THE CRUEL SEVEN

by Terence Mitford

  Lisa smiled, trying hard to make it appear genuine. “Can I use the bathroom before you put the chain back on?”

  He hesitated a moment then glanced at to Erica who was busy chatting to the twins over by the table. When he turned back to Lisa, he nodded. “Be quick then.”

  Lisa moved fast before Luke changed his mind or Erica looked over. She closed and locked the bathroom door and went straight to the window. She reached up and gripped the bars, one in each hand, and pulled as hard as she could. They didn’t budge. They were solid and would take a great deal more strength to move than she possessed. In frustration, she gritted her teeth, then stripped off and took a shower in the icy cold water.

  When she left the bathroom, she picked up the end of the chain and carried it over to Luke. He and Erica stared at her for a moment before Luke took the padlock from his pocket and secured the cuff around her ankle.

  Lisa thanked him and set about helping Summer prepare and serve breakfast. There was little conversation from any of the family until Lisa sat down and began to eat. She could feel the atmosphere of bewilderment all around her. They must have been expecting the usual complaints about the chain and their lack of trust in her. But little did they know she had a different strategy in mind.

  Erica watched Lisa for a minute or two until her curiosity must have gotten the better of her. “No complaints this morning?”

  Lisa shook her head. “No complaints.”

  It was clear from Erica’s expression that Lisa’s brief reply had not satisfied her curiosity. “Why, what’s changed?”

  Lisa stopped eating and glanced back and forth between Erica and Luke as she spoke. “I laid in bed last night and thought about everything, and I realized I owe this family so much. For looking after Mike and I, for pulling me from the lake, for killing the drug traffickers and the sheriff, for taking Mike to Larry’s place.” She paused and gave Luke a muted smile. “You couldn’t have known how that would end.” Then she looked back at Erica. “So the least I can do is try to pay you back. If that means having babies for you, then that’s what I’ll do. And if it also means wearing this chain, then I’ll do that too.”

  Erica glanced around the table at Ed, Luke, and the others, before turning her gaze back to Lisa and clapping. “Well done. From the look on everyone’s face, I think you’ve got them believing you. But you’ll have to do a little better than that to fool me, young lady. The chain stays on.”

  Lisa wanted to scream in her face, but she took a breath and nodded. “I’m not trying to convince anyone of anything. I was just answering your question, that’s all. And it’s okay, you don’t have to believe me. I probably wouldn’t if I was you.”

  The smirk left Erica’s face.

  Lisa carried on eating while congratulating herself on her performance. Maybe Erica doesn’t believe her, yet. But she guessed she had done just enough to plant a few seeds of doubt in the back of the woman’s mind, that maybe, just maybe, she was telling the truth.

  Erica got to her feet. “Okay, Sweetie. If you really agree to have babies with my three sons, then we’ll change our little arrangement. From now on you’ll make yourself available to the twins as well as Luke.”

  Frankie and Freddie drew a breath and held it in perfect synchronization.

  Lisa drew a breath and let it out slowly. Before this latest exchange, she couldn’t imagine how things could get any worse than they were. But she should have learned by now not to put anything past this family, and especially not Erica. And the worst thing of all was that after her little speech, she couldn’t react, or she would give herself away and be back to square one. Something which Erica no doubt knew. So it was a test, and one she needed to pass.

  She looked Erica in the eye, smiled to cover her lie, and said, “Whatever you say, Ma’am.”

  Erica just stared at her, as if stunned by her compliance. Then she nodded and walked away.

  Lisa glanced at the twins. She could almost feel their excitement as they studied her, no doubt picturing the scene in their minds of how they were going to take advantage of the new arrangement.

  She looked away, no longer congratulating herself. In fact, now she was wondering how she could have been so stupid. Have I learned nothing here? I should not have tried to outsmart this woman. She must have expected me to try something like that.

  Erica walked around the table and placed her hands on the shoulders of Frankie and Freddie. “Boys, why don’t you take Lisa for a walk in the woods? I’m sure she’d like some fresh air.” She smirked at Lisa. “Isn’t that right, pretty girl?”

  Lisa’s heart pounded in her chest. She dragged her tongue over her dry lips and looked at Luke, expecting him to protest. But he broke eye contact with her and carried on eating.

  If it wasn’t for the threat of the wishes hanging over her, she would have rebelled there and then. She wasn’t afraid to die. But she was afraid of having to endure the six wishes written on those pieces of folded paper first. That’s if Erica would carry out her threat, and she had no reason to doubt that she would.

  So although she was dying inside, she had no choice but to comply.

  46

  LISA

  Lisa got up from the table, raised her right foot, and placed it on Luke’s lap. “You’ll need to take this off.”

  Luke glanced at his ma.

  She nodded.

  He unlocked the chain.

  Then she followed the twins to the door, where she paused and glanced back at the others. They were all watching her, no doubt expecting her to rebel, and maybe that’s what they wanted: an excuse to convene the family court. Determined not to give them that satisfaction, she followed the twins into the forest, and as they walked, she reassessed her strategy. It seemed everything she did just made things worse. Not only would she now have to service Luke, but the twins too. Who next, Ed and Billy?

