my love

Chapter06

The basement was colder than Emma expected.

Damp concrete bit into her knees as the man shoved her down beside the other girl. The space was cluttered—moldy boxes, a broken washing machine, a single bare bulb swinging from the ceiling.

The girl—Lena, she whispered when the man wasn’t looking—flinched every time he moved.

"New rules," the man said, pacing in front of them. "One: no talking unless I say so. Two: you try to escape, you both pay for it." He stopped, glaring at Emma. "Three: you don’t look at her. You don’t touch her. You don’t even think about her."

Emma’s stomach twisted. Divide and conquer.

The man yanked Lena up by her hair, making her whimper. "She broke Rule Three last week. Didn’t you, sweetheart?"

Lena’s chin trembled. "I—I just asked for water—"

"And you looked at her." He shoved her back down, then turned to Emma. "Learn from her mistakes."

With that, he stomped up the stairs, the lock clicking behind him.

Silence.

Then, so quiet Emma almost missed it: "He’s lying."

Lena’s voice was raw, but her eyes were sharp. "There was never another girl. He just wants you scared."

Emma’s breath caught. "How long have you been here?"

"Two months. Maybe three." Lena tugged at her binds. "He takes one every summer. Lets them go when he gets bored."

"Lets them go?" Emma couldn’t keep the disbelief out of her voice.

Lena’s smile was hollow. "Not all in one piece."

A chill crawled down Emma’s spine.

Footsteps echoed above. Lena instantly hunched into herself, the fearful mask slipping back into place.

The door flew open.

"Time for dinner," the man announced, tossing two protein bars onto the floor. "Eat up. We’ve got a long night ahead."

Emma’s blood ran cold. "What does that mean?"

He grinned, showing too many teeth. "You’ll see."

As he left, Lena’s hand found Emma’s, squeezing tight.

"Whatever he does," she whispered, "don’t scream. That’s what he wants."

Emma swallowed hard.

She had a feeling screaming would be the least of her problems.