Enforced (Book 1)

Chapter 40

We walked in silence for another hour or so before I looked back at the rest of our group. Sophie was asleep in Alex's arms. Alex looked exhausted. Sophie was small, but after carrying someone for that amount of time, she would begin to get heavy. "Alex? Are you ready for a break?"

Alex's eyes screamed yes, his arms were quivering, but he said he didn't need a break. "Yes you do." I replied.

I set my bag down and Alex lowered Sophie to the ground. He pulled his water bottle out of his bag and took a long drink. "I'm okay to go on." He said when he was done, "We didn't have to stop."

"I can carry her for a bit." Cory offered.

"No, I can do it." Alex argued, "She is my responsibility." I rolled my eyes and looked down at Sophie sleeping peacefully at our feet.

"I think we should all take a break." Benjamin said, seeing my blood shot eyes. I was exhausted myself after not sleeping much the night before.

Cory agreed and sat down immediately. Then we all joined him. "I'll be the lookout." Cory offered, "I'm not tired. You guys can take a nap if you need one." I nodded a quick thanks and lied down. I closed my eyes and was asleep in minutes.

I was woken up soon after though. "Bethany!" I heard someone scream. My eyes fluttered open. Benjamin was leaning over me, shaking my shoulders, a knife in his hand. I sat up and grabbed the gun from my bag, and slung the pack over my shoulder. I looked around and saw everyone scrambling for their things.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Listen!"

"Come out, come out wherever you are!" A voice called, "You can't hide forever!" We all began sprinting at once. Alex slung Sophie over his shoulders and was running as fast as he could. We ran a long distance before we reached a wide stream. The only way to get to the other side was to swim through it, and I didn't know how to swim.

Everyone else jumped in and began swimming across. I looked behind me and saw our pursuer close behind, so I jumped in. The water was deeper than I expected. I couldn't reach the bottom and I began sinking. I thrashed my arms and legs wildly but I didn't get anywhere.

I held my breath for as long as I could. When I couldn't hold it any longer I let it out. I looked up and watched the bubbles of my last precious gasp for air float to the surface. I closed my eyes and waited for the end.

My lungs began to ache and I just wanted it to end. Just then hand reached down and grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me up towards the surface.

I gasped, taking in a large breath of air when my head broke the surface. The hand that saved me had a tight hold on my shoulder. I looked up and saw the hand belonged to the man pursuing us.

I struggled to get out of his grasp but he was too strong. "No!" Benjamin screamed. The man squeezed my wrist until I thought he was going to crush the bones. The gun fell from my hand. He kicked it far behind us and pulled his own gun out.

Benjamin was out of the water now and was only a few feet away from me. He begged the man to let me go. The man didn't even loosen his grip on me. He pointed the gun at Benjamin, "Get on the ground, you filthy bastard!"

"Leave him alone!" I cried out. The man just clamped his hand over my mouth.

"Please, please let her go!" Benjamin begged.

The man shook his head and grabbed me by the throat. Benjamin charged the man, but before he could get close enough to do anything with his knife the man shot him. Once, twice, three times. Benjamin's body hit the ground hard, blood pooled from his chest. "No! No! No!" I wailed through my captor's hand.

The man struggled to hold me still. He brought me over to Benjamin's limp body and dropped me to the ground next to him. "Make sure he is dead." He ordered. I didn't move. He tapped the gun against my head. "Now." I felt for his pulse but there was none. Benjamin was gone. Gone.

"No!" I cried, "Come back, please! Come back to me, Benjamin!" I lowered my head onto his bloody chest and begged him to come back to me. The man shoved me roughly off of Benjamin. And kicked him into the water. "No! No!" I kept screaming until the man knocked me unconscious.