by Penelope Sky
“I wonder if it’s close.”
I didn’t want to discourage her, so I didn’t tell her the truth. During our trips in good conditions, I never heard the sound. Only in a storm could I hear the ringing of the bell, which told me it wasn’t close and the sound carried to us from its origin on the high winds.
But it was still out there. “We’ll find it.” I took a seat against the tree. “If the wind covered our journey through the snow, they’ll find never find us.”
“I hope so…”
I pulled things out of my pockets to get to my water, including the knife I hoped I didn’t have to use. I set it on the snow beside me.
“Where did you get that?” Her eyes admired the weapon that sank into the snow from its weight.
“Magnus.”
“He just gave that to you?”
“Yes.”
“So, he knew you were going to leave?”
I nodded. “He hid all my supplies under the cabin so I wouldn’t get caught.”
“How does a nice guy like that work in a place like this?”
I shrugged. “He never told me much about himself.”
“Do you think he’ll snitch?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“The guy must be in love with you or something.”
He didn’t strike me as a romantic guy. He never said anything complimentary, and he never touched me, except when he pulled me to my feet. And he had classically good-looking features, like a strong jaw, pretty eyes, a very handsome face… Why would he be interested in a prisoner in a labor camp when he had a life outside that place? “I don’t think so.”
“Then what other explanation is there?”
I leaned my head back and looked up at the canopy of swaying trees. “I think he respected me.” That was my best guess. He never initiated a physical relationship or expected anything from me. Besides, I looked like hell every single day. Not exactly my finest look, in the baggy clothes with unkempt hair.
“I don’t think a man risks his neck like that for respect.”
“This one does.”
We continued moving through the night.
I wanted to stay focused, but my mind started to grow fuzzy.
It’d been two days since I’d last slept.
Melanie moved even slower.
We were back to feeling around in the dark once again. The storm had passed, so now the world was quiet. That was both a good thing—and a bad thing. There didn’t seem to be anyone on our trail, so we used our flashlights to keep going.
“What’s the first thing you’re going to do when we’re free?” Melanie asked from behind me. “I’m going to take a shower, do my hair, have a pumpkin spice latte…get a burger.”
“I’m going to the police.”
“Well…besides that.”
“And I’m going to kill that fucking executioner.”
“I’m not sure how you’re going to pull that off, but he’ll probably be behind bars forever.”
That wasn’t good enough for me—not anymore.
Now that the wind was gone, it was much easier for us to speak to each other. The snow was stationary, so that made it easier to navigate too. The stars came through as the clouds passed, and the moonlight provided us some illumination.
We kept going, Melanie walking in my tracks so she could keep up.
The need for revenge was so paramount in my blood that it screamed in my ears. I wanted to burn that place to the ground, all the guards with the blaze.
Well, except one.
Magnus was guilty because he’d been working there for years, but I couldn’t imagine reporting him—not when he’d saved my life so many times. But I had to report that camp and liberate all the women who didn’t belong there.
“Raven…?”
I stilled at the fear in her voice. “What?”
She didn’t answer.
I turned around to look at her.
She was looking back the way we came.
I saw it.
The lights. There were glimmers of light from flashlights. There were burning torches—like they were bringing the Red Snow to us.
They were right on our tail, like their hounds had picked up the scent.
Fuck.
“Move.” I started to run, to push through the snow harder than before.
“We’ll never outrun them, Raven! They’re on horses!
“I said, move!” I knew we wouldn’t get away. I knew we couldn’t hide. The snow kept a record of our footprints, and now that the storm was gone, there was nothing to erase our trail. Our only chance was to get to safety before they could reach us.
Which seemed unlikely since they were on horseback…and we were on foot.
The sound of the barking dogs carried to us.
They’d made incredible time.
“They know exactly where we are, Raven.”
There was no chance of success, not when there was nothing we could easily reach. I turned back around and looked at her.
She’d never looked so terrified. “They’re gonna hang us.”
Yes…they were.
She looked over her shoulder then stared at me again, emotion in her eyes. “We should have stayed.”
“I’d rather die on my own terms than be a prisoner to someone else.”
She gave a slight nod.
“You’ve got to be brave, Melanie.”
She nodded again, but this time, she sniffled.
“But it’s not over yet.” I pulled my bow off my back and grabbed an arrow from the quiver.
“What are you going to do?”
“Kill them.” I put the bow on the string, pulled back my arm, and released the arrow.
It moved less than a few inches before falling to the ground.
“How many are there?” I picked up the arrow and tried again.
“I don’t know.” She turned to look behind her. “I see two flashlights…and two torches. So maybe four? And no idea how many dogs they have…”
I pulled the string back and tried again. The arrow went a little farther. It was an improvement, but not by much. “I need you to keep going forward. Go a hundred feet before you turn around and walk back along the same trail.”
“Why?”
