by Sara Schoen
I shivered. Anna’s room had been the worst. The photos of the previously taken girls were plastered across her wall, all with a number scratched into the photo. All the way to her as number thirteen. Maybe thirteen was unlucky, but she had escaped and lived to have a family. She was the luckiest of them all, and now, I could only hope that I was as strong as her. She had to have been about eighteen at the time, and cared deeply for a child she didn’t even know. She would put me before her most times, it was shocking to think about. I was here alone, and I wanted to get out, but I had to think of those other girls just like Anna had done for me.
I needed to get those girls out of here for their families. Their families were so worried, they were terrified about what could happen to their daughters, and no one knew where we were. I had blacked out when he grabbed me, there was no way I could tell anyone where I was, even if I still had my phone.
The door opened suddenly, revealing the man that took me as he stepped into the room. To be honest, he looked rather normal. I was always shocked that these people looked so ordinary because in my mind they were the furthest from it. Normal people didn’t take girls, hide them in the basement, and then kill them.
His green eyes scanned my face before he spoke.
“I’m leaving for a while, I will be back. If you aren’t here when I get back, those girls die and I will hunt you down and just drag you back here. Do I make myself clear?”
I let his words sink in for a moment, trying to decide how to take them. A threat was obvious, but his tone reminded me of Steve when Anna would break a rule, furious but controlled. I felt a familiar chill crawl up my spine, the rules didn’t die with Steve, and neither had his dream of the perfect family.
I nodded yes as an answer, which seemed to please him as he smiled in return. He reached out and lightly stroked my cheek while he spoke. “I knew he had trained you well.” I assumed he was talking about Steve, and let him continue so I didn’t cause an unneeded advance. “He raised you so well, but he gets no credit. You wouldn’t be the success you were today if he hadn’t stepped in. Now, you’re going to see that and I will get the credit you owe me.”
I bit back a retort that would have told him that I joined the FBI to stop men like Steve Bennett. I swallowed the words that would have said that Steve was an awful man and deserved to die. I held in the disgust that would have told him that I hated him touching me, and probably sent him into a fit rage. So instead all I said was, “They will find me.”
“Don’t worry, Jessi, I learned from Steve’s mistakes. I won’t be bringing in any more now that I have you, those girls will die slowly and that’s it. Those are the only other people. There are still rules, of course—don't go in the basement, don’t try to escape or fight with me. If you do any of these it calls for punishment, which I will let you determine what it will be,” he said as his hand continued to trace my jaw line. “This time it will end perfectly.”
From how he talked about Steve, I figured out that he was following Steve's plans as we thought, but the reason we had to start thinking about him as a different man was because he was changing the plan. He was working hard to make sure that it worked this time, and that nothing got in the way of what he wanted. He had idolized Steve, but even he had seen the flaws in the plans and that meant he was going to fix them so he could have what Steve wanted. There were levels to this man that we hadn’t looked into, there was so much more going on and it was only a matter of time before I experienced it first-hand.
"Now, I must go. I expect you to be here when I get back," he growled. It was clear that he was unwilling to leave, afraid that I would make a run for it or try to save the other girls. He waited a little longer, glaring at me to intimidate me, but eventually he got up and made his way out of the room.
I sat on the floor listening to his footsteps in the distance. I could hear him roaming around for a few minutes until the door opened and keys jingled softly until the door slammed shut. Only after I was sure he left, and the house had fallen silent, did I risk getting up and trying to explore the house. My movements were slow at first, just in case I had mistaken the door slam for him leaving, when he was still here waiting for me to make my way down stairs. I eased silently as I made it out of the room and didn't see him anywhere. He had taken me to the second floor of the home, and left me there, but now it was time to find a way out.
I traveled to the windows, but they refused to budge as I attempted to force them open. While I looked through the upstairs trying to find a way out, I was shocked to see how full the house was. I could vaguely remember the empty shell of a house Steve Bennett had, and the files the FBI had on the case were lacking in photographs except for the deteriorating structure. There hadn’t been much furniture, the windows had been bored, and all in all the house looked like it had been foreclosed on. Here there were photos on the wall, mostly landscapes and paintings, even knickknacks on the shelves. There was furniture; well taken care of if I had to guess from the lack of scratches or holes,
The stairs were well kept, the hardwood unscathed from shoes or mud. The house looked to be newly finished, refurbished, maybe even just off the market.
The downstairs was just as full, the kitchen fully stocked, with clean appliances; nothing like Steve's house. The windows were still sealed, and there wasn't a back door, leaving only one entrance and exit. My stomach churned at the thought, but I had to try, even if he was just lying in wait to see if I tried to escape. The wooden floors creaked as I walked, following my footsteps and letting them echo through the empty house. I could hear my heart beating wildly in my chest as my hand landed on the doorknob.
The front door opened easily, too easily if you asked me. Steve's had to be yanked open, even then most times he couldn't even open it. The door opened smoothly at my touch and soon the sunlight shone brightly on to my skin. I was taken aback by the bright light, and the cold air that wrapped around my body. I seemed to be looking out onto a farmland area—there was nothing but trees and what seemed to be miles of grass fields. He would find me easily if I escaped out this way, but it was the only way out from what I could tell.
