and walk around. I heard the sound of a wolf. It sent a chill up my spine. I was out in the open. A bear or a wolf could attack me easily. Who knew what kind of animals were out at night? Owls looked down. Their eyes lit up. I thought I heard the sound of a car, but I think it was just my mind playing tricks on me.
The snow was freezing. I had been rubbing my feet nonstop. They were frozen. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I approached the house.
The lights were out which was a good sign, I guess. I pulled back on the door ever so slightly, doing my best not to make it creak any more than it was. I twisted the handle on the door. It was loose. I stepped inside and felt the warmth of the wooden floorboards below my feet. I just wanted to linger there and allow myself to warm up, but I knew that I didn’t have that luxury. I placed each foot down in front of the other as quietly as I could. It was hard to be completely silent as the floorboards were old and every touch meant a creak.
Inside it smelled bad, like someone had been cooking up old broth bones on a stove for too long. There was garbage everywhere. They had old papers stacked waist high along the corridor.
When I saw the door to the basement I repeated the same careful process I had taken when entering the house. Before I ventured down, I closed the door behind me. When I reached the bottom Chase glanced up. His eye looked swollen.
“Meghan?”
I put a finger up to my lips to indicate that we needed to be quiet. I didn’t waste any time undoing his restraints. I used the key that Edwin had given me and undid the padlock that held the chain around his ankles. I hugged him, and for those brief few seconds, I felt normal.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Going back up the steps, it was hard not to make them creak. It reminded me of the first home my parents had bought. The one time I had tried to sneak out late at night. It didn’t matter where I stepped. On the side, front, back or in the middle. The stairs would always creak.
We reached the landing and were about to make a run for it, when a light switched on. Standing at the far end near the door was Duke, holding a shotgun. We spun around to find the woman leering over us, holding a handgun.
“Thought you were just going to mosey on out of here, didn’t you?”
“I think they thought we were fools, Duke.”
“I think so. But what I would like to know is how did you get out of those chains?”
I squeezed the key in my hand. My eyes lifted only momentarily to the boy on the stairs, but it was enough for Duke to catch.
“Boy. I’m going to give you a good whipping once I get this sorted out.”
“Now Duke. Calm down now. You know he’s a little retarded. He didn’t know what he was doing.”
Duke made a move towards the kid, but Chase stepped in. Duke hit him over the head with the back of his rife. Chase fell back. I saw blood trickle down from his scalp. The boy had rushed off upstairs.
“Get them downstairs. Now.”
As she went to take Chase, Duke pushed her away. “No. The girl. Put her back in the shelter.”
“Please. I don’t want to go down there again.”
He didn’t respond. He just pushed Chase toward the door while keeping the gun on him. The door closed behind them.
“He won’t hurt him, will he?”
“Oh no, you get going. Duke won’t touch him. He knows how much he means to me.”
She flashed a yellow toothy grin, and then pushed me towards the back door while keeping the handgun pressed into my back. The walk back to that underground prison was worse than arriving. The thought of being locked back in there was awful. She forced me to pull back the oil barrels. After pulling the wood away I looked down.
“Go on. Git down there.”
“Please.”
“Move it or I’ll kick you down there.”
I got on my ass and scooted into the hole. I climbed down the ladder and heard her cover it up. Then from up there she shouted down, “Don’t think you will be coming up
The snow was freezing. I had been rubbing my feet nonstop. They were frozen. I couldn’t stand it any longer. I approached the house.
The lights were out which was a good sign, I guess. I pulled back on the door ever so slightly, doing my best not to make it creak any more than it was. I twisted the handle on the door. It was loose. I stepped inside and felt the warmth of the wooden floorboards below my feet. I just wanted to linger there and allow myself to warm up, but I knew that I didn’t have that luxury. I placed each foot down in front of the other as quietly as I could. It was hard to be completely silent as the floorboards were old and every touch meant a creak.
Inside it smelled bad, like someone had been cooking up old broth bones on a stove for too long. There was garbage everywhere. They had old papers stacked waist high along the corridor.
When I saw the door to the basement I repeated the same careful process I had taken when entering the house. Before I ventured down, I closed the door behind me. When I reached the bottom Chase glanced up. His eye looked swollen.
“Meghan?”
I put a finger up to my lips to indicate that we needed to be quiet. I didn’t waste any time undoing his restraints. I used the key that Edwin had given me and undid the padlock that held the chain around his ankles. I hugged him, and for those brief few seconds, I felt normal.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Going back up the steps, it was hard not to make them creak. It reminded me of the first home my parents had bought. The one time I had tried to sneak out late at night. It didn’t matter where I stepped. On the side, front, back or in the middle. The stairs would always creak.
We reached the landing and were about to make a run for it, when a light switched on. Standing at the far end near the door was Duke, holding a shotgun. We spun around to find the woman leering over us, holding a handgun.
“Thought you were just going to mosey on out of here, didn’t you?”
“I think they thought we were fools, Duke.”
“I think so. But what I would like to know is how did you get out of those chains?”
I squeezed the key in my hand. My eyes lifted only momentarily to the boy on the stairs, but it was enough for Duke to catch.
“Boy. I’m going to give you a good whipping once I get this sorted out.”
“Now Duke. Calm down now. You know he’s a little retarded. He didn’t know what he was doing.”
Duke made a move towards the kid, but Chase stepped in. Duke hit him over the head with the back of his rife. Chase fell back. I saw blood trickle down from his scalp. The boy had rushed off upstairs.
“Get them downstairs. Now.”
As she went to take Chase, Duke pushed her away. “No. The girl. Put her back in the shelter.”
“Please. I don’t want to go down there again.”
He didn’t respond. He just pushed Chase toward the door while keeping the gun on him. The door closed behind them.
“He won’t hurt him, will he?”
“Oh no, you get going. Duke won’t touch him. He knows how much he means to me.”
She flashed a yellow toothy grin, and then pushed me towards the back door while keeping the handgun pressed into my back. The walk back to that underground prison was worse than arriving. The thought of being locked back in there was awful. She forced me to pull back the oil barrels. After pulling the wood away I looked down.
“Go on. Git down there.”
“Please.”
“Move it or I’ll kick you down there.”
I got on my ass and scooted into the hole. I climbed down the ladder and heard her cover it up. Then from up there she shouted down, “Don’t think you will be coming up
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