by Vera Hollins
He stopped next to my mother and started untying her ropes.
“I’m not hungry,” she bit out.
He slapped her, sending my heart into frenzy. “You’ll eat when I tell you.” He released her and threw the ropes to the floor. “Now get up. And don’t try anything stupid.” He frowned when she didn’t move. “Get up!”
He yanked her to her feet and shoved her to the table. She whimpered, her anger dissipating and leaving fear in its place.
It was getting lighter outside, announcing the dawn. I squinted through the windows covered with bars, making out leafless trees in the distance that confirmed we were in a forest. The bars on the windows sent a clear message that there was no easy way out, and I felt more helpless.
I got the creeps when Brad reached me. I held my breath as he worked on untying my ropes, hating how our bodies touched.
“The same goes for you. Don’t do anything stupid.” His eyes promised me pain if I disobeyed him, and I didn’t want to test if he was telling the truth or not.
I stood up and went to the dining table, ignoring the prickling in my feet from too much sitting. I wondered how I would be able to eat when eating was the last thing on my mind. I was thirsty, and I needed to pee badly, trying to hold it in as best as I could, but I’d have to ask him to let me go to the bathroom at some point.
“Sit down,” he ordered, showing me where to sit.
I took a seat across from my mother, while he sat at the head of the table. I gave him a long look, studying his appearance. He was almost bald, with a short beard that indicated he hadn’t shaved for days, wearing jeans and a flannel shirt that covered his ripped body all too tightly. His movements were slow and controlled, which roused fear in me. His rigid muscles signaled he was ready to strike instantly if needed.
“We finally get to eat like a family. It brings back memories, right?” He looked between my mother and me, grinning. Family.
I didn’t want to remember our meals with him. They had always contained tension, arguments, and hidden aggression, so I’d preferred to eat in my room. I wanted to forget everything about Brad, but here he was, a puppet master pulling our strings.
My mother was motionless, staring at her sandwich like she was far away in her thoughts. I looked at my own sandwich and felt like I was going to cry. How would this end? I was still in shock, and as much as I tried to come up with a solution, I couldn’t.
“You thought you could get away from me? You thought you could send me to the slammer without paying for it?” he asked with a smile, but his eyes were deadly serious.
He spoke like he was discussing the weather, and it made me ill. He was amused by our fear, which only fueled him to do these horrendous things.
“You were wrong. You can’t escape me.” His smile dropped, and I wanted nothing more than to scoot far away from him. “I could’ve been nice to both of you. I could’ve treated you well, but you just had to hand me over to the cops.” He glanced at our untouched sandwiches. “Eat.” I took my sandwich and flinched when Brad’s fist connected with the table. “Eat,” he shouted at Patricia.
She whimpered, hunched in her chair. “No,” she refused weakly. She closed her eyes and hugged herself, shaking her head.
He shot out of his chair, sending it toppling. My sandwich slipped from my hands when he slapped her, a loud smack ripping through the air. Her lip cracked, and dark red blood dribbled out of it.
I jumped to my feet with my heart slamming into my ribs. “Don’t touch her, bastard!”
His blue eyes cut deep into me, and he advanced straight on me.
No! I darted away, running with no direction. Just as I reached the hallway, he caught me and sent me flying against the wall. I hit my shoulder, crying out as I slid down to the floor, but he brought me up effortlessly before I could connect with the ground and dragged me back to the table. My upper arm hurt where he held it in a steely grip.
“You keep testing me. I’m losing my patience with you, little cunt.” He dropped me into the chair. My mother cried silently, looking at Brad with utter fear. “Both of you will eat now. If not, you won’t receive any food for the next few days.”
A few days? How long would this last? What did he plan to do with us?
We reached for our sandwiches in silence. Brad returned to his chair and started eating with his eyes locked on us. I took the first bite as I observed my mother, not tasting anything.
She hardly looked at me. We were in this together, but I felt detached from her. She truly didn’t care about me. She didn’t even react to me getting hurt, showing me I hadn’t ever known my own mother. She was apathetic, snared in her own world with no hope for her to change and be a better person.
I opened my bottle and took a swig of water, relishing in the cold liquid flowing through my parched throat. I wished I could just sweep all the gloomy aspects of my life under a rug and never encounter them again. I wished this was all just a nightmare I would wake up from soon.
“I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw you on those bleachers,” he started, unusually chatty. I couldn’t even look at him, taking another tasteless bite. “I came to spend the holiday with my dear brother, and I found you. The best Thanksgiving ever.” He laughed, and my stomach twisted. How could he sound so friendly, so benign?
Curiosity got the best of me. “What would you have done if you hadn’t seen me?”
I used to ask myself this almost every day. If he hadn’t seen me then, would he have ever found us again?
“Search for you, of course. And sooner or later, I would’ve found you.” His menacing words sent a chill down my spine.
“But I heard what you said to the coach yesterday. You said you were leaving Enfield.”
His abrupt laughter sent another chill through me. “And I’ve left it. With you.”
I recoiled with dread. “So you planned on kidnapping us from the start?”
