The Iron Room

by Sarah Himebauch

  What were my parents thinking?

  I spotted Amy easily. She was standing at her locker, with her head ducked down, and face in her phone. Her eyes looked puffy, like she had been crying. I felt instantly guilty, and then worried. Who was making my sister cry?

  This whole day was a mess.

  I made my way over to my sister, and she didn’t notice until I touched her shoulder. She jumped.

  “Are you okay?” I looked down at her phone, which was open to messages.

  “So, I take it you read Mom’s text…”

  She looked at me, mouth gaping. I understood her feelings. It didn’t make sense. We needed to go home and talk to them. Sitting around this dump would do nothing. I grabbed her hand, and we headed out to the field.

  There was a spot under the bleachers where we could talk without fear of being heard.

  We reached the secluded spot, and both did a once over of the bleachers. No feet. We needed to make sure no one was around, as we discussed how Anna went from alive to dead in a matter of a morning.

  “What the hell happened?” Amy looked furious, and freaked out, but I knew she was more scared than anything. A death was not good right now, especially with the whole town on edge after Katie’s disappearance.

  “I don’t know Ames. She must have tried to escape again.” I put my head in my hands and sighed. Anna had a track record of trying to escape, and I remember vaguely my mother threatening to shoot her if she did again.

  I continued, “Maybe mom followed through on her promise and shot Anna.”

  Amy opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by footsteps coming down the bleachers. Shit. Shit. Shit.

  Kim rounded the corner and faced us with a grin on her face, and her phone in hand, obviously recording everything we said.

  “I knew you guys had something to do with it. I’m going to turn this into Sheriff Johnson right now.” Kim turned around and started off towards the school.

  “Mark, do something!”

  I knew it wasn’t smart, but I always kept a syringe on hand in case of something like this happening. I pulled it out from my bag and sprinted. I caught Kim around the ankles, pulling her down to the grass, and sank the needle in her neck.

  And she was out.

  We were still in hot water, because now we had to drag Kim’s unconscious and heavy body to our car without students, faculty, and oh yeah, the sheriff noticing. There was a small patch of forestry behind the school and it would be hard, but doable to bring the car around there and then load Kim in the back. Amy grabbed Kim’s backpack.

  “Amy, come with me to drag her in, and then wait with her while I get the car. This way nobody will see.”

  My sister agreed with a nod, and as I grabbed Kim’s arms and started pulling her into the trees, Amy reached down and grabbed Kim’s phone. She played the video back which ended when I came up behind her abruptly and took her down.

  “Delete it Amy.”

  So, she did, and the walk to the edge of the trees was filled with uncharacteristic silence. We were both chatter boxes by nature, but Kim had never been one of our targets. But, like we were taught, family preservation was our only goal, and Kim sought to destroy that. To destroy us. It was only a matter of time, before she would need to be dealt with.

  School was almost over for the day, so I wasn’t worried about skipping classes. I knew what my parents would think, but honestly, given that we were the “closest” with Katie, us skipping out on school wouldn’t look too suspect on the day she was pronounced missing.

  They would have wanted us to eradicate this little problem.

  We reached the edge of the trees, and I reminded Amy to stay with Kim until I got the car. I rushed out and headed towards the school. I nearly ran into Sheriff Johnson.

  “Woah there, bud. Slow down.” He laughed, and I knew it was especially hard for him to do so, on a day like today.

  “Sorry Sheriff. I was just letting the office know I would be leaving today.”

  “Everything alright, son?”

  “Yeah. But Amy is a mess today, and our parents thought she could use a little time at home.”

  “I understand that. I have hope we will find her. My Katie is smart. Do you want an escort?”

  God, no.

  “I think we will manage but thank you Sheriff. I have faith we will find Katie too.” I gave him a small smile and headed into the office.

  After a long ten-minute discussion, I convinced the office that Amy wasn’t with me to sign out because she was sick and throwing up in the bathroom. They finally gave us check out passes, and I headed out, keys in hand.

  I didn’t want to get reemed for not having passes. It wouldn’t look right. So now that I had them, I headed out to the parking lot, and drove the small bend over to the edge of the forest.

  At first glance, I didn’t see Amy, but that was good. I honked to let her know I was there, and I got out to open the trunk. I had a small blanket back there which was key for hiding Kim. I ran over to the edge and saw Amy struggling with pulling Kim’s dead weight.

  I grabbed Kim’s arms and Amy got the legs. I looked around once more to ensure that no one was around, and we quickly pulled her into the trunk and covered her well.

  We loaded into the car and started home.

  “What a day huh?” Amy started laughing hysterically, and I knew the events of the past two days were getting to her. Usually we were more careful than this, but both times we were offered no choice. Well, there was a choice, and I chose to stand by my family. Always.

  “Yeah. Try and play it cool for Mom and Dad.”

  We pulled up to the familiar gates, and had George buzz us in. We parked right by the back-basement door, so we could slip in Kim easily. The door was open coincidentally, and we ran into my dad who looked equally shocked. I told him we would explain later, and we carried Kim down the stairs.

  We brought her in, chained her wrist, and Amy turned towards Katie and Tara.

