I sprinted through the woods, clutching my side.

There was a thick round tree in front of me, moss covering the tree roots sticking out of the ground.

I stopped at the tree, holding my wobbly knees for support. I accidentally bumped the piece of metal in my side against the tree. I whimpered as the throbbing pain embedded in my side made itself known.

I debated on what to do.

I heard that you're not supposed to pull items that have punctured your body out, but it's hard to run with a piece of metal in your side. In fact it's hard to do anything with a piece of metal in your side.

I took a deep breath and sat up, holding the tree for support. I wrapped my fingers around the metal piece, groaning in agony from just barely touching it.

Not giving myself enough time to back out of doing it, I jerked it out. I cried out in agony as I saw stars.

I threw the metal piece on the ground and leaned on the tree as I applied pressure to my side, trying to stop some of the blood gushing from my wound.

"Jayden??"

How did he know my name??

I slapped my cheek to give myself vision and to focus on getting away. I can deal with the pain later. My vision returned but the world continued to spin.

I do not want the same fate the children had in these woods.

I focused on a tree that had low branches and limped to it with all of my might, clutching my side.

I grasped a branch with my free hand and pulled myself up on it. I clenched my jaw at the excruciating pain that ran throughout my abdomen. I started climbing.

One branch, two, three, four.

All of a sudden, fingers wrapped around my ankle tightly, and pulled me down. I lost my grip on my branch, and cried out as I flew downwards, barely catching myself on the one below it.

Fuck.

"Leave me alone." I growled furiously, kicking him in the face with my free foot.

He flew backwards onto the ground.

I hung there, my legs dangling as I tried to find footing again. My eyes were watering as my stomach was being stretched out, affecting my injury.

I found my footing again and scurried up the tree, ignoring the searing pain in my side. I settled on a high thin branch and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

Blood was dripping down my bare right leg from my open wound. I needed to calm the bleeding down or stop it. If I didn't do it now I would bleed to death.

I pulled at my shirt. I felt weak, but I have to stop it. I ripped off a long piece at the bottom of it with my teeth. I wrapped the dirt stained white cloth around my side and tied it into a tight knot.

I heard him trying to climb the branches and roaring in frustration as he kept breaking them, being too heavy to get up the tree.

This is the first time I have ever truly appreciated my frame. Being 5'1 and weighing 125 Lbs isn't fun. Not the skinniest, but skinny enough to get up the tree.

"Come down here!" He roared.

I closed my eyes as I leaned my head back on the tree.

I ignored him, trying to calm my breathing.

"Please." He whispered pathetically.

Not being in my right mind, I felt a twinge of sympathy for him.

"Even if I wanted to, I couldn't." I replied in a hoarse voice from screaming so much, "Not that you really need to know, but I'm in pretty bad condition."

I glanced at my wound, blood covering the whole cloth over the deep cut, some leaking from my self made bandaid and dripping down my side. There was dried blood all over my right thigh alone with dried blood caked on my fingers. My head was throbbing.

"I'm going to die up here. I'm going to bleed to death." I stated, matter of factly.

I now realize why you aren't supposed to take the object out in these type of situations. You bleed a lot more.

"You shouldn't be bleeding that much." He replied, confused.

"No, I shouldn't." I laughed breathlessly.

It was quiet for a minute.

"What did you do?" He groaned.

"What do you mean." I huffed out, struggling to breathe.

"You are bleeding a lot, your voice is strained, and you barely got up the tree your in, which you shouldn't be in by the way."

I sighed.

"I took the metal out."

"What do you mean you took it out?" He growled.

"I mean I grabbed the end of the sharp piece of metal that was embedded in my side and I yanked it out."

"Why, WHY would you do that?" He yelled.

"It was bothering me." I replied nonchalantly.

He groaned and muttered what sounded like a string of words under his breath. I don't speak whatever language he was speaking so I couldn't tell what they meant.

My sympathy for him left as I remembered what he did to my aunt. What he was trying to do to me.

"Why do you care anyways you asshole?!" I yelled down at him angrily.

He didn't reply.

"Screw you, just leave me here to die." I spat with fury.

I was met with silence once again. I looked down to find that he had left. I let out a sigh of relief and wrapped my arms around a branch beside me in support.

I moved in attempt to get down and cried out when my whole body convulsed in response.

Well I guess I'm not getting down.

My teeth chattered as I took uneven breaths of the crispy air.

My body shivered, causing more pain to erupt in my side. I squeezed my eyes shut in pain, I couldn't stop the feeling of loneliness creeping in on me.

I wish I had someone here, though the person I wanted was unknown to me.

I have nobody.

____________________________________

I woke up with a splitting headache.

I couldn't feel my body. I tried to move my fingers but I had no feeling in them. I focused on moving them, knowing that it wasn't a good sign.

I moved my fingers sluggishly and gasped as it felt like needles were in my hands.

Is this hypothermia?

I moved my hands to get some heat going and finally could move my arms.

I groaned. How am I not dead?

"Jay?" A familiar voice called from below.

I mumbled a string of words that even I couldn't understand in response.

"How are you doing jay?"

I groaned, unable to respond. The memories of what happened hit me and I realized where I knew the voice from.

He came back.

"Jay, can you move?"

I ignored him and the nickname.

I opened my eyes as an idea came to my head. But was I brave enough? I peered down at the long drop and gulped.

What a terrible way to die, breaking all my bones.

I swung my left leg over the branch slowly so that I was no longer straddling the tree branch. I looked down at the man.

His face was filled with worry. His face. He didn't have a mask on. He had a strong jawline and black soft hair with dark eyes that looked black. He was tall and muscular. There was something out of place that I did notice though. He had a long scar running from his jawline to his neck.

How could someone so beautiful be so evil???

I scooted to the edge, debating on jumping.

"Don't." He growled, as if reading my mind.

"It hurts." I whimpered.

"I know, but if you CLIMB down here I can help you." He replied, exercising climb.

"You don't want to help me, you want to hurt me." I sobbed.

He shook his head and stared at the ground for a minute. Guilt?

"I'm coming to get you." He said softly.

I looked at the drop. I was too scared. I was too weak. I couldn't do it.

He started climbing up the branches, groaning in frustration when he broke them.

I shut my eyes and welcomed sleep over pain.

____________________________________