Don't try to escape.
I gingerly took a step outside, fearful if he was around, but I couldn't see anyone in sight. Freedom was so close to me, I could run and make it to a town. I could make it to a phone and call the police, but what if he found me? What about those girls? They were here all alone, and would die if I left to save myself. You need to be a team player, you have to think of the team, Callum’s words echoed in my head. The sad part was they were true. I had to think about those girls, I had to get them out alive.
As I shut the door, I decided it was better to follow Anna’s lead on this one. I had to play along, at least until I found a way for the girls to get out with me. They were trapped in the basement, left there to starve to death. I had to save them, I needed to get them out alive before I could even think of leaving. Those girls had families, they had lives, and they were ripped away from them because this man fixated on me. I had to make it right, even though I didn’t take them, I was the reason they were taken.
Chapter 16
The next few days I spent in silence. I only spoke when he talked to me directly, and that was to please him. From studying and working on cases like these over the years, I knew that sometimes it was better to play into the fantasy. While it could be dangerous, especially since I still didn’t know what he wanted from me, if I stepped out of line for a moment, it could also keep me alive longer to figure out a plan to get the girls out of this house. I would do just about anything to get them all out of here alive.
He had left them in the basement, without food or water, and soon they would start to die. There was variation for how long certain people could survive without those necessities, but here they were weak and vulnerable. The ones that had been here the longest would suffer quickly. The others would have a harder time surviving after watching their friends die a slow death, they would be
susceptible to illness, and they would lose hope faster. The will to live would keep them alive, but if I didn't do something they wouldn't even have that for much longer.
For a few hours every day I noticed the man would leave the house and leave me alone. I didn't know where he went, what he did, or why he left, but I was thankful for it. Even though he hadn't tried to touch me, or talk to me much, I felt better to have him out of the house. I was able to think freely, and try to find other escapes routes. I had to find one fast, I needed to send the girls out of here or I’d lose them all.
The first time, I was shocked that he would leave me alone in the house. Wasn't he worried I would leave? I had tested the front door every day he left; he would lock it, but sometimes he wouldn't. I would be able to step outside, let the sun touch my face, and the wind to breeze over my skin. A few times escaping came to my mind, but what stopped me were the girls downstairs. Maybe that's why he felt comfortable leaving the door unlocked when he left; he knew I wouldn't leave without saving the girls.
Multiple times during cases I would risk my life, and later be berated for it, when it came to saving others. I felt like it was my duty, I had signed up for this, and that meant I had to it no matter what the risk. Those girls were taken because of this man's obsession with me, and now it was up to me to save them. If not me, who else?
It would take Callum and the team time to notice I was gone, and even then they may not know I was kidnapped. They may not make that connection for a while since I was supposed to on a flight heading back home right now. They wouldn't be looking for me for me until someone called wondering why I hadn’t gotten off the plane, and in this case the girls didn't have that kind of time to wait I had to find a way to help them survive until that time or until I could get them out.
I gathered a large pitcher of water, and the bread that he had provided for me to eat. He normally brought food back for me to cook for dinner, so I would be able to feed the girls the bread and water to keep them alive for a little bit longer.
I quickly made my way downstairs into the basement. I was careful to shut the door behind me in case he came home and noticed that it was open. He had left them down here to die, and by playing into his fantasy that meant I would too, or would I? He had been following my career, he knew me, hunted me down and found the one person that would bring me right into his town so he could take me, would he know I was faking and helping these girls?
Those thoughts fleeted from my mind as I flicked the lights on. The girls were in the corners of their cages, terrified that I was our tormentor. When they saw me, they raced to the cage doors, eager to talk. The fear and weakness overwhelmed some of them, and a few girls weren't able to move off of their beds. They had lost the will to fight; they must have been here a long time to be so drained of energy. If they didn't get out soon, they would die.
"You're here! Is he gone?" Tegan asked, pulling me out of my thoughts and allowing me to refocus on getting at least one of them out of here, and keeping the others alive long enough to make it out.
"He is, I brought you food and water," I stated as I passed each of them a slice of bread through the slits in the gate.
The girls took it hungrily and scarfed down the meager food, not taking the time to savor it. The bread was gone in a matter of seconds, and they quickly took the water as I passed them the only glass I had taken for them. I passed it to each of them one at a time, taking in their faces. Most were bruised and dirty, sullen and defeated, without a chance to get out they would welcome death rather than live here another day.
"What girl has been down here the shortest amount of time?" I asked before realizing time must be a foreign concept for them while trapped down here. So I rephrased, "Who was the last one taken?"
"That would be me," Casey stated as she held her hand out for the water cup. "Why do you ask?" she asked before chugging the water out if the cup.
"I need you to make a run for it." My request was blunt. There was no time to beat around the bush, to play nice and be careful with how I approached them.
This was life or death for these girls. They needed to know that and be ready to fight for it.
