So I can’t put weight on my ankle. But I can still try to stand. This time I put my weight against the dirt wall, which collapses slightly under the pressure. It still hurts like hell, but I manage to get to my feet. Or at least, my foot. I stretch out my arm, feeling for something above that I can grab onto.
My fingers fall short.
I can’t reach it.
Oh my God, I’m trapped here.
When he put me down here, he knew what he was doing. He knew it would be hard to escape. My only chance is if somebody comes to rescue me.
“Help!” I scream at the top of my lungs. “Help! Help me! I’m trapped!”
Nothing.
I scream until my voice is hoarse and my throat is raw. But I hear nothing. No footsteps. No sound. God knows where I am. Out in the wilderness? Below his soundproof basement?
But it’s clear nobody is coming for me anytime soon. Not here.
I collapse against the dirt wall. My throat is parched. I don’t remember when I last had anything to drink or eat. A day? If he’s planning on trapping me here, will he at leastgive me something to drink? He will, won’t he? Otherwise, I’ll die, and I’ll be no good to him for whatever he wants.
I hope he brings me food. What will I do if he doesn’t?
He hasn’t raped me. Even though there’s a gap in my memory, somehow I feel certain of this. If he had, I would know it. Right? I’m still a virgin, so I’m sure I’d feel sore if he had done that to me. That’s what Madison said, anyway. My jeans are still buttoned and zipped, and nothing is ripped or torn. I’m intact, except for my damn ankle.
God, why didn’t I listen to Madison when she warned me about Liam?
Maybe he left me some water. Maybe there’s a whole thermos of it somewhere. I need to feel around this space and get my bearings. If there’s any chance of trying to escape from here, I’ve got to figure out what I’m dealing with. After all, women escape from being kidnapped all the time. I’ve read articles about it. They use their moxie or intelligence or whatever, and they find a way out.
Or else they don’t. And years later, their body is discovered half-buried in the woods by some hikers.
Oh my God, I’m going to be sick again.
I double over, retching on the dirt ground. Once again, nothing comes up. I retch hard enough that tears fill my eyes. And then before I know it, the tears are streaming down my cheeks.
I’m trapped here. He trapped me.
I want to go home. I want my mom.
Please…
Chapter Twenty-Six
ERIKA
Dinner is a very subdued affair.
Jason managed to make it home early tonight, which is something he doesn’t get to do very often. Usually when he gets home early, I make a big deal of it and cook something special, but not tonight. Tonight, we’re eating Kraft macaroni and cheese. And anybody who says a damn word about it will have their plate yanked away from them and hurled into the garbage.
Not that anyone will care. Both Hannah and Liam have barely eaten anything. Both of them are just pushing the little pieces of macaroni around their plates. Liam has barely said a word since he got home hours ago.
“I’m sorry about dinner,” I feel compelled to say.
“What are you talking about?” Jason says. “I love macaroni and cheese. It tastes really Gouda.”
Hannah comes alive long enough to groan. She can’tresist complaining about Jason’s puns. “It’s notGouda, dad. It’s that powder stuff that comes out of a package.”
“Yes, I realize that, Hannah. Geez, I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”
“Well, it’s not helping,” she says.
