Page 96 of Hidden Chance

Hannah finally lifted her head enough to look at Jemi properly.

“You’re bleeding! What did they do to you?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me.”

“Are you okay?”

“If we make it out of here, I will be. But right now, I need you to focus. I’ll do everything I can to get us to safety, but I need you to be prepared for what’s coming. If you go into shock, that’s normal. Passing out isn’t a bad thing, but you have to trust me for as long as you can. I need every ounce of trust you can muster.”

“What does that mean?”

“If they haven’t killed us yet, it’s because they want information.”

“We don’t know anything.”

“Not what they want.”

“Do you think they’ll torture us?”

“Yes.”

“But we don’t know anything!” Hannah thrashed against her restraints, ignoring the pain that shot through her body.

“Hey! Calm down. Settle down. I know this is hard. But I’m here.”

Hannah sniffed against her tears, then took several deep breaths. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if I can take this. I thought I was scared with Robby, but I had no idea what it was really like.”

“I know. But we have Jesus. I want you to close your eyes and bow your head.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m going to pray.”

“Oh. Okay.” Hannah nodded and lowered her head.

“Jesus, we commit ourselves to you in our hour of need. We need your strength and your wisdom. We need your grace. Protect us now, and use this time to glorify your name. Let us be a light in a dark place. Amen.”

“Amen.”

Chapter 24

“Doyou have any kind of a plan? Is there anything I can do to help?” Hannah said after they’d been quiet for several minutes.

“In situations like these, it’s best to see what opportunities open up. To see if God opens a door for us to walk through.”

“What do I do if He doesn’t?”

“Answer their questions as best as you can. It’s okay if you show weakness. That won’t matter. You don’t have to pretend to be stoic or brave. Just be yourself, but trust in God.”

“Should I try to tell them what they want to hear?”

“There’s no point. Being honest with them won’t make things worse, and if they believe you, then?—”

“Then what?”

“Nothing.”

“Then they’ll kill me quickly?”

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