by London Casey
“Kat, do you think Max would hurt Ethan?”
Kat paused. The far away look returned to her face. “They’re in my dollhouse.”
Selene paused. She was fairly certain Kat was referring to the Victorian mansion, though it was hard to tell with her. Selene couldn’t imagine what had happened to Kat to make her this way. “Yes, they are,” she said gently.
“In the basement.”
“How do you know that?”
“It’s my house and Ethan said I could do whatever I wanted with it.” Kat was getting irritated. She seemed genuinely offended that Selene would question her knowledge of the house.
Selene tried to change the subject. “Did Max hurt you?”
Kat abruptly rose, a vicious look in her eye. For the first time since meeting Kat, Selene felt afraid.
“There’s a cabin,” Kat began coldly. “It’s small – hidden in the woods. In the floor, there’s a door. It leads to a tunnel that runs under the Victorian house. I’ll take you there.”
Was she proposing a rescue mission? Selene didn’t have time to think it over. Kat reached inside her chest of drawers and pulled out a gun. She stared at Selene dispassionately and said: “Let’s go get Ethan.”
Chapter Eight
Armed guards blocked the road leading to the Victorian mansion in the woods. Once the party was over Max’s men had created a perimeter around the property. As far as Max knew, the area was secure, but Kat claimed to know a way inside.
Kat and Selene were trekking through the woods around the edge of the property. They were in the middle of nowhere and Selene was more than a little nervous. Not only was she being led on a rescue mission by an armed, mentally disturbed woman, but she was heavily pregnant.
The hike was hard on her; every step was a small battle. Her back screamed in pain and her feet were almost too swollen for her shoes, but she pressed on.
Ethan was her soul focus. She didn’t know how they would get past the guards in the house, or what condition Ethan was in, she just kept walking.
Kat marched on, seemingly oblivious to the danger. She moved gracefully through the dense foliage as if it were her natural environment. It made Selene wonder how much time she actually spent lurking in the house. Maybe she was more familiar with the woods than anyone knew.
Everything looked the same to Selene. It wasn’t hard to understand how people became lost so easily. She kept Kat within eyesight at all times. She had no idea if Kat knew where she was going. For all that Selene knew, Kat was leading her around aimlessly, guided by some deranged fantasy. Selene tried to stay positive. She didn’t think Kat was as crazy as people thought.
Kat put up her hand, signaling for Selene to stop. She broke out in a cold sweat. Was someone following them? They waited and listened. Selene couldn’t hear anything.
Finally, Kat put her down and motioned for Selene to follow. She turned to the right straight into dense undergrowth.
Selene struggled to keep up. Branches snapped back in Kat’s wake, hitting Selene in the face. She put up her hands, closed her eyes and walked on. When she opened them she was alone. Panic overtook her, it was everything she could do to keep from running.
She walked faster and listened. She didn’t want to call out. There could be patrols in the woods; she would be useless if they captured her. She walked and walked. Then suddenly, she was in a clearing.
The forest opened up as if a curtain had been lifted. The sun shone down, birds twittered. Selene breathed a sigh of relief. The cabin stood in front of her.
She could tell from the outside that it was empty, but she approached cautiously.
The cabin was small, just a living room and one bedroom. Selene examined every inch; it was empty.
Kat had mentioned something about a tunnel. Maybe there was a secret passage? Selene thought.
She pulled back the rug in the living room and got down on her knees. She was examining the cracks in the wood floor, feeling along the edges for an opening, when a hand grabbed her shoulder. Selene jumped, grabbing the wrist of her assailant; she was ready to fight. But, as she raised her fist to strike she was greeted by the sight of Kat’s blank stare.
“What are you doing on the ground?” Kat asked.
Selene lowered her fist and rose to her feet. “Where were you?”
“It doesn’t matter which way you go, if you want to get there.” Kat’s eyes darted around the room. She had that far-away look as if she was communicating with someone on another planet.
