Chapter 7. Marked Territory

I ran until I found a hiding place behind some bushes. I did not know how long I stayed hidden. When I came out of hiding, my joints hurt, and my limbs lost feeling from contorting my body and trying to make myself as small as possible to go unnoticed. I stretched out and looked about cautiously. It seemed safe to come out. I moved swiftly towards my hostel when I saw something that made me stop in my tracks. It was a girl. In the distance, I heard a faint scream but tried to ignore my fear and focus on the girl before me.

“Help me…please,” she whispered. She lay half-conscious on the ground as she breathed heavily. Her dress was ripped to shreds like a brutal animal had attacked her. Bruises and scratches were across her face. When she tried to roll to her side, she recoiled in pain. I saw how she gripped her lower abdomen, her face twisted in pain. I knew it was not an animal that did this. She needed medical attention, but the health centre was at the other end of the campu