The Cunning

57

Jase's heart beat steadily, his breathing followed the same pattern. Madison listened, her eyes grazing over the bed as the autumn sun cast shadows across the sheets, wishing she could stay in those first five seconds when she woke up. The five seconds when everything was hazy and soft with a sepia filter. The five seconds when her reality was out of reach. Those first five seconds when emotions didn't exist, fear was unheard of, and everything was delicate on the eyes. In those five seconds, her consciousness lagged. Everything that was going on around her felt like a distant dream that couldn't hurt her.

But five seconds was all she ever got.

The gunshot resounded in her ears once more, and the room was no longer painted in pastel watercolours. The sun had disappeared behind a cloud, washing the room in a rainy-day grey too bright for her eyes. She closed them again as Jase's breathing pattern changed. He had one arm around her, and traced her shoulder with his fingers. They hadn't fallen asleep like that; Madison couldn't even recall him getting back, he'd been gone for hours.

Jase reached for his cigarettes, careful not to move too much, unsure whether she was awake or not. The only sounds he made was the zipping sound of the lighter and the hiss when he inhaled from the cigarette.

"Are the other girls okay?" she asked, her voice rinsing away the remnants of Jase's own five seconds. He moved his hand, brushing her temple with his knuckles before stopping himself. She looked up to see he was watching her through his lashes. When he didn't say anything, Madison knew one of the girls had been killed last night.

Annabelle flashed up in her mind. Madison had done well to avoid thoughts of her until this point. She knew Annabelle was dead. No one had seen or spoken about her since the night Madison had tried to escape. That meant two girls had been murdered in her short time at the house. It was a sobering reminder of the value her life held in the eyes of these men.

Another imaginary gunshot in her head propelled Madison to sit up. If one of the girls were dead and Jase had used his gun... Her brows came down, eyes squinting,

"Did you...?" she couldn't finish the sentence, but he shook his head.

"No. It wasn't me." Madison didn't ask anymore questions, unsure if she wanted to know the answers or even if Jase would give them to her. Jase finished his cigarette and closed his eyes again. Madison returned to lying by his side.

"When I do have to start working," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, "can you make sure that man isn't one of my customers?"

Jase was quiet.

Jase was quiet for a while.

"You don't need to worry about him," he finally replied. Though he couldn't decide if the only reason she didn't need to worry about him was because he was now sitting in a barrel of lye solution.