by Clara Lewis
At their confirmation, Ava recited the number and relayed the plan to both of them.
“Kate, I want you to stay ready. Ellie and I will go out there to search for Lena and steal the key. The moment that trapdoor opens, I want both of you to run for it and get somewhere far away from here. Understood?”
Kate looked afraid but she nodded her head in agreement.
“Stay hidden,” Ava ordered Kate.
To Ellie she said, “Let’s go.”
They climbed up the stairs until Ava could touch the trapdoor. Ellie laid on the floor and Ava began to yell for Murphy. She pounded on the trapdoor until Murphy made an appearance.
She had gotten so used to the low light, that when she was hit with the full force of a mere hallway light, she held her hand up to shield her eyes.
“What happened?” he asked.
“What do you think happened?” Ava replied sarcastically, gesturing to Ellie’s figure on the floor.
Murphy glared at her, and Ava could have sworn she saw his fingers flex as if getting ready to swing at her.
“Give her to me.”
Murphy held his hands out expecting Ava to just hand Ellie over. Ava hesitated, and she felt Ellie nudge her subtly in the ribs. Reluctantly, she handed Ellie over.
“Can I come with?” Ava asked.
Murphy gave her a dubious look and pushed past her.
Ava grabbed hold of his shirt and insisted.
“I actually need to talk to you. Come on, I don’t even have my phone with me.”
Murphy mumbled a few choice words as he carried Ellie into one of the rooms, Ava following closely behind him. He settled her down on one of the beds as he rummaged in the cupboards for medical supplies. Ava looked around as she followed him. For someone who was a serial kidnapper, she really expected more eerie décor. She expected keepsakes from the previous victims or even a splash of blood on the walls. No, his house looked normal. The furnishings were hideous though.
“You got your furniture from your grandmother?” Ava asked bluntly.
Murphy said nothing, but she noticed his shoulders tense. He was such a joker at work that she never would have thought this was his true self. Angrily, he turned to face her. Ava raised her arms in a show of surrender and Murphy silently picked Ellie up again.
Ava looked to the side and saw that they were standing directly next to a mirror. One look and Murphy would notice Ellie’s hands snake around his neck to unclasp the keys. Ava walked into the living room again.
“Follow me, I want to tell you something.”
Murphy adjusted his hold on Ellie and followed Ava. She sat on one of the ancient couches and patted the seat next to her.
“Let’s talk for a bit.”
Murphy placed Ellie onto an armchair then he sat next to her making sure to keep his distance as far as he could from her on the small couch. This was her moment; she’d distract Murphy and at the same time get answers.
“So, you’re a bona fide kidnapper now? White van, creepy basement and ransoms?”
Murphy scowled.
“I needed the money,” he gritted out.
“Enough to kidnap and hurt young girls? You needed money that bad?” Ava pushed.
Murphy scoffed at her, causing Ava to lean in a little closer. Uncomfortable with her closeness he leaned back.
“You wouldn’t understand it.”
“Try me,” Ava said, looking straight at his eyes.
Murphy gestured around the house and Ava’s eyes followed his hand.
“This belonged to my family for generations. I inherited it and it was so run down that it drained my pockets faster than I can make money. I needed money to keep this place. I had no choice.”
Ava wasn’t made of steel; she felt emotions and responded to them more often than not. If it were anyone else, she would have felt sorry for Murphy’s situation, but right now, it all sounded like some poor excuse with Murphy expecting things to be handed down to him.
“That’s a terrible reason for what you did to those girls down there,” said Ava disdainfully.
“Like I said, you wouldn’t understand it.”
“No, no, I think I do. You’re a coward and you know what—I intimidate you, don’t I? Every single time I bring a bad guy in, I get a round of applause. Chief is willing to let me get away with anything because, like it or not, I am his favorite,” Ava said, aiming for his pride.
“Why do you always have to show off?” Murphy retorted.
“Are we in grade school Murphy?” Ava replied, watching Murphy clench his fists in anger.
