Escape

Chapter 2

As she walked home from school Ember thought about running away. She was fed up with how her family treated her. Always going places without her, her siblings taking her stuff, constantly being compared to her older sister, feeling lonely and forgotten. She hated her younger siblings, she missed her older sister, and loathed having to go to summer school.

Ember didn't have many friends, but the few she did meant the world to her. She took out her phone and texted her close friend Sarah, so she could ask to hangout at her house. After she hit send she remembered that she had forgotten to get her textbook from her locker, however she refused to go back. She messaged another friend, Danny. Danny was in class with her, she had a crush on him, but he doesn't see her that way, she asked to borrow his book. She slipped her phone back into her pocket as she turned. She was still a ways away from home, and she was already sweating. Ember went into the building across the street and hoped they had water for her.

It was an old looking building. Ember wasn't sure what the place even sold, but she hoped they would at least have air conditioning and water. A little bell rang as she opened the door. The shop smelled musty and old. She looked around and saw some diagrams of creatures she had never seen before. There were also some odd devices she really hadn't seen before. Ember looked around the room before she noticed a man standing at the main counter. He looked to be in his thirties or so. The man had short black hair, stubble on his chin and big black square glasses. His clothing was stained with blue ink. She stepped closer to ask the man if she could get some water, but before she spoke he did.

" Hello, how are you today Miss?" The man asked. His voice was deeper than she had expected.

"I am doing ok, is there any chance you have a water fountain around here?" Ember asked politely as possible.

"Yes, right by the bathrooms, over there." He gestured to a sign that had the word bathroom on it with an arrow.

She walked over and took a long drink, she went back to the counter to thank the man but when she was over there the man was gone. She thought it was weird, and was going to call out her thank you when her phone buzzed. It was Danny.

'Yeah you can borrow my textbook, you forget yours again?' She smiled at her phone she texted back a simple yes and asked him to meet her at a park near both of their houses.

She left the shop less dehydrated and headed back on her way. Ember pulled her earbuds out of her pocket, untangled them and popped them in her ears.

Ember sat on a swing and waited for Danny, she hoped that he would hang out with her for a bit so she didn't have to go home. She swayed a bit, she looked up and saw his rusty red pickup pull up. She waved him over and he sat down on the swing next to her

"Here you go, forgetful much," Danny said as he passed the book.

"Whatever, butthead. How is the prom queen, I'm surprised she let you off of your leash,"

"Oh Sam, she's fine today was her first day at camp so she hasn't been texting me much,"

"Aw, poor little pup got left in the kennel" Ember mocked.

"Hey I'm a free hound," Danny said before he let out a wolf howl. Ember laughed.

"Well does the 'free hound' want to go for a ride with his pack?" Ember asked.

"Yeah why not, putting off going home again?" Danny responded

"Yeah, it's almost the anniversary of when Kylie went missing so it's pretty bad at home."

"I'm sorry Em, why don't you just move out it's not like they'll miss you anyway."

"Maybe I should, I'd have to get a job first though."

"You should, it would do you good to live away from them."

By the time Ember got home it was dark out, all of the lights in the house were off. She unlocked the door and quietly went up to her room to do her homework before bed.

A few hours later Ember woke up on Danny's book with drool on her assignment sheet. She looked at the clock on her desk 12:30 she sighed realising that she had to get to school soon. She checked her phone, no texts. Ember got up and went downstairs to eat. She opened the fridge

"Glad to see they saved me some breakfast," Ember mumbled. She fixed herself a bowl of cereal, and sat down. She had a really weird dream. She thought about the boy she saw. He was running, really and really dirty. She could feel his fear and happiness flowing through her veins still. She shook it off as just a dream. Ember scrolled through social media. 'Bleh!' She thought to herself as she scrolled past an old picture of Sam and Danny with the caption about him missing her. She knew she had no chance with him but it still hurt to see him with another girl.

The next day Ember walked home, she felt like she was being watched. Being creeped out she walked into the same shop she was in the other day. This time when the bell rang the man didn't come out from the back room. She really wanted to talk to another human. Ember called out but got no answer. She walked closer to the door to the back area. Still no sign of the man, she walked behind the counter and opened the door. She flicked on the light and found herself in a stairway, she hesitantly crept down the stairs and found an odd room. At that moment she heard a voice behind her. It was the man

"Oh Ember you're ahead of schedule." He said as he reached around and covered her mouth with a rag. Next thing Ember knew everything was black.

She woke up later with no idea how long she was out. She felt something heavy around her ankle, she looked down. Shackles. She looked around and saw no exits, a tear ran down her cheek. She screamed.

"That won't work" Ember heard the man's voice but didn't know where it was coming from. She tried to get up but once she reached the end of her chain she fell. "Don't you see, you can't escape." Ember cried harder.