by Taft Sowder
She didn’t know how long she had been down here again. She only knew that she was here, that it was dark and that she didn’t want to be here. Again, the hope for death entered her mind. It seemed the only sweet mercy that she could hope for.
She heard metal clanking and then the door opened. Light flooded in, and she squinted, her eyes aching as they adjusted. The blurry silhouette became the daughter, the girl who had helped her.
Indeed it was Jessica. She stepped a little closer, and Amber saw she sported a black eye. She was carrying a plate and a plastic doggie bowl.
“Here, eat.”
“What did they do to you?” Amber was concerned for the girl, more concerned for her own well being, but still worried about the girl. If they were her parents and would treat her this bad, they might kill her.
“Just eat.”
“Look, parents don’t treat you like that. Not real parents. Let me go, and this time, come with me. We’ll get out and get help.”
“Just eat. Dad’s gonna want his time with you again soon.”
“You’re just going to give in like that. You’re going to leave me to the wolves.”
Jessica dropped the plate and bowl and left, closing the door behind her.
Amber ate in the darkness, knowing that the food was laced with drugs, but hoping that maybe this time the drugs would be too much and that she would just fall asleep and never wake up. It tasted awful and looked like table scraps all thrown together like slop. Either way, she ate it.
She fell asleep not long after that. She was fast asleep when the metal clanking began again. She was out of it when he came in to the room, and she slept while he entered her. Then she dreamed those horrible dreams.
Chapter Nineteen
Amber came to; her butt was sore, and she was sick at her stomach. She was dazed, but not nearly as confused as she used to be. She knew what had been happening; she knew he had been taking advantage of her unconscious body. It was horrible, disgusting and most of all, scary, but it was what she had to deal with. There was no more hope.
The room wasn’t dark this time. There was light coming from the hole in the wall, a dim light, but she knew where it was coming from. She crawled out into the middle of the floor and pulled the chains taut. She pushed herself on her belly so she could see into the hole. It went on as far as she could see. Maybe it curved off, she couldn’t tell.
There was the metal clanking again, and she pushed herself back hard. The door opened, and it was Jessica again. The girl looked wild, her hair was awry and the look on her face was unlike anything Amber had ever seen.
She stood over Amber, staring down at her. Amber didn’t know what to do. She was almost afraid to move. The girl didn’t hold a plate. She held keys. Freedom. There was nothing that she wanted more than freedom. At the same time, she feared it, because it meant the escape. The escape was something that she didn’t want to have to chance again.
The girl just stared at her.
“What are you doing?” Amber finally asked.
Jessica breathed deeply several times, huffing. “If I let you go, they’ll never forgive me. If I don’t let you go, I’ll never forgive myself.” She stepped closer. Her eyes were wild. The keys jingled in her hands as she fiddled with the lock on the chains. “Through there is your way out. It’s nighttime. It will be your best chance to get away. Go, quick.” Jessica looked her in the eyes for another moment before unlocking her other hand. She pressed her lips against Amber’s and kissed her. “Go and don’t forget me.”
The cuffs dropped off, and Amber moved as quickly as she could. Her ankle hurt, but was bearable enough. She ducked into the hole in the wall, and she heard the door close to the room that had been her prison for so long.
The hole was small; she had to stoop as she walked through it. It was hewn out of the earth, a rough hole, the earth held up by wooden beams and pure luck. If it caved in, she might be trapped forever, suffocation would not be her choice death, but it would be better than anything they could throw at her. Every ten feet or so, a bare bulb shined dimly in what would otherwise be darkness.
The tunnel curved this way and that, and after a few minutes, she came to a problem. There was a cross road, the other path went in either direction. Now there were three to choose from, not counting the way she had come.
She was nervous; they could be coming behind her right now. They could be waiting for her at the end of the tunnel. She didn’t know which way to go. The right tunnel was dark; no lights were on that way. Straight ahead and to the left were both well it. She guessed and hoped she was right. She went straight ahead.
Her ankle began to ache. It was still bearable, but she didn’t know how much longer she could last.
The tunnel wound on, a never-ending labyrinth, or so it seemed. She had seen several more darkened paths along the way and hoped that she was still on the right path. How someone would have the time to dig this she didn’t know.
The tunnel became narrower, and up ahead was a curve in the path. She couldn’t see where it went, but she hoped it was the way out. She turned the curve and fear, doubt and hopelessness settled in the pit of her stomach like a heavy stone. It was a dirt wall. This is where the path ended.
“Damn it,” she whispered.
Now she was more afraid than ever. She would have to backtrack and hope like hell that no one had entered the tunnel behind her. She turned and worked her way back. It was slow going, her ankle hurting more with every step. Passing dark paths along the way, she was leery of each one, praying that no one jumped out and took her.
She found the crossroad after a long walk. She knew she had been in the tunnel for a long time. The fact that no one had jumped her yet made her wonder; surely he had wanted his nightly love. She took the path to her right, the lighted path. The dark path certainly made her curious, but she knew she would never find her way and another dead end would make her angry, but most of all make her give up.
