Hidden Temptations

Chapter Eleven

I haven’t heard anything in a while, maybe an hour or so? My eyes are covered, and I can’t really tell how long I have been here. I have been alone with my thoughts. Will anyone find me? Does anyone even know I am gone? How does this man know my dad and what does he know about his death?

I can’t do this anymore, I need to get out of here. I start to jerk my body around, my hands tied behind the back of the chair I was placed on, it is a little loose. My cast is causing a gap in the rope. I pull, tug, twist my arms, jerk. Nothing. I try again with my ankles, twisting and pulling, but nothing. However he has me tied, it’s secure and he knows what he’s doing.

I hang my head, there is no way I can get out on my own. I am going to die here, this is it. I don’t get to say goodbye to my mom or Sarah. I start to cry, I don’t think I have cried this much in my life than this past week. This terrible, horrifying, dread of a week.

Footsteps, I hear footsteps in the distance.

“Hello!!!!” I scream at the top of my lungs, maybe it is someone to save me! I get hopeful, someone is here.

“No need to yell my darling, no one can hear you for miles.” He lets out a laugh, which stuns me to my core. No one can hear me, I’m somewhere remote and I’m alone with this psychopath. “I brought you some soup, you look a little cold.”

He runs a finger down my leg from my knee to my thigh, he stops. He forcefully grabs my chin, leans my head back. The blind fold slips up my face a little, I can see something. The entrance to something, a cave, a dungeon, I see a tree in the distance, It’s a cave!

He slips the blindfold back down, it goes black again. I got an answer I know where I am, or at least what I am in. He pressed on my cheeks, hard, forcing my mouth open, and he shoves a spoonful of soup into my mouth. It's scolding hot, it’s chicken noodle soup, I spit it out. I don’t want this man's food. I don’t want this man in my life. I want this man dead.

“Now that’s not nice! I bring you some food to make you warm and you’re being disrespectful.” His voice, it’s cold, it lingers. “Looks like I have to teach you some manners.” I don’t feel him, not his hands, not his breath, but I can feel his presence, he hasn’t left.

/tap, tap, tap/

It was the spoon on what sounds like the cave wall, what is he doing? I felt a drop of something on my leg, it was warm.

“AHHHH!” I scream as he pours the hot soup on my legs. It runs down my thighs, I cry, squirming in pain, I am being tortured. “STOPPP!” I can barely say it through the pain. I cry even harder. “IT BURNS!” He stops pouring the soup, but it doesn't stop. It lingers. This is it, he’s going to torture me till I can’t take it anymore, then he is going to kill me.

“Now look what you made me do. I didn’t want to hurt you Addie, but you were misbehaving. You needed to learn your lesson. Did you learn your lesson Addie?” I didn’t answer, I didn’t move. My head hung as my tears soaked the blindfold over my eyes. “I said. Did. You. Learn. Your. Lesson?” He grabs my shoulder, squeezes and pushes his thumb into my collar bone.

“YES!” I lift my head as I scream, hoping his face was right in front of mine, so he can hear my rage. I don’t know what I can do to get out of this. I hang my head, I want to fight but I can’t, I am just so tired. I feel weak, hopeless and I have lost the will to fight for life. I need to rest my eyes, I can’t do it any longer. I don’t hear him anymore, I don’t think he’s here anymore. He has had enough for now. I slowly drift off to sleep, I can’t help it.

Adelines mom POV

“We got her.” Officer Turner runs up to me as I’m sitting with Sarah, her mother Samatha and Mark, who hasn’t left my side since he got here. I haven’t left this hospital for 4 days. It’s her birthday, she’s 18 today and I can’t celebrate with her. Her party was today, but it was canceled. We don’t know if we will get her back. “I said we have her location!” We all stand up. I hug Mark, but I know this isn’t over. Do they know if she is alive? Do they know who has taken her?

“How? How did you find her?” I need to know. Did a hit come in on the suburban?

“An anonymous caller. Gave her exact location and said “I am done with her for now.”” He reads that from his notepad, looking a little confused.

“Well don’t you think that means the “anonymous” caller is the one who took her?!? You need to find out who he is! It sounds like he is going to come back for Adeline!” Mark yells, he is an expert in this situation, he pulls me in for a hug, knowing I was going to cry. He was right, they need to find this man so my daughter isn’t in any more danger.

“When can I see my daughter?” I let go of Mark and stare at this officer.

“We have a team on their way to her location now. I will get an update as soon as they have her. She will be brought back here, and you can see her then.” He puts his notepad in his shirt pocket, and walks off.

“Oh thank god.” Samantha hugs Sarah. “She’s alive.”

Alive, they once again never said that key word. Alive.

Adelines POV

I snapped my head up, oh no, I fell asleep. Hoping this is all a dream, but it isn’t. I’m still here, in this dark cave, alone. I don’t hear anything, is he gone? How long have I been here? It feels like hours, maybe days. How long is he going to be keeping me here? I can’t fight, I can’t call for help, I am all alone.

I want to be home, with my mom and Sarah. I want to be at my 18th birthday party, in that beautiful dress walking in with Bryan, being around the fun, laughter and the dancing. I would never want to be there normally, but that is all I want now. To live my life to the fullest and enjoy all of the little things from now on. I hope I get the chance to be the person I want to become. I can’t stop thinking about how long I have been here. Has my birthday passed already? I just don’t know.

Foot steps. He is back, but they don’t sound like they did before. There are a lot of footsteps, they are distant, but I can hear them. They are sloppy, and sound like a group of people. Did he bring people back to help torture me? Or to help hide my body after he murders me? I can hear radio static. Sounds like people are talking, it doesn’t sound like Dr. Jones or whoever he is. The footsteps get a little closer, I can hear what sounds like someone talking through a walkie talkie.

“We can’t find the cave, we are continuing our search.” It’s a search team! I’m being rescued!

“HELP! I’M OVER HERE!” I scream as loud as I can.

“We got her! We’re coming Adeline!” That voice, it sounds familiar but I can’t place it. I hear people running, a lot of people.

“I’m over here! Help me!” I start to cry again, a hard, happy cry. I’m going home. I’m not going to die! I get to live. The footsteps are entering the cave, I still can’t see. Someone is untying my wrists at the same time someone is untying my ankles. The blindfold gets lifted off my eyes. I blink, the light coming in from the cave is blinding. I look down at the man kneeling in front of me at my feet. I can’t believe my eyes.