Unforeseeable

Chapter 6

I pull my dress on and crawl over to the door, trying to slide it open. It doesn't seem to want to budge. I try all the windows but they are all locked shut. I cower into a small ball, too drunk and exhausted to worry that I'm being kidnapped. After what seems like an eternity the van pulls to a stop. The sliding door opens and that man is standing there again. I struggle to get to my feet, feeling wobbly and disoriented from the ride. Not that the alcohol is helping. He grabs my arm roughly and pulls me over to him, yanking me out of the van. I look up at our destination, we are at a large house in the country. It seems to be in the middle of nowhere. Great, just my luck. He leads me inside the house and through a large living room. He pulls up a rug which reveals a wooden trapdoor. He pulls it open and shoves me down. I don't fight against him, not wanting to do anything stupid that will make him hurt me. I walk down the steps, my legs quivering. I hear quiet sobbing at the bottom. I am lead down to a small room, I see someone in the corner crouched up in a ball crying. The man shoves me further into the room and blocks the stairs.
"Don't bother screaming, no one will be able to hear you." He says in a husky voice.
"Why are you doing this?" I ask.
"He wants to have you." He shrugs indifferently.
"Who?" He smiles a terrifying smile.
"That's all part of the surprise isn't it. If you do anything stupid, you will be punished. Just like your friend here." He gestures to the crying girl. She is curled up in a ball, her hair hiding her face.
"What did you do to her?" I ask, afraid of the answer.
"Ask her." He turns and walks up the stairs, shutting the door at the top. I hear a sound of it being bolted shut. I quickly turn to the crying girl, crouching down beside her. I place my hand on her shoulder.
"What did he do to you?" The girl glances up at me. She has a large flesh wound across her face, reaching from her eyebrow to her chin. She gasps when she sees me.
"Quinn?" My eyes widen as I recognise her face. I take her into a hug and let her cry onto my shoulder.
"Oh my god Lexi, what did he do to you?" I rub my best friends hair.
"It wasn't him Quinn. He isn't the one running this." She pulls away from me and stares into my eyes. Her stare is terrifyingly serious, it chills me to the core.
"What do you mean?" I whisper.
"It's Duane, he is the reason we are down here." Her voice breaks and she starts to cry again. Duane? Why would he kidnap us? This doesn't make any sense. "Quinn, I have no idea what's going on."
•••••
I am walking around the basement, looking at all the bits and pieces on the shelves. Lexi has stopped crying, and is crouched up in the corner watching me.
"What are you looking for?" She asks. I pick up something that looks like it has been torn out of a car. I sigh, dropping it back down.
"I don't actually know." She starts tracing circles with her fingers through the dust on the cement floor.
"When do you think we will get back home?"
"Let's just find out what Duane wants first." I pick up a hammer and examine it. Every part of my conscience is telling me to escape, but my brain is telling me to calm down and not be too rational. I could run up to the door, kick it open, use the hammer to bash that mans head in, and me and Lexi could escape. Then I realise, oh that's a terrible idea because
1. I'm not strong enough to kick a door down.
2. I am incredibly hung over.
3. I couldn't bash someone's head in with a hammer.
4. We can't run anywhere because the house is deserted.
5. We still wouldn't know what Duane wants.

I sigh, placing the hammer back down into the box. I walk back over to Lexi and sit down next to her.
"How did they get you here?" I ask. She frowns, and her eyes become distant.
"He said he was taking me somewhere nice. He pulled up to this big house, he told me it was his. We went inside and as soon as my back was turned he started beating me. He hit me over and over until I was nearly unconscious. Then he dragged me down here and left me here. I thought he was going to kill me. I was down here for about a day, then you came." My heart was breaking for my friend. She had it so much worse than I did.
"Where did he beat you?" She lifts up her shirt and shows me dark coloured bruises on her stomach. I notice bruises on her arms where he was gripping her.
"I also have them on my legs for when he threw my down the stairs." I couldn't say anything. That bastard! He is aloud to hurt me, but when it comes to my friends no one can!
"He is going to pay for this Lexi. I promise he is."
"Quinn...." She trails off "I can't walk." Confusion sweeps over me and I realise how she hasn't left that spot on the ground.
"Why not?" I quietly ask.
"My legs.... I think they are broken."