Chapter 430

No one knew how long the nightmare lasted. By the time Anne's thick black hair had been hacked into a mangled mess and her dress torn to shreds, the gang of women finally let her go. She collapsed onto the ground, her body limp, her vision spinning. The women who had tormented her scattered with wicked laughter, piling back into their car before speeding off into the night. Anne stared at the clumps of hair littering the ground, then down at her shredded clothes. Pain seared through every part of her body. Her mind was blank. She tried to sit up, but her face was swollen, her nose and mouth bleeding, her body broken from the relentless blows. Even rising was nearly impossible. She couldn't believe what had just happened. It had all come so suddenly, and ended so abruptly. It was like a nightmare sprung to life. It was the most harrowing experience of her 20-some years. Her body shook uncontrollably, her thoughts scattered, and a single fear consumed her—that she might not make it