This path winded as well. Left and right, back and forth, the path seemed to stretch on forever.
Finally, she slumped against the wall and sat down. The pain shooting from her ankle was too much. The maze seemed hopeless. There was nothing to hope for, no escape, and no life.
* * * *
Suddenly, she jolted awake. She was alone and the lights were still on in the tunnel. How long had she been asleep? How could she let herself fall asleep? It was the stress and the pain, her body’s natural reaction, natural instinct. The body healed while it slept. She didn’t have time to heal; she didn’t have time to sleep.
A sound came from somewhere, echoing through the tunnel, footsteps. Someone was coming, and from the sound of it, they weren’t far away. This sent chills down her spine, anxiety tearing through her; she began to quake all over, her knees nearly knocking together.
She was on her feet quickly, despite the pain shooting up her leg. She knew she had to move and now. There was no waiting around. She darted down the tunnel as fast as she could move. She ignored the pain, only wanting an escape. Up ahead, there were more dark tunnels off to either side. She didn’t know if this one dead-ended as well, but she didn’t want to take that chance. If she could hide, she thought, she might be able to elude her pursuer long enough to find out if there was really a way out or if it was some awful game of cat and mouse.
She ducked off to the left and went deep into the darkness, squatting against the wall, and listened. The footsteps were coming closer, louder footfalls. Amber wanted to close her eyes, disappear into the pitch black and hope that she was never found, but part of her knew that she had to be ever watchful.
Eyes on the lighted end of the tunnel, she watched and waited. Then, someone appeared, moving slowly, cautiously. It wasn’t the father, the mother or the son. It was the daughter, Jessica.
“Amber?” She heard Jessica w
hisper. “Are you here?”
Reluctance made her want to stay put, not to answer the young girl. She didn’t know if she was alone or why she was being followed. Maybe they had come with her, assuming that she would respond to the girl. Jessica continued on, past the dark tunnel and after a moment, no one followed her. Then it hit her, Jessica was coming with her like she had suggested earlier. Jessica wanted to leave as well. She couldn’t leave the girl to the mercy of such a family.
She peeked out into the lighted tunnel, checking both directions. No one was in the tunnel.
“Hey!” Amber whispered excitedly.
No answer.
She took a few steps forward and looked around then whispered it again; she didn’t want her voice to echo. There was still no answer. There was a hard curve in the tunnel up ahead and it settled sour in her gut. She didn’t want to face what could be around the corner, but knew that she had to continue on. Maybe the girl would know how to get out of here; after all, she was part of the family.
She held her breath as she turned the corner, ready for anything.
There was nothing.
She felt relief, but saw another turn up ahead.
“Hey!” she whispered again.
Suddenly, Jessica peeked out from around the other corner.
Amber jumped, startled.
“Hey,” Jessica said.
Amber relaxed. “Are you coming with me?”
“I followed you.”
“I see, but why?”
“I had to.” Jessica still had that wild look to her, hair all a mess, eyes still strange, like she had been up all night. She had the look a druggie got after years of substance abuse. Something just wasn’t right about the girl, she was different somehow.
There was an awkward silence and finally, Amber spoke. “Why did you have to follow me?”
Jessica stepped out from around the corner. In one hand she held metal cuffs, in the other, a short bladed knife. “Daddy said I had to.”
She came at her quick. Amber didn’t know what to do. She moved around the corner as fast as she could. She didn’t have time to think, only time to react. The girl meant business.
She stopped around the corner and flattened herself against the wall. She was weaponless, but there was a fight that had built in her, like a fire that began as a tiny coal. The drugs had come out of her system, and she found new strength. She balled her fingers into a fist. It was a long shot against a knife, but it was her only hope.
As Jessica came around the corner, the look of sheer surprise that crossed her face put a smile on Amber’s lips. Amber crossed with a right hook and caught Jessica square on the left side of her jaw, right next to her ear. The girl fell hard against the dirt floor and was silent. Amber dropped down and pushed her body to the side. The knife had plunged into her thigh during her fall. She would live, but it would be hard going for her to follow Amber now. The knife would not make much of a weapon. She assumed it had been a feeble attempt by the girl to redeem herself in the eyes of her twisted family. Perhaps she meant to prod her with it and force her back into her prison, but she would not get that chance now. Amber smiled again, left the knife in place, turned and continued along the tunnel.
She wondered if this was really the way out or if the girl was merely playing the game as the rest of them had. Surely she had meant for Amber to find her freedom when she sent her into the tunnel.
Finally, after more twists and turns, she came to a point that worried her. The lights ended. The tunnel however seemed to continue on, but she could not see the end.. What good would it do to turn back now? All of the other tunnels were dark as well, this one at least seemed the most promising given the lights came at least this far.
She continued along the tunnel, walking hunched over, turning curves and corners until she could no longer see the lights when she looked behind her. It was dark, and it was terrifying. What if it dead-ended? What if there was a wild animal in here? What if she never found a way out? Trapped in the darkness forever was a far better idea than being a slave to those weirdos up there.
