Page 33 of Redd

Heavy tears threatened to consume as I went down the hall. It hurt to think that my father could die because of me, that he might not be alive long enough for me to see him, hug him, and tell him I loved him.

Because despite what I had been told, I still loved my father, even if something he did had put me in that man's hands.

Focus, Bijou, find a phone.

There had to be one someplace, and I wasn't about to give up. I had kept breathing, just for this moment. To be able to reach out and call my family, to live and get my life back, this was why I had held on for so long.

I wasn't going to let Diablo scare me another second. I was no longer his to control.

Stopping outside the first closed door, I stood for a moment and touched the wood. It was like I was staring at my world from the outside. Flashes of the door that held me in wreaked havoc on my mind, making my hand shake and tremble.

No! He doesn't own you!

That world is over, that life isn't going to get you again.

Holding the handle, I steadied my grip and turned the knob, pushing it open slightly. Poking my head inside, the walls were pink, with a mosaic of coloring book images taped all around. A small bed was pressed up against the far wall, directly under the window, and the mattress was covered in stuffed animals and crumpled blankets.

This is Vicki's room.

Taking a small step in, I touched the trim of her dresser and followed the thick seam. Tiny trinkets were strewn on top, not set up in any particular order.

A fairy jewelry box, a pile of beaded necklaces, and a purple hairbrush littered the surface. The drawers were partially opened with pieces of clothing sticking out, preventing them from closing all the way. It was your typical girl's room.

Looking around, I spotted another empty phone socket, and grumbled to myself as I walked towards her bed.

Shit. Come on, there has to be a phone someplace in this house.

Picking up a white stuffed bunny off the mattress, I spun it in my hands, running my thumb over the glassy eyes. I couldn't help but think of my family. Vicki's room reminded me a lot of my sister's.

My sister Lila loved the color pink, and she had this thing for those felt colored pictures, the ones you colored in yourself with the markers that came attached. She drove my parents crazy with them, making them buy her frames for each one so she could hang them in her room.

That shit used to annoy me, but now, now I wished I could hug her and tell her how beautiful they all were. My heart began to hurt, wishing and craving for any form of contact with them.

Dropping the rabbit, I pressed on, walking further down the hall.I'll see them again soon, I just need to keep going.

There was a bathroom on the left, with a mint green sink, covered in streaks of toothpaste. The floor was slightly warped, dipping down in the center. A single closet was in the middle of the hallway, stacked with typical items you would expect to find; broom, mop, bucket, vacuum, cleaning supplies. . . No people, not like Diablo's closet.

One more closed door was at the end of the hall. Reaching it, I opened it up and knew I had found Redd's room. It was bare, just a bed, dresser, and nightstand. No pictures on the walls, no curtains.

Walking inside, I dragged my hand down the comforter covering his bed and followed it around to the other side. I knew if there was a phone anywhere inside this house, it would be in here.

Standing at his dresser, I pulled open the center drawer and lifted out the shirt on top. Holding it to my face, I inhaled a deep breath. I didn't know why I felt the urge to smell his clothes, but I did.

Maybe it was my senses trying to regain lost memories of normalcy, or maybe it was the fact that this man had risked his life to get me out. Either way, I breathed him in. I let his scent mask my pain, I let the floral accents and manly musk remind me that I no longer had a master.

Pushing the air out my lungs, I turned my head towards the nightstand. There was a small stack of books on the lower shelf, a digital clock that beat my eyes with red numbers on the top, and a small notebook resting beside it.

Folding up the shirt, I placed it back inside, smoothing it out, and closing the drawer. Walking over the shag carpeting, I allowed my toes to embrace the soft strands as they tickled the bottom of my feet.

It felt good to have something so delicate to walk on. My bare feet hadn't met anything but cold concrete and icy marble.

Bending down, I pulled out a thick black book. The binding was worn down and there were small rips in the leather cover. Turning it over, the gold script was bold and shining.

The Bible. . .

Arching a brow, I strummed through the pages. It had been ages since I read the bible. And for a long time I refused to think that a higher power even existed. Because if it did exist, if there truly was someone up there watching over us. . . Where had he been?

Where was he when I needed him? My prayers had gone unanswered, my screams and pleas had been left dangling in the air, untouched.

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