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happen right now.
    She inhaled sharply and her hand shot toward the handle. Without hesitation she yanked as hardas she could, and was out the door in a second, her body hurtling forward, taking the blanket with her.
    When she hit, she hit hard. Every bone in her body reacted to the impact, and she grunted in pain. She was lucky to have landed on the soft shoulder, because it sure as hell could have been much worse. Momentum propelled her forward and she rolled down into a steep ditch, splashing into nearly a foot of water. She heard the squeal of tires as the vehicle braked and skidded into a halt. She didn’t wait, pushing her discomfort to the back of her mind, and she was up and running in an instant.
    For her life.
    Again.
    She didn’t look back, only forward, and her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkened landscape.
    They were out in the country. A large field ran adjacent to the paved road, and she plunged into its dark recesses. It was an orchard, filled with row after row of trees. She felt a small ray of hope as she disappeared into the darkness, her feet flying through the rows as she delved deeper into cover.
    She followed the muddy path, not looking back, her entire being focused on escaping. There was no room for anything else.
    She wouldn’t go back.
    She’d rather die first.
    It seemed as if she had been running for hours, but Libby knew it was only several minutes. As her feet propelled her forward, she expected to feel the heat of his hands on her back at any moment, pulling her away from safety.
    That thought alone spurred her feet even faster, but it was becoming harder to ignore the sharpfingers of pain spreading out from her rib cage. She grabbed her side, holding on tight, using sheer mental strength to keep her body moving.
    Reaching the end of the field, she nearly cried aloud as the welcoming sight of a forest rose up before her. No sound came from within its dark depths, as if all the night creatures that inhabited its domain were sitting back, watching the life and death struggle being enacted for them.
    Libby hopped a low-lying fence, a small grunt escaping as the jolt thudded through her aching legs and went straight to her heaving side.
    But she didn’t stop.
    As the dark interior enveloped her, she took one second to look behind her before veering sharply to the left. The foliage looked thicker there, and she jumped over a large log, but fell as the feathery tendrils of moss caught at her feet.
    She landed with a thud, hard on her left side, and screamed both in pain and frustration as it became too much for her to bear. She clutched her ribs, cursing the helplessness that slithered through her body.
    If she let it, it would become all consuming. That couldn’t happen…it’s what they enjoyed, and as long as there was blood pumping through her veins, she would not give them that kind of satisfaction, not ever again. They would have to kill her first.
    She took a second to focus her energy. Drawing air deep into her lungs, she pushed forward once more. Her hands grasped the slimy bark of the tree and she used it to propel her tired limbs into action, aware that he was stalking her somewhere in the distance.
    Her eyes followed the tree line up past a small hill, and she quickly headed toward it, breathing heavily by the time she reached the top. She was now overlooking what appeared to be a small lake, or a pond, and on the other side a well-worn path led away from it.
    She could hear vehicles somewhere in the distance, the acceleration of their motors echoing softly through the dense forest where she stood.
    That was the direction she needed to go. Help was out there, somewhere.
    She sprang into action as a warning screeched through the trees. Several birds began to chatter madly, and she felt fear beat at her. He was not far behind, of that she could be sure. Awkwardly, she ran down a small incline toward the water that stood silent, still and dark.
    She clutched her aching side and