The van smelled of stale tobacco and industrial cleaner, a scent Elara would forever link with sheer terror for the rest of her life. Her wrists were raw, scratched by the plastic zip ties that bit into her skin every time she shifted inside the blood-stained van.
She wasn’t a fighter by nature, but she was a survivor by necessity. She had spent the last hour trying not to cry, and to instead count—count the turns, the engine’s rhythm, and the heavy breathing of the men in the seats in front of her, she could make out two different breathing patterns.
When the van slowed to a crawl, hitting the familiar bumpiness of gravel, Elara made her move. As the door slid open, a big, burly man reached for her arm. Instead of pulling away, she lunged forward, driving her forehead into the arch of his nose with every ounce of her being.
He roared, blood spraying onto the muddy red interior of the van. He staggered back, his vision blurred by tears and agony. Elara didn’t hesitate. She kicked the back of his knee, sending him crashing onto the harsh gravel, and scrambled out of the van.
“Get her!” a voice roared from the driver’s seat.
Adrenaline was a cold, sharp blade in her veins. She didn’t look back and sprinted towards the woods. She bolted toward the treeline, the plants grazing against her legs like jagged claws. She could hear heavy boots crunching on the gravel behind her, punctuated by curses.
She dove into the thorns, ignoring the sting on her body. Her hands, still bound, got caught on a low-hanging branch. She didn’t stop. She used the friction of a jagged rock to cut the zip ties, her skin blead, her breath coming in harsh gasps. With a final, desperate jerk, the plastic snapped.
Freedom.
She disappeared. She climbed a towering tree pressing her body against the trunk, pushing a cough down as the two men searched beneath her, screaming into the dark. She stayed there, still, until the sun began to rise.
Only when the woods fell silent did she run. She ran toward the distant lights of a highway, her feet blistered and her clothes torn, but her head held high.
She had finally escaped.
