ELBINA

Chapter 24

I jolted awake, so my eyes open to complete darkness. For a moment, I forget where I am.

I couldn't make out anything in front of me, but then I hear the sounds of the car and I feel the van moving roughly side to side. The music now turned off and all that I could hear was him driving, the occasional gear change dull from the front seat behind me.

My wrists stung every time the van shook, feeling the metal slowly digging further and further into my skin.

We passed under a streetlamp briefly and I caught sight of the ends of Lucas' boots. I tried squinting my eyes to focus but I still couldn't make out the rest of him, I glanced back towards the front of the van. I could see him by the eerie glow of the dashboard as he drove, eyes focused ahead and not even registering that I had woken up yet.

I tried to take advantage, if I could wake up Lucas maybe we might have a chance of getting out of here.

I shifted quietly across the floor, my arms still risen to ease the pressure off of my wrists before stretching out my leg and nudging Lucas in the foot.

Nothing,

I tried again harder this time, his foot shifting just slightly under my boot.

Nothing.

Another harsh kick to him and still nothing.

Don't panic.

But how could I not? I didn't even know if he was able to wake up. The thud of the gun on his head was loud and if I replay it in my head, I add the crack of his skull. Which the more I replayed it the more real that sound became, even if it weren't something I heard at the time.

Not getting a reaction from him was becoming more and more scary.

I wanted to be sick, the movement of the van getting bumpier and the lack of consciousness from Lucas was all a little too much to handle.

The car jumped into a massive pothole, and I slipped fully, my back hitting the floor forcing a hiss from lips as the handcuffs dug even further into my wrists, it took all I had not to whimper in pain.

Just as I was bringing myself back up and flushing myself to the back of the passenger seat, the brakes whined, and the vehicle came to a stop.

The engine turned off and he got out. The door slamming shut behind him, echoing into the back with me the only real listener.

I wasn't prepared.

Leave me alone.

Leave me alone.

Leave me alone.

The side door slid open. It thudded as it opened fully, clunking into place and I was left looking at him. I wanted to crawl backwards because he was nothing like I remembered.

He was bigger and angrier than when I was a kid.

Terrifying really.

He went to grab my hands, but I used my legs to kick him back, colliding with his stomach but all it did was hit muscle.

Silently grabbing my legs, his hands firmly wrapped a zip tie around them. Pulling it tightly until it couldn't go anymore, and I couldn't even budge.

My heart thudded against my chest in fear, I didn't know what to do.

Nothing I could do was going to be good enough, he was so much stronger and bigger than me.

And I was still weak from the stabbing.

He released my hands from the handcuffs, but I was spared little reprise from them because he twisted my arms behind my back and tightened another set of zip ties around my wrists. So tight again that I grit my jaw against the pain. The plastic dug harshly into the red sores already present there.