Chapter 3

I had so much I wanted to say to him, to them! I knew I had mistook his smile as happiness. I threw my phone down on the passenger seat while I calmed down. Why anger them more? Actually, I had a feeling they were going to hurt me the same anyways. What was the point of keeping my thoughts to myself.

I looked in all my mirrors and didn't see them behind me anywhere. I switched lanes and got off at the nearest exit. It didn't even matter where I got off at because I didn't have a specific spot to go. Where could I go to even be safe? I reached across the seat to grab my phone once I pulled into a gas station and replied to his text.

"Fabian, why would you bother talking to me! You used to be nice to me, but you are worse than them! You tried being nice before to get close to me, I guess. You knew they hated me all along. You follow in what they do, you don't have the GUTS to tell them you don't want to do this! Then again, maybe you do. Maybe you want to hurt me, but I will never know why. I will never know why you guys hate me so much. Frankly, I am sick of this! I'm really done! There is nothing you can do to break us up! Chase me! Try to break me! I am not going to break up with him! Game on!"

With my last words I hit send, satisfied with what I said. I put my phone into the cup holder and decided to get some food and drinks since I was already stopped. I only had fifty dollars. I walked around the store and decided water would be the best drink. I bought a case of water, a cooler, and a bunch of ice. 

That  covered drinks, but food was still in the question. I grabbed a bunch of different types of chips, anything my hands came into contact with. My arms were completely full and I was just short of dropping everything when some sturdy hands reached out to help. I froze in fear. The ice and cooler were lifted off and the mystery person was revealed. I released the breath I was holding as the guy looked at me and smiled. He was just a stranger helping out a who is struggling. We walked to the cashier and put all the stuff on the counter. While I was paying, he spent the time looking at a magazine. Shocking enough, I only spent $36.34.

The man helped me out to the car and as I was warming up the car he opened the ice, dumping it into the cooler. He began placing the water around the ice when I noticed I hadm't said thank you yet. Actually, neither of us have said anything.

"So, who do I have to thank?"

He looked up at me and smiled, "Oh Monica, you don't have to thank me." That voice gave me shivers as goosebumps and shocked coursed through my body. A flashback to the alley in Galeno popped up in my head, like I needed reminding who this voice belonged to.

"No..." I whispered. Anybody but him! My stalker found me, but how? How was I going to get away this time? It;s not like I could hit him this time to get away, there were way too many people around! 

"What do you want from me? Why are you going through so much trouble to be around me?" 

He looked at me and smiled again, "I am here to help you. I am here because I want to offer you an idea."

"You? You want to offer me an idea? What? To runaway with you?" I noticed his face become very serious, and I knew that is what his idea was. "You have got to be kidding me! You seriously think I would runaway with you? That is so not happening!"

"Monica, just listen to me! I really don't like when you interrupt, it's really rude! So seriously, running away with me  would be better than facing those idiots chasing you. Then we can finally be together without you being scared about people trying to hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you."

I was struck with shock, was he seriously joking? I wanted nothing to do with him! I wanted him to get away from me. He finished putting everything in my car and closed the trunk. I figure out in my head what I was going to do. I looked at my phone to make sure it was reachable, if needed, and walked up to him. There are a few people walking past us, two men and a women, and I knew this is the right moment.

I walked up to him, "Hey baby, why did you call my friend and try to get with her? She's my best friend. Since you seem to want to think with a body part other than your brain, then so will I. With that I raised my leg so far backwards and kicked him where it hurts most. He fell onto the ground holding his crotch as people walked by him, calling him a pig.

"If you don't move from behind my car, I am going to run you over." I got into the car and revved the engine. I have never seen somebody move so quick before. He scrambled up and tried getting to the door to open it, but I beat him to it and locked them.

"Monica," he screamed pounding on the door. I slammed the car into reverse and backed up quickly putting it into drive and speeding off. I finally had some peace of mind. I didn't want to look at my phone just yet. I know there is a message from Fabian. Chances are, he is angry about what I said. Better yet, I know he is pissed. I would apologize for saying what I did, but the hard truth is, I'm not. I'm not sorry at all. After all of this, assuming I'm okay, I am not going to hold back anything. Why go through life without speaking your innermost thoughts? 

