Find the Teddy Bear

Chapter 9

Ever so slowly, Bella awoke.

She opened her eyes slowly, and felt so, so, tired. She wanted to continue sleeping, but then, she remembered the web she had escaped and the person that saved her.

Her eyes opened fully, and the young girl shot up into a sitting position.

She was in a small room, with wooden walls around her and nothing but a nightstand to keep her company.

The walls were beat up and dirty, and the corners were full of cobwebs and bugs. Bella shivered in disgust as a cockroach slithered along the rotten wooden planks.

The sun was seeping shyly through the cracked window, putting a speck of something that looked a lot like blood in the spotlight on the floor.

Bella was glad for the sun, at least, until she noticed that the window was barred.

The bed she was in was simply a wooden frame with a mattress that was covered by a stinky woollen blanket. There was no pillow, either.

The young girl swung her bare feet onto the dirty floor, trying not to step on a stray ant.

She took a look at her arms - they looked perfectly fine, apart from a few bruises and some small scratches. The wounds she had from the web were completely gone.

She made her way to the door and clasped the ice-cold doorknob. She pressed down and pulled.

Nothing happened.

Bella pulled and pulled as panic settled in her heart. The door was locked. But she was saved by that person, so he should be around, right?

"Hello! Help me!" she yelled as loudly as she could, feeling pain I her throat. She cleared it, and realized she was extremely thirsty. And her belly was rumbling loudly, as well, sending pangs of pain through her gut.

She banged on the door with her small fists, feeling corners of her eyes getting wet with incoming tears.

Silence greeted her attempts. Not knowing what else to do, she leaned on the door, and listened.

Apart from the quiet running of insects, there was no other sound. The four-legged monster was nowhere near, to Bella's relief. That man must've held it off. She felt extremely grateful for his help.

But now, she was all alone. There was nobody there, those two people had locked her and left. That was unfair, and it made Bella angry. She was alone, afraid, and hungry. She missed her teddy bear, and she missed her parents. She just wanted to find it.

Remembering the note that had fallen into her hand, she looked around again. It said to check out a wooden cabin in the woods - and she was currently in a house made of wood.

Excitement replaced her anger as she peeled herself away from the door and started looking around. She looked for any hidden compartments, like she saw people do on TV. She checked under the bed, even lifted the dirty mattress to find that ants had made their nest there.

There was nothing.

Bella sat back on the bed. She was out of ideas.

Then, suddenly, she heard a creak and looked at the door to find it slightly ajar.

Adrenaline pumping through her veins, she rushed at it, afraid it might close again if she failed to reach it in time.

She swung her hand through the crack and opened the doors fully.

Complete darkness greeted her, and she took a step back in terror. She could see nothing.

The insects seemed to have quieted down as Bella looked at the darkness in front of her, trying to make anything out, but it was quiet.