Too Late Mr. Sterling

Chapter 10

Elowen's POV

One of the men suddenly rushed towards me, and I barely managed to move out of his way. I stumbled and fell hard against a tree, sending a sharp pain through my shoulder, but I didn't stop to check if I was injured. I pushed myself up and ran again, hearing their footsteps behind me as they immediately gave chase. Branches hit my face as I forced myself deeper into the woods, and my legs were already burning from the long walk, but fear gave me enough strength to keep moving.

I could hear them getting closer. One of them shouted something behind me, while another laughed as they chased me through the trees. I didn't dare look back for long because I was afraid that even one second of hesitation would allow them to catch me. I kept running, even though my lungs were burning and every part of my body was begging me to stop.

I tried to think of somewhere I could hide, but my mind was too tired to work properly. I had barely eaten anything since the previous day, and I had spent hours walking without resting. My body was weak, but I knew stopping would be a mistake.

I pushed myself harder and tried to change direction whenever I heard them getting close. I jumped over fallen branches and ran around trees, hoping the darkness and thick bushes would slow them down. For a moment, I thought I might have managed to lose them, but then I heard footsteps coming from another direction.

There were more of them now.

I glanced over my shoulder and saw five men moving through the trees, all of them focused on me. My stomach dropped when I realised they had spread out and were trying to surround me.

I ran faster, using whatever strength I had left, but my body was beginning to give up. My legs felt heavier with every step, my vision was starting to blur, and my head was spinning from hunger and exhaustion. I tried to keep going, but I could feel myself slowing down.

Then something hit me from behind.

I screamed as I fell face-first onto the ground. A sharp pain tore through my side, and before I could get up, one of the men grabbed me and pulled me over. He stood above me while I struggled to move, his face twisted with anger.

"Give me your bag!" he shouted.

"No," I gasped, holding onto it tightly.

He reached for it, but I grabbed a thick branch from the ground and swung it at his face with everything I had. It hit him, but he barely moved. He cursed and grabbed my arm before throwing me back onto the ground.

Pain shot through my shoulder.

I kicked at him and tried to crawl away, but another man came from the side and grabbed my leg. I screamed and fought as hard as I could, twisting my body and trying to pull myself free, but I was too weak to fight them all.

One of them struck my arm, and a deep cut opened across my skin. I cried out and held my arm against my chest as blood began running down it.

"Please," I begged, my voice shaking. "Just leave me alone."

They didn't listen.

Another man reached for my bag, and I fought to keep hold of it because it contained the last things I had left of Maisie. Her drawing was inside, along with her blanket, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing them too.

I grabbed a loose stone from the ground and struck the hand of the man trying to take my bag. He shouted and stepped back, giving me just enough time to crawl away. I dragged myself behind a tree and pressed my injured arm against my body, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

My breathing became uneven as I looked down at my arm. Blood was running between my fingers, and the pain was getting worse. My heart was pounding so hard that my chest hurt, while the dizziness made it difficult to keep my eyes open.

The men didn't rush at me immediately.

Instead, they stood around me.

They were watching me, almost as if they knew I couldn't get away anymore. One of them slowly walked closer while another stood behind me, blocking the only clear path through the trees.

I tried to move backwards, but my hands were shaking too badly. I could barely support myself, and when one of them grabbed my ankle, I screamed and kicked as hard as I could.

"Stay still!" he shouted.

I kept fighting.

I didn't want to die.

Not like this.

A wave of dizziness suddenly hit me, and the trees around me seemed to move. I blinked several times, trying to focus, but everything was becoming blurry. I was exhausted, hungry, injured, and completely alone.

For a moment, I thought about screaming for help, but I knew nobody would hear me this far from the main road.

I was going to die here.

The thought entered my mind with terrifying calmness. I would die in the middle of nowhere, far from my home, far from everyone I knew, and no one would even know where to find me.

I wanted to fight them, but my body had nothing left to give. I had spent the last twenty-four hours losing everything I loved, and now even my strength was gone.

My thoughts drifted back to Maisie.

I could see her running through the garden behind the house in her yellow dress, laughing as she chased butterflies. Her little shoes were always getting dirty, and she never cared because she was too busy having fun. I could almost hear her voice as she turned towards me with that beautiful smile.

"Mommy, look! I caught one!"

Tears slipped down my face.

Then another memory came.

Maisie was lying weakly in my arms, her little body barely moving as she struggled to breathe. I remembered how frightened she had looked, and I remembered promising her that everything would be fine even though I knew I was lying.

I remembered her last words.

"I'm okay, Mommy."

I closed my eyes tightly as the tears continued to fall.

"I'm sorry, baby," I whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I'm sorry I couldn't make things better for you."

My body slowly sank against the tree as I lost the strength to hold myself up. I no longer had the energy to run, and I couldn't imagine fighting my way out of the situation.

The men moved closer when they saw me stop fighting.

One of them stood directly in front of me and reached down towards my bag.

I didn't even have the strength to pull it away.

My eyes moved towards the sky through the branches above me. The light was fading, and the cold evening air brushed against my face.

So this was how my life was going to end.

After everything I had survived, after everything I had endured for Alistair, after losing Maisie and finally finding the courage to leave, I was going to die alone on a deserted road.

I closed my eyes and took one last shaky breath.

My mind went back to my daughter, and for the first time since she died, I allowed myself to imagine her smiling at me again.

"I love you, Maisie," I whispered.