Page 55 of Savage Elites

Maybe I was drugged. Because I shouldn’t be calm in a situation like this. It took a moment to pull myself to my feet, and when I raised my head, a wave of dizziness forced me to bend forward, brace my hands on my knees, and dip my chin onto my chest.

Who the hell could have done this to me?

The last thing I remembered was Mrs. Benazir lying on the floor of her office with her own vomit seeping into her hair. Someone attacked me from behind and must have brought me here. But why?

I checked my body for injuries. Nothing hurt except for my head, and my clothing was still intact. None of this mattered because I couldn’t see a thing.

Inhaling a cold breath of stone-scented air, I took in what I could of my surroundings. Water dripped somewhere close by, and the ground felt silty underfoot. A cold breeze blew across my face, carrying with it the faint smell of wood smoke.

If I had to guess, I was in a cave.

With my hands splayed out in front, both for balance and to protect me from crashing into a wall, I edged forward in the dark and listened out for the sounds of movement or heavy breathing.

Who could have known I would be in Mrs. Benazir’s office? I’d told Prakash and Leopold. My hands flailed uselessly in the air as I took my first few tentative steps. Miss Claymore had set up the meeting, and Cormac had been in the room when she had shouted out the demand.

My stomach dropped. So had the entire Board of Governors, including Mr. Byrd. What he said to me? If I didn’t sign the document, I wouldn’t like what would happen next.

A whimper reverberated in the back of my throat. Bianca had come to my room this morning, and I’d slammed the door in her face. Was this Mr. Byrd’s doing? If so, why hadn’t he killed me to protect his dirty secret?

A gust of wind blew in from above and to the left, and I turned in the direction of the frigid air, hoping it would lead me to an exit. With each step, the temperature plummeted, but with each step, I felt closer to some kind of freedom.

I pulled closed the lapels of my blazer with the numb fingers of one hand in an attempt to preserve some warmth and continued toward the source of the wind.

A stream of silvery light on my left made my heart soar, and happy tears filled my eyes. I could see! The next gust of wind chilled the tears on my face, making me wipe them away.

Up ahead, beach ball-sized boulders piled up to a narrow opening, and beyond it lay a snow-covered landscape. With my heart in my throat, I hurried toward my escape and crawled up the stones until I freed myself from the cave.

Icy wind swirled around my body, penetrating my bones.

“F-fuck!” I wrapped my arms around my chest, squeezing my breasts together to form a barrier of warmth around my heart.

The mountains’ dark silhouette against the star-lit sky told me I probably hadn’t left the Lake District… but with such biting cold, I might as well be in Iceland.

The sound of a car driving past several feet above caught my attention. Thankfully, no one had forced alcohol down my throat this time. As murder attempts went, this one was half-assed. I climbed up the slope, shivering and chattering my teeth with every step.

Eventually, I reached an empty one-lane road and trudged along its edge.

I must have walked an hour before the road lit up with headlights. I waved my stiff arms, hoping the driver didn’t speed up thinking I was some kind of mountainside specter.

The car slowed, and a bearded man wound down the electric window of the passenger side of his car.

“H-hello,” I said through teeth that wouldn’t stop chattering. “C-can you call the police, please?”

His thick brows lowered. “What are you doing wandering about on your own at two o’ fucking clock in the morning?”

“Someone attacked me, and—”

“You’d better come inside.” He pressed a button, making the central locking of his car click. I stepped back, Mom’s warning ringing in my ears to never get in the car of a strange man.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said.

“Look… I-I don’t have my ph-phone,” I said. “Please, could you call the police. There’s been a crime.”

He rolled his eyes.” Stand out in the cold if you want.”

I stamped my feet and breathed hard, hoping he wouldn’t get annoyed and drive away.

The man reached for his phone, pressed 9-9-9, and put the receiver to his ears. “Police… I’m on Hard Knott Pass…. The one in Cumbria, yes…. There’s a young girl in school uniform wandering about.” He pressed the phone to his chest. “What’s your name?”