Ava had a theory. She believed Murphy loved having power over others. She saw the pride in his eyes when the girls cowered in fear when he got angry. Ava had never shown him she was afraid, and that scared him. He didn’t know how to control her.
The moment she saw red creep up his neck and into his face, Ava had confirmed her theory. It angered and embarrassed him to be second rate. He was focused on her now. Ellie opened her eyes from behind Murphy in fear and met Ava’s.
“Don’t push him,” she mouthed.
Ava ignored Ellie and continued to goad Murphy.
“You always had to take the easy way huh?”
Ava laughed.
“Look, man, all you had to do was start pulling your weight at work. Then maybe you wouldn’t have to watch me step all over your little achievements. That, and you probably would have saved this farm if you hadn’t focused so much on researching who to steal from.”
“Shut up,” Murphy growled.
Ellie moved slowly as she tried to pocket the keys. Ava looked over to her and saw her struggling to keep the keys from jingling. One wrong move and Murphy would see and catch onto their little plan. Ellie met Ava’s eyes, pleading for another distraction.
Ava threw her head back and laughed as loud as she could. It sounded unconvincing, and Ava worried that she had been caught. She looked at Murphy’s face and then at Ellie. Murphy was too focused on Ava calling him incompetent that he didn’t notice Ellie slip the keys into her shirt.
Murphy lifted a hand and slapped Ava across the face. It hurt. Ava groaned in pain but continued her laughter.
“Did I hurt your feelings?” she asked him as she cradled her cheek.
Ava went still when her eye caught Ellie with a chair in her hands. She raised it high over her head and brought it crashing down on Murphy’s head. He slumped forward, unconscious.
“This wasn’t the plan!” Ava cried out.
“If we opened the door at night, he would have heard it anyway.” Ellie argued.
“Plus, if you carried on further, I think he would have killed you.”
Ava quickly ushered Ellie to the trapdoor.
“Free Kate and look for his truck keys. I’m going to look for Lena.”
With Murphy knocked out on the floor, they had about three to five minutes before he regained consciousness. To Ava, it was ample time to escape.
Ellie ran to the trapdoor and lifted it open. She called for Kate who emerged from the shadows with questioning eyes.
“Is it safe?” she asked.
“For now,” Ellie said, “but we have to hurry.”
Chapter 8
Ava ran out of the house and looked around for anything that might resemble what a workshop should look like. In her peripheral vision, she caught sight of a worktable.
“Bingo,” she whispered to herself as she made her way to the garage-turned-workshop.
She paused at the table, her hand brushing over the metal laid over it. The way the metal had been welded together made Ava shudder. These were bars. If they had stayed a little longer, escape would have been impossible.
The workshop held more than just tools. While the front had his tools lying around, the back contained Murphy’s collection of weapons. The sheer number of his collection was enough to creep her out. She chose a random gun and put it into her waistband, pulling her jacket over it to conceal it.
She looked up an
d saw Ellie and Kate reach the truck. Ava allowed herself to smile, something that dropped the moment she saw Murphy step out of the house with a shotgun in his hand.
He took a deep breath and calmed himself as he lifted the gun to aim at Ellie and Kate. Yet his blood thumped through his veins and his eyes saw red.
Ava heard a loud shot echo through the air, and she ran toward them only to see Kate fall to the ground.
“No!” Ava yelled.
Murphy heard her and turned his attention toward her. He raised the gun at her and fired. Ava ducked behind the wall just in time. Wood splintered by her head as the bullet ripped through the wall. Ava held her breath and leaned around the corner, taking aim at Murphy and firing, only for him to dodge for cover.
A few more shots blasted through the walls, causing Ava to cradle her head to protect it. She remained hidden as she counted his bullets.
He had already wasted eight in his anger with her and that left him with four more. Determined not to let him get another shot at Ellie and Kate, she shot at Murphy once again.
She heard him yell in pain as one of the bullets grazed a limb. He returned fire. Four shots blasted near her, closer than before, and Ava crawled back into the garage for protection.