“I don’t understand,” Selene said slowly.
“Begin at the beginning, and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”
Selene recognized it as a quote from Alice in Wonderland. She grabbed Kat by the shoulders. “We’re here to find Ethan remember? How do we get inside the house?”
“A great puzzle,” Kat sighed. Perking up she focused on Selene. For a moment her eyes were clear and lucid. “This way,” she said.
She grabbed Selene and led her out the front of the cabin to a small shed. Kat opened the door and began throwing the contents out into the clearing. Once emptied, she fell to her knees and began brushing away a thick layer of dirt.
Selene moved closer. Squinting into the dark she could just make out the markings of a door handle. A trap door! She thought.
Kat opened it and began to walk inside.
“Wait.” Selene grabbed Kat before she could disappear into the dark tunnel. “Let me have the gun.” Kat studied her closely, then shook her head: no.
Before Selene could protest, Kat ducked down into the tunnel. Selene leaned over and peered inside: it was pitch black. She caught a brief glimpse of Kat’s shadow, then nothing.
She fumbled in her pockets and pulled out a lighter. With shaky hands she lit it and stepped into the passageway.
There was only one way to go, north: towards the house. Keeping her free hand on the wall for balance she walked slowly. The ground was rough. Every step she took was deliberate. The last thing she needed was to fall and break an ankle.
Selene wasn’t sure how far it was to the house. The tunnel seemed to extend forever. She squinted into the darkness ahead of her, but saw nothing. She inched forward. A cool breeze struck her. Must be getting closer, she thought. Her relief was short lived as the loud sound of the trapdoor crashing shut echoed through the tunnels. She’d left it open when she stepped inside.
Selene punched the wall, angry with herself. One of the guards must have seen the mess they left in the clearing and gone into investigate. Hopefully, he hadn’t radioed in his findings, she thought desperately. If Max knew they were coming, their chances of successfully rescuing Ethan dropped to around zero.
Selene closed the lighter. She stopped and listened. The sound of footsteps faintly echoed through the tunnel from behind her. She left the light out and began to move quickly, feeling her away along the tunnel walls.
The sound behind her grew louder as the man got closer. She started to break out into a run when she crashed into a wall. She felt around frantically for a door: there was nothing. She reached above her, running her hands along the ceiling. She was met with more dirt walls.
Selene felt her chest constrict. Her heart raced. Then suddenly a hand was on her arm, pulling her. A second hand went around her mouth. Selene wanted to scream.
Her assailant was guiding her through a side passage. She heard a door close and suddenly they were surrounded by a dim light.
Selene felt her captors hands go slack. She turned around to find Kat. Selene breathed a sigh of relief.
“There’s someone-” she began to whisper. Kat put her hand back over Selene’s mouth and nodded her head. She motioned for Selene to stay where she was, then she headed back into the tunnels.
Minutes ticked away slowly as Selene waited for Kat to reemerge from the passageway.
Suddenly she heard a scuffle. A man groaned, then silence.
Kat emerged from the dark and motioned for Selene to move towards the source
of light. Selene hesitated a moment before deciding to follow Kat. She had no idea if the man in the tunnel was alive or dead, but Kat seemed confident that the threat was neutralized. Selene shuddered. She took a breath and tried to steel herself for what was to come. She knew she would have to be stronger than this if she was going to save Ethan.
Kat stepped in front of her. She opened a door into what appeared to be a room in the basement. It had the same non-descript look as the cell where she and Ethan had been held.
Selene followed Kat into the room. They entered through a panel in the wall. Selene closed it carefully, then reopened it. She was afraid it might lock and they wouldn’t have a way out. After testing the door she closed it again, making sure it was flush with the wall.
Kat was already opening the door into the main hallway. Selene tiptoed towards her. She started to tell her to slow down when she saw that Kat had the gun in her hand. She decided it was best not to distract her and instead followed her into the hall.
