Twisted Devotion

Twenty Eight

The eighth day began like all the others, but by mid-afternoon, the rhythm shifted. Dom had noticed their supplies dwindling, and he had muttered something to her about needing to get more food and toiletries. Ava had never seen the basement, nor had she been permitted to wander too far. She suspected Dom kept much of his world hidden there, below ground.

Dom left through the cabin's only door, a heavy wooden one with a latch he always locked from the outside when he went out. But this time, as he moved towards the basement door at the side of the cabin, he left the cabin's front door ajar, perhaps an oversight, perhaps a test.

Ava's heart hammered as she glanced out, the fading sunlight casting long shadows across the forest floor. Freedom – or some version of it – lay just beyond the threshold. She could hear the muted clatter of Dom rummaging below, his footfalls echoing. Now or never, she told herself, her legs moving before her mind could register the choice.

The moment she stepped outside, the fresh, pine-scented air hit her, cool and sharp against her skin. She hadn't realized how suffocating the cabin had become, how stale and small. The sun was beginning to dip toward the horizon, casting a golden glow over the trees, their tops reaching high into the endless, dusky sky. She walked carefully around the cabin, her eyes sweeping the ground, looking for any sign of a trail or road, any evidence of civilization. But there was nothing. No road, no other cabins, no distant hum of cars or voices, only the vast forest, stretching as far as she could see.

She wove through the trees, her breaths shallow as the sky deepened to a darkening blue. It was getting colder, a chill creeping into the air that seemed to seep through her clothes. She felt a prickle of fear in her chest. The vastness of the wilderness, the silence broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant hoot of an owl, reminded her of how utterly alone she was.

Ava turned back, her steps hurried, tripping over roots and scrambling back toward the familiar shape of the cabin. Her pulse raced, both from the run and the growing realization of her isolation. The dim outline of the cabin came into view through the trees, and she slowed, her breath ragged, her shoulders slumping in reluctant defeat. She had nowhere else to go. For now.

As she drew closer, she noticed a glow in the evening shadows by the cabin's front steps. Dom was sitting in a battered lawn chair, relaxed, watching the tree line. He was holding a cigarette, the ember flaring red as he took a slow drag. His gaze turned towards her, an almost amused expression softening the usual hardness in his eyes.

"Nice walk?" he asked, his voice smooth, as if they were neighbors meeting by chance on a quiet street, not captor and captive in the middle of the wilderness.

Ava said nothing, feeling the heat rise in her cheeks. She wanted to believe he hadn't expected her to take the chance, but something in the way he watched her, calm and steady, told her otherwise. He had known. Maybe he'd even planned for it.

"You can go as far as you want, you know," he said after a moment, exhaling smoke into the dusky air. "But there's nothing out there, Ava. Nothing but more trees and more night."

The words landed heavy, an unspoken warning woven through them. She swallowed, glancing around one last time at the empty forest that now felt more like a cage than an escape. Reluctantly, she turned back toward the cabin, feeling the weight of Dom's gaze on her as she passed him, the shadows of twilight swallowing her as she crossed the threshold back inside.

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•Don't forget to vote and comment!•
•ohhh shhiiii, Ava has realised she is quite literally, completely isolated with Dominic in this cabin•
•what are your guys theories? What do you think will happen next?•