He cocked his head to the side, contemplating whether to answer. “My original plan was to take Patty if she didn’t come willingly. I planned on getting rid of you somehow, but then I found the messages on her phone yesterday morning and saw you two had made a deal to file for a restraining order.” Amusement took over his features. “Did you seriously think a stupid piece of paper would keep me away?” He shook his head and took a huge bite of his sandwich.
The irony of this situation came like a huge blow. If we hadn’t been texting each other about the restraining order, I wouldn’t have been here? What would’ve happened if Hayden had come with me?
So many questions spun through my mind, and my head ached.
“It was a good decision to bring you here. You’ll be a nice pastime.”
A pastime.
I closed my eyes, hoping for some strength that would keep me sane through this. He’d mentioned yesterday morning, which meant today was Saturday, and I wondered what Hayden must be thinking. Was he searching for me? Were the cops notified?
The chances for us to be found were slim because there were no witnesses, and Hayden was the only one who knew I went to the court to meet my mother. Even if he suspected Brad, he wouldn’t know where to look for him. I doubted Brad carried a phone with him, which the police could track. He wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake. I could only hope someone had witnessed Brad taking my mother.
My mother dug her fingers into her barely eaten sandwich, ashen-faced. “Maybe someone saw you in the parking lot. The police will find you. You can’t get away with this,” she said, but her voice lacked conviction.
He went into a fit of laughter. “Patty, intelligence was never your strong side. But then again, I’ve never liked you for your brains. That parking lot was completely empty, and it was five in the morning. The chances that someone saw me are slim to none.”
I forced myself to continue eating, thinking how everything had turned exactly how he’d wanted. He was the first to finish his sandwich, looking content with himself. I chewed with difficulty, feeling more ill tha
n full.
I tried my luck. “Where are we? Is this cabin yours?”
He snorted. “Like I’m going to tell you. It’s none of your concern, and we’re leaving soon anyway.”
We were leaving? Where to?
“Are we still in Connecticut?” He just stared back at me with a blank expression on his face, refusing to give me the answer. “What’s with so little furniture? It looks like nobody ever uses this place.”
His smile was cruel. “I prepared this place before I brought you here. I wouldn’t want you to do something unnecessary with something sharp or breakable.”
Just as I thought. “And how long are you going to keep us like this?”
Impatience grew in his eyes, and a tremor rushed through me. I was pushing his limits, but I needed answers. I needed to know if there was anything I could grab onto to help us get out of here.
“For as long as it takes,” he gritted out.
He couldn’t be seriously thinking he would get away with this. He couldn’t keep us forever.
Forever. I shuddered. This uncertainty was killing me, and I was petrified by all the possibilities.
I risked another question, my heart rampant. “What do you plan to do with us?”
He didn’t answer me immediately, growing more agitated. His muscles bulged, and I jerked back, expecting him to hit me.
“Keep you,” he replied at last. “Until I grow tired of you and kill you.”
Chapter 24
THE SOUND OF SNORTING woke me up from my nap, which did nothing to beat my fatigue. I tried to move my limbs, but it was in vain, reminding me I was tied to a chair again. This cage holding us was becoming more stifling with each hour, and all parts of me screamed for freedom. My wrists and ankles pricked, and I had an uncomfortable feeling in my waist because of the ropes around it.
I felt stiff from many hours of sitting, but what bothered me the most was not knowing how much more I’d have to be restrained. It was Saturday evening, as I’d learned earlier, but it felt like we’d been here for many days. My jaw and head didn’t stop aching.
Snorting continued, and I raised my head, trying to see better in the poorly lit room. My throat tightened with disgust and horror. Brad was sitting on the floor close to me leaning over a small table and snorting coke. A few lines waited for him to consume them.
I closed my eyes shut, nauseated.
“Oh man, this is so awesome.” He sounded so full of himself, so energized. I opened my eyes and saw him looking at my mother, but her eyes weren’t on him. They were zeroed in on those lines.
Her stare was unwavering, focused on that white powder, and my stomach curled. She’d used cocaine before? I flexed my jaw, disgusted by the silent exchange between them.
“You want this, sweetheart?” He smirked at her and snorted another line. I willed myself to breathe deeply so I wouldn’t start panicking. “I’ll give some to you. It will make you feel amazing.” I didn’t need to hear her answer to know she was seriously tempted to take it.
He stood up and strolled over to her. I watched him untie her, left aghast. They were really going to do this.
He looked at me. “If you don’t do anything stupid, I’ll even let our little Sarah try it.”
No, no, no.
“No,” I shouted, horrified to even think about this.
His chuckle was cruel. “Don’t be scared. It’s going to be great, I promise.”
My breathing became erratic, beads of sweat forming on my temples. He’s going to force me.
“I’ll give you as much coke as you want, Patty.” His eyes glinted dangerously. “If you please me.”
I stiffened. He pushed her down onto her knees in front of him and unfastened his belt as she stared at him in shock. He was going to give her coke in exchange for... Oh God.
Her eyes widened with realization, and she recoiled, finally snapping out of her daze. She shook her head frantically and sneered at him. “No. Screw you!” She scrambled to her feet to get away from him, but he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her back to her knees.