Being so close to Ethan sent shivers through Selene’s body. Knowing he was in one of the rooms, possibly only a few feet away from being reunited with her, was maddening. She was excited and nervous and amped on adrenaline; it was like an electric current was shooting through her body.
Selene felt the baby stir inside her. She placed a hand over her stomach protectively. Not much longer, she silently said to her unborn son.
When she looked up Kat was gone. She really is a phantom, Selene thought. She peeked around a corner. Kat was nowhere in sight, but at the end of the hall a man stood guard outside of a door. Instantly, she knew Ethan was within reach. How would she get past the guard though?
She looked back around the corner. The man was rubbing his eyes and slapping his face in an effort to keep from falling asleep.
A sudden movement caught Selene’s attention. At the end of the hall a barely visible Kat was looking around a bend in the passageway. She motioned for Selene to come. Did she want her to join her down the hall? There was no way she could sneak by without the guard seeing… then Selene understood. Kat couldn’t shoot the man without everyone in the house and surrounding area hearing; they needed a distraction.
She rubbed her belly and looked down. “Wish me luck,” she said and stepped around the corner.
The guard pulled out his gun and ran towards her. “Stop!” he yelled. Selene put up her hands in surrender.
“Where did you come from?” he asked.
“Uh-” Selene looked over his shoulder eager to see Kat, but she was still hiding. “You caught me.” She turned her eyes back on the man. “They brought me back in and I escaped, but I got lost down here.” It was a pathetic lie, but it was the best she could do on short notice. She was trying to buy enough time, while Kat made her move – if, she made her move.
A nervous laughter overtook Selene. Perhaps, it’s not the best idea to follow a mad woman who thinks she’s living inside Alice in Wonderland on a rescue mission? She thought sarcastically. The man studied her closely. In that moment she looked crazier than Kat.
“I haven’t heard about any new prisoners,” the man said. He pulled out his radio.
In a flash Kat was behind him. She hit him on the head and again on the back of his neck with the butt of the gun.
Selene closed her eyes, but she could still hear the sound of the dull thud as the revolver came down again and again. When she opened her eyes the man was still. Kat was going through his pockets. Triumphantly, she rose, a huge Cheshire cat grin on her face. In her hand were the keys to the cell.
Selene was at the door before Kat. She peered through a small glass window at the top of the door. She could just make out Ethan’s form laying motionless in the corner. For a gut wrenching second she wondered if he was dead, but then he moved.
His face emerged from the shadows. He squinted at the window and blinked. When recognition hit him, he was on his feet. He ran to the door and placed his hand on the window. Selene put her hand up to his.
For a moment, the world stopped. Their hearts ceased beating; they were the only two people in existence.
The door opened and Selene was in Ethan’s arms. Locked in his embrace she felt peace for the first time in months. She could hear his heart beating hard in his chest and she knew hers beat in time with it.
“Never let me go.” Selene breathed the words so low she didn’t think he could hear her. When Ethan whispered, “I won’t,” tears welled up in Selene’s eyes.
Not wanting him to see her cry, she buried her face in his chest.
Ethan ran his fingers through her hair then lifted her head so he could look in her eyes. In a smooth delicate gesture he wiped away her tears.
As their lips met, the strain and horror of the past months almost felt worth it. But, like most happy moments in their life, it was short lived. The sound of a throat being cleared jolted them out of their blissful reunion.
“Selene you surprise me.” Max stood in the hallway, his arms crossed in front of him. Ethan moved Selene behind him protectively.
“Our man,” Max continued, “radioed us about the tunnel. We had been expecting him to bring you in. Funny thing, we’ve lost contact with him. How did you manage to overpower him in your delicate condition?”
Selene looked around nervously for Kat, but she was gone.
Max uncrossed his arms, revealing a gun in his hand. “Curious girl. You always did have interesting taste in women Ethan.”