“So, they won’t stop where we’re hiding. We’ll shoot them in the back.” I pulled the knife from my pocket and handed it to her.
“What the hell am I supposed to do with this?”
“Kill anyone who comes near you.”
“What about the dogs? I’m not going to kill a dog.”
I didn’t know what to do about them. “Then kick them until they back off. But I can probably shoot two of them. I’ll need help with the other two.”
She put the knife in her pocket and did as I asked, making a trail farther up ahead.
I kept practicing with the bow and arrow—like my life depended on it.
I hid behind a tree on one side of the trail.
Melanie hid on the other.
The guards were still in hot pursuit, all on horses, two dogs in the lead. They must have seen the trail continue up ahead because they ran right past us.
I’d never been so scared in my life.
Because I actually had something to lose.
Freedom was so close…so fucking close.
I was not letting these bastards take it from me.
I purposely waited until they came to a standstill because I couldn’t hit a moving target. Then I moved out of the tree line, aimed right for the neck of one, and fired.
It pierced him right in the neck. Slowly, his body slumped sideways until he collapsed in the snow. He didn’t make a sound because he was dead on impact. But his heavy body made a loud thud when it hit the ground.
I didn’t stop to celebrate and quickly grabbed a new arrow, pointing it at the guy who had turned to look at his fallen comrade. “She’s behind us!”
I pulled the arrow back, held my breath and focused, and then released
it into the air.
It hit him right in the chest.
He fell to the ground, the horse immediately stepping away like it could sense death.
The other guys quickly turned around and kicked their horses to come after me. Their dogs started to bark in panic, German shepherds that sprinted toward us with their jaws open, their teeth bared.
I got another arrow and aimed, but they were charging me down, so I missed. “Fuck.”
“You fucking cunt!” The guard jumped down and pulled out his bow to shoot me.
I sprinted away even though there was no way I could outrun them.
A dog got me quickly, biting into my leg and making me fall to the snow. Then an arrow pierced my arm.
“Ahh!” I fell and gripped my arm, the arrow piercing right through my flesh.
“Enough, boy.” The guard’s footsteps were audible as he approached me, as was the gloat in his voice.
The dog got off me.
I lay there, bleeding all over the snow. When I looked up, he stood over me, his arrow pointed right at my face.
The other guard stood over me too, his hood off because he didn’t care about hiding his face at this point. “Where’s the other girl?” He spat right on my face.
“She died.” They had nothing on me anymore. They were going to kill me, so I’d lie through gritted teeth until it was over. There was no amount of torture that could get me to give it up.
The man with the bow kicked me hard. “Liar.”
I groaned as his heavy boot hit my stomach.
“Tell us or—” He stumbled forward onto the ground, a scream erupting through the forest.
Melanie was on top of him, stabbing him in the back.
I moved, lunging at the guy with the bow while he was confused. I charged him to the ground and slammed my fists into his face, beating him to death, wild with insanity because I had to survive.
It was him or me.
And it was going to be him.
Both dogs jumped onto Melanie, and she screamed in pain.
I left the guard and rushed to her aid, to get those dogs off before they could kill her.
The guard came up behind me and slammed his fist so forcefully into my head that I fell hard into the snow, dizzy, confused, unable to move.
“Down!” The guard knew I was out of it, so he went to my sister, grabbing her by the neck and pinning her down. Then he tied her wrists with rope.
“No…” I could barely talk. There was only one of him, so I could take him out. If only I could lift myself up…I could stop this.
When she was bound, the guard moved to me next.
I tried to twist free, but he put a knee in my back so I couldn’t move.
Melanie looked at me, wriggling to be free, but it was no use. “Raven, are you okay? Talk to me.”
I couldn’t. I couldn’t think. My wrists were bound.
Then I noticed the torches coming closer, a man in the lead on a horse…in a bomber jacket.
And then I slipped under.
16
Crack of the Whip
I woke when my body hit the ground.
I was jolted awake, the panic immediately hitting me like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on my head, and that was when I became aware of the ropes around my wrists, the flames from the torches in the clearing.
I was back at the camp.
I didn’t escape.
I got us both killed.
My little sister was going to die…because of me.
The other prisoners weren’t there and it was dark out, so it was some time in the middle of the night. I had no idea if it was the same night as before, how much time had passed, nothing.
Melanie’s body fell next to mine a moment later. Her eyes narrowed when she realized I was awake. “Raven…”
“Melanie.” I groaned when the guard kicked me.
“We’ll hang the other girl first…and make this one watch.”
“No!” I started to writhe free of the rope that bound my wrists. “No, it was my idea—”
“Just this one.” Boots came into my line of sight before I saw a man lean down to look at Melanie. Only his back was visible, but I recognized the black bomber jacket. The backs of his fingers moved to her cheek, and he gently stroked her…like she was a pet.
“Don’t fucking touch her!” I tried to fight the ropes again. “You motherfucker!”
