Haven

26. Truths

Cold.

The first thing Norah thought was she was cold. Her body felt tired, she moved her fingers experimentally and they stung like they would on a cool winter morning. The aroma of meat was the second thing she noticed. The smell was quite overpowering and she breathed through her mouth trying to accumulate to the scent.

Norah's eyelids fluttered, her other senses returning slowly. The pain in her head was numbed from the cold surface she lay on. She managed to open her eyes enough to focus, and after half a minute she realised she was looking at a metallic wall. She could make out the bolts rising vertically in the dark. A sliver of light came from somewhere above her, the light casting a dim glow on the small room. She moved to look, and immediately groaned, the noise echoing in the confined space.

The pain in her head intensified from the small movement and her eyes flew shut. Whatever Daniel had hit her with had possibly given her a concussion. She would be lucky to have any brain cells left if Daniel kept giving her concussions.

"Mmmhmm."

Her eyes flew open. The muffled voice behind her stiffened her spine. Moving slowly, she rolled over, fighting the nausea as the room spun slowly. Her spine bumped along something thin and hard, the sound of metal scraping along the floor. She reached for it, hissing as she touched something sharp and brushed it to the side. She saw the outline of someone sitting against the far wall and she squinted in the dark, eyes widening as she finally realised who it was.

"Madison?"

The young woman tried to move towards Norah, her cries of distress muted by whatever was covering her mouth. Norah struggled to her knees, the world spinning some more. She bit her cheek, fighting through it as she stumbled over to Madison.

Norah had thought she was cold, but when she touched Madison's arm, it was like ice. They were obviously in some sort of freezer. Listening closely, she could hear the soft hum of an engine from beyond the walls and she wondered if it was a portable freezer, judging from the size. Reaching up, she found a cloth covering Madison's mouth and felt around until she found a knot behind her head. It took her over a minute to untie the knot. Her fingers were numb and she continued to slip on the difficult tie.

"It's okay," she whispered, finally loosening the knot. She pulled it away from Madison's mouth and heard her take a shaky breath.

"Norah! Oh my God I can't believe Liam got you too!"

"I don't think it was Liam who was after me," Norah said softly, afraid of who was listening. She remembered the way Daniel had looked at her in the clearing. Like he had already won.

"Is anyone looking for me?" Madison whispered hopefully.

Norah shook her head, the motion making her head flare in pain. "We all thought you had left early to see Parker's mother."

Norah heard Madison whimper and immediately felt guilty. Charlie would be kicking himself when he realised the truth. If he realised the truth.

"Norah," Madison sobbed. "Liam killed Parker."

"What? How do you know?"

"He told me!" she cried. "He said he couldn't risk me being with someone else."

Norah frowned, confused at the madman's logic. "How long have you been here?"

"I don't know," she answered brokenly. "A few days?"

"Madison, I'm so sorry we didn't realise." Norah tried to find the ropes around her wrists. They were tighter than the cloth and she rested her head on Madison's shoulder as she worked.