Page 92 of Then She Vanished

Luna looked up, a clump of hair leading all the way to her chapped lips. She nodded.

Gina wanted to hug the sick-looking girl, feed her up and nourish her. ‘Will you come outside with me so I can show you what’s up there? I promise nothing bad will happen. I live up there and look at me. I’m fine and you will be fine, too.’

She began to tremble. ‘I’m scared. Where’s the lady who was with me?’

‘She’s been taken to the hospital.’

‘I don’t want to leave.’

‘There’s no need to be scared, I promise.’ Gina stood and held her hand out.

The girl shuffled off the bed and reached out for Gina’s hand. Gina took a deep breath and opened the door. ‘The man there, he works at the hospital. He’s a paramedic.’

She hid behind Gina. Gina nodded for Bennie to leave. ‘Could you turn all the lights off, please?’ she asked as he left. As soon as he’d gone, Gina looked at the girl again. ‘Right. We are going to have to climb a ladder in the dark.’ Gina turned her torch on as the lights went out, and she’d have to do her very best to avoid flashing any light on Eric or Gary’s bodies, despite the fact they would have been covered up by now. The sickness inside her began to swell.

‘The metal steps?’

Gina nodded. ‘I need you to do something for me. Can you just look at me while we go up the steps, and promise to keeplooking at me? I won’t leave you alone. I’ll be with you all the way.’

‘I’ve never been up the steps.’

‘We’ll take it slowly.’

Luna swallowed and nodded again. ‘It smells really bad.’

‘I know it does, but we’ll be out of here soon. I’m going to carry you to the steps, okay?’ Gina helped Luna up, her weak legs wobbling with each step. All Gina wanted to do was sob for the pain and suffering that Luna had gone through, but Luna was none the wiser, thinking that the world above had come to an end and there was nothing for her there.

She held the torch out behind Luna’s back, and as she passed Gary’s covered-up body, she flashed the torch up. ‘I’m going to help you into this hoist, okay. Just pop your legs in here.’ She stood with her back to the body and placed Luna down.

‘I don’t want you to leave me.’ Luna began to sob.

‘I’m not leaving you. I’m climbing these metal steps behind you.’

Still sobbing, Luna did as she was asked and stepped into the hoist. As she was pulled up, Gina stayed close, keeping the light on her face so that Luna could always see her. Jacob went to help her out of the hoist, which made her scream.

As soon as Gina reached the top, Luna gripped her around the waist. Eric’s body was also covered up and panic rose in Gina’s chest.

It was all so surreal. Gina knew the nightmares of this case would never leave her for as long as she lived.

Stroking Luna’s head, Gina whispered, ‘It’s okay, lovely. Nearly there.’ She lifted Luna up and raced out of the room and into the storage area that they first entered. Placing Luna down, Gina flashed the torch onto her own face. ‘Do you want to hold my hand before we go out of the door?’

Tears glistened down Luna’s face. ‘I can’t.’

Gina pressed her lips together and wiped a stray tear away. ‘You can. We can do it together.’

Both of them walked with trembling legs. Luna, because she was terrified of what existed on the surface. Gina, because of what the poor girl had been through.

Luna squinted for a few seconds as she stepped out into the caged area and looked up at the stars and the moon.

‘I can breathe.’ She gasped several times. Turning around, she pointed. ‘There are trees. There arelotsof trees.’ Luna trembled and collapsed in a crying heap on the ground as realisation hit her.

Everything she’d learned in her whole life had been a lie.

SIXTY

Gina watched as Luna lay in the hospital bed, attached to a drip. At first, she’d yelled while in the ambulance. Luna had never travelled in any kind of vehicle, but Gina had stayed with her, doing her best to soothe and reassure her. A few minutes earlier, she’d finished her hot chocolate and wolfed a sandwich down so fast, she almost gagged on it, but now she was sleeping soundly. Gina pulled the crisp, white sheet up over Luna’s shoulders.

Jacob tapped gently on the door. Gina glanced at him through the little window and headed out. As she left, the nurse who had been looking after Luna swapped places with Gina. A police officer sat outside the side room door, reading a newspaper.

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