The Box

The Box - Part 5

Olivia raced over to Eric's body and, avoiding his eyes, began to search through his pockets with a grimace on her face. She had seen her fair share of death, but this was the first time she'd had to interact with a dead body and it was not a situation she relished. She tried to think of all the bad things Eric had done, all the pain he had inflicted on her over the years; the bruises, the broken bones, the cuts, gashes and burns. But worst of all was what he took from Olivia: her sense of self-worth.

Her fingertips finally touched a piece of paper, hidden deep inside his trouser pocket. Then another. She carefully extracted them, wincing as her bare nail bed caught on the rough material. One was a passport size photo of the two of them, taken not long after they had met. The innocent smile on Olivia's lips sent her heart plummeting in her chest. If she could reach into the photo, into the past, she would tell that young woman to run a mile and never look back. Eric's smug face looked back at Olivia from fifteen years ago, an expression she now recognised as ownership. He had set out to gain control over Olivia and had won. At least for a while.

She tossed the photo aside, along with the memories, and looked at the other piece of paper. Four digits were written in black ink, clear and spaced evenly apart. Bingo. Relieved that she didn't have to test her gymnastic skills with the sky light, she raced over to the door and slid her right hand through the slot, the paper in her left. She had to retrieve her hand to take note of the position of the numbers on the keypad before re-inserting it and punching in the numbers from memory; her hand filled the small slot, so it wasn't possible to put her hand in it and also see the keypad numbers. Eric must have gone through some trial runs before okaying this design and it was sickening that he put so much effort into his plan. What a sad little man you were, Eric.

It took four tries for Olivia to finally hear a satisfying click that signalled the opening of the hidden lock. She pulled her reddened hand from the slot and put the paper into the pocket of her shorts before taking a deep breath. Without a handle or any door-like features, she pushed and pulled at both of the doors until frustration caused her to cry out. Feeling defeated beyond measure, she raised her leg and pushed at the edge of one door with her bare sole, high above the location of the slot. She fell forwards with a shriek as the door smoothly rolled away from her.

Lying prone on the cold, dirty floor, Olivia's eyes widened as she turned her head and took in her new view. Other containers were positioned around her carefully, she assumed for Eric to maintain privacy whilst still leaving space to access the container, including one that was set back slightly to accommodate the sliding door she had just opened. She could barely see the edge of the ship in the waning light, but beyond that the choppy sea was illuminated by a new moon. The air was brisk yet silent and she concentrated on any sounds around her, wondering if Eric had armed men waiting for her to emerge from the container.

She slid into a crouching position and then slowly stood and, to her relief, placed a foot over the threshold onto the ship's surface. She continued to place one foot in front of the other, looking left and right all the while, wary of dark corners and ominous shadows. Her breath was shallow as her heart pounded blood and adrenaline through every inch of her body. For a reason unknown to her, she stopped to glance back into the container to check that it hadn't actually been a dream or hallucination. To her combined relief and disappointment, she saw Eric lying on the soil-covered floor. A glance to her right and she saw tufts of James' dark hair sticking up from the box he still lay in. Sadness enveloped her once more but she turned away; she still had some work to do and she was far from safe.

"I'll come back for you, just like you did for me," she whispered.

She faced the vast, blackened water and took some deep breaths. Glancing to the left, she could clearly see land and was sure she could make it there if she took her time and stayed calm. As evening became night, most of the buildings she could see were illuminated, tiny stick-figured people interacting with their environment like ants. She knew the water would be cold and she knew the fall would be long. She was also acutely aware that this was her first time in the sea since the crash so long ago. Nauseating memories began to resurface and she tried desperately to push them away. Now was not the time to think, it was time to act.

She took a step back, arms bent as she prepared to take a running jump off the ship. A clicking noise made her pause just in time. A tall shadow emerged from behind the container to her left and her breath halted in her throat. Her instinct told her to run away, but she was penned in with only Eric and the container behind her and the open sea out in front. She would have to run past the shadow to escape and that didn't seem like a viable option right now.

Before she could think, she heard her own voice: "Hello?"

The shadow grew larger as it came towards her, the outline of a rifle clear on the right side. Olivia subconsciously took a few steps back until her heels hit the edge of the prison she had just escaped.

"What do you want?" She asked in a trembling voice, realising the question was ridiculous at best.

"What happened here?" The shadow asked.

Olivia glanced behind her to take in the destruction and death inside the container, seeing it as a stranger for the first time. She looked slowly back to the shadow, the face of a man now becoming clearer as he stepped towards the dimly-lit box. He wore a black sweatshirt, black combat trousers and had dark, hooded eyes. Black stubble decorated the lower half of his face. He appeared to be more curious and amused than threatening.

"He...my ex-husband...he kidnapped me and tried to kill me," she answered, then looked longingly out to sea and her escape route.

The man didn't speak further, he simply nodded then pointed the rifle at Olivia.

"Listen!" She said, hands up in defence, "I don't know who you are or if you work for him," as she motioned with her head towards Eric, "but you need to let me go. Now." She was relieved to find her voice much stronger and determined this time.

The man didn't respond in any way for several moments; the rifle remained unwaveringly fixed on Olivia's head. She lowered her hands and raised her eyebrows, impatient to get off the ship. Or die, whichever. she just wanted it to be over.

The man let out a long sigh. "You have ten seconds. If you make it, we never met."

Olivia was about to protest but decided it wasn't a good idea. She inhaled and pushed her feet forwards, running as fast as she could in the little space and time she had. Her heart thundered in her chest as her legs went like pistons, her head screaming at her that this was a bad idea. But it was the only option.

As her toes met the edge of the ship, she launched herself forwards, running on air for what felt like several seconds until she began to fall. She looked down, fear consuming her as she realised just how far from the water she was. There's certainly no going back now, she thought with detached amusement.

Olivia had the presence of mind to cross her chest with her arms, ensuring her elbows were tucked in . She forced her legs together, took a deep breath and waited. The water that enveloped her stabbed her flesh with icy needles, her lungs desperate to gasp from shock. She immediately started to swim upwards, pumping her arms and legs as she looked towards the surface, darkness encroaching on her senses and causing her to panic. She felt her fingertips break the surface and her heart leapt with relief. Drawing in a deep breath, she quickly spied land and swam in that direction, urging her numb limbs to keep moving.