“Let her go,” Ethan said.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt her-not yet, anyway. My payday is right there, inside her.” Max pointed at her bulging pregnant belly. “In fact, I’m growing a bit tired. You two have really tried my patience. It’s time to get that baby out of you. Doc!” he yelled.
The doctor that administered her sonogram and drugged her came shambling down the hallway, followed close behind by Ms. Miller.
The doctor carried a small black bag. As he approached, he reached inside, pulling out a needle.
Ethan spread out his arms blocking Selene with his body.
Max raised his gun, pointing it directly at Ethan’s head. “Don’t be stupid,” he said. “I will kill you.”
“No,” Ethan said. “You won’t. The trust fund says I have to have an heir. If I’m dead before the baby’s born well… I guess we’re all shit out of luck.”
Max considered for a moment.
“You need me alive to collect the money.”
Max lowered his gun; Ethan took a step towards him. Coming to a decision, Max quickly raised his gun and shot Ethan in the shoulder.
Selene screamed, “No,” and fell to his side. She bent over Ethan his head rested in her lap. She tried to apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.
Ethan winced in pain. “Hey,” he said. He covered her hands with his own. “It’s going to be okay. The baby’s what’s important.”
Ms. Miller glared at Max. He groaned. “You’re all so dramatic. It’s just a flesh wound. He’ll live, for now. Doctor, if you would please.”
He gestured towards Selene. The doctor took a step forward, the needle firmly in his hand.
The sound of another gunshot echoed through the chamber. The doctor fell dead before them. They turned to see Kat, the smoking revolver in her hand. She pointed it squarely at Max’s head.
“Don’t be foolish young lady,” Ms. Miller said. But, before she could continue Kat shot a round into her chest. Her body fell against the wall. It slid down to the floor leaving a bloody trail in its wake.
Max lowered his gun and raised one hand in the air. “Sweetheart,” he said trying to calm her. “It’s been so long. I missed you. Do you remember how much fun we used to have? When we worked together?”
Kat smiled. “All the parties.”
“Yes! The parties. We could have more parties: you and me. It’ll be like old times.” He stepped towards her cautiously. “Just put the gun down. We’ll finish up here and you and I can plan another party. I know how mu
ch you loved planning the parties.”
Kat’s grip on the gun wavered; her arms began to shake. For a frightening second, Selene thought she would betray them.
“It’ll be like before Ethan ruined it,” Max said.
Kat’s arms shot back up, strong and confident. “I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.”
She squeezed the trigger. Max’s lifeless body dropped dead at her feet.
When Max’s men realized he was dead they scattered like cockroaches. It was up to Selene and Kat to carry Ethan upstairs.
From there, Selene took a gamble and called the woman she’d spoken with at Belle Amie. The head mistress, was less than thrilled to hear from Selene, but when she heard that Ethan had been shot she turned serious. Ethan was their top provider of clients, to lose him would cost them millions.
Selene began to explain the situation, but was promptly cut off by the woman. She simply said: “It will be taken care of.”
Within thirty minutes the house was teeming with people. Selene didn’t know who they were, but she knew Belle Amie had friends in high places.
A doctor quickly loaded Ethan onto a stretcher and transported him into a waiting van. She had no idea what happened to the bodies in the basement. She assumed the Belle Amie cleaners quickly dispatched with the corpses.
She sat by Kat as they rode back to their mansion in the hills. Ethan was a ghostly shade of white. Selene took his hand and placed it over her stomach. A faint smile crossed his face before he lost consciousness.
Three Days Later
The early morning sun shone through the bedroom window, bathing the room in a warm orange light. Selene tiptoed inside. She approached the bed cautiously. Ethan lay on his back asleep, the covers pulled down to his waist. He was naked except for a clean bandage wrapped around his shoulder. His skin glowed a healthy bronze.
She ran her fingertips over his chest. His skin was warm and soft. He breathed in slowly.
Selene’s fingers traveled down over the peaks and valleys of his frame. Small scars and bruises punctuated his skin making her wince.