She stayed hidden for a while. Ava expected Murphy to come barreling toward her the moment his bullets were finished, but she heard only silence. Dread filled her stomach and sunk like a heavy weight as she came out of her hiding spot.
Murphy was no longer focused on her. He was walking across the clearing making a beeline for Ellie and Kate. Ava raised her gun and tried to take aim, but it was impossible at this distance. Any misfire would easily hit Ellie or Kate. Kate had been shot in the arm and the pain clearly weakened her.
Murphy began to run to them, and he gained on them fast. Seeing as there was no way Ellie could round the truck fast enough to get to the other side, she shoved Kate through the door.
“Drive,” Ellie ordered.
The girl watched as Murphy appeared behind Ellie and grabbed her.
“Drive!” Ellie repeated.
Chapter 9
When Ava had finally emerged from the safety of the garage, she was met with silence. She walked out to see Kate waving frantically and pointing at the house. Ellie wasn’t with her.
Ava stormed all the way to the house, her gun drawn. The shotgun lay discarded on the porch. This time the lights had gone off. She stepped inside and yelled.
“Where’s Ellie?”
“Close the door behind you at least.”
Ava looked up and saw Murphy holding Ellie by the neck. Ellie struggled to breathe, and she kicked at him to no avail. He tightened his hold on her and whispered in her ear. Whatever he must have said caused Ellie to calm down.
Ava stepped closer and pointed her gun at him.
“Let her go.”
“You’re in no place to make demands. I have a knife.”
Murphy raised his knife to Ellie’s neck and dug in, hard enough to draw blood. Ellie whimpered in pain, causing Ava to raise her hands. Ellie stopped struggling and hung limp in Murphy’s arms.
“She’s got the right idea. Give up Ava.” Murphy said.
Ava slowly put the gun on the floor and pushed it away, her eyes tracking the knife across Ellie’s neck.
“Okay, fine. Let her go, Murphy. We can make a deal.”
Murphy laughed.
“You think I want to cut a deal with the people who will send me to prison? No thanks.”
“You can pin it on me. You can be a hero, Murphy; don’t you want that? I’m sure you can convince the whole lot of them that I was the one who orchestrated the whole thing. How about that? You might even get a medal.”
Murphy seemed to consider it. He stared at her thoughtfully before a he frowned.
“The girl ran away; they’ll testify against me.”
Ava forced herself to scoff.
“Who’s going to believe someone like her? You’re a man of the law; your word counts more than theirs does.”
Ava raised her eyebrows, begging him to consider her offer.
“Just let Ellie go. She won’t tell anyone because she has no one to tell. Right, Ellie?”
Ellie nodded weakly.
Murphy laughed ruefully.
“Do you think I’m stupid? You’re a liar, you know that?” Murphy said, pointing his knife at Ellie’s jugular. “Just like this one.”
He tightened his hold on Ellie. Ava moved forward, her arms reaching out to stop Murphy. The man raised his knife as a warning, and with a look, he forced her to stay put.
Finally, Murphy loosened the grip he had on Ellie’s neck. Ellie dropped to the floor with a loud thud.
Ava was too late.
In just a few steps, Murphy was by her. He stepped on her hand, causing Ava to scream in pain. He kneeled down in front of her and got close, his breath fanning her ear.
“It’s just you and me now. When you’re dead, there will be no one else to stop me.”
Ava glared at him. He was close enough now. She brought her other hand up and punched him in the face. It wasn’t hard enough for it to properly bruise but it was enough to cause him pain. He stepped off her hand and Ava scrambled to her feet.
Her gun was still too far away. Ava looked around for something to use as a substitute. She had to knock him out somehow. Murphy was on her in seconds, raining punches which Ava deflected to the best of her ability. Their size difference was too great. Within a few blows, Ava brought her arms down and ran down the hallway.
