four

I had no idea how far I had ran for but my knees felt like they would give in under my weight at any given moment. Mustering up the courage, I look behind me and notice I'm not being chased any longer. Looking forward once again, I lose my footing and fall face-first into the weeds the littered the forest floor. I roll onto my back and try my best to catch my breath. My lungs felt like they were on fire, a stabbing pain in my chest struck with every inhale.

I lay on the ground for a few moments before sitting back up and looking at my surroundings. I was in the middle of trees that seemed to go miles out of every direction. Where the hell did they bring me? They obviously didn't want to be found. Sighing, I get up on my feet and move forward again. Hopefully, if I took off in one direction, I'd find some civilization.

The air was thick around me and a small fog was settling into the leaves on the ground making my path less visible. I did my best not to trip on any sticks and vines underneath as the sun grew brighter as the time went on signaling morning. I had been running all night and didn't even know. I had run off yesterday evening and must have blacked the rest out.

I could see trails forming in the distance and I knew it was only a matter of minutes now. I run towards my exit ignoring the exhaustion I feel throughout my being. I push branches and brushed out of my way to the street beyond. I landed in a residential area busy with people walking alongside it.

"You look like shit." A random guy says to me as I pass him. I glare in his direction and rub my hands down my shirt to get anything left on me off. My clothes were tattered and I could pass as a homeless man.

I follow the sidewalk and find my way onto the main street filled with shops. I take in my surroundings and try to think I'd I knew where I was, I vaguely remembered coming here before but the name didn't come to mind.

I look to the shops and spot a bookstore at the end of the block I was on. Lancaster Bookstore. I was about 45 minutes away from town. I had taken a few trips out here before, twice with Summer because she liked the shops. It was a relatively small town that was filled mostly with summer cabins by the small lake across the forest.

"Do you have a phone I could use?" I rush out to the man behind the counter as soon as I enter the building. The smell was of old books that calmed my nerves slightly.

"Here." He pushes the phone on the desk closer to me and eyes my appearance but walks away to give me some privacy. I put in Reese's number and prayed he actually had his phone on him for once. After three rungs it finally picks up.

"I need you to pick me up!" I hustle the words out not wanting to waste time.

"Bryson? is that you?" He says sounding half asleep.

"Will you come get me or what?" I ignore his question.

"Yes, What's the rush about? Where are you even?" His voice becomes more clear through the speaker.

"I'll explain why you get here, I'm at the bookstore in Lancaster on the end of main street."

"Why are you over there!?" he yells out.

"Just hurry!" I push with urgency and hang up the phone, pushing it back to where it was previously. Awkwardly, I grab the closest book and begin to look through it hoping to make time go on faster.

"There you are!" A voice sounds behind me interrupting my reading. I must've lost track of time. "What the hell happened to you? Where were you?" Reese asks worriedly.

"He has her! He has Summer!" I panic at the thought, pulling him outside. The sooner we'd get help the better.

"What do you mean? Where is she?"

"I have no idea. I just escaped through those woods from some mansion." I point towards the trees that I emerged from about an hour ago.

"Wait." He stops dead in his tracks on the sidewalk, "That's where you've been all week!"

"What did you think I was doing!" My frustration growing. "Why the hell would I skip my wedding you fool?".

"I know! We filed a damn report on you two but it got us nowhere!" He shakes his head. "They wouldn't even listen to us after we called after you two didn't show! they said you guys probably got hitched and ditched. Completely useless, the police.".

"Well, they have to listen now." I take his shoulder. "I have a wedding to attend.".

"We will find her." He says opening the driver's side door. "The escaped once, who's to say she won't escape again?".

"I hope you're right."

♡