“Of course,” I mumbled to myself.
It was ten o’clock that Saturday night; so at least I wasn’t out for very long. Though Christmas Eve was in five days, I wanted to get out of here before then.
I had been sleeping for so long, but I was still tired. Turning off my phone to save the battery, I laid down on the squeaky bed, putting my phone under the pillow and falling back to sleep.
***
“Good morning,” my eyes flew open, finding Eli in the room; the door slightly open. “Did you sleep well?” I just stared at him; he was holding a tray of breakfast. My mouth watered a little, but I was still too scared to move or say anything.
Suddenly, I had an idea. “Ca-can I have something to drink?”
The corners of his mouth twitched up into a smile and I fought the urge to cringe away. “Of course, I’ll be right back.” He set the tray on my lap and I picked up a pancake, taking a bite. He smiled at me again before shutting the door.
Jumping out of the bed, I grabbed the lamp that sat on a little table next to the door I must’ve missed last night. Listening for any movement, I thought about grabbing my phone, too, but thought better of it. I had a better chance of getting away without it.
Holding my breath, I slowly tried to turn the doorknob, but it wouldn’t budge. It was false hope to think Eli would leave it unlocked.
“Okay, you can do this, Summer,” I told myself in a hushed voice. “It’s just like playing baseball.”
When Tyler and I were younger, we used to play baseball with the kids in our neighborhood. This was basically the same thing; Eli’s head was the ball and I had to hit it really, really hard.
Suddenly, there was a click and I pushed myself against the wall just as the door opened.
“All right, here’s some –“
Swinging with all of my strength, I hit Eli on the back of the head with the lamp. He stumbled slightly and I immediately went into survival mode; swinging the lamp into the back of his knees, he fell to the ground, yelling out in pain as I swung one last time, hitting his head, again.
He landed face down on the ground. My brain was telling me to run, but my legs wouldn’t move. I stared at him for a moment. Was he dead?
Finally, I remembered the door was wide open.
Swinging it shut behind me, I ran down the dim lit hallway to a spiral staircase at the end. My feet hitting metal staircase as I skipped steps, breathing heavy with tears running down my face. At the top, panic fully set in – there wasn’t a door.
No door!
“Oh, my God,” I sobbed. “How the hell –“
Before I could finish, I looked up, finding a door – and to my left was a ladder. Climbing it, I gripped the ladder as tight as I could bear with a broken wrist, and pushed up on the door with my good hand, which landed with a thump!
Pulling myself up, I quickly shut the trap door, searching for something heavy to put on top of it.
“Summer!” Eli’s voice was very distant and muffled, but it was there.
Freezing, my heart jumped to my throat; I knew I didn’t have much time before he got up here, so I had to act fast. Frantically, I spotted another set of stairs.
“Summer!” He was getting closer.
Though it was probably dumb, I chose to hide instead. It seemed to work out in my favor because the trap door opened right as I dropped down behind a bookcase.
“Summer,” Eli spoke softly, “You know that I don’t want to hurt you, right?” Taking deep, slow breaths I listened for the slightest movement, then he cursed, “Damn window.”
Behind me was a small window on the wall, that shone a little bit of sunlight through; though it was slightly hard to tell with the dust covering it. If I had seen it just a few minutes before, I could probably crawl out of; but now that he’s seen it, I didn’t think I had a chance. There were heavy footsteps that disappeared up the wooden steps, a door opened then shut quickly.
In that moment, I was scared he would still be there but if I didn’t make my move, who knew when I’d have another chance. The deafening silence became too overwhelming. Slowly standing up, I crept towards the wooden stairs, hoping they wouldn’t make any noise. At the top, I jumped at the sound of another door slamming shut, almost stumbling backwards. Trying the doorknob, it opened with ease, not making a sound. I found myself in a living room, and sitting on the coffee table, were keys. To what, I had no idea, but I quickly snatched them up, rushing to the front door.
Taking a deep breath, I threw the door open, the freezing cold winter air hitting my face. In the snow covered the ground, Eli’s footprints indicated he’d gone around the side of the house. There was no car in the driveway, so I wasn’t sure there would be one in the garage.
Putting the keys under my shirt, I found myself running.
Running as fast as I could with no shoes on, my feet becoming numb with every step I took. The winter air causing my nose to drip.
I had no idea where I was going, but at this point, it didn’t matter as long as I was far away from him as possible.
The main road was clear of cars, but I still had no idea where I was. There was no street sign, but if this was his parents’ house that meant Nick lived there, too; which also had to mean he had to live close by the school.
Right?
“Wish I brought my stupid phone with me,” I mumbled to myself, shaking.
There was a car that seemed to come out of nowhere, and I quickly waved it down, throwing my hands in the air.
The driver slowed but didn’t stop until a few feet past me. Hurried over to the passenger side door, they rolled down the window and I came face-to-face with Amber Murphy.
“Summer?” she asked in horror. “Get in!” She unlocked the door for I jumped in the car.
“Thank you,” I shivered.
“Are you okay? What happened?” She started driving and I tried my best not to cry in front of the most perfect, popular girl in school.