  “Enjoy your new houseguest.”

  And we left without another word.

  16

  Katie

  Amy’s words were on a constant loop in my head, as I struggled with the silence that I found myself basked in. This room was quiet as is, and Tara wasn’t much of the type to try and strike up a conversation. Kim was still out.

  My interactions with Amy were very limited, but it gave me a lot more insight into who my best friend really was. She was a disgusting, immoral excuse for a human being. They all were, and the worst part was that the only way I would get out of here, the only way I would survive- was to act like I still loved them.

  I wanted nothing to do with this entire family, and I hoped I had the chance to escape soon. I needed to create a plan, but it was hard. There was no constant down here. There seemed to be no solid schedule that I could base my plan off of. Everything was haphazardly done, like they were winging it a little. Maybe I could use that.

  Tara didn’t even look my way again since they brought Kim, and I found myself feeling glad. I couldn’t face her, or anyone for that matter. This room, this Iron Room, had a way of making me feel so bare and exposed. I was vulnerable, and I didn’t like it.

  I couldn’t help myself from thinking about my father, and everything he was going through.

  I’m so sorry.

  Clank. Clank. Clank.

  I looked to my side, and saw that Kim was waking up. I couldn’t understand why they took her. I remembered her vaguely from school but that was it.

  I glanced at Tara, hoping she would step up to the plate and be the one to explain to Kim what had happened, but she had her head buried in her knees.

  Looks like it’s me.

  “What happened? Where the hell am I?” Kim frantically shifted her body and was trying to pull the chains off her hand.

  “Calm down, please. I’ll tell you everything.” I had no idea what to say to someone who had just been kidnapped, given that my welcome party wasn’t exactly… wel
coming.

  She didn’t say another word, but rather just stared at me. Terror was clear in her eyes, grief plastered across her face. I sympathized, and I knew those emotions all too well. I hadn’t stopped feeling them since I was kidnapped and thrown in here. These people were ruthless, taking anyone who they deemed a threat to them and their perfect family.

  What do I say here?

  “I just got here, but Tara… and Anna both told me that the whole family is in on… whatever this is. I don’t know why they took you, but I’m sorry.” I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt regardless of whether it was my fault or not.”

  “But Anna is dead… right?”

  “Yeah she is…”

  “I overheard Amy and Mark talking. I had my suspicions about them, so I followed them and recorded them. I was heading to the school to show your dad when they caught me.” She started to cry, and I had no way of comforting her.

  My dad?

  “My dad was at the school?”

  “Yeah, he was talking to kids and the principal.”

  My heart.

  I felt crushed. I knew in my heart that my dad would obviously look for me but hearing about it only made it worse. I wanted more than anything to reach out and assure him I was okay. I felt like a little girl all of a sudden, vulnerable, and wanting my dad. I lacked comfort, and this place made sure of that.

  This place thrived on creating an uncomfortable, and cold environment. This family relied on torture to keep their victims in line, and to satisfy their own psychotic cravings.

  “I’m sorry you’re here, Kim. I know you were only trying to help.”

  “You too, right? How did you end up here?”

  “I was getting too close to the truth, so Mark drugged me, and I woke up here.”

  My truth was met with a range of silence throughout the room. In some ways, Kim and I were similar in terms of the reasons why we were taken. We knew too much.

  The crazy part was that I didn’t truly feel like I knew anything, not at that moment in time anyhow. I only said that I wasn’t going to stop looking for Anna and Tara, and that was enough for the niceties to go out the window, and for Mark to decide that I had become a liability and needed to be taken care of.

  Like clockwork, my thoughts were interrupted by the familiar chains unlocking and a swing of the iron door. To my surprise, Sharon walked in. She was followed by Amy, who kind of hung back by the door not saying or doing much.

  No words were said, but Sharon walked over to Tara and kicked her in the side without warning. Tara had no time to recover from the blow because Sharon delivered another one, right to the side of Tara’s face.

  Stop it!

  I wanted to protest and opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. I was dumbfounded, at Sharon in general and at the utter lack of respect for these people down here. Jesus Christ. They treated all of us like…

  Prisoners. Isn’t that what you are Katie?

  I finally found my voice, but not before I felt something connect with my cheek. I was rocked back to the pole and looked up at my attacker. Amy. She had slugged me right in the face.

  I had an upper hand on the other girls, in that I had my chains around my ankle rather than my wrist. I swung my leg out far, catching Amy’s and she toppled over next to me.

  I swung and connected, over and over, hitting until I couldn’t anymore. Amy was bleeding and pulling herself away.

  “You fucking bitch! I was your friend, and you put me down here. You’re all nuts!”

  Sharon had stopped her brutal attack on Tara long enough to realize that I beat the hell out of Amy and marched over to me. She helped her daughter up off the ground and stepped right on my ankle. I felt and heard a crack, and the pain was excruciating.

  She broke my ankle.

  Amy hobbled off, using her mom’s shoulder as a crutch. They headed towards the door. Before the two exited, Amy turned around and delivered a final menacing glare.

  Yeah, you’re screwed now.

