Chapter 36
CHAPTER
I STEPPED OVER COLLEEN’S splayed legs. Trying hard to fight against the gravity pressing down on me, I took off toward the surrounding woods.
“Get back here!” I heard Madison scream, then more sounds of a struggle.
Don’t look back! Just keep moving!
Adrenaline surged through my veins, helping me to ignore all the agonizing protests from my body.
Pumping my legs as hard as I could, I managed to pick up a little bit of speed.
The bottoms of my feet stung as I stumbled over sharp rocks and branches, weaving my way in between trees, trying to put as much distance between myself and Madison and Max as I could. Then I started to contract again.
I managed to slip behind a tall, wide redwood before my body exploded with pain.
I clutched the underside of my belly with one hand, bracing against the tree’s trunk with my other.
I pinched my mouth shut, biting down hard to hold my lips together, trying to keep from making any sound that would give away my hiding spot.
It was a miracle I managed to remain standing, as fighting against the pain sucked every ounce of strength from every muscle in me.
Breathing through my nose, I tried to make it through to the end as silently as possible.
The intense pain and the rush of blood in my ears nearly drowned out all other sounds around me as it reached its most intense point, but I could just make out the sound of leaves crunching and whispers coming from somewhere behind me. It was Madison and Max—they were searching for me.
“Did you hear what I said? Shoot her in the foot or the kneecap, just something to keep her from running. We don’t want to hurt the baby, Madison,” Max whisper-screamed.
“Okay, okay. I’ll go this way, you go around that way. She couldn’t have gotten far.”
Crunch crunch crunch. They were inching closer.
“Where are you, Savannah? Don’t be stupid—you can’t give birth in the middle of the forest,” Madison called out.
The contraction started to pass. I flattened myself against the backside of the tree, trying to stay out of sight.
Crunch crunch crunch.
“Savannah. Come on, we’re almost done here. The baby is about to be born, and then Max and I are out of here. Let’s just get this over with, okay?”
Over with. The gunshots Colleen and I had heard—had they shot Jenna? Was she dead?
There was no time to think about that now. I had to focus on my own escape, or I might be the dead one.
More footsteps—they were close. Any second now, one or both of them would come upon my tree and find me hiding behind it. Tears flowed down my cheeks. I shut my eyes for a second and took a deep breath, summoning all my energy, and then took off running.
My movements alerted them. My eyes desperately searched my surroundings for any signs of another cabin, a vehicle, lights, or even another big tree to hide behind—but then I heard the terrifying sounds of click, click, BOOM.
The noise startled me, and I stumbled in the thick brush.
As my left hand clutched my belly, my right arm swung around frantically, flailing in the dark for something to grasp.
Pain ripped through me as a tree branch smacked me right in the face, stabbing me in my right eye and scraping hard against my cheekbone.
I reached up and grabbed it and held on for dear life as I finally managed to right myself.
I moved behind a nearby tree, trying to catch my breath.
The right side of my face was on fire with pain. I touched my cheek, and my fingers came back wet. Blood. My right eye was already starting to swell shut.
Crunch crunch crunch.
“Savannah! I’m getting tired of this! Let’s get back to the cabin and have this baby, okay? No more fucking around. Don’t make me have to do what we both know I am willing to do if I have to,” Madison bellowed.
A wave of dread spread through my body, prompting more tears, the salt making the fresh cuts on my cheek burn even more fiercely.
Her voice sounded so close. I knew another contraction would be coming soon.
How much longer could I keep on like this?
When would my body give out? When would this baby finally push its way into the world, regardless of how hard I tried to delay it?
“Madison!” I heard Max’s agitated whisper coming from somewhere else nearby.
I looked to my left and my right; I wasn’t sure how much deeper the woods went to my left.
To my right, I would be heading just north of the cabin.
I wish I had thought to grab Colleen’s car keys before I took off for the woods.
I wasn’t sure what condition she was in, but maybe I could go back for the keys and try to escape in her car.
Maybe I could manage to get her into the car too, and get us both to a hospital—if she wasn’t dead.
I stepped away from the tree I’d been hiding behind and headed in that direction, but I only made it a few steps before a dark silhouette stepped directly into my path. I felt the cold steel of a gun pressed against my forehead. I froze.
“There you are. Now we can stop all this nonsense. Let’s get you back to the cabin so we can have this baby.”
“No! This is my baby! I won’t let you take him!”
Click.
“Savannah, don’t fool yourself into thinking you have a choice here. I will kill you if I have to.” There was cold determination in Madison’s eyes. She pressed the barrel of the gun harder against my brow.
“You can’t kill me. Then you kill the baby too.”
“Don’t test me, Savannah. You’re far enough along now that it wouldn’t be hard for me to get the baby out if I had to—even if you’re dead.”
I barely had a moment to absorb the horror of what she’d said before another contraction gripped me. The intensity was so strong this time that my legs gave out and I fell to my knees, gasping for breath as the pain took over.
Madison lowered her arm, watching me as I writhed, screaming. I could feel the pressure in my groin growing stronger. It wouldn’t be long now. She reached behind her back, tucked the gun into the waistband of her pants, and crouched down, watching me.
“See? It’s pointless for you to try and fight me, Savannah. You need me. I can help you get through the rest of this labor. So let’s go … before poor Charlie falls out right here on the forest floor.”
Madison pulled me up into a standing position. As the contraction started to ease up, I hatched a hasty plan in my head.
I was on my feet again, but I stayed bent over, clutching my belly with my right hand, grunting and screaming so Madison would think I was still in the throes of a contraction.
While she still had both her hands around my left bicep, I gritted my teeth and went for it—I reached around behind Madison’s back and felt my fingers close around the gun.
I yanked, pulling it out of her waistband.
Madison’s eyes widened as she realized what I’d done. She let go of my arm, throwing me off balance. I stumbled back.
I lifted my arm, pointed the gun at her, and pulled the trigger.