The Shadow of Our Past

Darkness

A pounding headache greets me as I wake. Pieces of stray hair have fallen in front of my face, but when I attempt to raise up a hand to push them away something stops my hand from moving. My eyes snap open and I go rigid, fear bolting up my spine and mixing with the tired fog over my mind. I'm sitting up straight on a cold concrete floor, both of my hands tied onto a pole. I'm in a square basement, so gray and dull it feels lifeless. I begin to hyperventilate in panic, and for a moment I wonder if I'm just having a nightmare.

The events that led up to me blacking out all come back in an instant and my panic resumes. The last thing I remember is Amal standing behind me and a sharp pain in my neck. The place where the pain had been is sore, but I'm so numb with fear I hardly can register it. My legs kick and I pull against the zip ties around my hands. When nothing happens, when the ties don't magically break, I sob. My tears hit the gray floor, and my knees curl in so I can bury my head in them.

How foolish was I to believe this would be easy? Nothing ever has been, nothing ever will be if it matters. Maybe I could still get away with the recordings, but even getting away seems like a far away dream right now. Behind my closed eyes, I remember soothing Ben this morning and how perfect he looked. I remember lying with Maxine yesterday and playing volleyball with the girls at the picnic. Dread settles down heavily in my stomach and I cry into my knees even harder. I might not make it out of this house with my life, I might never see my parents, Jess, Ethan or Ben again, and the thought terrifies me to the bone like I've never felt before.

The front door opening and closing above me makes my head shoot up. I strain to listen, heart pounding so loud I'm afraid that it might drown out my hearing. After a moment there's a loud gasp that echoes through the house. Struggling mixed with groans and more gasps follow, making my heart lurch again. I yank my arms forward, but my shoulders only pop painfully. I try again, the skin of my wrists beginning to hurt from the friction of the ties.

"You're here for her, aren't you?" My legs jerk in fear even though the voice comes from upstairs. I sit as still as I can, listening for the other person's response.

"Where the fuck is she," Ben's raspy voice replies. It sounds like he's choking and I thrash against the binds on my hands. Tears begin to flow down my cheeks again and my voice sticks in my throat. The thought of myself dying is bearable, but if Ben were to die because of my idiotic decisions, I could never forgive myself. I pull so hard against the poll that my wrists begin to bleed. I gasp in pain and sit back again.

Ben murmurs something that I can't make out in reply to what Mike said. After another moment, I hear Mike tell Amal to take Ben into the bedroom at the end of the hallway. Amal drags Ben across the floor, a repeated thumping against the floorboards.

Finally I find my voice, and without thinking I scream. "Ben!" The thumping stops for a moment, but it resumes when heavy footsteps start down the stairs. I begin to hyperventilate again, my heart pounding so quickly I might pass out. Mike locks eyes with me from the stairs and I let out a small noise of fear.

"Just let us go and I swear we'll never say a word about this or anything else," I ramble with a breaking resolve before he can speak. He looks amused, brown eyes squinted in annoyance. He crosses the small room to stand in front of me, looking down on me.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I know you wouldn't throw your morals to the wind and just let me do as I please. Don't you remember that you promised me you'd stay quiet in exchange for your freedom?" he spits and I hang my head low. "If you had kept that promise we wouldn't be in this situation."

I don't respond. Instead I raise my head again and meet his eyes. He looks almost shocked that I hold his gaze and when I don't look away, he sneers at me. I hold his glare until he decides to divert it. My eyes stay on him as he turns around and walks to the middle of the room.