Page 98 of The Darkest Hour

Sometimes. . .the trees closed in around me, and gnarled branches reached out like claws, snagging at my bra.

My panties.

Whipping across my face.

Scraping against my skin.

Sometimes. . .roots seemed to rise from the ground with the sole purpose to trip me.

But, I would not let them.

I would not fall.

I would not stop to breathe.

I would not be caught by Havoc.

Even if the idea of him catching me. . .somewhat excited me.

Was this how Little Red Riding Hood felt when she tried to get away from the wolf?

Desperate.

Breathless.

Knowing the danger was just behind her, but not daring to look back?

And probably because I was so sleep deprived and dehydrated, I wondered if Red harbored a secret longing to be devoured by the wolf.

Was there something about the danger, about the wildness in the air, that called to the deepest parts of Red’s soul—the parts she kept hidden even from herself?

What if Red hadn’t been so young and innocent?

What if the wolf's waiting jaws, were more intoxicating to Red than being safe?

Maybe, just maybe, when the wolf finally caught up to her, when his teeth gleamed in the dim light and his breath was hot on her neck, Red didn’t scream.

Perhaps, she whispered his name.

And as his jaws closed around her, perhaps Red finally felt the release she had been chasing, the surrender she had craved.

And even more. . .in that final moment, maybe she understood that the chase had never really been about escape. It had always been about finding the one thing that could devour her whole, the one thing that could make her feel truly alive.

Good God. I really am losing my mind.

Or was it the forest—so dark and mysterious—whispering these seductive theories to me?

Enough.

I pushed the whole Horny Little Red Riding Hood theories out of my head and focused on the mission at hand—get safe from Havoc and find a way off of the island.

I have to be out of Havoc’s ability to smell me now.

I risked wondering a little bit about Havoc.

Like if he did catch me, would I sense his presence before I saw him?

Would my skin prickle?