The guard kicked me again.
The boss ignored me. “Get her up.”
The guards helped Melanie to her feet.
The boss grabbed her wrists in a single hand, standing behind her, over her, possessively. He looked down into her face, watching her panic at his touch. “You trying to leave me, sweetheart?”
She just breathed.
“I’ll take you with me tomorrow, then.” He nodded to his guards. “Take her to the cabin.”
Take her where? I wanted to scream again, but at least she wouldn’t be hung.
The guards escorted her away.
But she fought their hold, trying to get back to me. “Raven!” Her cries pierced the night, her tears hot in her throat. “No! Please! Please don’t do this.” She continued to fight as they dragged her away.
Then her cries went silent.
The boss turned to me then kneeled, right over me. With brown eyes, thick hair all along his jawline, and fair skin marked by a single dark mole on his cheek, he stared me down, indifferent to me. His eyes were wide and unblinking, and he examined me like he didn’t know what to make of me. “Congratulations.” He had a deep voice that was even but innately terrifying. “You’ve made it farther than anyone. I hope it was worth it…but I imagine it wasn’t.” He got to his feet then nodded to the guards.
They yanked me to my feet.
I didn’t fight anymore since Melanie was safe. I’d already been prepared to die once before, and I could do it again. I could face my death bravely—with no regrets. I stood upright and looked at the guards in the clearing, the men who must have been part of the second search party.
Then the executioner came into view. His mouth was covered—but it was obvious he was smiling. “I’m really going to enjoy this.” He looked down at me then shoved his large hand into my chest, making me fall back to the ground. An arrow was still stuck in my arm because they never removed it.
Just get it over with.
I knew Magnus wouldn’t help me this time. He’d warned me, and I didn’t listen.
“Up.” The executioner kicked me.
I tried to rise, but with my hands bound, I couldn’t.
“I said up, bitch.” He kicked me again.
“We aren’t hanging her.” A beacon of hope came from nowhere, shining down from heaven, my savior giving me a lifeline with just his voice.
The executioner turned around to look at him.
“Not this time.”
Magnus had his hood down, so his face was visible, his features lit up because of the torch that illuminated his face. Even though the executioner was much bulkier, Magnus didn’t look the least bit intimidated. “She’s the strongest worker we have—”
“No.” The executioner stepped toward him. “She stole from us. She tried to escape. She killed two of our own. How dare you stand there and ask for her to be pardoned.” The guards stayed back, watching the two of them stare each other down.
“I’m not asking for her to be pardoned. She should be punished.”
The executioner stepped closer to him. “She deserves to be executed. Your dick is not part of this discussion.”
Magnus hadn’t blinked once. “She’ll be whipped.”
“No.” The executioner turned back to grab me. “You can’t save her this time.”
My body relaxed as he came toward me because I knew it was over. At least Magnus would be there till the end…so I wasn’t alone.
Magnus turned to the boss and looked at him.
He looked back.
The executioner got me to my feet, pulling th
e back of my hair like I was a dog being grabbed by the neck.
Magnus continued to stare at the boss, silently having a conversation with him. They were of the same height, even had the same colored eyes. Then he spoke quietly to him, their voices hushed. I couldn’t make anything out. Only one audible word came out of Magnus’s mouth, and it was the final word he said. “Please.”
The boss stared him down, a bored look on his face, like this conversation was pointless and uninteresting. But he gave a slight nod.
The executioner released a loud sigh in frustration but didn’t speak a word in protest. He shoved me forward slightly and released the hold on my neck. Then he grabbed me again, cut the rope binding my hands, and then moved me to a tree trunk.
One of the guards retrieved more rope.
The executioner yanked off my jacket then pulled out his knife to slice through my shirt, opening my back to the cold, the frigid air immediately making all my muscles tighten in protest.
The guard threw the rope over a tree branch and then tied my wrists above my head, my feet still touching the ground, my front against the tree trunk.
Then I heard the executioner speak. “You want her to be whipped? Then you do it.”
All I could look at was the tree trunk, but I imagined what was happening behind me. I imagined the executioner walking up to Magnus and staring him down, shoving the whip into his chest because the punishment would be much more painful coming from him instead.
The executioner spoke again. “And you better do it right. Because if you don’t, I’ll start over—and do it all again.”
It was quiet.
All I could do was stand there, my arms suspended over my head so I couldn’t move. I could swing left to right if I wanted to, but not by much. Melanie had slipped his knife back into my pocket at some point, but I couldn’t reach it and cut myself free.
All I could do was stand there and take it.
The quiet continued.
I stared at the bark of the tree, the glistening of the ice crystals embedded between the pieces. I knew what whipping entailed, but I had no idea how it would feel, if it would be better than the Red Snow.
Maybe it would be worse.
The executioner yelled so loudly that he must have woken up every prisoner in the camp. “Get on with it!”
