Page 160 of Give Me Redemption

She smiles and I lean down and quick-kiss her as Monroe walks up. “There’s nothing back there but some old broken lawnmowers. I shut the door to the trailer.”

My eyes look back toward the catty-cornered trailer. The wind blows, swaying the tall grass that has grown up around it. A shadow falls on the house as the silver-lined clouds shade the moon.

“Let’s go in,” Monroe says, dragging me from my thoughts. Dalton pulls open the door. It squeaks, the old rust rubbing. I close it behind us. Monroe gets his phone out and turns the flashlight on. We walk down a hall, and I see a light up ahead in one of the rooms.

We near a window, and Monroe shines his light in.

“Dear Jesus,” he says under his breath.

“Fucking hell.”

I’ve seen a lot over the years I was in the Army. A few things I wish I wouldn’t have.

But this.

This is an image that will forever be engrained in my mind.

Girls naked, lying in filth. They wince at the light coming from Monroe’s phone. Down the hall a rat scurries, and Monroe turns his phone in the direction. I see mold growing on the side of the walls and floor. The ceiling is falling toward the end. There’s shattered glass and old graffiti. Through a broken window in the back, Mother Nature has started to move in as twisted vines grow up the edge.

Dalton walks to the closed door. “It’s got a lock on it,” she says. A few of the girls start making noises. I think crying. “We’ve got to get them out of there.”

I pull my own phone out and turn the light on, looking around to see if there’s anything to break the lock. Carefully, I walk into another room, scanning over the floors of the old office space. There’s a desk, and I walk over to it, yanking open drawers. A field mouse scares the shit out of me, causing me to slam the drawer shut. I exhale my heart attack and walk over to the filing cabinet. Carefully, I pull one of the drawers. It’s stuck, so I pull harder until it flies open. Looking inside, I see old papers crispy from time.

I look closer and see a hammer. Grabbing it, I head back out into the hall.

“I got this,” I say, walking over to the door. They both look anxious.

“Open the fucking door,” Dalton urges.

I rare back and slam the hammer down onto the lock. It doesn’t work the first time, but the second does the trick. The girls move back to the wall, clearly afraid.

“We’re here to help you,” Monroe says. “Christ, we need to call for backup.”

“I’ll do it,” Dalton says.

“Low?”

All of our heads turn toward the middle of the room. Dalton’s hand goes to her mouth, and she sinks to her knees. I shrug out of my button-up shirt and hand it to Dalton to give to Chloe.

“It’s me, Chloe. It’s me,” Dalton says. Chloe slowly walks toward Dalton and I look away, noticing Monroe do the same. I hear sniffing and muffled cries. I risk a glance back, not wanting to see the girl without clothes on. Dalton has her covered up now, and the two hold each other like their lives depend on it.

“I knew you’d find me,” Chloe says. “I knew it.” Dalton cries into her sister’s dirty hair.

“We need to get the local police here,” Monroe says. “I’ll go call them.”

“No.” Dalton looks back at us. “I’ll do it.” She wipes at her face and puts her attention on her sister. “Chloe, these men are good. I trust them with my life. I’ll be right back, okay?” she tells her. “Please don’t get out of their sight.”

Chloe looks at us suspiciously but doesn’t say anything. I’m sure she’ll never trust a man again. It’s a fucking shame. This is evil. This is what it looks like.

It’s black and filthy. The smell in here is indescribable. Water drips from somewhere, and the air is thick with sickness. Dalton stands up. “It’s over, girls. You’re safe now.

“I’ll be right back,” she says again to Chloe. She touches my arm as she walks out.

“Be careful,” I say to her.

“Don’t worry.”

My mind is racing.

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