Snare (Delirious book 1) (42 page)

Accompanying song:
“The Hunted” by Snowghosts

My lungs burn and my legs ache, but I will not let it stop me. I run and run until I can’t feel anything anymore, and then I still keep running. The forest is dense, the branches of the trees thick and unbending. They scratch me as I swipe them away, pushing my way through. The ground is soggy and my feet are icy cold, but I keep going. I hold on for dear life … just to live. Now more than ever do I realize how much I
want
to live.

Now that I remember
everything.

I know Sebastian is a traitor, a liar, a betrayer, and a murderer. He was in it from the start. How could I so blindly have trusted him and put my life on the line for him? How could I want that which caused all my misery?

And oh … Ashley … she’s still in the institution. I left her there alone, in the dark, without me. She remembers it all, and yet nobody believes her. She blames me for everything, and now I understand why. I should’ve stopped myself from blocking it out, should’ve been there to support her claim, get her out, and bring justice to the men who took our innocence.

A gunshot rips me from my thoughts. The loud bang reverberates in my ears. Birds scatter from the treetops, the noise muddling my sense of direction. I turn a complete circle, trying to pinpoint where it came from. Another shot is fired, and I duck, holding my hands above my head. The bullet bounces off a tree right next to me.

There’s no way I can describe the sheer panic rushing over me.

As I gaze up to see if the coast is clear, I see Sebastian’s hollowed face from behind a tree. For a moment, my heart stops.

Jesus Christ.

He has a shotgun.

And he’s trying to shoot me with it.

I dash, trying to push away the thought of him gunning me down. It would only slow me down. As fast as I can, I dart through the woods, avoiding gunfire. Leaves rustle under his feet as he chases after me. I look over my shoulder, gazing into blue eyes that sparkle with excitement and ferocity. The coldness in his gaze and the determination in his stride bring chills to my bones. A certain gleam in his eyes and the devilish smile on his lips cause me to scream.

“I smell blood …” he growls. “Your blood.”

I touch the scrape on my cheek and gape at my trembling, bloodstained fingers.

“Have you ever tasted your own blood?” he asks, shooting again.

I squeal and duck, then stumble to flee again.

“I think it would taste delicious …”

“Stay away!” I scream, darting away with difficulty, my feet heavy from the mud.

He laughs, almost maniacally. I’ve never seen or heard him be like this before. Almost as if there is bloodlust inside him. The need to kill.

Goosebumps cloak my body in disgust.

“C’mon, Miss Carrigan, are you going to accept your fate with dignity, or do you want me to hunt you down like some wild stock?”

“You’re going to fucking shoot me like I’m game?”

“Stop running and you’ll find out.”

“Like hell I will!”

I zigzag through the woods, trying to slow him down so I can get the hell away from him, but he’s quicker than I thought. More used to hunting than I imagined. I remember him shooting the deer, and it all starts connecting in my head. He hunts. Not just animals … but girls, too.

Who is this man?

No prickle from a bush or scrape from a branch can make me feel like I’m not dreaming. This is a nightmare come to life.

I push past some branches but realize too late that there’s a huge drop. Tumbling down the hill, I protect my head by rolling up into a ball until I come to a stop against a firm trunk. My head pounds, my legs ache, my hands shiver, and I’m covered in cuts and bruises, but I crawl up the moment I hear the rattling of his shotgun coming closer. Panting, I drag myself behind the thick tree and wait, hoping he’ll pass and go in a different direction.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” he calls, chuckling. “Oh, you know it won’t help to hide. You’ll be found somehow … whether it’s now or in thirty minutes. I can go forever, but you? I have a feeling you’re still too drowsy from that drug to even fight me,” he muses. “So come out, Miss Carrigan, and this will be over swiftly.”

I slam my lips shut, resisting the urge to scold him. The salty tang of my own sweat enters my mouth, and I can taste my own fear. The thick, cold air surrounding me has me in tremors. The silence is killing me. I don’t hear any noises, no rustles, no rattling, no gunfire or leather scraping against leather as he walks. I hear nothing. This moment of solitude has me thinking about things I don’t want to think about. Death. Loneliness. The fact that I have no one and nothing to live for … why should I go on?

Why does it matter?

Why don’t I just give up?