She flung doors open, hoping to hide from Murphy and hopefully regroup. She needed to think and find a way to defeat him that didn’t involve having to go toe to toe with him in a physical fight.
One room in particular made Ava pause momentarily. It smelled strongly of copper, and when Ava opened it, she let out a gasp.
On a bed lay Lena’s body, badly beaten and barely alive. Ava dropped to her knees and let out a relieved sigh when she saw Lena’s chest move with shallow breaths.
“There’s no hope for her.”
Ava turned around and stood up, taking on a defensive position.
“They wouldn’t pay… I had no choice.”
She saw a baseball bat in the corner. Ava dove for it the very same moment Murphy raised his arm and fired the gun she had pushed away earlier. It hit the wall right next to her head. Ava breathed in sharply, her brain coming to terms with how she almost died. However, there was no time to waste. Ava looked at Lena and decided she had to leave the room. Murphy was firing everywhere, and Lena had already been through enough.
Ava lunged at Murphy, bat in hand. He sidestepped, causing the bat to only brush up against his shoulder. He laughed darkly when he heard Ava curse for missing. She ran into the hallway as he shot at her again. This time a bullet grazed her arm.
Ignoring the pain in her arm, Ava kept running until she reached the end of the hallway, her head ducking every time she heard a bullet. His aim was trash, but Ava guessed she had Ellie smashing a chair over his head to thank for that. Ava then whirled and charged at Murphy.
She swung the bat again. Murphy aimed at her. Confusion filled his eyes when he saw Ava hadn’t dodged at all. She ran straight at him, the bat in the air, leaving her vulnerable.
“Got a death wish?” Murphy asked.
He pulled the trigger and Ava ducked her head, ignoring the stinging pain of a bullet going through her shoulder. She brought the bat down with all her strength, striking at Murphy’s hand. The gun flew in the air and clattered across the floor. Murphy yelled in pain and cradled his injured hand as Ava smiled down at him breathing heavily. She needed to knock him out.
“Just one more,” she said, breathless as she raised the bat once again.
With her remaining strength, Ava swung the bat. Before it could deal enough damage to make Murphy black out, he stuck his good hand out and caught the bat. He was a big man; it took only one hand to grab the thickest part of the bat.
&nb
sp; He wrestled it out of Ava’s hand while she stared in disbelief. She had been so focused on what had happened that she didn’t notice him produce a knife from within his boot.
All she felt was a cold blade cutting through her abdomen. Ava looked down at her shirt, going from white to red. She brought a shaky hand to it and touched on the cut. It was deep.
Murphy grabbed the bat and threw it across the room.
“You’re finished.”
Murphy put his weight on his good hand and hauled himself up. He stood over Ava who sunk to her knees on the floor. He was saying something. Judging from the look on his face, he was gloating.
Ava tilted her head at him as his voice faded away, and the only sound she could hear was the rushing of blood in her ears. Her eyelids started to feel heavy, and she blinked her eyes rapidly in an effort to stay awake. Ava brought her hands up to rub her arms she felt so cold, but was distracted by how they were stained red.
“This is my blood,” she mumbled.
In the distance, Ava heard the familiar sound of sirens. Through the window, she saw a flurry of blue and red lights coming closer. She laughed the moment she heard the sirens, her head craning to look up at Murphy’s terrified face.
“You lose, Murphy,” she said, laughing.
Murphy looked out with a panic. His fists clenched at his sides as he counted the number of people who surrounded his house. In his anger, he turned to Ava and grabbed a handful of her hair. He knelt down on the ground with her and brought the knife up to her neck.
Ava winced but she kept on laughing. This meant that Kate was safe and successful. Footsteps thundered into the room and surrounded the both of them.
“Let her go!” a voice yelled out.
Oh! Carl was here.
Then suddenly it was chaos all around. Ava couldn’t see much anymore; everything was so blurry, and she was so… tired. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes resting her weight on Murphy.
Someone shouted. Her head was being pulled. Ava’s eyes opened and she faced Murphy’s own crazed eyes.