“I wasn’t asking, Patty,” his cruel voice left no place for argument.
This couldn’t be happening! “Leave her alone!” I pushed against the ropes, fighting to get my freedom, but all I managed was to make them dig harshly into my skin. “You can’t force her! Get away from her!”
He watched me with amusement as he reached for the top button of his jeans, holding my mother in place with his hand on her shoulder. I thrashed against my chair, beside myself with disgust and revulsion.
Before he could move further, she bit his forearm, and he drew back with a hiss.
She jumped back to her feet. “Fuck you!” She darted away, but she barely crossed a few feet before he caught her.
“You’re going to pay for this, stupid bitch!” He pushed her to the floor, and she fell with a thud, rolling twice. He grabbed her hair and yanked it, hitting her head against the hard surface.
“No,” I screamed.
He didn’t stop. He came above her and landed his fist on her face repeatedly, making a mash that sent bile up my throat. I was screaming as his beating continued, my chair scrapping against the floor each time I fought against my restraints. He cut all her protests and cries, punching her chest and stomach ruthlessly, until she was a broken mess on the floor, unable to move.
“You will never run away from me!”
His face was twisted with ferocity as he dragged her by the hair across the floor to her chair. Her screams of pain were ragged, interrupted by her heavy breathing. He pushed her up to her chair, her limp body dangling lifelessly as he tied the ropes around her chest.
“I will never let you run away,” he uttered when he tied the last knot and left the living room, heading outside.
The silence in the room was deafening.
“Mom?” I couldn’t see her face because her head hung low and her hair covered it. She wasn’t moving, breathing unevenly. “Talk to me.”
Nothing. She didn’t even react. The tightness in my chest grew bigger along with my anxiety.
I felt wretched. Once more, I looked around the room for anything that could help us escape this hell. Where did he go?
His heavy stomps announced his return a moment before he shut the front door with a bang and stormed into the living room. Horror consumed me again when I saw a fire poker in his hand.
He didn’t even look in my direction, his sights fixed on my mother. She raised her head as if sensing he wasn’t finished with her and cried out when she noticed the fire poker.
“No,” she cried out. “Please, don’t hurt me. No—”
“Shut up.” He slapped her hard. “This will teach you to be obedient.”
Everything started unfolding in slow motion with no way to stop it... He swung the poker and brought it with all his force to her knee.
Crunch!
She screamed, her face twisting in agonizing pain after the blow that broke her kneecap.
“No!” I was choking on my own voice, getting dizzy.
He swung it again and hit her other knee.
Crunch!
I retched, my heart pounding at an alarming rate. Her face was drenched with tears.
“Now you can’t run away from me.” He turned around to look at me and raised the poker in warning. “The same thing will happen to you if you disobey me like this bitch. I’m done treating you nice. If you don’t want to cooperate, I’ll make sure you really suffer before I kill you.”
He threw the fire poker away, took his jacket from the couch, and stomped out of the cabin.
MY MOTHER’S WAILS WERE long gone. It was dawn, but Brad still hadn’t come back. I was sweating excessively in pain as I wriggled my hands behind me, my wrists burning and bloody. I was trying to set myself free since he’d left us, continuously working against the ropes throughout the whole night in a newfound resolve.
Nothing else mattered as I repeated the same thing over and over again, numbed a
fter so much pain. My mother had passed out long ago. Her knees were getting more swollen, so I needed to get help for her quickly. It was out of question for her to move or go anywhere on her own. I just hoped Brad wouldn’t come back anytime soon.
My gaze fell back on the lines of coke he’d left unfinished on the table, and I felt another wave of repugnance. We had to get out of here. There was no other way. There was no rescue, and there was no miracle that would allow us to get out of here intact. He would be back and when he was... I didn’t want to even think about that.
One of the ropes finally loosened, and I pulled harder against it, my heart speeding up. This was it! I was going to make it!
A couple of painful minutes later, I managed to free my hands, and I cried out in relief. Yes! I looked outside, checking if Brad was anywhere near, but I couldn’t see or hear anything. I squirmed until I could bring my arms to the front and then worked on moving the ropes around my waist up. After a few more minutes, I was able to slip them over my shoulders and head, and I could move my upper body at last.
I did it! I set myself free!
The pain in my wrists already forgotten, I laughed and reached to free my legs. By the time I stood up, the early morning sunrays had already permeated into the room. Now I only had to find a way to get out of here and look for help.
My legs protested after so many hours of sitting when I moved toward my mother. I tapped her shoulder lightly.
“Mom?”
My eyes roamed over her slumped body. She was pale, her face marred by hideous bruises and dried blood. She looked even smaller than usual. I knew that despite her neglect and lack of care, I couldn’t just leave her. I had to help her.
“Mom? Can you hear me?”
She stirred, and her eyes fluttered open, a loud moan escaping her lips. Her eyes flicked up to me in fear.
“It’s me. Don’t worry. He’s not here.”
Her lips parted in surprise. “You freed yourself.”
“Yes. Now I’m going to help you, too.” She tried to move her legs, and she screamed. I winced, my stomach caving in as if her pain was my own. “Don’t move. Your kneecaps are broken.”