  But she needed to be patient. Because trying to convince Erica that she was a willing participant in this sick family still seemed to be her best option, and maybe her only option. So she decided that whatever happened from now on, and no matter how nauseating it was, it would bring her one step closer to her objective. Because if she could maintain her act long enough, even Erica might eventually believe.

  They walked for a few minutes until the twins led her into a small, circular clearing and stopped. In the middle were two wooden poles, around seven feet high, six inches in diameter, and buried in the ground about six feet apart.

  She studied them and shuddered. Ropes hung from each pole at shoulder and ankle height, and there was no mistaking their purpose. No doubt they had already been used to restrain girls, spread eagled, between the poles.

  The twins walked over and waited for her.

  She hesitated. Could this be where the other girls met their fate? And will it be where she eventually meets hers? Probably, but not yet. Not until she had given them their babies.

  Determined to gain this family’s trust no matter how long it took, and no matter what she had to endure, she walked over and stood between the poles.

  Mirroring the other’s actions, the twins picked up the rope’s loose ends with one hand and each gripped her wrist with the other. They pulled her arms out, ready to secure her, but she shook her head. “Wait. You don’t need to tie me. I won’t resist.” She extended her arms horizontally and grabbed a rope in each hand.

  No words were spoken as Frankie unbuttoned her shorts and pushed them down her thighs, and Freddie slid her panties down. She closed her eyes and ordered herself to remain calm. If she was ever going to convince them she could be trusted, she would have to endure whatever they did to her without showing any hint of dissent.

  Frankie went first and Freddie second and thank God it was over quickly. Neither of the boys took more than a couple of minutes to satisfy themselves, during which she had closed her eyes and mentally removed herself from the scene by imagining her life as it used to be.

  When it was over, the boys pulled up
their shorts, and she had to dig deep to remain calm, when really she wanted to kick them where it would hurt the most. So she just pulled up her own shorts and walked between the twins back to the house.

  When they entered, she was the focus of attention. The rest of the family just stared at her, as if imagining what had just occurred.

  In keeping with her plan, Lisa collected the breakfast plates from the table and carried them to the basin, and all the while she was washing and drying them, she could sense Erica’s gaze on her. So she clenched her teeth together to stop herself from saying something she may regret. Not because she wouldn’t mean it. But because it would no doubt make her situation worse.

  After putting away the last dish, she turned back to the table. Erica was still studying her through narrowed eyes, but was it was a look of suspicion or confusion?

  “Have you got nothing to say?” Erica asked.

  Lisa shrugged. “Do you have anything else you want me to do?”

  Erica turned to Luke. “Put the chain back on.”

  Lisa walked over and placed her right foot on Luke’s lap again while he secured the chain in place. Then, determined to keep up her act, she returned to the kitchen and wiped down the surfaces.

  That night repeated the same pattern as the night before. Luke removed the chain, coiled it outside the bedroom, and then locked the door and removed the key. But there was one difference, and it was a big one. When he got into bed, he turned over and went to sleep.

  Lisa breathed a quiet sigh of relief and could only guess why it was the first night he hadn’t tried to have sex with her. The most likely reason being that he saw her differently after her trip into the woods with the twins, and if that was the case, she wasn’t complaining. She just hoped it would be permanent.

  The next morning, while clearing away the breakfast plates, Frankie sidled up to her. “Come with me,” he said, then walked to the door.

  She pointed down at the chain around her ankle. Frankie nodded and walked outside. Lisa watched him approach Luke, who was chopping wood on the stump out front, and after exchanging a few words, Luke handed Frankie what she guessed was the key to the padlock.

  No doubt Frankie wanted a repeat of the previous day’s events out in the forest. But if she was going to be alone with him, it could be her chance. She had to think fast. After glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she picked up a small knife from the countertop and slipped it down the back of the waistband on her denim shorts. Then she pulled the back of her shirt down over the handle.

  Frankie came back in, removed the chain, then took her hand and led her outside. She glanced over at Luke. He had stopped chopping wood and just watched as Frankie led her into the woods.

  They walked for several minutes before Frankie stopped and pointed to a small patch of grass between some trees. “This will do.”

  Lisa’s mind was racing, trying to decide whether to use the knife and take this opportunity to escape or wait for a better one. As Frankie began unfastening his shirt buttons, she studied him. He was big. And the knife was small. Doubt crept into her mind. What if she failed? What if she just wounded him and he overpowered her? Then she would be certain to face the family court and the inevitable consequences.

  But the alternative was nearly as bad. It was clear she was going to be used by the twins, and probably Luke again, until she got pregnant. Then she would be trapped, not only by the chain, but by a baby as well. She understood enough about Erica’s cunning tactics to know she would never be left alone with her child. And she understood herself well enough to know she could never leave her baby behind.

  So her decision was simple. This was her chance, and maybe the only one she was going to get for a while. She brought her hands up and slowly unbuttoned her shirt, to distract him, tempt him, and keep him off guard.

  But then her heart skipped a beat as she visualized her plan and the reality of it hit her like a hammer blow.

