Bound (A Cassidy Swann Novel)

Prologue

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have." -- Abraham Lincoln

Sector 5, West Industries

    Maria was running as fast as she could. She had to get away from that area. She needed to. But she’d been at it for what? An hour now? Or two? She couldn’t remember anymore. All she knew was she needed a safe place to hide.

   But where? The street was deserted. It was dark, save for the feeble light coming from a couple of lamp posts scattered loosely on the area. The buildings on either side weren’t helping either. They showed no sign of any living entity.

   She slowed down a bit. Her body was getting tired. It was already telling her to rest. Maybe she could find shelter in one of the buildings for a while, think of an escape plan, regain her strength, then keep going.

  But as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. If she stopped now, they’d get her. And she would turn up dead on the news tomorrow. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Not tonight. She promised her son that she’d join him for dinner.

  Jacob, honey, wait for Mommy. I’ll be home soon, I promise. With her 5-year old son in mind, Maria ran faster, using up the energy left from her.

  Then she heard it. The sound of passing vehicles, honking. Filled with people, she hoped. She turned on the alleyway on the right, doubled up her speed, and followed where the sound was coming from.

  She's right. At the other end of the alleyway was a buzzing street. She ran some more. Catching her breath, she stopped on her tracks when she reached it. She heaved a sigh of relief. She’s safe.

  Just as she was about to take her first step to safety, two strong hands grabbed her from behind, muffling her screams with a cloth pressed on her mouth.

To be continued.........  For the updated version, click here!