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Back The Village Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She peered left and right, trying to get her bearings. Her Converse crunched in the icy snow, which had covered the bridle path. With so many trees around her, everything looked the same. The tips of her fingers freezing, she held her iPhone torch aloft. Was she even going the right way? Ten minutes into her journey, she wasn’t so sure. Her heart faltered as something scampered behind a tree. She drew in a ragged breath as she faced a pair of glinting eyes. Her hand clasped her chest. It was a deer.

‘You frightened the crap out of me, Bambi!’ A frosty mist carried on her breath as she exhaled.

There was a sudden flurry of shifting snow as footsteps approached. She didn’t see the figure until it was too late. The sudden, violent grappling that followed filled her with primal instinct – she was fighting for her life. Her scream locked in her throat as an arm tightened around her waist. The heat of the intruder’s body made her rigid with terror. Kicking and biting, she fought against their strength.

Morgan’s screams were whipped away as the wind blew her hair into her face. She needed to see her attacker. To know what she was dealing with.

‘Get. The fuck. OFF ME!’ She kicked behind her with force, fighting to stay on her feet as they wrestled. Instinctively, she knew that if she fell to the ground her attacker would have the advantage. Breaking free in a rush of panic, she ran blind into the forest, tears stinging her eyes.

Where the hell was she? She forced her legs forward, her limbs trembling from a shot of adrenaline. She was too scared to look back. She had lost her phone and her glasses in the struggle. Keep running, a voice screamed in her head, tears running down her face as she fought for breath. Had she got away? As she swivelled her head to check, her footing was lost. A sudden shriek escaped her lips as she clawed the air for purchase. Tumbling down a ravine, she crashed against tree roots and rotted leaves as she hurtled towards the stream. As her head came into contact with the rock, she lay like a bird, stunned, on the cold hard ground. Her eyelids leaden, she blinked in the darkness. A hooded figure stood above. Her vision was blurred, her skin icy cold. In, out, in, out . . . She forced each breath as blackness closed in.

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY

Kicking off his boots, Lloyd rubbed the sole of his foot. The tips of his socks were soaked from walking in dew-sodden ground. Snow had come down wet and heavy, and he was glad to finally be home.