“Nick’s brother – Eli.”
“Senior Nick?” she asked and I nodded. “He has a brother?”
“Yeah, he’s – he’s insane,” I sobbed.
“Where do you live? I’ll take you home.”
Giving her the address, I was still shivering, but so relieved I was out of the underground room. After a moment, Amber started asking me questions, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her everything.
“Where were you? Emily said you’d gone missing after Winter Formal.”
“He said it was his parents’ house.”
Feeling myself jump forward, Amber screamed a little. I saw white, something hitting my face, and that’s when I realized someone hit us.
“Oh, my God!” Amber sobbed. “Are you okay?”
Moving the airbag out of my face, I coughed, “Yeah, are you?”
“I will be, but my car isn’t!” She frowned, tears forming in her eyes.
Someone pulled me out of her car, grabbing onto my arms. I gasped when I saw his face.
“Eli?” I asked breathlessly terrified.
“You take my breath away, too,” his smile was twisted with anger burning in his eyes. “Let’s go back home, shall we?”
“No!” I yelled, kicking and screaming, begging him to let me go. He threw me in the back of his car, shutting the door. Though the seats were soft, it still hurt my back when I landed on them. Trying to open it, the child locks were on; quickly thinking, I climbed through the car, to the driver’s seat, locking the doors just as Eli tried to open it. He shook the handle, moving the whole car.
“Open the door!” He yelled and I jumped at his outburst. “Open the door, Summer!”
Trying to shift into drive, it wouldn’t move.
He had the keys.
He unlocked the doors, and I held the lock button down, panicking – what the hell was I supposed to do now?!
Eli shook the car in his fit of range, yelling out. My heart pounding in my ears, I was too scared to take my eyes off him in fear he’d get i
nside the car. Behind him though, I could see flashing lights, indicating that the first responders were coming. Hope filled me, forming into tears running down my face – that was until I heard something hard hit the window, bringing my attention back to him.
On the window, he pointed a gun at me.
“Open the door, or I’ll shoot,” he calmly said through the glass.
He’d already broken my wrist and slapped me, there was a pretty good change he’d pull that trigger.
“I don’t want to hurt you, Summer,” he breathed heavily onto the glass, “But if I have to, I’ll shoot.”
My vision became blurry as I backed into the other seat. He put the gun down, unlocking the doors. Climbing into the car, he put his seat belt on. Turning to smile at me, he said, “That wasn’t so hard, was it? Now let’s get out of here.”
As he pulled away, I could see Amber Murphy standing there talking to a police officer who looked over in our direction. Eli’s eyes were forward on the road, talking about something I wasn’t listening to. Taking a deep breath, I flew open the car door, throwing myself out of the car; rolling into the road, my head felt funny and I couldn’t make myself get up.
“Come on, Summer,” I told myself, “Get the hell up!”
But I couldn’t, instead my vision faded in and out; I kept hearing a scream, a cry for help, but I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.
***
Everything hurt – my feet, head, legs, wrist, back.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I felt something cold and opened my eyes to find chains on my wrists and ankles. I lifted my legs up to see how far I could go, then started to scoot up so I could sit myself up. The chain wasn't too long, but it wasn't too short. Sitting up, I brought my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them.
Where was I now?
But I knew; I was back under the basement.
I cursed, sobbing. I was so close; so close to being home.
I started ripping the blanket up from under so I could cover myself up, though it was awkward from the chains.
The door flew open and I jumped, shaking as Eli’s dark figure approached me. His footsteps thumped across the concert floor, stopping, he sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. I looked back and forth between him and the wide-open door.
After a moment, he said, “You know I didn’t want to hurt you.” He paused, “You just can’t run away like that. You have to stay here, where you’re safe.”
“Safe?” I sounded way braver than I felt. “How am I safe?”
“We don’t have to worry about anyone else. We can just be together.”
I shook my head, sobbing. “I don’t want too.”
Eli’s face darkened. “You will be with me!”
“I said no!” I screamed.
He shot up, just as the doorbell rang in the distance. He stared at the open door while I looked between the two. Finally, he looked at me and said, “Don’t say a word.” Getting up, he left the room, shutting the door behind him.
Lying in the bed, I couldn’t hear anything upstairs – it was awful. The only sound was my stomach and my sobs.
Humming, I let myself dirt off to sleep.
Nine
The Escape Plan
The next time I woke up, the lamp was on and there was food on the nightstand, again. Looking down, I noticed the chains were off my wrists – though the chains were still on my ankles. Staring at the sandwich and chips, my mouth watered, I haven’t eaten in days. Slowly reaching for the food, I paused; scared he might’ve poisoned it.
Did I want to die of hunger or poison?
Shrugging, I thought I’ll take my changes.
Biting into it, I chewed slowly, wanting to enjoy it if this was going to be the last thing I ever ate. It was a turkey sandwich and one has never tasted so good as before.
The door flew open and Eli smiled when he saw me eating. “Is it good?”
Looking away from him, I gave one nod.
