7.
1074 Words
Regina didn’t say a goddamn word.
Not when Bret left her in the woods like a discarded wrapper or when the secretary winked at her like she was some pitiable beggar.
She just… folded.
Folded into herself like a dying flower, walked toward her cheap, flimsy camp tent, and crawled inside.
The fabric smelled like dust and detergent. The air was chilly. Her bones ached from humiliation. Her chest felt hollow. Her face still burned where Bret’s palm had met her cheek.
She curled into a ball, hugging her knees, her heartbeat hammering so loud she couldn’t hear anything else.
She thought maybe...just maybe...if she shut her eyes tight enough, sleep would erase the day.
But fate hated her.
A sharp tearing sound sliced through the silence.
Her eyes flew open.
Her blood turned ice.
What the f**k was that?
Her breath caught in her throat. For a second, she thought it was a wild bear clawing at her tent. Or a wolf. Or an animal Bret would probably prefer instead of her.
The fabric ripped again, louder.
Regina’s heart slammed so hard she thought her ribs cracked.
She forced herself to look back over her shoulder.
A knife...an actual knife...was cutting through the tent wall.
“Who...who’s there?” Regina stuttered, her voice breaking into pieces. She pressed herself into the corner of the tent, hugging her shivering body. “Stop! Please...who’s that?”
A hand pushed through the tear.
Then another.
Then a face...masked, shadowed, and definitely not friendly.
Before she could scream, two men burst in, tearing the tent wide open. They dragged her out by the arm like she was some trash bag blocking their way.
“Look what we got here,” one of them sneered. His breath stank of alcohol and leftover cigarettes.
“Shut up and check her,” the other snapped. He shoved her onto the damp forest ground.
Regina whimpered, trying to crawl away.
But one of them pinned her with his boot.
“Hold still, bitch.”
They tied her hands with a rough rope, scraping her skin raw. She winced as strands of rope cut into her wrists.
“What is this necklace?” the taller one said, picking up Regina’s fake gold chain.
He held it under his flashlight.
His eyes lit up greedily.
“Damn, this s**t looks expensive.”
“It’s fake,” Regina gasped in panic. “Please...listen...it’s not real. My husband’s secretary has the original...mine is just...just a cheap copy. I swear!”
They ignored her, rummaging through her small bag, her pockets, her shoes...anything that might contain money.
“What about this?” the second guy held up her bracelet.
“That one is fake too,” Regina whispered, voice trembling. “Please. Please, just take whatever you want and leave me alone.”
The first man crouched in front of her, lifting her chin roughly.
“You think we’re stupid?”
“No...no...” She shook her head violently. “I swear I’m telling the truth!”
They laughed at her desperation.
They argued over the jewellery, debating how they’d split the money once they sold them.
“It’s fake, dumbass,” Regina cried, tears spilling. “I don’t... I don’t have anything valuable...please...don’t kill me...”
“Shut up!” one of them yelled and slapped her so hard her ears rang.
The woods swallowed her cry.
“Should we kill her?” the shorter one said casually, like discussing weather.
Regina froze.
Her blood drained.
“Yeah,” the taller one replied with a shrug. “She’s seen our faces. Can’t risk her running to the police.”
Regina’s heart stopped.
“No...no, please...please...” she babbled, her voice cracking, her body trembling violently. “I won’t...I swear I won’t tell anyone...I don’t even f*****g know your names...please...”
“She’s lying,” he muttered, pulling out something that glinted under the moonlight. A small shovel.
“You’re gonna dig?” the other asked, annoyed.
“No. She digs her own grave.”
Regina choked on her scream.
They dragged her by the rope, pulling her deeper into the woods.
Her knees scraped against rocks. Her skin tore. Her breath broke into tiny, sharp fragments.
She thought of her mother.
Her sick mother.
Her fragile mother.
She thought of Bret.
That bastard.
That useless, cheating bastard who left her here.
She thought, Is this how I die? Like a stray dog? No goodbye? No dignity?
They dropped her near a clearing.
One man tossed the shovel at her feet.
“Start digging,” he ordered.
“I...I can’t...” Regina’s voice was barely audible.
“You better f*****g dig!”
He kicked her in the ribs. Hard.
Regina gasped in pain, folding over. Tears blurred her sight. She tasted blood.
Her shaking hands touched the shovel.
Her heart thumped weakly.
But as they kept arguing...one insisting they kill her now, the other saying they should wait...
She noticed something.
The rope on her wrists was old. Frayed. Loose.
Maybe… maybe…
While they screamed at each other about who deserved the “most money,” Regina twisted her wrists.
The rope loosened.
A little more…
A little more…
Then...
It snapped.
Her breath seized.
She didn’t think.
She didn’t pray.
She didn’t even look back.
She ran.
Her legs were numb, her lungs burning, but she ran like death itself chased her.
“HEY! GET HER!”
The forest erupted with shouts.
Branches slapped her face.
Leaves tore at her clothes.
Her knees bled.
Her breaths were sharp, broken, desperate.
They were right behind her...the crunch of leaves, the snapping of twigs, the pounding footsteps. She knew if they caught her again, she was done.
A figure appeared ahead.
A man.
A man in a wheelchair.
“What...? Miss? Are you okay?” he called out, confused.
Regina didn’t think.
She grabbed the handles of his wheelchair.
“We have to go!” she screamed, her voice hysterical. “There are thieves...armed thieves...they’re coming...they want to kill me...please...please...”
The man blinked, shocked.
“What? In the woods...?”
But before he could finish, the distant shouts grew louder.
“STOP HER!”
“GRAB THE b***h!”
Regina sobbed, trying to push the wheelchair through the rough forest floor even though it barely moved.
“Please...please move...we have to move...”
“Calm down...listen... I can’t... the wheels...”
Regina turned her head sharply.
- Writer
