Long ago...

Chapter 40: The Cellar

Phil's prov.

In sitting in the Study as I think about what news Dale will bring me when he comes to report.

I have a camera on her house so I know when she's home and too expect dale.
In the meantime, I cant belive my uncle has had Martha imprisoned all these years...

how much has he taken care of her? I havent heard the screams in a long time so I assumed he had given up....but if he wants me to be careful with Sarah, an says 'it's always been her' then I dont know....maybe, should I check the cellar?

With that last thought, I made up my mind.
If anything would get Sarah to love me back, it would be me returning her sister to her saying a story of how I found and rescued her!

I get up from my chair and grab my phone incase Dale calls.

I head down the hall an down the stairs. When I reach the main floor I hear shuffling so I peek in the living room to see my grandfather also on the couch.
It's now or never.

I go into the kitchen and into the living room to face the door to the basement.
I take a deep few breaths and slowly turn the doorknob and open the door.
The light streams down the steep wooden staircase case my body casting a shadow as I turn the lightswtich on.
I make my way down the stairs and and turn to my left now facing a large metal vault looking door...The Cellar.

I try the handel and notice its locked, a key pad letter combo lock placed above it.

What could he have used for a code?
I could try for the obnoxiously obvious option, being a birthday....maybe Sarah's?

I press in a 6 digit combo of Sarahs birthday on the key pad, 012497.

EEERRRRRNNNNNN *click*

A buzzer sounds and I hear a click sound.
I try the handel again and it twists.
I push my weight into the door and slowly push the hevy door open and walk in.

I look around the hig room, racks of wine bottles cover the 3 walls, along the forth wall us a desk with a desktop computer and stacks on stacks of loose paper.

I walk towards the desk and see that the computer is unlocked, so I take a seat to search.

As I'm going through the downloaded files I came across 5 photos if a woman in her early 20's with red hair, super skinny, ankles shacked to a stone wall face down facing the floor.

She looked so defeated.....could this be Martha? If so...that would mean Gramps has had her this whole time and has never brought it up!
'Use as leverage for Sarah' my ass.
Why hasn't he made a move yet?

I close off all the tabs I opened and start to look through the papers.
There alot of construction release papers, Lawyers booklet envelopes and than your regular taxes and bill mumbo jumbo adults have to deal with.

After putting the papers back how they were, I start to head back to the door when I catch something off about one of the Wine racks.

I walk over the the 2nd wall and notice one of the racks is shifted outward on an angel some.

I grab hold of the rack and pull it out from the wall.
Behind it implanted flush to the wall is another metal door with another key pad.
I go for the obvious answer again but knowing he wouldn't use the same password for 2 doors I guessed my grandma's birthday 112275

EEERRRRRNNNNNN *click* *air pressure release*

I push the door open and walk in the pitch black room.
I feel around the walls beside the door frame for a switch before I find one by the top corner.
I flick it on and see a woman in the middle of the room with a metal tray, slowly eating the food that's on it.

When I flipped the switch on, the woman lifted her head, panicked, mid bite.

"Hello?" I say gently

"H-hi..." the woman whispers back

I start to slowly approach, not wanting to scare her.
Though I realize I failed as she dropped the piece of bread and scooted back against the stone wall.

"Hey, hey... I'm not gonna hurt you" I tell her

"...."

I sigh "what's your name?"

She looks at me confused, "why?" She asked

"I'd like to know what to call you" I say with a small smile

"...Martha..." she whispers again her voice sounding hoarse

Sh*t!
Gramps really kept a her all this time down here!? Treating her like dirt!?

"Martha...." she looks me in the eyes "I'm Phill, Phill Richard's" I tell her

Her eyes widen "my apologies sir....I wasn't expecting anyone for another day or two"

"No need to be sorry, and please call me Phill. Could you tell me how long you've been down here for?" I say an ask her

"Hmmm....its hard to tell really, feels like eternity, but I first was brought here when I was 10" she says

I suck in a breath.

"Dont worry Martha, I'll help get you out...but you cant let my Grandfather find out I know your here okay?"

She looks bewildered by me.

"Why?" She asks

"Because he may move you and/or worse" I say

"But...why are you helping me?" She asks

"I have my reasons, but mainly because no one should have to go through what you've been through, and i want to put a clean end to it."
I tell her

She smile big,
"Thank you m, thank you so much kind si- umm...Phill"

"Dont mention it, I do have to leave you, before he wakes up and finds out I've been snooping"
I say and start to head out, but not before turning out the light

Once I'm out I make sure everything is back to how it was when I first came in, and left before I could be seen.

On my way up the stairs to my room I get a phone call.

Dale.