Page 102 of Into the Dark, We Go
"Mind if I open the window?" I suddenly felt short of breath. I needed some fresh air to ease the tightness coiling in my stomach.
"Go ahead."
I longed for the drive to end, to finally be alone, to clear my head and come up with a plan to find Mitch and June.
"Almost there," Robert said, as if he could hear my thoughts. And then, suddenly, he asked, "You have any marks on you?"
"What?"
"Tattoos?"
"No..." I frowned, thrown off.
Why was he asking me that?
"Good. I thought so. Young people love coloring their bodies with all sorts of things."
He turned the car onto a tiny dirt path, barely visible from the main road, and my heart sank. I knew where it led.
To the Black Water Creek trail.
28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
September, 2020
No,no, no, no, no.
I shot Robert a nervous look.
This had to be a mistake.
"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to sound casual, but my voice came out low and raspy.
"I think you know where."
The truck bounced along the uneven path, branches and twigs snapping beneath the tires, slapping the windows. Long, ominous shadows stretched across the foliage. Night had already taken hold of the woods.
"Let me out," I said carefully. Robert didn’t react. "Did you hear me? Stop the car!" I raised my voice and reached for the door, but it was locked.
"Soon. We’re not there yet." His tone was soft, almost gentle.
We were barely going thirty miles per hour, but it was still too fast for a loose, uneven road. I yanked the handle again. No luck.
"Let me out!" I lashed out at him in a panic, my hands flying at his face, fingers clawed. He didn’t even flinch, just threw out a massive arm, his palm connecting with my throat, and shoved me back against the seat with a force that knocked the breath from my lungs. The ease of it stunned me. Even for a tall, broad man, he was too strong for his age.
The truck came to a stop, and Robert finally released his grip on my neck. Air rasped down my throat. Ahead of us, a cluster of vehicles sat like old wives. Four, maybe five. One of them looked just like the SUV that nearly ran us off the road earlier. I couldn’t be sure.
The locks clicked free.
With a trembling hand, I reached for the handle and flung open the door. But before I could run, rough hands tore me from the truck. I was yanked off my feet and slung down like a sack of potatoes.
I landed hard, elbows and knees tearing against gravel. The impact jarred my wrists, sending a sickening jolt up my arms. Before I could gather myself, hands dug under my armpits and wrenched me up in one brutal, snapping motion. My feet scrambled for solid ground, my vision swimming.
I twisted, tried to break free, but then?—
A blow to the back of my head.