About twenty minutes after leaving the gas station, I was in nothing but the open country land. There isn't much to look at and I found myself disappointed.  I didn't want to think about this situation. This is all unreal. Am I really being chased to my death by my boyfriend's best friends? A horn pulled me out of the thoughts that I didn't want to find myself thinking about. My speed fell from fifty-five mph to twenty-five mph. Whoever is driving is right up to the rear bumper. I panicked for a second when the car drove up on the side of me.

I turned my head slowly to see who they were, but they were just two guys. Everything from then happened in slow motion. Somebody changed seats with the driver within one blink. The passenger held the wheel while the driver got the cars speed up so they wouldn't fall back during the switch. I felt the tires slip off the road onto the shoulder. I steered back on to the road and noticed that a truck is driving head on to them, blaring his horn in the distance.

The driver climbed into the back of the car as the passenger jumped into the driver's seat. The new driver flashed a deadly smile at me. The truck closed in on them and that's when Christian swerved quickly in front of me. I jammed on the brakes and fought the urge to swerve because it'd mean absolute death. I only had one arm to control the car with, and a battle with a huge truck was one I knew I'd lose. Christian's wheels went off road. He was so busy watching me that he could not turn the wheel quick enough and their car sped into the ditch and flew out into the field. 

I urgently hit the gas and floored it. My heart was racing and I couldn't catch my breath. It was coming in short, raspy gasps, I needed to pull over, but I didn't dare. There is a road up ahead turning into the forest. The thick bushes would cover my car from view. I turned onto the road and pulled straight into the forest. I rested my head on the steering wheel for a minute before I got out of the car. The fresh air felt good, but I couldn't relax just yet.

I walked over to the edge of the forest and crouched down in the bushes and I waited. No less than fifteen minutes later, a familiar black car sped by. I couldn't see who was driving, but the car was specked with mud. I knew one hundred and ten percent that it was them. I decided I should take advantage of no one knowing where I am.

I walked back to the car and screamed, "Anybody in the woods who would like to kill me, don't even bother. There are people who are already beating you to it."  That is, I tried to scream it, I didn't have much of a voice left. It came out as a kind of croak. I opened the trunk and grabbed the thick blanket I saw earlier and some water. I guzzled down the water and curled up in the back seat under the blanket. My phone is still lit up, reminding me I had texts to attend to. Well, this is going to be anything but fun.

To my surprise, there is only three messages. Two were from Fabian and one was from Lily. Fabian's could wait.  I opened up Lily's and what she said brought tears to my eyes.

"Monica Michelle Smith! You escaped from the hospital?! You aren't home either! Where the Hell did you go? Fabian went on some random road trip with the guys and you're missing! What the heck is going on? Did you go with them? Monica, call me as soon as you see this, please! I'm sick with worry. I really hope you are taking care of yourself. I don't want you to get hurt. I love you, Monica."

I didn't know how to respond to that. I know she would be worrying until I text her, but I couldn't say anything to her just yet. I wanted to cry, but I know if I start, that I won't be able to stop. I laid down and stretched out, just staring at David's picture. I slept for only a few hours and woke up to my phone vibrating. I looked at the screen only to see the number is blocked. I hit ignore, dropped my phone to the floor, and curled back up. It was only getting colder outside, and that worried me.

I closed my eyes for not even thirty seconds when my phone went off again. The screen still showed the number as blocked, so I hit ignore again. I put my phone on silent this time, and closed my eyes finally feeling relaxed. Less than what felt like one minute later, I fell asleep. If you could call it that. My body's tense and my dreams are vivid.

They were chasing me. Wolves are chasing me, too. They both want blood, and I was unsure of my fate. Neither would grow tired, neither would grow weak. No, because I was the weak, I was the defenseless. There was no point in screaming, for no one could hear, but those who seek pleasure from my pain. I am lost, this is it. The moment they waited for.

They closed in for the kill. As the wolves drew closer in, so did Christian. I was cornered with no way out. The lead wolf snapped his gums at me, and I screamed.