The Convict

Both Reached for the Gun

I fall to the floor, a tooth knocked out by the force of the gun.

Charlotte grabs my arms and puts them behind my back before slapping handcuffs on my wrist.

"Stop it!" I spit out blood.

He grabs me by my hair and picks me up off the ground, dragging me toward the basement. I lunge at him, knocking him to the ground. The gun slips from his hands and I scramble to my knees, crawling to it. Charlotte gets it first and points it at me.

"Please!" I beg.

Vegas tackles me from behind, putting his knee in my back. I cry out in pain. I feel him dig into my pockets and find my phone and car keys. He turns my phone off before getting up and forcing me up.

"You don't have to do this!"

He opens the basement door and shoves me. I fall down the stairs, hitting my head hard several times. I lay on the ground, winded. I blink but all I see is darkness before he turns the light on. Then everything is blurry and out of focus.

I roll on the ground in pain, pretty sure I broke a few bones. I spit out even more blood.

They come downstairs and pick me up off the ground before dragging me to a back wall where they chain me up. They wrap a long chain around the handcuffs and then another around one of my ankles.

"Relax, you won't be here long. I know she'll come for you by the end of the day," He says.

"You are making a mistake! She'll kill you! Please!" I beg.

"She won't get the chance to, I'll shoot the bitch the moment she walks through the door," he grabs the gun from Charlotte before walking back upstairs.

They turn off the light and lock me in the basement.

The only light I have is the slim light peeking in from a basement window.

As soon as I can't hear them anymore I quickly work on escaping. After Dakota was sentenced and before I started writing my book there were a few weeks where I stayed in bed rotting and obsessing over online videos of people speculating about me while I was gone. That led me down a rabbit hole of videos that go over how to escape different kidnapping scenarios. And one of those was about handcuffs.

I force myself to calm down before using my fingers to inspect the type of handcuffs I have on. Cheap toy handcuffs. I dig my fingernail into the latch of my left hand wiggling it around until I hear a click, then it comes loose, and I slip it off. I do the same to the other and get my arms free. Then I bend down and take my shoe off, slipping my foot out of the chains.

I put my shoe back on before peeking out the window, I watch them drive my car into the garage to hide it from their driveway.

I have to get out here before Dakota comes looking.

I sneak up the stairs and listen at the door.

"Are you sure about this?" I hear Charlotte asks.

"She'll come, we just have to wait."

I hear them walk away.

I try the doorknob and it's locked.

I sigh and turn the light on before inspecting the lock, then I look around the basement for tools.

I find a rusty flathead screwdriver which I grab as a weapon and I find a wire hanger. I break the hanger and twist off two metal pieces from it before going back to the door and trying to pick the lock.

Here's to hoping Lesly actually taught me something.

It takes me longer than I want to admit but I finally hear a click. I stand up and turn the nob, it opens.