chapter five
1071 Words
Lana paced back and forth in the darkness of the room she’d been locked in. She couldn’t see a thing, but her body felt the space, her footsteps echoing faintly off bare walls. Her heart was racing like a drum in her chest. Her hand flew to her throat, and she flinched at the sharp, numbing pain.
“That freaking bastard,” she muttered under her breath, a groan of anger escaping her.
The fear was still there, it was lingering and gnawing, but anger was beginning to push its way to the surface,. She felt it, it was hot and steady. How dare he put his hands on her like that? Who did he think he was? Did he even mistake her for the wrong person? He wasn’t her father’s debtor, so then who the hell was he?
Everything made her head want to explode. First she had been dragged away by unknown men, who wouldn't tell her a thing and now things just became even more confusing.
Her mind replayed his words, mocking her in the silence. “I am way more than that.”
Lana scoffed bitterly. “Well, that explains nothing.”
If she was going to die here, at least she deserved to know why. An explanation, that was the least he could give her before choking the life out of her again. Maybe her father had gotten tangled in something darker than debts. Maybe he had dragged her into his mess once more. The thought made her temples throb. She pressed a hand to her forehead. A headache was building. She was sick and tired of being dragged into thing she knew nothing about.
She forced herself to keep moving. The room was empty, that much she had figured out after nearly a minute of searching, her palms brushing cold walls, her body tensing with every cautious step. No furniture. No windows. Just emptiness swallowing her whole. If only there was a light switch. Even a single flicker of light would make the suffocating darkness bearable.
Her hand fell back to her side, it was all useless.
“I should’ve taken that extra shift,” she whispered to herself, her voice trembling.
Just a few days ago, her boss had asked if anyone could cover more hours. Someone had quit suddenly, and extra shifts were available. She’d refused, too tired to keep pushing her body. She had thought she needed rest, that she deserved it. Now she regretted it. If she’d been at work, maybe she would’ve been safe. Maybe they wouldn’t have found her at home.
Or maybe… they would’ve just waited. she would have eventually returned home and the same thing would still happen. she accepted.
Her shoulders slumped. Either way, trouble always seemed to find her. “I keep getting into more mess,” she muttered under her breath.
At least her phone wasn’t buzzing endlessly with calls from debt collectors. At least she didn’t have to hide every time someone tracked her location. But that didn’t make this situation any better. If her captor had already tried to kill her once, then what else did he have planned? What could possibly be worse?
Her chest tightened at the thought. The worst thing wasn’t the darkness. It wasn’t the hunger clawing at her stomach or the ache in her neck. The worst thing would be dying here, dying for something she knew nothing about. That was her fear, that had always been her fear.
No. She couldn’t let that happen. She had to try, at least. Even if she failed, she had to try to escape.
Time passed, though Lana had no way of knowing how much. Minutes? Hours? It was impossible to tell. She sat curled up against the door, her ear pressed close, desperate for any sound outside. Nothing came. The silence made her hope shrivel.
Her stomach growled, twisting painfully. She hadn’t eaten all day. Her hand pressed against her belly, but it did nothing to quiet the hunger. Everything felt heavier, harder. Her limbs ached with exhaustion.
Just when she thought she might collapse into despair, a sound broke the silence.
Click.
Lana bolted upright, eyes wide in the dark. Her pulse hammered as she stumbled back from the door. Light flooded the room suddenly, forcing her to shield her face with her arm.
“You can come out now,” a voice said.
Her breath hitched. It wasn’t him, the man with ocean-blue eyes. No, this voice was older, calmer. Lowering her hand, she blinked until her eyes adjusted. Standing in the doorway was the man who had opened the house door earlier, the one in uniform. His face wasn’t as unreadable now. There was still a sternness in his features, but something else too… curiosity.
“Or would you prefer to stay in here?” he added.
Lana didn’t hesitate. She stepped out quickly. She couldn’t stay another second in that suffocating room.
“Are you letting me go?” she asked, her voice hoarse and broken from all the screaming earlier.
The man, john, she remembered someone had called him sighed, then gestured for her to walk ahead.
Her body stiffened. Was he taking her back to that monster? Was she about to be dragged in front of him again? Panic rippled through her veins. she didn’t want to see him ever again. he was a lunatic and she was scared of this lunatic and what he might do to her.
Sensing her hesitation, John said, “We aren’t going to see Mr. Carson.”
The words loosened the knot in her chest. She exhaled shakily, her shoulders sagging with relief, though confusion still flickered in her eyes.
“Then… where are you taking me?” she asked softly. Her voice cracked. She swallowed hard, desperate. “Please, let me go. I won’t tell anyone what happened here. I’ll disappear. I swear it. You’ll never see me again. Please.”
Her plea struck something in him. John’s gaze flickered, and for a second, his stern expression faltered. Guilt crept into his eyes.
“I wish I could,” he murmured.
The words crushed her. Lana’s head dipped, her shoulders folding in defeat. Her body felt drained, weak. She walked as he instructed, too hungry, too tired to resist anymore.
She didn’t care where he was taking her. She just wanted it all to be over.
- Writer