“I’m glad you like it.” As he came closer, I could smell a scent of liquor on him. “The police showed up earlier,” he paused, and I heard liquid swish around. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see he had a bottle of something that had a very strong scent that made me feel sick to my stomach. “But I sent them away. They seemed to think I was keeping you here.” He laughed as if someone told him a joke, taking another drink.
He sat down on the bed and I grew very uncomfortable.
“Well, it’s late and I just came down here to say goodnight.” He leaned over to kiss my check and I fought the urge to turn away.
He got up and stumbled from the room, shutting the door.
Letting out a long breath, I scrubbed away his kiss with the back of my hand. Sobbing, I finished the food when I realized something dark on the bed where he had been sitting. Picking it up, hope filled me again.
It was keys!
Shaking, I tried every-one of them, holding my breath until I was finally able to get the chains off my ankles. I wasn't sure what time it was; Eli said it was late, so I was thinking it was midnight, maybe later. He had been drinking, so maybe he was asleep. Either way, I probably didn't have much time.
Getting off the bed, the floor felt really cold on my feet. I looked around the dimly lit room, not seeing the other lamp I had hit him with the first time. Quickly yanking the lamp off the nightstand, I quietly made my way to the door; I twisted the doorknob carefully, to see if it was unlocked. It opened easily and I smirked. Then I quickly whipped my smirk away. My brother always told me not to be cocky.
Thank God the door didn't squeak! That's the last thing I need.
Shutting the door, I made my way down the small, narrow hallway again – this time walking slowly. At the metal stairs, I carefully climbed them. Putting the lamp under my arm I used my elbow and good hand to climb the ladder. Carefully opening the trapped door, I set the lamp down on the basement floor, pulling myself up. It was a little warmer in here, which meant it had to be warmer upstairs. Shaking my nerves, I grabbed the lamp, going up the wooden stairs once again, putting an ear to the door, I didn’t hear anything.
Okay, this was it. My hand shook as I opened the door.
I found myself standing in the living room.
Just then, I heard someone in the kitchen. I dropped to the ground and crawled to the side of the sofa, praying it wasn't Eli. I heard footsteps come in the living room and start up the stairs. I looked up – to see that it was Nick!
“Nick!” I quietly yelled.
He paused, turning around to look in the living room.
Slowly, I stood, still holding onto the lamp. He froze for a moment, then rushed to me, throwing his arms around me and lifting me into the air. “Summer! Are you okay?!”
I nodded, fighting not to cry.
He picked me up and carried me to his bedroom. The whole time freaking out if Eli were to be awake and see this – he would probably kill me.
Nick's room was warm, and cozy. He had locked the door, put me in his bed, and covered me up. I felt safe again. I wasn't sure what was going to happen in the morning when Eli found me gone, but at that moment, I didn't care.
He turned on his desk lamp and laid with me in his bed, holding me close. We didn't say anything for a while, and I thought he had fallen asleep. I looked up to find him staring at his bedroom door.
“Nick?” I asked.
He looked down at me, as if I had interrupted his thoughts. Then his eyes grew wide. “What the hell happened?”
I drew my eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”
He lifted my chin to look at my face.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Did he do this to you?” His voice was full of concern, while his jaw was in a hard line.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out, so I closed it again.
“Summer, did he?” Nick whispered.
I slowly nodded. He started to get up, but I pulled him back down again. “No! Please, don't go
out there.” I whispered.
He stopped and looked at me, his eyes full of anger.
“Please...” I begged. I didn't want him to go out there and have something happen to him.
He laid back down next to me, holding me closer than before.
There was a long moment of silence, again. “What happened?” I finally asked.
“What do you mean?” He asked.
“After he knocked me out.” I whispered.
He sighed. “I don't know...”
I looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“I remember you screaming and I went in there to find,” – he swallowed – “Eli covering your mouth with something and I tried to get him off of you, and he ended up dropping you. I punched him and when I went to catch you, he hit my head and I passed out.”
I replayed what happened in my mind as he told me.
“When I woke up, I tried to find you, I would've used that app to find your phone, but I didn't know your e-mail or password.” He said. “So, I went around looking for you, calling your phone, and after a while it just went straight to voice mail. I found your brother and told him everything, and we still couldn't find you. He told your parents you went missing and they blamed me.” He paused. “I blame me, too, for what happened.”
“Nick, it's not your fault.” I said softly.
“Summer,” he sighed. “I'm sorry my brother is crazy.”
I pressed my lips together, unsure of what to say.
He let out a long breath. “He's adopted. His real parents – they were crazy, too. My parents never talk about it, though.”
I didn't know what to say.
“I'm so sorry, Summer,” he whispered. “I'm going to get you out of here. I'm going to get you far away from him.”
I wanted out of this house, too, but right now, I didn't want to leave this room. Then, realizing that I was still in the clothes Eli left out for me, I asked, “Um, can I barrow clothes?”
“Yeah, of course.” He got up, opening his dresser and found a white tee and some pajama pants. He handed them to me, then turned so I could change.
Grabbing my phone out of the pocket from the sweatpants, I climbed back into the bed. “You can turn around now.”
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