The Attic

Chapter 5

Luke's POV

I woke up early the day after Drake took Hannah out of her room and beat her. My sandwich was laying on the floor next to me and the door was slightly cracked open. I carefully got up and walked to the door and opened it more, very slowly.

I looked down the stairs and the door there was open too, and the smell of pancakes wafted up to me. I walked down the stairs carefully and came out into and open loft-like space. I had been in the living room before but had been blind-folded on the way there. I followed the smell to the kitchen where a woman was in front of the oven.

 I cleared my throat and she jumped and then turned around. When she saw it was me she visibly relaxed.

"We finally meet. I've been waiting for the right moment to let you out of there. I can’t keep you down here for long, but do you want a pancake?"

 I looked at her and didn't know if I should trust her or not, but when I looked at the cooking pancake I couldn't resist. I sat down at the table and she put a plate of pancakes down in front of me. I ate them quickly and thanked her profusely.

 "Honestly it wasn't any problem. I should apologize for my husband, but I know that you wouldn't believe me. I don't even believe me." She smiled sadly, then looked up at me. "My name is Sandy by the way."

 "Can I ask you a question?"

 "Sure."

 "What do you see in him? Why are you with him?" I asked genuinely curious why such a sweet woman was with such a horrible man.

 She looked at the ground. "Believe it or not there was a time when Drake was so sweet. He had every girl's heart in his hand and broke them all just to be with me. He swept me off my feet and we fell in love quickly. I had no idea that he had a dark side, I didn't even find it suspicious that he would never go out drinking with my friends and I never found it suspicious that he was so angry with me if I came home completely smashed. Eventually he asked me to marry him and I gladly accepted." She stopped talking and turned her head away, wiping at her eyes. When she turned back to me her eyes were red from crying. "Soon he turned dark and mean and I was afraid to talk or move because I wasn't sure how he would react. I stopped going out with my friends because he would hurt me and all I wanted was for him to love me. He started locking me in the house and when he got home he wouldn’t even look at me. I sat his food in front of him and he shooed me away. He didn't love me anymore. He warned me never to go into the attic, but I defied him one day. I went into the attic not sure of what I would find. All I found were the two rooms, they were empty, but I had awful timing. He came home right as I was leaving the attic. He had caught me and he dragged me upstairs and locked me in the room that the girl is in now. He didn’t feed me for three days. On the fourth day he came up and took me downstairs and then left for work acting like nothing happened. That was the first night he brought someone else home to lock them in The Attic. You’re the longest one has ever been here. I’m going to try so hard to keep the girl alive. Right now I have permission to bring you both down separately to give you pancakes, a shower, and some new clothes. I was supposed to blind-fold you but you’ve been here for so long I just couldn’t. Plus, you looked so peaceful when you were sleeping I couldn’t wake you and didn’t know when you would be up.” She sighed and shook her head. “I guess you should go get a shower, so I can take you back and wake up the girl.” She handed me clothes and directed me to the bathroom.

I hadn’t seen myself in a mirror for over three years. I didn’t want to look, but I did anyways.

My straggly brown hair hung down over my shoulders and I had a small beard going on. My skin was a ghostly white and I was too thin. I looked awful, but I hurried to get in the shower. It would be my first shower in over three years. 

After I had showered and changed out of my old clothes I left the bathroom to find Sandy. She was back in the kitchen.

“Thank you again Sandy. I really appreciate it.” I said truly grateful to her.

“I never caught your name?” She asked.

“Luke Rendzel.” I said

“”Well Luke you are very welcome. Since you asked me a question earlier, can I ask you one now?”

“Sure, shoot.” I said.

“Why haven’t you tried to escape?”

“After you gave me the pancakes I was gonna make a run for it. Hit you over the head with my plate and run. But, I figured that you seemed so nice and so genuine. After you told me why you were with Drake I figured you wouldn’t have been here if you didn’t have to.” I said.

“You’re a smart boy. I wish I would have been as smart as you.” She said smiling sadly again.

“Hey, look at it this way. If you weren’t here I never would have gotten a shower or a good breakfast. So thank you. And you’re smarter than you think you are.”

She nodded in thanks and then directed me back to the stairs so she could get Hannah.

In my room I felt refreshed and thankful and I couldn’t have felt better.

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After a while I heard footsteps coming back upstairs and assumed that it was Sandy bringing Hannah back upstairs. When the door to the room next to mine opened, shut, and I heard the lock click I walked over to the wall and knocked three times.

“Luke?” Hannah asked.

“Yup, it’s me.” I said grateful to hear her voice.

“Luke, I’m really glad you’re here with me. Well not glad that you’re here but that you’re here when I was brought here. I wouldn’t have been able to make it without you. Yeah, you get what I mean.” She said struggling over her words at moments.

“Hannah, you’re just as much a blessing to me as I am to you.” I said almost on the verge of tears. “I’ve kept hope all these years, and I think you’re a sign that it’s almost over.” I squeezed a few fingers through the hole and she grasped my hand. Her fingers were soft and her touch was like electric. I had never felt so grateful to anyone ever in my whole life. She was my hope for escape from here, and I knew that I was falling in love with a girl whom I had never seen and only heard.

I squeezed her hand with my few fingers and then brought them back over to my side. I said goodbye and then closed the hole again. I walked over to my sleeping spot and sat down. For the first time in a long time I allowed myself to think of my family. I wondered what they were doing now. If they were still looking for me.

A/N: Thanks for waiting for me to get my inspiration back. Vote comment fan do what ever you feel like. I love love love you guys! Tell me what you think of my chapter! Next chapter will be from Ashley, Luke's sisters Point Of View. <3