Page 45 of Silent Desires

I kick with my other foot, but he just grabs that ankle, too. I try to find something to grab onto, but there’s nothing within reach. I want to scream, Itryto scream, but nothing comes out. I struggle against his grip, squirming and grabbing onto furniture and the doorway as he drags me, trying to make it as hard as possible for him to take me to where he wants me.

“Fuck, when did you get so scrappy, little pet?” He laughs like he’s enjoying this. Then I remember—he does love it. It’s the reason I stopped reacting to him.

I stopped fighting him years ago, and it broke me. I feel like I’ve been broken for years, but now—now I don’t want to be broken anymore. I see something better, seven somethingsbetter. And I want to grab that feeling and hold it close. I don’t want this, even if I do deserve it.

I manage to pull one leg free and immediately drive it into his crotch as hard as I can. “Shit!” He bends over, releasing my ankle to clutch himself, and I use the opportunity to kick him in the face. I don’t think I do muchdamage—I’m not strong, and I’m in a bad position—but it’s enough to let me scramble backwards.

He looks up and glares at me. “You’re gonna pay for that, you fucking bitch!” He starts to stand up, taking a step toward me, when we hear the doorbell ring. We freeze, staring at each other. My eyes are wide with terror, and he looks angry, frustrated, and… worried.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. Whoever’s at the door seems anxious to get in. Maybe a neighbor heard our fight? A seed of hope blooms in my chest at that chance of being rescued. I hear the door being opened downstairs as I try to control my breathing, taking a big, deep breath, wishing more than ever that I had a voice to scream for help with.

Simon looks at me and slowly smiles, realizing I have no way to yell for help.

“Good evening, ma’am. We’re from Ultra Power. Sorry to bug you, but there’s been a power flux in the area, and we see you’ve been affected. If you can just give us access to your fuse box, we can get you up and running in no time.”

As I glance around, I notice, for the first time, that there are no lights on up here. I hadn’t noticed they’d gone out until now. I glance at the hall and see it’s indeed dark out there.

“Alright, but I’m awfully busy. If you could be quick?” my mother replies in a huff.

“Of course, just point the way.”

I can’t help but notice how much the voice sounds like Dom’s. But it’s not quite the same. Fuck, I wish he was here right now. I wipe my eyes, trying to clear away the tears so I can see clearly, afraid any moment Simon will grab me again.

“This way,” my mother’s voice rings out.

We hear the noise of a few doors and footsteps, then what sounds like someone running upstairs. Simon finally moves to the door, away from me, and I crawl backward so my back is against the wall in the bedroom. I hear my mother in the hall. “They’re in the basement, you need to get out of here, now. Nobody can see you here,” she whisper-yells at him.

He glances over at me. “See you later, pet,” he smiles and gives me a wink, then I hear him run down the stairs and out the door.

My mother steps into the room and sees me cowering against the wall. “Useless piece of trash,” she sighs and shakes her head. “Stay here and be quiet, and I’ll send you downstairs with food and a fresh change of clothes.” I nod quickly. It’s the best offer I’ve ever received from her, and I’m not sure why she’s offering it.

She leaves and goes back downstairs and I stay where I am with my arms wrapped around my knees. Eventually, I see the lights flick back on, then hear footsteps coming back up to the main floor.

“Alright, you’re all set, ma’am. You want us to make sure all your power is restored properly? We could check the power in each room?” he asks.

“No, you’ve done quite enough interrupting my evening with your power outage. Please leave me to my movie now,” she tells them in frustration.

“Have a good evening, ma’am,” he says, and I hear the door shut.

A minute later, I hear her softly call up the stairs. “Mina, come get your food and clothes, and then head downstairs. You have two minutes.” She tells me gruffly.

I get up, grab my discarded clothes from the bathroom, then head downstairs. When I get to the kitchen, she hasn’t set out any food for me, so I open the cupboard and grab the first things I see—agranola bar and a bag of chips. I open the fridge, see a bottle of water and a yogurt, grab both, then notice the clothes on the counter. It’s my school uniform, freshly cleaned. I grab the pile of clothes and go downstairs. Occasionally, she has to do some laundry for me, especially now that I’m in school. I need my uniform kept clean, or people will notice.

When I get downstairs, I grab Jasper’s hoodie and pull it straight on my naked body, finding a pair of thin sleep shorts to pull on as well. Then I switch on my phone and smile as it lights up with multiple missed messages from my friends.

Chapter thirty-one

Ididn’t actually think we’d actually see anything noteworthy in the basement, but I’m wrong. There’s a small, worn mattress, some old, well-worn men’s clothes, and a piss bucket. I stare at everything, realizing I now have more questions than answers. Is Jeff living in the basement? Why wouldn’t he be staying in one of the bedrooms with Helen? Or even the couch would be better than this.

Was someone kept down here? I think about the victims from this town, but none of them went missing for more than a few hours or a night before their bodies were found, so they couldn’t have been held here for any length of time.

When we arrived today, Helen didn’t have time to move anyone out of here; she took us straight down here, so I don’t think anybody is actively being held down here right now either.

But when Atlas points to a backpack on the ground near the bed, it feels like the blood freezes in my veins.

“Is it—hers?” I ask nervously. Atlas takes a deep breath, then moves over to it quickly, bends down, and opens it up. He pulls out a coloring book.

“Fuck,” I say, knowing it’s Mina’s bag. “But she wasn’t down here when we arrived. So maybe she likes to hang out down here to getaway from her mother? Or maybe she just keeps her stuff down here?” I suggest. When Atlas just stares at the bag, I sigh, tilting my head to the side to crack my neck before stepping forward to give his shoulder a squeeze. “Let’s just take photos and get out of here before Helen comes down.”

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