Chapter 36

36

MINA

I ran across the football field in full flight, aiming for the cave-like entrance where teams came out for gametime. I threw myself inside, and then kept running—into a wall—and knocked the wind out of myself, plus probably gained a concussion. I landed on my ass with a grunt, feeling brained, and then tried to get up, while the shouting got closer behind me—I trailed my hand on the wall for balance and stumbled away as fast as I could.

I couldn't get trapped again.

I wouldn't survive it.

I would rather die— hadn't I already made that patently clear?

I passed locked doors and padlocked gym cages and there was no place in here that was safe, everything that'd already happened to me once was going to happen to me again— was I in hell? Because it felt like it —especially once the men chasing me started shouting, "Clear! Clear!" to each other as they worked to systematically to hunt me down.

I found myself inside a room full of cement benches and the stench of old sweat, with a dry erase board on one wall laying out a final play—but I had none, because the next doors were locked, and there was nowhere else to go. My mind was unravelling, and I was going to let it. I did not want to be here.

"Mina!" I heard someone call, but I wasn't sure who it was—then I heard angry shouting.

I curled into a ball and locked my arms around my knees. I knew I should've brought my gun, but I thought with Sylas it was safe to leave it home—little did I know that my Nightmare would abandon me, just like everyone else in my life had, and right now I knew I didn't have enough me left to rebuild myself after any more bad things, okay? I wasn't strong enough for that. I'd done everything I could already—I'd sold my soul, and even that hadn't been enough.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Why was everything so hard?

Why didn't anyone ever, ever care?

"MINA!" The shout was louder now, closer too, and then I heard sounds like entire bags of popcorn popping, first tearing sounds and then a spatter, like a sprinkler going over a window, over and over again.

"Mina," someone said from in front of me, and I braced because I knew exactly what was coming next.

I was lost, and after this time, I knew no one would ever be able to find me.