and break apart but I couldn't.

When I finally reached a clearing, I fell to the ground as the moonlight reflected off the grass.

Her hair was so dark, so beautiful, and I set her gently down. I laughed and it came out an exhausted sigh. I could see she looked so pale.

I looked around for anything to make a fire out of as I got a few dry leaves together and some twigs and got two rocks which I split together and the sparks hit the leaves, starting up a fire.

I stayed next to her, sitting her down on my lap. I took a part of the bottom of my dress and wrapped it around her leg tightly as I could. Then I went in search for a stick long enough to be used as a splint. My hands shook the whole time, but I got it done.

Zara winced and bit into her lip, but she didn't cry out. Strong girl.

“There,” I whispered. “It’ll help. I promise.”

She nodded as I leaned back against a tree with her laying on my lap.

“Mummy?” her tiny voice called out.

“Yeah?”

“Can you tell me a story?”

I could tell she wanted something to take her mind away from the pain she was feeling.

I swallowed hard, brushing her cheek. “Alright… let me think.”

My voice shook, but I started.

“Once upon a time… there was a girl. Not too big and not too strong either but she was stronger than most. She lived in a place where people were mean to her, told her she was nothing. But one day, she decided she wasn’t nothing. She was everything. And she ran away.”

“What’s with her?” she muttered. “Why didn’t she stay and fight?”

“Because the last time she fought she killed them but this time she decided to have mercy on them and go away.”

I kissed her forehead, tears tracking down my face. “Is that okay?”

Zara squeezed my hand tightly. “Was she… was she me?”

I laughed, shakily, and wiped my own face. “Maybe. Maybe it was you. Maybe it was us.”

She giggled a little, before a noise pushed around us.

It was a low chuckle and my heart sank.

I looked through the darkness around us as my heart was slamming into my sides.

Someone was there. Watching. Laughing.

The sound came again but softer this time, a low chuckle almost like a scoff that rumbled through the night air as though it belonged there.

Zara stirred in my arms, whispering, “Mommy… what’s that? I’m scared.”

I grabbed the closest rock to me. “I’ve got a weapon and I’m not afraid to use it!

Nothing answered as I heaved.

"Who's there?" I called again, my voice cracking in the night air.

For a moment, nothing. But it didn’t take long before four men popped out from the forest before us.

They had no shirts on so their chests were bare but they had on briefs which showed their bulges.

I used my hand to cover Zara to look away from them.

My blood turned to ice.

“Mummy,” Zara said as I held her close to me.

“It’s okay sweetie,” was all I could say.

“Leave us alone! We don’t want any trouble!” I yelled at them.

One of the men tipped his head back, with gleaming teeth and dark eyes. “Leave you be? And why would we do that?” His voice was a rough bass that twisted my gut.

My fists tightened. “If you’re from Zac, I can explain. I didn’t mean to… The vase… I didn’t mean to break it. Please.”

They all stopped and looked at one another, clearly confused.

The tallest one of the four laughed while shaking his head. “Zac? Who the hell is Zac?”

The others laughed, the sound was cold, sharp and echoed through the trees.

I blinked and my breath caught. “Y… you don’t know him?”

Another man stepped forward, his eyes gleaming. “No, sweetheart. We don’t know no Zac. We’re here for something else.” He spread his arms wide, like the forest itself was his. “We’re here to remind you whose land this is. Whose fields these are.”

They laughed again as I gulped.

“Please. Please, we’re not from here. I’ll leave right now, I promise. Just let us go.”

They kept coming closer. The tallest one got nearer, his grin too big and his eyes too black. “Hush,” he said in a pretend-whisper. “Don’t worry. We’ll look after you and make sure no parts go to waste.”

All I could think of was how I had gone from frying pan to the fucking lava at this point.