It is then that I realize I’m not the only one who was hurt by this. Ashley … she’s still there, waiting for me to rescue her. The thought awakens a fierceness in me that sends renewed energy through my veins. I must go on for
her
. One way or another, I will get her out of there, and I won’t stop until we’re both safe and free to live our lives. Staying here will do me no good. I have to run and get away,
now
. Before it’s too late.

“Boo.”

To my left, glinting teeth like those of a wolf makes me scream. “Found you.”

I shove myself away from the tree and make a run for it, but bullets rain down upon me like snowflakes falling from the sky. I duck and fall head down on the ground, curling up my legs and feet as the gunfire is close to where I lie. Crawling backward, I look up and gaze into icy blue eyes laced with delight and a hint of cruel amusement.

“No …” I whimper, shaking my head as the gun is pointed at me.

I can’t run, and I can’t hide. He’ll kill me before I have a chance.

This is it. This is the end.

My life is over, but at least I’ll go out with a bang.

“Stay still, little fairy. It’ll all be over soon…”

Accompanying song:
“Attack on Titan” by Shingeki no kyojin Ost

Meeting Room, Genesis. Providence, Rhode Island – June 2
nd
, 2013

Fuck.

Fuck!

Just from the look on his face, I know I’m screwed.

Arthur squints as he sits in his king-like chair, watching me enter the meeting room. Hubert and Lewis don’t look at me, averting their eyes when they hear me step inside. Only Patrick shortly glances at me. They don’t need to look at me or say a word to let me know how they feel; the air is thick with rage.

I will away the fear creeping under my skin as I walk to my own chair and sit down. His fingers are splayed against each other, his gaze perpetually on me as I try not to feel intimidated by him. In here, it is survival of the fittest. The weak are killed by the strong. I must not be weak.

It would take them three seconds to finish me off.

I know, because I’ve seen them do it with my own eyes.

The calmness that his body and eyes exhume are a lie. I know why he summoned me here. He knows.

“Sebastian …” he begins. “I heard some troubling news from the doctor today.”

“Oh, really?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know,” Hubert barks.

I shut my mouth and stop breathing. The way Hubert looks at me is almost as if he’s just killed me with his eyes.

“She’s escaped,” Arthur says.

“Yes, so I’ve heard.”

“And someone spotted her near your house,” Hubert mocks, chuckling.

His eyes widen when I gulp. I feel trapped. I know that whatever I say or do will decide whether I live or die. They don’t take well to traitors, but they might excuse a mistake.

“That someone was me,” Lewis muses. “And you were with her. You were in such a hurry to get inside the building, and the car was obscuring my sight, but I couldn’t help notice the bright red hair disappearing through the door. It can only mean one thing.”

Oh, fuck no.

“Care to explain?”

I take a deep breath and think of a clever response. “Yes, she escaped. She came to me a couple of days ago and I have been trying to take her back to the hospital but to no avail. She is rather … persuasive.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” Arthur snaps. “You know the rules.”

“I know, and rest assured, I am going to solve it immediately. I have no idea how she escaped and found her way back to me, but I’m going to make sure she gets back to where she belongs.”

“If she escaped, it means she now questions authority there. Not to mention that she came to you. And like I said … I don’t fucking trust you,” Hubert says.

“Gentlemen …” I laugh, trying to ease the mood. “I said I’d take care of it, let me handle it then. She knows nothing.” I look at them with the most genuine, honest face I can put up during a lie. “I was just about to take her back when you called.”

“Right,” Hubert scoffs.

Arthur raises his hand and then clears his throat. “We will let you take her back to the hospital. However, we will be joining you in that effort.”

“No,” I say.

They all make a face and squint. Shit.

“She would run off the moment she sees you.”

“What, you can’t control her or something?” Hubert jokes.

“I don’t
need
to control her,” I growl. It isn’t the truth, but he doesn’t need to know. “She needs to come willingly, or this won’t work. You know the problems it creates if they feel threatened.” I set my gaze on Hubert and raise an eyebrow.

“He has a point,” Lewis says.

“Shut up,” Hubert growls.

“In any case, she should be back there as soon as possible,” Arthur continues. “You’re right, we would make it harder. Besides, she trusts you.”

“Thank you,” I say, sighing to release the tension.

“But I don’t,” Hubert sneers. “I say we tail them.”

“What?”

“That is a great solution,” Lewis chimes in. “What transportation are you taking, Sebastian? Your car?”