Page 58 of Ready Or Not

Riley doesn’t move.

I take another step.

Still, Riley doesn’t react.

My heart races. If I go to the cops, surely they can protect me against Manson. If he’s as bad as Riley says, they’re probably looking for him anyway. I can tell them where he lives, and they’ll arrest him, and then I’ll be safe. But that means they’ll probably arrest Riley, too.

For some reason, my heart twists. I hate that idea. Even though this is the woman who helped kidnap and drug me. The woman who killed someone in front of me.

So why the hell am I hesitating?

Something isn’t right with Riley. She tried to hide the pain earlier, but now it’s all over her face. And for some unknown reason, I hate that.

I back away from her, but it physically hurts. Riley doesn’t notice. Adrenaline washes through my body. As I back up, my foot crunches on something. I glance down and lift my foot. I see a tiny skull, probably belonging to a squirrel, crushed to pieces under my boot.

Fuck. I broke it. Sadness fills me. As I stare at the fractured skull, I realize that staying means the end of all the things I know. To ever being able to go home. To collecting my skulls and minding my own business. To maybe even live my life.

So I do the only thing I can do. I run.

I dart toward the road, blindly running toward the rest of the town. My body feels sluggish, like it doesn’t want me to run, and my leg twinges in pain. But I have to.I have to.

Suddenly, my foot catches on something, and I crash to the ground, hands skidding on the dry dirt. I grind to a halt, suddenly hyper-aware of all the sounds around me.

“Rachel?” Riley asks.

I dart up, sprinting toward the road. My feet hit the pavement, and I turn left, running faster than I have in my life. Things blur past me as I go.

“Rachel!” The shout is a warning.

Fuck! I dart to the left. Maybe I can lose her in the brush. I jump into the bushes, only to get held back momentarily by the sticks. I push forward, pressing into the tree line.

I hear Riley chasing me. She’s close. So fucking close.

I heave for breath. This is it. She’s going to kill me if she catches me. I fucked up.

A body slams into mine, and I stumble forward. I rush toward the ground, and at the last second, I’m flipped around, so I land on a soft body as we go crashing into the dirt. In a second, Riley is hovering over top of me. Her eyes are bright and manic.

I scream, thrashing, trying to get away. Riley pins me down, laughing meanly. “Were you trying to run, Rachel?”

“Help!” I scream. “Somebody help!” I kick and buck.

“Don’t worry.” Riley struggles to get my hands pinned in her one. “I’ll kill you quickly.” She looks down at me with a mocking smile.

I fight to get away, but I’m stuck. Again. I’m trapped under someone who pities me and my weakness.

Just like with Papa.

Blind rage rushes through me. This may have been how it went as a child, but I will not die without a fight. I will not hide any longer.

“Fuck you,” I hiss. Fighting her fills me with adrenaline and fear, but I keep going. “I’ll take you down with me.” I struggle and glare up at Riley with all the hatred I can muster. Suddenly,all of the adrenaline that races through me feels good. I’m tired of taking everything quietly and never causing a scene. This will not be how I go down.

I butt my head up into Riley’s, and they crack together so hard I feel it in my teeth. She lets off my hands for a second, and I rip them out from under her.

Adrenaline rushes through me. If I’m going to die, I’ll die fighting.

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