Carvings That Bind

The Child In The Pictures

Alyssan

I eventually force myself to stand up from the floor. I never thought that I would feel exhausted again. Not since I woke up in my backyard three months ago, but now, now I feel both physically and mentally drained. It's almost painful to stand in the darkness, but I do.

I force myself to walk over to the table and grab the book on it, before leaving the basement. Leaving my body. A part of me is more than happy to get away from it. Another part want's nothing more than to stay with it. I mean, it's my body. It's what I've wanted to find these past months, but now I can't imagine the looks on my parents faces if they were to find me like that. How broken they'd feel at finding their only daughter left to rot in a closet.

I grind my teeth together just at the thought of it as I walk out of the house. It's already dark outside, the moon risen high in the sky.

"Hours must have passed. So much for coming back." I muttered under my breath as I start my walk to Sawyer's house. Even if I am upset at him, I have to give him this new bit of information. He's the only one who can alert the police to where my body is. To where the killers lair is. "I'm sure he'll be surprised to see this journal too." I said as I look down at the cover. I hold it up, under the moonlight to get a better look at it and something flutters to the ground.

I bend down and pick up a photograph of a young child and a woman who looks to be in her early thirties. They're both wearing huge grins and I can't help but smile right along with them. I flip over the picture and the smile falls from my face as I read the names on the back.

The book falls from my hands and I start sprinting to Sawyer's house at full speed and, when I get there, I toss open the front door and take the steps two at a time to his room. I come to a stop in front of his door and hesitate only for a moment before opening it slowly.

When it squeaks I flinch and look around the darkend room I'd stood in only hours ago. In his bed, Sawyer stirs slightly before falling back into a peaceful slumber. I open the door more and quietly slip inside. Once the door is closed securely behind me I look around the room, illuminated by the full moon.

"Where are you?" I asked quietly as my eyes scan the room, taking in the desk filled with scattered papers, the floor that's littered with sports gear, and clothing that lost it's way to the hamper. They roam over the walls covered in shadows and the bed holding a peacefully sleeping form.

My eyes go to his closet and I remember back to how he stopped me from searching through it once before. I tip toe over to it, careful to stay completely quiet as I do. Thankfully, it's already open, making my job a little bit easier. I sift through most of the junk until I come to a small, little box buried deep in the back. My stomach tightens as I lift it up and walk over to the window for more light.

My breathing has become shallow and I'm trembling as I lift my hand and open the lid, revealing pictures. I shuffle through the most recent ones until I get to what I'm looking for.

A child with his mother.

A mother who isn't Lynn.

A mother who is no longer of this world.

I find a happy and smiling child with a bird. A child who hates going to church. A child who doesn't enjoy sports or his father or his step-mother.

A child with mesmerizing amber brown eyes.

"You're more trouble than what I pegged you to be Miss Bogard." A gag is secured around my mouth and my hands are tied behind my back. My eyes go wide and scared as my memory of that night becomes even more clear. As my fear increases to the level it was that night.

As I look into the eyes of my killer.

Sawyer Garrison.