His voice taunted me through the trees. I whipped my head around, heart hammering, but I couldn't see him. My trembling hand clicked the emergency button again, and the sharp, shrill sound of the siren broke the suffocating silence. My breath caught in my throat, the noise loud enough to make me flinch.

"You think you're clever, don't you?" His voice sliced through the air, low and mocking. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but it had definitely gotten closer.

I swallowed hard, forcing my body to move. My legs felt like lead, my steps unsteady as I crept along the forest floor. Leaves crunched faintly beneath my trainers, each sound betraying me, every step too loud, too clumsy.

My breathing filled the air as I edged forward, each inhale sharp and ragged. My heart pounded violently, so loud I was sure he could hear it. The dense trees blurred together as his voice rang out again.

"You're making this worse for yourself, Sam," he called, his tone cold and clipped, with a twisted edge of glee. "You know what happens now, don't you? I'm going to have to punish you."

I froze, a shudder running through me as his words hung in the air. He was closer. Too close. I had to run.

Without looking back, I pushed off and sprinted, my legs burning with effort as I tore through the forest. The air felt heavy, thick, each breath scraping my throat as I ran blindly. Branches lashed at my face and arms, stinging like whips, but I didn't stop.

Then my foot caught on something.

I went sprawling forward, hitting the ground hard. The phone skidded out of my hand, tumbling into the dirt. Pain exploded through my knee, but I didn't have time to dwell on it. I scrambled forward, searching through the wet leaves.

I couldn't find it and had to move I went to get up, to start moving again but fingers slid into my hair yanking me backwards

"No!" I screamed, kicking wildly, dirt flying as I fought to break free my hands rose and help onto his wrist trying to dull the pain of my hair ripping out.

he dragged me closer pulling me against his chest his breath came in harsh, furious bursts against my neck.

"You think you can get away from me?" he snarled, his voice cracking with a sick mix of anger and disbelief. "After everything I've done for you? After everything I've sacrificed for us?" His lips were touching my ear, I clawed at his fingers trying to break free.
When he finally let go I fell to my knees I tried to crawl forward but his hand gripped the waistband of my trousers, hauling me backward as though I weighed nothing.

In one swift motion, he flipped me onto my back.

"You ungrateful little—" he spat, his voice shaking with fury. His hands shot to my throat, tightening like a vice as he straddled by body.  His face loomed inches from mine, twisted into something monstrous.
"I did this for you! I waited for you! And this is how you repay me?"

His hands squeezed harder, cutting off my air. My chest heaved, desperate for breath. My fingers clawed at his hands, nails digging into his skin, but he didn't flinch. My legs struggled beneath him uselessly, as his weight pressed down on me.

The edges of my vision darkened, tunneling into blackness. My head pounded, my lungs screaming for air. The forest blurred, the sounds of my struggle swallowed by the suffocating silence.

I could feel my strength fading, my limbs growing heavy, but my fingers continued to dig into the earth, instinct driving me. Dirt embedded itself beneath my nails, rough and sharp. Then—something hard.

A rock.

My fingers closed around it, gritty and solid. With what little strength I had left, I heaved it upward, connecting with the side of his head. His grip loosened, and air rushed into my lungs in a sharp, painful gasp.

He dropped sideways, groaning, and I clawed my way out from under him. My nails dug into the earth as I scrambled forward, every inch feeling like a mile. My vision blurred with tears, my chest heaving as I tried to pull myself upright.

Then I felt it—his hand, bloodied and trembling, clamping down on my ankle.

"No!" I screamed, kicking wildly, my heel catching him in the jaw. He grunted but didn't let go, his grip tightening like a vice. My heart thundered as I twisted around, the rock still clutched in my trembling hand.

"You don't get to leave me!" he snarled, his voice raw and unhinged. Blood trickled down the side of his face.

I swung the rock again, this time catching him across the bridge of his nose. He howled, his grip finally breaking as he slumped back, dazed. I didn't wait. I shoved myself to my feet, my legs shaky but desperate to carry me away. The forest blurred around me, my vision clouded with tears, rain started to drip down confusing my vision even more. My breaths came in ragged gasps, each one sharp and burning as I pushed forward, slipping and sliding on the slick, muddy ground as the rain started to come down harder.

I heard turner behind me, he was relentless.

"Sam!" he bellowed, his voice raw with fury. "You think this is over? You think you can leave me?"

Desperation clawed at me, and through the haze of pain, I stumbled forward, pushing deeper into the forest.

