The Captured

Season Finale

To my readers who have been a constant support in Anna's journey, thank you! I wouldn't have made it this far without your engagement in the story. We have come to the end of season one. Let's vote for season 2 and let me know what y'all expect to happen next and also if you are into art, please do create some for Adam & Anna and tag me.

Before I could explain further, Mariam interrupted me with a sharp retort, disrupting my train of thought. It was frustrating; I had lost my momentum.

"Hey, wait! Didn't you just say 'my mom's place' again?" she interjected, her tone laced with confusion.

I sighed inwardly, realizing she had caught onto my slip-up. If anything, it gave me an opportunity to clarify things, even if it meant enduring her impatience.

"Yeah, I said that because-" I started to respond, but once again, Mariam accelerated the car, cutting me off mid-sentence. The repeated jerky movements of the vehicle only added to my unease.

"Stop racing the car; you're scaring me!" I snapped irritably, my frustration boiling over. Mariam glanced away briefly; her expression unreadable.

"Listen, there's no one else out here. Nobody's as foolish as we are; people are snug in their beds. Plus, this area where your mom lives... it's secluded. No neighborhood means no other cars. And look at the surroundings-it's dark and eerie. I can't slow down; it's not safe to." She reasoned, her voice tinged with urgency.

Despite her logical explanation, a sense of foreboding gnawed at me, refusing to be quelled. I glanced down to ensure my seat belt was securely fastened, a futile attempt to ease my growing apprehension. It wasn't the darkness or the desolate road that frightened me; it was something deeper, more primal.

As Mariam approached a turn in the road, a signboard loomed ahead, its faint glow illuminating the otherwise pitch-black surroundings. I turned to face her, my voice trembling with emotion.

"Mary, I know it sounds strange calling my home, mom's place and then my dad's place, especially since you've never heard me say that before. But I can't help it; it's the reality of my life now. I'm torn between two halves." I confessed, tears welling up in my eyes and trailing down my cheeks.

Her frown deepened as she processed my words, her gaze searching mine for answers amidst the darkness that enveloped us.

"What are you saying?"

Mariam's voice trembled with disbelief, her eyes searching mine for reassurance.

I shook my head, the thought of our speed momentarily diverting my attention.

"Slow down; I don't want you to wrap the car around a tree when I explain."

I muttered, trying to regain control of the conversation.

She chuckled in response; "I just adjusted the speed; we're fine. You keep going," she retorted with a confidence that both impressed and unnerved me.

How could she be so sure there were no other cars on this road?

She must have driven this route countless times. Her confidence behind the wheel was undeniable.

I nodded, refocusing on what I needed to say. With the turning mere feet away, I steeled myself to reveal what I had been avoiding.

"Four years ago, my parents split up. They got divorced." I confessed, feeling the weight of the words as they left my lips.

Mariam's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in a barely audible whisper. I couldn't bear to meet her gaze, but I knew she was still looking at me, waiting for an explanation.

"They got divorced, and I've been living with my mom ever since. She doesn't want me anywhere near my dad. That's why I had to make us leave so suddenly. I didn't want us to get caught up in the middle of it. Last time I visited my dad, she found out. I had a friend from senior high, Mason, remember? He helped me sneak away to see my dad on Christmas. When my mom found out, she lost it. While everyone else was celebrating with their families, I spent Christmas Eve nursing bruises in bed and Mason was in police custody for taking me away without my parents' consent, he was alleged for abducting me and later sent to jail. He was a brother to me."

As the memories flooded back, tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision. Mariam wrapped her arm around me, pulling me close as I sobbed uncontrollably.

"I've never seen my dad since then. It's like he vanished into thin air. Every day, I wake up to reminders from my mom about how I betrayed her by seeing him. She treats me like it was a crime to want to spend time with my own father. I feel so helpless... like I can't even breathe. She can't look at me without seeing him in me." I confessed, my voice choked with emotion.

There was a moment of silence as Mariam processed my words. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely a whisper, filled with disbelief.

"They were so in love," she murmured, her voice trembling with emotion.

But then, as if a dam gates had burst, she began to shake uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face, her cries echoing in the confines of the car. Mirroring the anguish I had felt when Mason had revealed the secret my parents had kept from me; "Your parents got divorced!?"

I recoiled slightly, stunned by her sudden outburst. Regret flooded through me as I realized the weight of the truth I had just unloaded onto her.

"Mariam, please, you need to calm down." I pleaded, my voice quivering with urgency as our world careened towards chaos. "I've come to terms with it. Control yourself, Mariam."

Fear gripped me tightly as we hurtled towards the impending turn, the darkness of the night swallowing us whole. She remained frozen, her eyes wide with terror, her hands gripping the wheel with white-knuckled intensity.

Frantically, I shook her arm, desperate for her to snap out of her trance. Slowly, she blinked, as if emerging from a nightmare, tears streaming down her cheeks. The soft strains of music filled the air, a surreal backdrop to our impending doom.

"Hey, it's okay."

I murmured, though the words felt feeble against the looming disaster that awaited us.

But then, the music continued, unfazed by the impending chaos. The car's collision with an unseen force felt like a thunderous explosion, the vehicle twisting and contorting with unimaginable force.

The world around us became a blur of flashing lights and shattering glass as we were hurled into a nightmarish whirlwind.

In the chaos that followed, I found myself ensnared, suffocating against the oppressive weight of my seatbelt.

The symphony of destruction surrounded us, a cacophony of grinding metal, blaring sirens, and terrified screams that echoed in the darkness.

Amidst the chaos and destruction, the haunting melody persisted, a chilling reminder of the fragility of life as it played on, uninterrupted by the chaos that unfolded around us.