Author's Note:
Alright, buckle up, buttercup. You're about to take a front-row seat to the most unwelcome house visit since your mother-in-law showed up unannounced with a suitcase. If you thought Travis and Owen were just going to send a "We Miss You" card and move on, I've got bad news—they've opted for the "smash your face into a wall and stomp you into the floorboards" package instead. Real five-star service.
The rain drummed steadily against the windows, a rhythmic hum that almost lulled Reagan to sleep. She was curled up on her couch, a blanket draped over her legs, and a half-empty cup of tea growing cold on the table beside her. The glow of the television flickered in soft hues, casting long shadows across the walls.
Her phone buzzed, lighting up with a notification.
System Update in Progress. Estimated Time Remaining: 27 Minutes.
She frowned, picking up the device and tapping the screen. Nothing happened. Skylar had scheduled an update for the security system, one she insisted would make it "virtually impenetrable." But right now, it just left her blind. Reagan cursed under her breath and tossed the phone back onto the table, sighing heavily.
A soft creak sounded from the hallway, barely audible over the rain. Reagan stiffened, her hand hovering over the remote. She muted the television, and the silence settled heavy and thick around her. Her breath came shallow, controlled.
You're being paranoid, she told herself. It's just the building settling.
But the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She slowly got up from the couch, feet light against the hardwood, and moved toward the hallway. The shadows stretched long and ominous, flickering with each flash of lightning outside.
A click.
Her heart leapt into her throat. The doorknob twisted, just slightly—enough to be seen but not heard. Reagan stopped breathing, her body frozen as adrenaline pumped fire through her veins.
The door opened silently, and Travis stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room with clinical precision. His face was expressionless, eyes like ice, and behind him, Owen slipped inside, locking the door with a soft click.
Reagan's mouth went dry, her limbs stiff and unyielding. She took a single step backward, her heel catching on the edge of the carpet. The movement caught Travis' attention, his eyes snapping to hers.
"There you are," he purred, voice dripping with satisfaction.
Reagan bolted. Her body sprang into action before her mind had fully processed the danger. She sprinted down the hallway, bare feet slapping against the floor, heart slamming in her chest.
"Get her!" Travis snarled, and heavy footsteps thundered behind her.
Her fingers grazed the doorframe of the kitchen, eyes locking onto the panic button Skylar had installed by the back entrance. If she could just—
A hand wrapped around her hair and yanked her back with brutal force. Reagan screamed as she was flung against the wall, her skull cracking against the brickwall
The world spun violently, and her legs gave out beneath her. Travis leaned over her, his shadow blotting out the light. "You really thought you could just disappear?" he sneered. His hand shot out and backhanded her across the face, the force whipping her head to the side. Her cheekbone shattered under the impact, a jagged burst of pain spreading like wildfire
Blood trickled from her nose and mouth, pooling on the hardwood beneath her. She gasped for air, her vision blurred and spotted with dark flashes.
But they didn't stop. Owen grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her back up, slamming her onto the floor. Her head smacked against the wood with a sickening crack, and the room swam before her eyes. She barely had time to register the pain before Travis' boot collided with her ribs. A deafening crack echoed in her ears, and a wave of agony spread through her side.
"Hold her still," Owen barked, grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head. Reagan thrashed, but his grip was iron. Travis loomed above her, his shadow stretching across her broken body.
"You think you can just run?" he spat, voice dripping with venom. "You think you can just leave and we won't find you?"
Reagan spat blood onto his shoe. "Go to hell."
His eyes darkened. Without another word, he stepped back, and his boot came down—hard—on her face.
The impact shattered her eye socket with a sickening crunch, the bone splintering beneath the force of his boots. Her vision went dark in that eye, the pain blinding and immediate. Reagan screamed, the sound raw and primal, but Travis didn't stop.
His boot came down again, smashing against her cheekbone. The crack echoed through her skull, and she felt the bone collapse inward, jagged and sharp beneath her skin. Blood poured from her nose and mouth, splattering across the floor.
Her mind screamed for her to move, to do something, but her body wouldn't respond. Owen grinned wickedly, still holding her wrists, and pressed his own boot down on her elbow, grinding his weight into the joint until it cracked
Reagan's scream was strangled, her throat raw and aching. Every breath rattled painfully in her chest, the broken ribs stabbing with each inhale. Her face felt swollen and wet, her eyes barely able to open through the blood and swelling.
"Get up," Travis snarled, his boot nudging her side. Reagan groaned, her body instinctively curling into itself. "I said get up."
When she didn't move, he crouched down, grabbing her by the throat and lifting her halfway off the floor. Her feet scraped against the wood, her vision flickering between light and dark.
"You're not getting away," he whispered, his breath hot against her cheek. "Not this time."
But somewhere deep inside, Reagan's fight wasn't gone. Not yet. She sucked in a breath—jagged and sharp—and mustered every last ounce of strength she had left. Her knee came up hard, colliding with Travis' groin. He let out a guttural roar, doubling over, and she twisted out of Owen's grip, scrambling across the floor on hands and knees.
