HARLEIGH AMARI

Harleigh Amari was not the eye catchingly beautiful type. Men usually by-passed her until they noticed her world record winning slim waist and smooth curves then they backpedaled. That's when they noticed a few more of her fair features. Her steely grey eyes, her burgundy long hair that stretched up to her back and her slender long legs among other things.

Harleigh didn't care for men and romance though.  Most men tended to get the wrong idea about her because she was a dancer. Most men assumed that dancers were akin to prostitutes who were akin to female devils. All that mattered to her was her dancing. At twenty years, Harleigh had reached state championships in Boston and was getting calls all over the country offering her spots in renowned dance crews.

When Harleigh performed on the stage, she didn't just dance, she owned the stage and she owned the performance. The audience left with cramps in their hands and arms from excessive clapping. Harleigh had won countless trophies in various dance competitions and she was finally proud of herself. Her room was overflowing with them. Her father had once joked that if they sold all her trophies and medals, they would make it to the Forbes magazine. She frequently had interviews with news companies where she encouraged her age mates to follow their dreams yada yada.

Those days were over. Now Harleigh lay on her side. Her hands were tied tightly behind her back. Her legs were numb from being tied up in one position for far too long. How had long gruelling nights of practice turned into....this?

All she could remember was that she had left the community theatre at nine pm on Monday night after a big performance. She had been with one of the other girls and then she had woken up in a dark basement the next morning. Now why was she in a forest? Was her abductor tired of her already? Was this the end?

The sun scorched her skin and pierced her eyes. Harleigh could tell that it was around midday because the sun was very high up in the sky. The credit for that went to the time she had spent as a girl's scout. Harleigh had gone to the scout's camp because it was the only way her overprotective parents would let her experience the great outdoors.

Harleigh now wondered about her parents. She wondered how they were coping with her disappearance. How were they going to raise the money to fund the search parties? They were among the struggling middle class families. Her father was a gym instructor and her mother ran a little boutique in Dorchester. Harleigh had used dancing to fund most of her college life. Their converted Victorian household housed four people. Her parents, her twelve year old sister and herself. They were a tight knit family. Harleigh shut her eyes in an attempt to stop the memories because they made the crushing pain in her chest so much worse.

Speaking of pain, Harleigh's thighs and back were screaming in agony. Her abductor had stuck his knife in her thighs and back, hard enough to hurt but not deep enough to kill. Harleigh had screamed but the rolled up pillowcase that served as a gag didn't help the situation. She had been forced to watch as tiny streams of blood flowed down her thighs and tickled her back. The brutal fall winds in September made her gaping wounds sting.

Harleigh was parched and she was also starving. She had only been given a measley meal of mashed potatoes and baked beans two days ago. Harleigh had wolfed it down in under a minute and had almost vomited.

The crunching sound of leaves and twigs caught Harleigh's attention. A big burly man with jet black hair that was almost navy blue bent down. He ruthlessly pulled at the rope that bound her dirty legs. He put his cold hands around her sweating neck and whispered against her neck.

"It's your turn." Harleigh shivered involuntarily. Now she understood why she was in the forest and not in the basement. Everyday, her abductor had picked out one girl out of the seven of them who were stashed in his house. They always returned to the basement worse for the wear. He had not taken Harleigh out before because she was a new recruit. Harleigh was about to learn what he did to them.

A sharp prickling pain spread its way through her legs. He was playing with the knife again and her leg was bleeding. He untied her hands and he whispered into her ear with a smirk.

"Run."

And Harleigh ran. She ignored the cutting pain of rocks in her feet. She ignored the piercing slices of twigs and thorns gouging into her feet. After all she had experienced worse, her dance training had been far more brutal. Who was she kidding? Her training mostly comprised of balancing on her toes for hours. This was her life at stake. She was fleeing from a psychopath. She tried to scream but it only came out a hoarse hiss.

"Hey little dancer girl." Her abductor called. Harleigh couldn't see him but his voice was threateningly close. She couldn't afford to turn back or else she would fall and that would be the end.

Her legs burned and she felt dizzy. Her body was whining from the lack of food. Anaerobic respiration was taking it's toll on her and the result was going to be ugly. She would worry about that later.

Harleigh slid to a stop when she came to a cross roads. The sound of crunching twigs made her panic. She  had seen this in a movie once. Where stranded teens in a forest had listened for the sound of civilization and had run in that direction. Harleigh listened for the sound of cars. She had a distant honking and turned abruptly to the left from where she had heard the sound.

"Little dancer girl." He called again. He was still close. How was he doing this? She couldn't afford to be caught now. She had so much more to achieve in life. She hadn't yet had a boyfriend. She had never experienced motherhood.

"Please God. I need to come out of this alive. Please. Please." She muttered.

Harleigh made an abrupt left turn. She heard him say.

"I underestimated you, little dancer. No girl. I mean no one has ever made it this far. You have made my morning run that much more interesting. I should take you out more often."

Those words gave Harleigh unimaginable strength. She pushed herself further left. The trees this side didn't have any leaves left. They were all set for winter yet it was only September.

Harleigh saw him now. He was to her right and he was no longer running. He held his pocket knife to his side and he was smirking. The knife dripped blood and he looked like the grim reaper. Harleigh unconsciously looked behind her and he charged. Harleigh turned belatedly and the air expelled from her in a painful whoosh. She heard the crack of her ribs as she came into contact with the forest floor.

Harleigh immediately began to fight. She squirmed under his crushing weight. Harleigh used the only available weapon she could find. She sunk her teeth into his shoulder and did not stop until she tasted blood.

His reaction was immediate. He growled and rolled off her. For a man his size, he was a weakling when it came to pain. She struggled up the incline to the road. It was so close yet so far.

He pulled at her legs to bring her back down. Harleigh kicked and kicked until he let go. She pulled herself onto the road and began to run. She needed to find a vehicle.

A black Volvo XC90 came into view and she waved her hands frantically for attention but the car continued advancing towards her. She framed her eyes with her hands to get a better look at the driver. All Harleigh could clearly see was the driver's blindingly white hair. The driver seemed to be crying because her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. She screamed to get the driver's attention but the car only advanced towards her. She tried to move out of the way but her legs were like they were weighted down with dumbbells. She was literally treading through molasses. It was as if time had slowed.

Was this the end? Had she escaped a psychopath only to die in a road accident? She screamed louder but the hoarse hiss took over her voice. She stood like a deer caught in the headlights as the car inched closer and closer.

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