Blood Red Blindfold

Chapter 11

Josh holds me close to his chest. The basement is cold around us, but his body warmth keeps me the perfect temperature. We sit against the wall with me snuggled into him. One of his arms wraps around me, the other gently fingers the dried blood on my forehead.

"I'm sorry that I dragged you into this," he whispers.

"I would rather be here than you be trapped alone," I say.

His arm tightens protectively around me. "I won't leave you here. I promise. And I won't let any harm come to you," he says.

The room goes silent after his words stop echoing. I know that he can't promise any of these things. Creaks from the floorboards above us fill the air as the men shuffle about, doing whatever it is they are doing.

"Did you mean it?" I ask, pressing my lips together tightly.

"Mean what?"

"In my room. You said always. You said you've always felt that way. Did you mean what you said?" I ask, rephrasing my question.

"Of course I did," he says.

We lapse into silence for a long time. My internal clock ticks inside my head.

Josh finally purses his lips. "How long do you think it will be?"

"How long what will be?"

"Until they notify about a ransom. Until they let us leave," he says.

My gut drops a tiny bit as he mentions leaving. "I don't know," I whisper.

We lapse into silence again with the echoing of shoes above us. My stomach grumbles, proclaiming my hunger to the empty basement.

An empty basement. Wouldn't you expect there to be clutter and boxes in a basement? Signs of use? But there's nothing. Not a single thing left behind. If this were someone's home, they would have left evidence of storage. No, this might be a house but it's not a home. It dawns on me. This was calculated. These men planned for this basement to be used for this purpose. This purpose alone.

I give a little gasp.

"What?" Josh whispers, looking at me.

"They've done this before," I whisper. My eyes are wide open now. "Josh. They have experience. They've taken people before." My voice sounds disgusted. I am filled with horror. These awful people.

Josh's arm wraps tighter around me. I am pulled closer into his warm body by his muscle-built arm.

"How many people do you think didn't make it out?" I ask, my voice small.

"I'd like to think all of them survived," he answers. His voice is low, like he's telling me a secret.

The wood floor creaks from above by the basement door. I cringe into Josh, waiting for the next sound. The sound of keys and a turning metal doorknob come down the stairs. Creaking and footsteps follow. Grant stands at the bottom of the stairs.

He bites his lip, staring at us. "Screw you? That's what you had to say?" He asks in a hushed voice. "Do you know how mad he is? Didn't I tell you to act innocent?"

Josh looks over at me. I frown. "I'm sorry. I just burst."

"Well now Terrox might just burst a bullet into your brain!" He whisper screams.

Josh grips me closer to him. "Woah. Let's take a step back, kid."

Grant's face is full of agitation. "Just get the girl to act innocent. I saw it in your eyes, girl. As soon as he said ransom. You panicked. Don't you want him to let you go?"

Josh stands, dragging me up with him. "What are you doing exactly?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you trying to help us?" Josh questions him.

Grant bites his lip again. "You're my age. I would want you to help me. I'm just trying to make sure I'm not a murderer," he says, his voice growing hard.

"Aren't they suspicious of you talking to us?" I whisper.

He crosses his arms. "That brings me to my next point. He wants to see you."

Josh takes a step forward, with one arm still wrapped around me.

"No. Just the girl," Grant says.

Josh's eyes fill with worry. He shakes his head no. But I step from under him and toward Grant. The red blindfold is produced from Grant's pocket. I turn so that he can secure it, shielding me in a red darkness. Grant takes my hand and leads me up the stairs gently. We pause at the top stair.

"Be innocent," Grant whispers, like a ghost in my ear.