Breaking the Chains

Chapter Thirty One

Riley was shaking unbearably. She couldn't speak anymore and all she could hear was Eli's voice on the other end of the phone. All she could hear was him trying to calm her down while Matt rested in Riley's arms as the voices out of the bedroom came closer. Riley assumed that they got into the kitchen but she wasn't too sure. She was just hoping that they weren't in the hallway, about to call her name to let her know that Alison was here. What would they know? Alison wouldn't have told them a thing about it, but it wasn't like Riley was about to either quite yet. Riley gulped down all of the saliva that began to pool in her mouth.

"Everything is going to be okay. Nona and I are about twenty five miles away. We just passed another town. Just stay strong, okay? I love you," Eli said in a calming yet determined voice. Riley could only nod, since she couldn't speak. She was terrified to even open her mouth at this point. Even Matt was almost completely silent, which worried Riley because if it meant he was dead, Riley would have almost nothing left. "Just breathe. You're amazing and you are strong. I need you to protect yourself and Matt. Your parents will be fine. Just try to breathe and relax."

Riley couldn't stop having panic attacks. She had five in just the past ten minutes. Her thoughts were going everywhere and she couldn't stop them from traveling. She was stuck in an on and off stage of panic, and unfortunately for her, her batteries seemed to charge really quick.

"Take a deep breath and try to think of that moment when we got out. Just think of that moment. Think of when you and Matt would dance," Eli was just rambling now but it calmed Riley down whenever he spoke. Knowing that someone was there who cared about her made her feel a little better. Plus, Eli understood what was happening, even if he was handling it better than her. She was terrified and he was calm. "Breathe. It's okay. You are going to be safe. You are okay." Eli kept talking, and Riley kept listening.

Matt moved a bit and Riley quickly tried to recover from the jump she did. She peeked over at him and saw that he was asleep. If only she could fall asleep.

"Remember that song that you sang at the shack. Remember the words you sang and that I listened to. Remember the moments when you smiled or laughed." Eli took a breath and Riley waited for more of his voice. She could survive this. He was making her feel calm. Riley was praying silently in her head for everything to be okay and to go back to normal. Even though she wasn't sure if it was working, she kept doing it. "We're almost there. But the phone is dying so I have to hang up." Riley nodded before the line went down. She took a deep breath quietly before she turned off the phone and put it on the ground with the screen facing the ground.

"Riley!" Her mom called from the kitchen. Riley stiffened before she stood up with Matt and rested herself on her bed. Matt grabbed a few stuffies groggily and lied down next to her on the bed before they both heard footsteps. Riley gulped as she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Matt did the same as he cuddled himself into the few stuffies he managed to bring along to the bed. "Alison's here!" There was silence before the door knob moved. Riley closed her eyes tighter and held onto Matt's hand firmly. Eli had to come quick, or she was going to be caught. "Riley?" Her mother's voice played out again before the knob stopped moving.

Riley was shaking. She hated being nervous but she couldn't help but be that way now. The room was quiet until a loud bang played off on the other side of the door. Then there was a little chuckle which sent chills down Riley's spine.

"What just happened?" Riley's father asked before another bang hit against a wall. Riley closed her eyes as tight as she could as she squeezed her brother, who was beginning to shake.

"Riley," Alison's voice played out. "I know you're in there." Riley licked her lips before locking her jaw again.

"I want you to stay here," Riley said quietly before getting up from her bed. Her breath was heavy as she went into her closet and grabbed another comforter to throw over the other one which was already covering Matt. "Don't worry about me, okay? Just stay here."