Turner's voice roared behind me, his breathless fury cutting through the storm of rain and my ragged gasps. I stumbled, mud slick beneath my feet, my shoulder slamming into the jagged bark of a tree. My legs burned, my chest heaved, but I forced myself to keep moving.

"Sam!" he bellowed, his voice raw, guttural.

I pushed harder, ignoring the sharp pain lancing through my side, but it was useless. He was faster. Stronger. He was on me in seconds.

His weight crashed into my back, driving me face-first into the muddy ground. My chin scraped against a hidden root, the metallic tang of blood filling my mouth as I choked on a cry. His hands locked around my arms, flipping me onto my back.

"You're not going anywhere!" Turner snarled, his face inches from mine, his expression twisted with rage and something far darker. "You're mine, Sam. Do you hear me? You're mine!"

I screamed, thrashing beneath him, my nails clawing at his face. One hand connected, raking down his cheek, drawing a line of blood.

"Stop fighting me!?" He recoiled, but only for a moment. His hand shot out, striking me across the face with a deafening slap stars exploded in my vision, the shock of the blow leaving my ears ringing. Pain radiated from my cheekbone, my head snapping to the side. Before I could react, his hand gripped my shoulder, and a sickening crack followed as he wrenched me down against the ground.

Agony burst through me, white-hot and blinding. A scream tore from my throat as I cradled my shoulder, my chest heaving with sobs.

"You make me do this!" Turner spat, his voice shaking with unrestrained fury. "Why do you always make me do this?"

His words faded into a blur of sound as the pain in my collarbone throbbed, each movement sending fresh waves of agony through my body. I struggled to breathe, my vision swimming, but a single thought burned through the haze.

Somehow, I managed to twist my body, my hand brushing against a jagged piece of bark. I closed my fingers around it, the rough edges biting into my palm, but I didn't care. He was too caught up in his tirade to notice as I tucked it against my side, hiding it from view.

"You don't understand, Sam," Turner continued, his voice breaking as tears mixed with the rain streaking his face. The water ran in rivulets down his bloodied cheek, washing streaks of red onto his shirt. "I did all of this for you. For us. You're all I have. You're all I've ever wanted."

I coughed, blood splattering my lips as the metallic taste coated my tongue. My chest heaved as I forced myself to meet his gaze, every inch of my body screaming in pain.

"You're insane," I rasped, my voice raw and broken.

His face twisted, his features contorting into something monstrous. His hand shot out, grabbing my chin in an iron grip, forcing me to meet his eyes. "No," he hissed, his voice trembling with fury. "I'm the only one who's ever loved you."

The world around me blurred, the cold rain mingling with the heat of my tears. My pulse thundered in my ears, a relentless drumbeat of survival. My fingers tightened around the jagged bark hidden at my side, its edges biting into my palm.

Summoning every ounce of strength I had left, I drove the bark upward with a primal scream, slamming it into the side of his neck. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth opening in a soundless gasp as blood spurted from the wound, hot and sticky against my trembling hand. The coppery smell of it mixed with the damp earth, the rain failing to wash it away fast enough.

I screamed, shoving him off me as his hands clawed weakly at his neck. His legs wobbled, and he staggered backward, his movements jerky and unsteady before he crumpled to the ground.

I didn't stop. The world around me disappeared, the storm nothing more than a distant roar as I crawled toward him. My body trembled with rage, a fury so all-consuming that it burned brighter than the pain. "This is for Amber," I whispered, my voice breaking, lifting the bark again with shaking hands.

I brought it down, the force vibrating through my arms. And again. And again. Each impact was punctuated by a sob, tears blinding me as I struck until his movements stilled, his eyes dull and lifeless. The blood sprayed, warm against my already cold, rain-soaked skin, but I didn't stop until my strength gave out.

The bark slipped from my trembling fingers, thudding softly onto the muddy ground. My chest heaved, each breath raw and jagged as I collapsed beside him. The rain pounded relentlessly, washing over me, mingling with the blood pooling beneath us.

I stared at the canopy of trees above, their branches swaying wildly in the storm as the edges of my vision darkened. My body was spent, every nerve frayed and burning, but I couldn't close my eyes. Not yet. I couldn't let the darkness win.

And then, through the chaos of the storm, a voice pierced the haze. Faint and distorted, it called my name. Ridge. Was it Ridge? Or was it my mind giving me hope where there was none?

I tried to lift my head, tried to move, but my body refused to obey. The sound of the voice wavered, growing louder, then fading again, as if the forest itself were swallowing it.

The world blurred and tilted, the rain turning to nothing more than a distant whisper as everything slipped away into blackness.