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Laughter circled me.

“Blair! We see you!”

“How long do you think you’ll last?”

“Run, little Fawn!”

I staggered forward, my heart screaming for me to keep running. My legs trembled with exhaustion, telling me to do the opposite, but I ignored them and ran again.

I ran, almost feeling like I was moving in circles, until my legs failed on me. I collapsed onto my hands and knees. My lungs strained for air while I tried to keep my head up to search for them.

I crawled toward the closest tree and pressed my back against the trunk.

Something moved on the other side of the tree. I slammed my hand over my mouth to silence myself. My heart thumped so hardthat I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever was on the other side had heard it.

They hadn’t just dropped me off in the woods.

They’d taken me to a hunting ground.

“Got you,” was all I heard before someone grabbed me.

“Please,” I whimpered, my fingers scraping desperately against the tree’s rough bark as I tried to twist myself free.

Before another plea could escape my lips, something sharp pierced the side of my neck. Pain flared beneath my skin.

I gasped as the sting burned hot inside me.

Everything grew fuzzy, and my legs felt weaker as I collapsed to the dirt.

And that was when I saw her.

A lone doe stood in the distance, half hidden between the trees.

For a moment, she watched me.

I forced myself to blinkone more time, seeing the white fur of her tail as she ran, before everything went black.

Cold air stirred me awake.

Still drowsy, I reached for my blanket to pull it higher up my body. My hand felt nothing but a hard, chilly surface.

A shrill tore from my throat as my eyes opened. I slapped my palms against the surface beneath me, not feeling the softness of my mattress. Instead, they met concrete.

My body shot up as I looked around in dread. Four concrete walls felt like they were closing in on me in the small space. I searched every inch for a door, a handle, a window, anything to get me out of here, but there was nothing.

Only gray walls and a low ceiling.

I turned toward the source of the chilliness, spotting a fan in the corner blasting cold air directly at me.

My body ached as I began crawling toward it, needing to unplug the damn thing. I only made it a few inches when something pulled me backward.

Metal clanked against the floor, bouncing off the bare walls.

I cried out, pounding at the floor, when I twisted around and found the heavy chain wrapped around my ankle. The other end was bolted to a hook drilled deep into the wall.

A strange haziness settled over my brain as I slumped back against the concrete, my head spinning. Everything felt slow, distant, like I couldn’t form one coherent thought.

They’d drugged me.