The convenience store crowd was abuzz. They covered their mouths and whispered to one another. Their eyes bore holes through Johanna. She felt a heat rising in her chest.
The man who confronted her looked to the tile floor after she had refused an ambulance. "Call 9-1-1, she may not want to be looked over but she needs it." He avoided eye contact with her and returned to the other side of the counter.
The woman beside him grabbed the phone from the charger and dialled. "Y'all watch her. She might try to take off."
Johanna dodged a round bearded man who tried to grab her shoulders. He fell to the ground and knocked over a display rack. The other customers backed away. A tall tattooed man blocked her way out.
She showed her teeth like a dog who was ready to fight. He wasn't phased by her. The light from the parking lot bounced off her her teeth and drew his attention. He could see the red stains that covered her face. He uncrossed his arms and held them palm down in her direction as he stepped around her.
She ran out into the world. If she couldn't find help here she would try somewhere else. She would have to be even more cautious now that they had called for help.
She dropped to her hands and knees when she reached the tall grass on the other side of the highway.
The sirens of multiple emergency vehicles approached. They zoomed past without a second thought.
When the noise stopped she stood and wiped herself off. She noticed a curved bridge that she would have to cross over. The only other establishments were on the other side. The buildings were hundreds of miles down the road with trees and private properties scattered between.
The sun crept into the sky and baked her skin as she trudged along. She made it to the base of the bridge and climbed the stone siding to get to the pavement. It stung her feet, she thought they might start to sizzle like strips of bacon on a flattop grill.
The sirens blared from the gas station. She picked up her feet and moved faster toward the other side. The sirens got louder. Her walk became a run. The sound of ground crunching beneath tires got closer. She wouldn't make it before the car. The sirens stopped and the vehicle squealed as the break was slammed down. She made a sharp right and jumped off the side without looking.
If she was meant to die, it would be on her terms and not those of the psychopath who had been holding her hostage.
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The Franklin Series: Forgotten| On hold
HorrorBook four, the final book, of The Franklin Series Once upon a time she was a daughter to a loving family. Since she went missing ten years ago, the searches stopped and her parents lost all hope they would ever find their child. Now she is loose. B...