  She was intending to kill a man.

  Could she do it? Could she kill in order to escape? She had never killed anything in her life. Not even bugs or creepy crawlies. She would catch them in a container and release them outside. And she had been dead set against the death penalty, even for the worst perpetrators. She had considered it uncivilized to deliberately and knowingly take a life. Everything and everyone had a right to live, didn’t they?

  But then she remembered her conversation with Luke in the bedroom when he had confessed to her about the crimes this family had committed and how they would never let her leave. And she was certain that eventually, she would meet the same fate as the other girls. It helped to focus her mind. If she wanted to live beyond the next few years, she would have to act now. She looked at Frankie and nodded to herself.

  It was him or her.

  47

  LISA

  There was no time for further doubt or hesitation. While Lisa had wrestled with her dilemma, Frankie had removed his shirt and denim shorts and was waiting for her in just his boxers.

  She walked to him, stood up on to her toes, and planted a kiss on his lips. “If I let you have me again, will you let me go?”

  He pulled back and stared at her. “What?”

  “Will you look away while I leave?”

  He smirked as he nodded his head knowingly. “I guessed your co-operation was just an act. You’ll be in trouble when I tell Ma.”

  She grunted, then said, “And I guessed you’d refuse. But I had to ask before…”

  She left her words hanging there unfinished as she brought her hand back and wrapped it tightly around the handle of the knife.

  “Before what?” he asked.

  “This.” She pulled out the knife and swept it around and up towards his neck. But the speed of his reaction shocked her. He blocked her strike with his left arm and pushed her away with his right. She had lost the element of surprise, and although she still had the knife, she felt at a disadvantage. But there was no turning back now. She had nothing to lose. Either she killed him or seriously injured him, or she would suffer unthinkable consequences.

  She charged forward and plunged the knife into his side with such force that her hand thumped against his ribcage. She pulled it out and thrust it forward again. But he grabbed her wrist with one hand and prized her fingers open with the other. As the knife dropped to the ground, he wrapped both hands around her throat and squeezed.

  She pulled and tugged at his arms, but they were rigid. The pressure around her neck was unrelenting. She couldn’t breathe and couldn’t break free. He was squeezing the life out of her and there was nothing she could do about it.

  But maybe it was best this way. In a few seconds, she would escape this family once and for all, and they would have failed in their objective.

  There was a loud thud, or maybe it was more of a cracking sound, and Frankie’s head jerked to one side, and his crushing grip around her throat relaxed, allowing her to gasp for air. As she staggered back, she focused on a tall, slim figure holding a rifle out horizontally at his shoulder height. He drove the butt of the rifle into the side of Frankie’s head, and she heard the same cracking sound again.

  Frankie crumpled to the ground, face down, and remained still.

  The tall figure stood over him for a moment before turning to face her.

  She gasped and stepped back. But as she studied the man, she breathed out and instinctively knew he wasn’t going to hurt her.

  He confirmed this when he stepped away from Frankie, laid the rifle on the ground, and held up his hands to show he intended her no harm.

  As her heart rate returned to something near normal, she could see the man more clearly. He was old, and judging by his weathered face, sunken eyes, and silver hair, he was maybe in his late seventies or early eighties. But he wasn’t frail. His shoulders were broad and his biceps would put most men in their thirties to shame.

  “Are you Lisa?” he asked.

  She drew a quick breath. “Yes, how do you know
my name?”

  “I’m Larry, I live close by.”

  The hair on the back of Lisa’s neck prickled. “Larry, who lives fifteen miles away?”

  “More like five.”

  “Is there another Larry fifteen miles from here?”

  “No, there isn’t. I’d know if there was. I’ve lived around these parts all my life.”

  Lisa’s heart pounded in her chest. “So are you the Larry who was supposed to take my husband to the hospital?”

  Larry’s face dropped as he rubbed his chin and nodded.

  Lisa’s legs began to shake. It was the surge of adrenalin caused by shock. Not from her fight for life a few moments ago, but because Larry’s expression had answered her question before she had even asked it. But she tried to ask, anyway. “Is Mike . . .” She paused, unable to say the word.

  Larry nodded again. “Sorry, Lisa.”

  She slumped to the ground in despair. When Luke had pointed out Larry’s truck at the bottom of Graveyard Pass, it was obvious that no one could have survived such a inpact. But when Larry introduced himself, she had, just for a second, entertained the possibility he had survived. Larry must have guessed that she needed a moment, because he remained quiet.

  After a long moment, she took a deep breath and stood back up. “We saw your truck at the bottom of the ravine. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but how did you survive the accident if Mike didn’t?”

  “Are you sure you want all the details?”

  “I need them.”

  “Okay.” He glanced down at Frankie, who remained motionless where he fell. “Come over here and sit down.” He led her to a fallen tree, removed his brown denim jacket, and draped it around her shoulders, then he sat a couple of feet from her. “Mike is the reason I survived.”

  She waited for him to continue.

  “As we plunged over the edge, Mike shouted at me to jump. If I’d been on my own, I wouldn’t have thought about it. But when he shouted, I pushed open my door and flung myself out.”