Huis-Clos » h.s

s e v e n

The wheels on the car squeak on the gravel road and it's the only sound I can hear from now on. Harry's car is an old wrecked truck. The heating is broken and I have curled up in my seat and wrapped my arms around my legs to keep me warm. I only wear the large t-shirt and the too big shorts Harry gave me to sleep. I look outside through the window as he drives in silence.

I don't know where he is driving me to and what he has in mind and I know I can expect anything from him. That's why I'm scared. I'm scared because he already proved me several times he was just so unpredictable and totally unstable. So I just brace myself for the worst.

That's when I realize that, indeed, it could hardly be otherwise. It's night and we're completely lost in the darkest depth of the countryside; it's just the best time and place to get rid of something troublesome. Me.

Soon enough, he parks the truck by the side of the road in the middle of nowhere and that only heightens my anxiety. Why would he stop his car here if he really had no bad intentions? I start panicking and look all around me to try to find something, anything that would help me to escape, but it's night and we are lost in the middle of the countryside so obviously, there's nobody out there. Therefore, I can only count on myself to get myself out of this sticky situation. That's when I know it's now or never.

So I reach for the car door handle to open it and get ready to run as fast as I can. I know that even if I would be totally lost in the middle of the night, on a country road, in this flimsy outfit, I'd rather be outside on my own than alone here with him when I don't know what's on his mind. But naturally, the door refuses to cooperate. I keep trying a few time in a hurry but it's useless; he locked me in.

"I hate you!" I scream.

"I know you do, Grace," he says sadly and the way he slowly pronounces every single syllabe frightens me even more. It shows how hopeful of being loved back he have been for months. It would have been heartbreaking if it wouldn't have been Harry.

"Why did you bring me here in the middle of the night? What for?!" I scream at him as I give in to panic. There's a short silence for what seems to be an eternity and I feel like I'm suffocating. Fear is suffocating me.

"I don't let you go but you definitely need to get out a bit," he says unexpectedly in a very calm tone. I widen my eyes, completely astonished, and I'm incapable to say anything.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid," he adds and I nod furtively as a little smile is creeping on my lips.

I can't believe he is actually going to let me go out. I never would have thought he would have trusted me enough to do that one day. Now let's hope he won't tie my hands up like he used to do when he was holding me back in his basement.

Before getting out of the truck, he turns in his seat and grabs something behind it. That looks like rags but it's actually a brown sweater.

"Put it on. You're too frail and already wounded," he says very seriously with a little frown on his face. "I don't want you to catch a cold on top of that."

I nod and do as I am told to; I put on the too large sweater that falls on my hips. I'm touched by his kind gesture and once again it's absolutely not like him to be that attentive. It's unsettling how cruel and sweet he can be at the same time.

Dawn slowly breaks as a pale light enlightens his face. He gets out of his car and walks to my door to open it. I jump out of my seat and as soon as my feet touch the ground I'm overwhelmed by an adrenaline rush. It's been so long and I am finally able to see the sun rising little by little after all this time I spent locked away in a basement. The fields on both sides of the road stretch as far as my eyes can see and I wish I could run away now. But I know he would be quick to catch me up. He's faster and he has a car.