When All is Lost

Chapter 37

All five of my senses were working on overdrive. I could smell the dust in the air I'd disturbed. I could feel the rough fabric of the carpet as I wiped my damp hands across it to rid myself of the sweat and blood that made my hands too slick to hold my ice pick. I could taste the blood in my mouth as I bit my cheek to stifle my erratic breathing. I could hear the doorknob lightly rattle as someone twisted it. And, I could see the change in light as the bedroom door opened.

"Laura?" The man's voice was no longer muffled as he took a step into the room.

I put a hand across my mouth and did my best to hold my breath. I was a bundle of nerves and sensations but I felt absolutely nothing. I would have believed it to have been a detriment, but it allowed me to take in things faster and more clearly than I ever had before.

I was even able to notice the slight shift in the sheet hanging over the bedside as the woman above me gave a twitch.

The man in the doorway must have noticed it too. He walked deeper into the room and I felt the bed press down as he sat on the corner by the woman's feet – and by the backpack.

"I know you're still mad," he said, sounding downtrodden. I studied his boots as they rested less than a foot away from my face.

No vulnerable place to stab.

"We can talk about it when you're up, okay?" When the woman didn't reply, he let out a long sigh and stood. "You can sleep for another five minutes, alright? I'll be back soon."

He made it halfway to the door again before pausing. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing for him to just leave.

"I love you."

The way he said it made me shiver. It was tender and warm and full of sincere longing. A cold sweat broke out across my body.

Five minutes. He will be back in five minutes.

I let my mind block out everything else as I heard him leave the room and shut the door behind him. Not wanting to wait, I crawled out from under the bed. As I stood, I kept my eyes averted from the body – even as I picked up the woman's backpack.

It was heavy in my shaking hands as I clutched it to my chest. My eyes lingered on the metal bat. I had no real need for it, but it looked as though it had an extra layer of sports tape around the handle.

It would be good for Jamie.

The kid would need a way to defend himself and it was a good weapon that didn't have to be lethal.

Not unless it needs to be.

I started to regret bringing my backpack as I struggled to find a way to carry everything efficiently. Eventually, I settled on stringing the bat through the lower part of both of my backpack's straps so it rested against the middle of my back. It wasn't the safest way to carry it, but it gave me the ability to carry the woman's backpack in one arm and have my ice pick in my free hand.

Window next.

I walked around to the window, planning to leave while I was ahead only to discover it had been nailed shut.

Smart.

It explained why they had become so careless and sloppy. They had believed themselves to be secure. They had been living under the false pretense that they had already thought of everything that could go wrong. An unlocked door in a secure house meant nothing to them.

We can't make the same mistakes.

From the corner of my eye, I could see that the woman's blood was slowly soaking through the many layers of blankets. The next time the man entered the room, he wouldn't be tricked again.