BLAKE: Captive to the Dark Read Online Free PDF Page A

hadn’t even gone a mile yet.
    “Good ,” Marie said, quietly. The French girl mumbled something and I forced myself to speak.
    “Fine.”
    Whether or not he was looking at me, I wasn’t sure. No way was I getting away from the only heat source available.
    Whistling sounded through the thickening trees. As we began to weave around them , I couldn’t get over the impression that I was on a merry-go-round. The darkness was playing tricks on my mind, and I was so thirsty. My tongue felt swollen and sponge-like. Tightening gripped at my hand just as my feet stumbled.
    “Okay, break time.” The flashlight came on and Blake pulled me to a tree, leaning me against it. The girls naturally followed and we huddled close. Their warmth felt so good. Comforting. As we circled and rested our foreheads against each other, I’d never felt so close with other females before. The three of us may have not known each other, but we all shared a horror induced nightmare that other women would never experience in their lifetime.
    Marie sobbed and more of her small body pressed against me. Tears came to my eyes as Frenchie broke down, too, but I held mine in. I didn’t cry before, and I wouldn’t now. We were too close to being free. No use shedding tears when they were useless. They weren’t going to carry me to the plane, and the weakness that followed would only set me back in our journey.
    “Here. Drink.” Blake thrust a small thermos in my direction and pulled a phone out. My hand shook as I took it and drank the cold water down. I didn’t want to stop, but somehow managed to force myself. The other girls copied my movements, passing it back and forth.
    “Javier, get the plane ready. We’ll be there shortly.” The light from the cell turned off and he pushed it back into his pocket.
    My excitement soared, giving me renewed energy. “We should go,” I whispered. “Not much longer now.” Instinctively, I kissed both of their cheeks. It felt natural and gave me pause. I tried to ignore my uncharacteristic response while I handed Blake the drink. The glow from the flashlight showed me nothing as to his emotions. He was watching my every move, but he remained stoic.
    “Come, Kaitlyn.” His arm bent and I slid mine through, giving my other to Marie. The snow began to crunch under ou r feet again. Minutes went by, and then what felt like hours. I wasn’t sure how long we’d been walking, but I knew I was dead on my feet. Fogginess settled into my mind and my legs were numb. I kept stumbling, barely able to lift my own weight. Home kept repeating in my head, but it wasn’t working anymore.
    “Almost there, Kaitlyn. How you doing?”
    Although I couldn’t see Blake, I could feel his stare. Heaviness pulled at my eyelids and I fought to keep them open.
    “Talk to me.” His voice was so far away.
    I felt myself falling forward before my mind registered the act. The world turned on its axis and Blake’s arms were scooping me up before I hit the ground. He was talking. Somehow, I knew that, but what he way saying was beyond me. Nothing was processing. My eyes rolled and I caught the dark shadows of trees moving overhead. Pain in my back brought me slightly back to reality. I heard myself groan, but it sounded muffled.
    “Come on, girls. Maybe a quarter of a mile left. You’re all doing great. Just keep holding onto my belt.”
    Unconsciousness pulled at me and I fought it with everything I had. The battle was a losing one. My mouth flew open at the pain from Blake adjusting his arms. The last of my survival instincts kicked in.
    “Blake.” My hand gripped against the front of his dark sweater. I was afraid of what was happening. Something told me my body was shutting down and the fear of not waking up was suddenly the most terrifying thing I could ever imagine. I’d done nothing but beg for death since I’d been taken. Now, I wanted to live. “I’m scared.”
    Lips pressed against my forehead as he cradled me.