"Why me?"
"You have been here the shortest amount of time, your face will be freshest in people's minds, and you'll have the most strength to make a run for it." I glanced around for a key to unlock her cage, but when I didn't see one I took a rock to break it.
"Why can't you do it?" she asked, her voice breaking with fear. "You just got here! You're an FBI agent. You've had training. You could make it out easier than me."
"If I leave, he kills all of you, and then comes after me. I might make it, and I might not, either way that's five people dead. If you go, he may not notice until it's too late, and then that's the possibility of us all getting out of here alive," I stated as I continued to pound on the cage's lock. "I like the second option the best."
The girls around us encouraged her to do it. To try and save them all, and if nothing else, to save herself from what they had experienced. They reminded her of the beatings, the girls that didn't make it and what was to come for them if she didn't at least try. She nodded in agreement just as the lock broke, and fell to the floor with a clank.
Her eyes met mine, the fear in them made me feel bad for sending her back into the world. Would she survive after this was over? She had been taken, tainted, and would have a hard time assimilating back into her old life. Old friends and family would never treat her the same way, she would be extremely cautious, never trust men again, and would never be able to forget what he did to her here. I should know I lived that life every day.
But she had to do it. If she didn't, none of us would make it out of here.
"Come with me," I said as I pulled her out of the cage. She was unsteady on her feet, but would manage in escaping.
I pulled her out of the room quickly, unsure of when the man would come back. The other girls were left in their cages, with what little food and water I had brought them, and would have to wait. I sent them back into the darkness as we made our way up the stairs. There was nothing I could do for them, I couldn't get them all out. If I took them all out, he would be sure to see one of them on his return, even one person was a risk.
"Go through the woods," I instructed as I opened the door, and scanned for signs the man was returning. "Stay away from the streets for a while, he will come back in a few hours, and then it should be safe for you to head out of the woods and toward town. Find an officer, or anyone that will listen to you then send them back here. Can you do that?"
"I think I can." Her voice shook with fear. "What if I don't make it?"
She would die if she didn't make it. It was that simple, she would die and we would suffer here. The other girls would slowly die of either starvation or thirst, and I would be here alone. No one would know what happened to us, they would never find us and if they did, he would make sure that he looked respectable and perfect in their eyes. He would never seem like the one responsible.
"Don't think like that," I stated, brushing those thoughts away. "You'll make it, now go, and remember to wait a few hours until the man is surely off the streets."
She nodded and raced off. She stumbled toward the trees, but was soon hidden out of sight. I suddenly hoped that this was a good idea, and that I didn't just send that girl to her death. Not only would I have killed her, but myself and the other girls in the basement clinging to life.
Chapter 17
It had only been a few days since Casey was let out of the house, but I was starting to lose hope. She should have found someone by now. Someone should have come to the house to save us. Callum would have come the second he heard I was alive, whether he admitted it or not, he wanted to protect me. I hadn't seen it at first; I was too distracted by the case and my own selfish ploy to even notice it. We fought, kicked, and screamed our whole way through working together, but we wanted to protect the other one.
He would have come if Casey h
ad told him he could save me, but the rest of the team would have stopped him. They would need a plan, otherwise it could end as a murder suicide then we would all be dead, and they’d have no one to save.
On the brighter side, the man, who preferred me to call him Alec, didn't seem to know that Casey was missing. He never went in the basement since he had who he wanted, me. He had left those girls to die in horrific ways, but if I could help it, they would survive long enough for Casey to get someone here.
Time was running out though, I wasn’t sure how much longer we could wait.
The girls are in bad shape, and getting worse as the days went on, even with the food and water that I smuggle to them; it’s not enough. They had been in the basement too long, were deprived of sunlight, proper diets, and medical attention. One girl, Morgan, looks like she could die at any moment. She hasn't moved from her bed the last few days, has no energy to eat, and is barely responsive. She was going to die soon, it seemed as if she had already given up, and if help didn’t come soon we would need a miracle.
We needed Casey to beat the odds, make it to town, and save us all.
I knew she would try her best, but if she succeeded I knew Alec would do anything to keep me with him at least. From the moment I met him, I knew that his infatuation was dangerous, and it was growing more intense by the day. I had played into it early to keep the girls alive, but at times I caught myself wishing I hadn't. Alec had wanted what Steve Bennett failed to obtain, an obedient wife, one that wouldn’t run away from who he was, and what he did. I had given in from the moment I met him, to save the girls, and now he knew how to control me.
If I didn't do what he wanted, he threatened to kill the girls. He used them against me every day. Whether it was something small like getting me to clean the dishes faster, or something larger like not moving when he leaned into kiss me. He would keep them alive as long as possible just so that I would be easy to control. I shuddered as I thought about how I had to behave around him, following his demands, and giving in so he wouldn’t kill them. He made it sound as if we were in love, that I was being a dutiful wife, and every time I thought about it I cringed. He would touch me, and I'd have to stand still and take it. He would kiss me, and I'd have to kiss back. He would make advances toward me, but luckily I had been able to find a way around them so far.