SHH! There's a Killer in the House

Dinner was useless, I couldn’t eat and Jace didn’t look at me all, instead he was watching the TV as if he stopped, it would disappear. Knowing what your fate will be for the next few decades just makes you depressed. The only sounds from in the room were our breathing and the TV turned down low. “Jace?”

“What?” He snapped at me before shaking his head, as if erasing it his bad mood. “Yes, Heather?” He asked in a calm voice.

“Never mind,” I whispered, trying to fight the tear threaten to fall. He was my only ally and he was feeding me to the dogs. Even my father was letting this happen. Jace got up and walked to the closet, pushing through the clothes. When he turned back, there was little black dress in his hands.

“Go put this on, there should be some makeup in the closet,” he handed me the silky fabric as I walked into the bathroom. Hair supplies were lying on the counter for me to use. The hair straightener was ready for me to use. I guess someone came in here and put everything out. Once my hair was straight, I placed a sparkling diamond butterfly clip in my hair. With my make-up, I put it on dark and heavy, heavier then what I would wear even for school.

Jace was waiting in the hallway outside my bedroom door. “Ready?” When I nodded, he started walking down the hall, not even paying attention to if I was following or not. When he walked passed a door that was ajar, it was a staircase. I dashed down it, not thinking twice. I saw the front door, I was only a few feet from freedom.

The cold of the night startled me. Dew was already on the ground. I ran across the lawn in five inch stiletto pumps. It hurt so much, my ankle slide under me but I kept running through the pain. The wood was only a few hundred yards away, I could make it. I know I can. The pain shot through my leg over and over again. Tears started to fall, blurring my vision. I had to make it, I had to!

My hand connected to the trunk of the tree nearest to the house. I pushed off it as I still ran through the woods. Men yelling filled my ears but they were too far away from me. I pulled myself up into a tree somehow. The beam of some flashlight barely missed shining on my foot.

Once in the tree, I watched three different men run under the tree I sat in. Twigs popped with each step they took. Finally the sounds of their steps became distanced. As slowly and quiet as I could, I worked my shoes off and set them on the branch I sat on.

Fifteen painfully slow minutes later, they came back before heading back to the house. Once they were gone for a few minutes, I worked my way down. Going back to the house was out of the question. How far was I from a town? What if they had people in the town that could drag me back? Where can I go?

I began heading in the direction away from where they ran to. Along the way I found a good stick to use and used it to put some weight on. The forest seem to grow thicker and thicker with each step I took. God, this hurt so much!

The moon finally set in front of me and now the sun began peeking from ground behind me. I passed a foot trail and a crude looking road. I didn’t follow either. I wanted to find a normal road so bad. Cuts and scrapes and bruises were all over my legs and feet. My feet had cut much worst then my legs. Who knew there were so many fucking rocks in the god damn forest?! GOD! WHERE WAS A ROAD?!

There was a newly fallen tree in front of me, I made my way up to it and sat down. A little steam ran under it. Holding my breath, I slowly stuck my feet in the cold, rushing water. Goosebumps ran down my spine and arms. Dirt drifted along from my feet until the water ran clear and my feet were a pasty white from the cold.

I guess I must have fallen asleep because I heard a crunch of dead leaves, making me jump up off the log. Franticly, my eyes darted around, looking for whoever was nearby. A little squirrel scurried up a tree. Whatever, stupid squirrel.
*****
Jace paced back and forth, gnawing on his thumb nail. Where is she? He thought, they should have found her by now! They knew everything about these woods! “Calm down, Jace, she’ll be back,” Bryan idly said as he watched the anxious man pace. “If Rodger or James doesn’t find her, we have people in all the nearby towns watching out for her. She’ll be back in no time.”

“Then why haven’t they found her?! It shouldn’t be this hard to find her! Can’t you get anymore men?!” Jace half yelled. He hated everyone in the house right now. He felt like he was the only one worried about Heather running away. Her father didn’t act like he cared and Bryan shrugged it off, only caring about the new store he bought. “I’m going out to look for her. Maybe she found the footpath and decided to follow it.”

“Have fun,” Bryan said, not looking up from his laptop.

Jace muttered some cuss words before walking out of the house. The footpath he wanted to follow cut deep into the woods that he didn’t think anyone would look at because no one saw her going in that direct when she left the house. But something nagged at him that that could be the path she would take.
*****
Landon left the hospital the day after Tyson’s visit. His “brother” was picking him up from the hospital and taking Landon back to his place to be taken care of. It just so happens Landon’s “brother” lives with Bryan at the Bellus Dis Domus mansion. He smiled at the thought of getting pampered and getting over his injuries on Bryan’s paycheck. Then he was going to work for that bastard. That part he didn’t like that much but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, as others say.

“Ready to go, Landon?” The brother, Preston, asked as he picked up a bag of clothes. His cell phone started to buzz inside his sports jacket. He flipped it out and listened to what the person on the other line said. “Ok, I’ll started looking for her once I drop off Landon. Bye.”

“What the hell was that about?” Landon asked as they left the room, Landon in the wheelchair, Preston pushing him.

They were in the parking lot before Preston would answer. “That girl, Heather, ran away last night.”

“What are you all going to do about it?”

Preston started the car and backed out, leaving the wheelchair against the curb by a bush. They tore out of the place at lightning speed. “I don’t have any clue about what I’m going to do about it. The only thing I know is Bryan’s brother is going ape shit.”

“Jace?”

“Well that’s the only brother Bryn has so, yeah, that would be Jace. Now shut up.”