  They slammed the door and locked it. I was pretty sure my chain would be switched from ankle to wrist now, but knowing how sick these people were, they would probably opt to keep it around my ankle now that it was broken. How the hell would I escape with this?

  Hitting Amy over and over was the greatest feeling. I am not one for violence, nor have I ever been, but after she hit me, the rage came out. This family has lied to my face and played niceties with me for years. Meanwhile, they had some sick torture show going on down here.

  And I was the new victim.

  17

  Amy

  My mom helped me up the stairs, locked the door, and I leaned on her while we walked to the house. I could feel blood pooling in my sneakers as it dripped from my face.

  I couldn’t believe Katie hit me.

  I’m more surprised that she had it in her.

  Unfortunately, there was no room in the iron room for vengeance, on us at least. My mom was angrier than I was, threatening to kill Katie the next time she saw her. I knew it was only because my betrayal hit the hardest out of all of us.

  I only hit her because I had to. While I welcomed the unloading of anger onto these girls as I see fit, Katie was only a means to an end. It was a requirement. She should have never been in this place.

  I was nursing a killer headache, and my face went slack. I think she may have broken my nose, but I have had worse. I think my mom broke her ankle on the way out, and I felt slightly bad. I mean, she kind of deserved it after that attack, but still.

  My mom was in kind of a bad mood all day, but it brightened to my surprise when she found out we had a new victim joining us. My dad was also slightly excited, but still stewing about Katie’s capture. I had to fill them in on Sheriff Johnson’s little impromptu visit to the school today.

  It wasn’t out of the ordinary, given that was what he also did when Anna then Tara went missing. It seems like with his daughter, he would be out conducting a search party, but he was following procedure to a tee. I knew he was probably torn up inside about the whole thing, but there was nothing we could do- not without breaking up our family and everything we have worked for.

  We got into the house, and my dad took one look at my face, and freaked out.

  “What the hell happened to Amy’s face?”

  “That little bitch Katie got her on the floor and punched the crap out of her. That’s what happened! But don’t worry Paul, she got her own.”

  “She’s angry, Sharon! What do you expect?”

  “I expect her to fall in line like the rest of them. We don’t support vigilantes in this house Paul. I’m sure the broken ankle she’s nursing right now will only make that message that more clear.”

  My dad walked away fuming. He had expressed earlier today that harming Katie in any shape or form would be detrimental and that she should remain untouched. We couldn’t do that though. It had to be done.

  My mom pulled me into the bathroom off to the side of the kitchen and began cleaning the blood off of my face. She deduced that it had all been coming from my nose, but that it wasn’t broken.

  I’ll probably be sporting a black eye tomorrow though.

  Once my mother was done with her assessment, she left me to deal with the thoughts raging in my head.

  Everything was falling apart.

  My mom and dad could be heard shouting at each other from the other room. They never usually fought, but coincidentally had been doing it a lot more as of late. I wonder why. Mark was still holed up in his room, beside himself.

  The thing with Mark is that he understood what had to be done, and he would do it without question. His emotions were hard to control, and sometimes like today, they got the best of him. I usually was able to pull him out of it.

  I headed up to his room, dead set on cheering my brother up. There were times, not often, when I myself felt conflicted, but I also knew that these girls deserved it. They all did. Maybe not Katie, but it was too little too late.

 
; I reached his room and knocked softly on the door. Sometimes Mark took a nap in the middle of the day, so if he was, I didn’t want to wake him. No answer. I cracked the door open and sure enough he was out like a light. I closed the door softly and went into my room.

  Maybe a nap wasn’t a bad idea. I laid my head down and dozed off.

  I dreamed of the time Katie and I decided to cut class and spend the day out by the river. Life was good. Her mom was alive. We were drinking and watching the stream pass by. I miss it.

  “Amy, wake up.”

  I woke up to my mom shaking me awake. I rolled over and glanced at the alarm clock, it was 5:21. I was asleep for two hours, clearly exhausted from the events of the day.

  “It’s dinner time baby.”

  I clutched my stomach, not realizing how hungry I was. I didn’t eat much at breakfast due to the commotion, and lunch was absent. I smelled my mom’s famous meatloaf wafting through the air.

  I pulled myself out of bed and joined my mom in walking down the stairs. I noticed that Mark’s room was wide open. He must have already been downstairs.

  My mom seemed to be in lighter spirits compared to what happened that morning. I was assuming her and my dad finally patched things up. We were all at a standstill when it came to Katie and what to do with her.

  It was causing a rift in this family that was distracting us from our work. We needed to all get along in order to do what was necessary- what was right.

  We should be in a happier mood, all of us. We had a new victim after all! It is a surprise that it didn’t happen sooner. Kim was always nosy, and rarely made friends. She was a loser.

  When we walked into the dining room, the spread was stretched from both ends. The meal was complete with mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken filets, pasta, meatloaf, and even rolls. My mom really knew how to roll out all the good stuff.

  My dad was sitting at the head of the table per usual, and he seemed to be in a better mood as well as my mom. Mark was in his usual seat opposite me looking well rested. I was so glad to see my family getting along.