Her head pounded, her ribs screamed with every breath, and her vision was half-blind from the swelling, but she dragged herself forward, inch by inch. The back door was so close—so impossibly far, but she had to try.
Reagan's entire body screamed in protest as she pulled herself across the floor, blood trailing behind her like a crimson path. Her breath came in jagged gasps, every inhale sending jagged shards of pain through her shattered ribs. Her cheekbone throbbed, swollen and hot, and her left eye was entirely swollen shut. Sticky warmth slid down her face, mixing with the rainwater that seeped in under the doorframe.
Behind her, Travis groaned, hunched over and clutching his groin. His eyes burned with rage, his face twisted in pain, but it wasn't enough to stop him. "Get her," he spat through gritted teeth.
Owen straightened, his eyes locking onto Reagan as she dragged herself toward the back door. "You're not going anywhere, sweetheart."
Panic clawed at her throat. Her hands scrabbled at the hardwood, slipping on the blood and rainwater, but she pushed forward. Her left hip flared with each movement, a fiery ache that shot up her side and nearly paralyzed her with pain.
"You think you can just run?" Owen taunted, his footsteps heavy behind her. She heard him crack his knuckles, stretching his neck from side to side. He was enjoying this.
"Just… one more step," she whispered, voice broken and trembling. Her hand reached out, fingertips brushing the edge of the kitchen table. She gripped it, pulling herself up, her legs shaking and barely holding her weight.
Owen was almost on her, his hands reaching out to grab her, when she spun around and smashed the edge of a glass vase across his face. The sound of shattering porcelain filled the room, and Owen howled, staggering back with his hands clutching his eyes.
"Fucking bitch!" he roared, blood streaming between his fingers. His vision was blurred, but Reagan didn't wait to see him recover.
Her head throbbed, her vision doubled, but she staggered toward the back door, each step feeling like her bones were grinding against each other. Her ribs burned with every breath, and she clutched her side, gasping as the pain flared hotter.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Travis' voice boomed from behind her. She didn't turn. She couldn't. Her hands fumbled for the doorknob, slipping on blood. Her heart pounded, every beat rattling her skull.
Finally, the lock clicked, and the door swung open, rain slapping her in the face like needles. She nearly collapsed from the force of it, her body swaying dangerously, but she held on. Just barely.
The rain soaked her instantly, cold water mingling with the warm stickiness of her own blood. She staggered forward, feet dragging across the wet pavement, each step jarring her broken ribs and sending fresh waves of agony through her body.
Her left eye was completely swollen shut, the pressure building behind her brow, and her cheekbone throbbed with a dull, unrelenting pain. The skin around her eye felt tight, stretched over the swelling, and her jaw clicked painfully with each ragged breath.
But she didn't stop. The light from Skylar's trailer flickered in the distance, a beacon in the dark. She just had to get there. She had to.
The footsteps behind her grew louder. Travis had recovered, and she heard him curse loudly. "You think you can run, Reagan?!" His voice echoed through the rain, dripping with fury. "I'm not done with you!"
Her heart pounded, and she forced her legs to move faster. Her hip screamed with each step, the joint grinding against itself, but she didn't stop. She couldn't.
One step. Then another. Keep going. Just get to Skylar.
The rain poured down harder, making the pavement slick beneath her feet. She slipped, her knees crashing onto the concrete, and she cried out as her hip jolted painfully. She pushed herself back up, her fingers scraping against the rough surface, leaving streaks of blood in her wake.
Her breaths came in shallow pants, her ribs protesting with each inhale, but the trailer was only a few meters away. She could see the glow of light streaming from the windows, a silhouette moving inside. Skylar.
Reagan opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out—just a ragged whisper of air. Her throat burned, bruises blooming where Travis' hands had squeezed the life out of her. She stumbled forward, one foot dragging behind the other.
The trailer door swung open, and Skylar stood there, eyes wide with horror. "Reagan!" she screamed, launching herself down the steps and into the rain.
Reagan's legs gave out completely. Her body crumpled to the pavement, knees hitting the concrete with a sickening crack. She felt something tear in her hip, a white-hot flash of pain that shot up her leg and made her vision explode with stars.
Skylar caught her just before her head hit the ground, her arms wrapping around Reagan's shoulders. "Oh my god… oh my god…" Skylar whispered, voice cracking with panic. "Reagan, can you hear me?"
Reagan's mouth opened, blood seeping out over her lips. "Yes…" she gasped, voice barely above a whisper.
Skylar's eyes flashed with fire, and she reached for her phone with one hand, the other cradling Reagan's head. "I'm calling Taz. I'm calling him right fucking now."
Reagan blinked, her vision darkening at the edges. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and the rain felt like ice against her broken skin. But Skylar's arms were warm, holding her steady, keeping her awake.
"Stay with me, Rae," Skylar whispered, her fingers brushing Reagan's blood-matted hair away from her face. "Stay with me. They're coming."
Skylar raised her phone, pressed it to her ear, and her eyes locked on the approaching shadows in the distance—Travis and Owen, moving fast. She whispered a single name: "Taz."
And they ran.