She walked on, all the while feeling that the tunnel was getting smaller. Soon, she felt the walls on either side brushing her shoulders, felt the ceiling touching her hair, forcing her head down. Before long she was on her knees crawling, feeling her way along, praying for light.
Pain came from her nose as she bumped her face again into the wall; she felt around and realized there was another turn. As she turned, she looked forward and could swear she saw something in the darkness, a small blue dot. Was it light?
It became larger as she crawled, and soon she knew it was light. Energy rushed through her like electricity coursing through a circuit. Excitement grew inside her. There was freedom; there was hope, just a little further.
As she crawled, the blue dot became a circular hole. The air inside the tunnel was getting cooler, almost cold. She could see her breath in the light as she crawled. The tunnel was closing it a little tighter, but she didn’t care, she could see the outside world.
She was nearly there. She heard what sounded like an owl hooting from far away. She heard a howl of a wolf? A dog? Something howled. She didn’t care, no creature of God scared her more than the family she was leaving behind.
Just a little further and she would be outside. She could make a run for it, get far away, find help and see those bastards taken away. She could taste the freedom, taste the night air and it tasted good.
A couple more feet and she would be out of the hole, out of the tunnel and on her way.
Her face was nearly in the open air. Then it happened. A metal grate slammed shut in front of her. She heard clanking of metal and a loud click. She grabbed the bars and pushed, but to no avail. She was trapped again.
She heard footsteps in the grass and a boy’s childish laughter that echoed quietly in the night air.
Her scream tore through the quiet night, piercing the near perfect silence. The only one nearby to hear her was the wolf, and he howled his own howl into the night, a cry of sympathy and understanding. She cried quietly holding the bars; she was still in her prison.
Epilogue
There was a knock at the door. It wasn’t an unexpected knock, but Bobby jumped nonetheless. He had been jumpy that morning, a little nervous, but overall expecting the visit even anticipating it. At first, he couldn’t help but to think it might have been Tommy, but he knew it was not. He knew that Tommy had left town with his parents. Tommy had told his mother that he was threatened by a man on his way to the comic store and made up a wild story about being stalked. His mother, being the over-reactor that she was, packed up that same weekend, slapped a sale sign in the front yard and then left. He knew it was not his now long lost friend. He knew who it was, and it made a smile curl his lips.
His eyes twinkled in the lights. The lights from the Christmas tree blinked on and off, a multicolored wonderland in the family room. He admired the frosted limbs of the artificial tree. When the red lights flashed, it turned the white frost red, and he liked the spotted blood-red look. There was an angel on the top of the tree; it held a star in its hand that glowed red as well. Red was his new favorite color.
He stood before the front door, wiping his sweaty palms on his pant legs. Muscle spasms rippled through him. He turned the key on the inside. His father had changed the lock a while back. He knew why, and it didn’t bother him. It just meant that he had to have the key to get out, but he didn’t go anywhere when it was cold out anyway.
The door opened and on the porch in the morning light stood his grandmother.
“Hey Grammy,” Bobby said.
“Why hello Bobby,” she replied, smiling down at him. It wasn’t a real smile. Grammy was never that happy to see him. He knew that he was not her favorite. He would play along, since she liked to play those games. Her favo
rite was his cousin Rodney. Rodney always got what he wanted for Christmas. Rodney got the coolest toys and the most money and the best of everything. Bobby usually got stuck with cheap plastic guns or nerdy clothes. It used to make him angry, but he was not angry any longer. He was content with what he had now.
Her gray afro-like hair blew in the wind, caved in and popped back out. He never understood why old women would perm their hair that way, but he assumed it was their prerogative.
“Where is your mother?” She always tried to sound proper.
“She went to the store,” he lied. He didn’t know where she had gone, but knew that answer would suffice.
“What about your father?”
“He’s working,” he said, another sufficient answer. This time he didn’t lie, his father was working, in the basement.
“Well are you going to ask me to come in?”
He stepped out onto the porch beside her. “Would you like to come in?”
“Thank you, child,” she replied, sidestepped him and entered the house, her oversized handbag slapping his legs. He grunted. She ignored it.
He looked out into the bright morning, the sun glaring off the snow. Windows were frosted and a light snow had dusted the ground from the night before. Across the street he spied a cat stalking its prey. The calico cat was hunched down and moving quietly across the snow. Bobby saw what it was after, a small bird. Was it lost? Had it forgotten to fly south for the winter? Stupid bird, he thought.
The cat got as close as it would. A moment later it pounced and had the bird in its paws. The cat closed its mouth around the birds head, and without a sound, the bird became breakfast. The cat had finally gotten its prey.
Bobby smiled; he wondered if the cat had stalked the bird for very long. He assumed it had been a quick game. The cat disappeared behind a tree to enjoy breakfast.
With a shiver, he realized it was time to go back in as well. He glimpsed the wreath that clung to the front door via a crooked wire. Christmas, he was sick of Christmas. Rodney, he was sick of Rodney. Rodney wouldn’t be getting what he wanted this year for Christmas; Grammy had come to stay with them this time. This time he would get what he wanted.
