Page 58 of Safe
“Hand over your keys.”
She clawed through the purse’s lining, annoyed that she hadn’t cleaned it out after she couldn’t find anything in it the other day. After a few failed attempts, she found the keys and extended her hand out to me, almost dropping the keys through her trembling fingers.
“If I come back to the car, and you aren’t in it, I swear to God, I will kill you and everyone you know.”
I slammed her door shut and made my way to the front of the parking lot to move her car. I had to make sure it wasn't visible from the road, so I backed it in beside mine around back, making sure the road had no line of sight. After parking,I pocketed her keys, walked to the driver’s side of my car, and climbed in. Danielle shot me a look filled with tears and anger.
"What the hell do you want with me, Landon?" She looked as if she might lash out, which would be a stupid move given the circumstances.
"Well, see, here’s the problem, Danielle. I don’t want somethingfromyou. I want you." I didn’t hesitate. Danielle didn’t blink. "You’re going to follow my every instruction, or I'll make you watch as I kill everyone you care about, one by one. And what did you do with your hair? It looks fucking disgusting."
I backed out of the parking lot as Danielle sat there, still crying. Fifteen minutes passed in tense silence until we reached the long driveway to the house, the car stirring up dust along the unpaved path. Exiting the car, I walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.
"Welcome to your new home," I scoffed, gesturing for Danielle to exit the car like I was inviting her to join the joke. She remained silent, unresponsive. I signaled again for her to get out, but she still wouldn't move. As I reached to pull her out by her arm, she spat in my face.
"Let's get one thing straight," I snarled, gripping her neck with force, pulling her out of the car and closer to my face, bringing her eye level with me, "This is your new fucking home, whether you like it or not. So, you'd better get used to it."
She looked at me with stubborn fire in her eyes, but her heavy, shaky breathing told me her rage was nothing but a farce.
"I'd rather fucking die," she hissed through clenched teeth.
"Well, that can be arranged," I shrugged as if it didn’t matter one way or the other.
With one swift movement, I cocked my fist back as far as I could and delivered a brutal blow to the side of her head, knocking her unconscious.
29. DANIELLE
I awoke to a throbbing, relentless pain shooting down the side of my face. Though I still hadn’t opened my eyes, I could sense that the room I was in was dark, cold, and lonely. A hard floor was pressing against my back, adding to my discomfort as I rallied the strength to sit up. Once I succeeded, I assessed my surroundings.
The windows, all covered with boards, allowed the smallest sliver of light to come through, casting faint illumination on the crumbling wall behind me. Pushing myself upright, I surveyed the room a bit more. Across from me, a small white iron daybed stood in the corner, covered in dusty, aged blankets and pillows that had seen better days. The walls were not just peeling, but yellow, and the only other furniture in the room was a battered, rickety dresser. On the floor in front of it lay a black trash bag, half full. Curiosity piqued, and I leaned over and peered inside, never anticipating how much it would reveal about Landon’s mental indisposition.
"My clothes?" I mused aloud as my pulse picked up speed, bewildered and terrified. He had brought my clothes from the apartment. Had he completely lost his grip on reality?
It took a moment before I pushed myself to my feet, forcing myself out of the room. Clear, rational thinking was crucial now; one misstep could spell disaster for me, Alex, and Cody.
Oh God, Cody.
Even alone, the guilt of what I said to him clung to me like static. It was a very real fear that those would be the lastwords I ever said to him. I felt sick to my stomach, replaying what happened over in my head. I was a god damn fool.
I had to rely on Cody to notice I wasn’t at the house as soon as possible, or at the very least, to call Alex and tell him that I had left him. Leaving Cody where he was felt foolish in hindsight, especially given the situation. But now, thanks to my irrational outburst, my ex-boyfriend had traveled across the country, kidnapped me, and knocked me unconscious. Despite these circumstances, I realized that Cody's actions were not some sinister plot to hurt me; he acted with my best interest in mind. I just had to hope that I’d have the chance to tell him that one day.
As I stepped into the hallway, I began mentally mapping the house layout as detailed as possible. There were five doors on the upper floor; I exited from the one nearest the staircase. Dust lined every surface, including the scant furnishings. Most windows were sealed with boards.
From below, I heard Landon busy with something. Following the sound, I descended the stairs, tracing the sound of chopping back to the kitchen. I navigated through the hallway, passing what might have been a parlor once, and paused before an elaborately adorned fireplace.
A glance in the dusty, yellow mirror revealed a pretty hefty bruise beneath my left eye. My thoughts were broken up by the sound of something sizzling as I walked into the kitchen.
“Oh, good, you’re up!” Landon greeted me with an out-of-place, perky smile, moving out from behind his workstation, surrounded by freshly chopped vegetables.
I stood there as questions began piling up inside my head. Had he hit me with such force that I was imagining things? Could I be hallucinating?
“What are you doing?” I snapped, demanding answers.
“I’m making us dinner, sweetie.” He didn’t even look up from whatever he was cooking in the pan. “You were asleep all day. You must have been tired.”
“You knocked me the fuck out, Landon! And I’m not your sweetie.”
Landon stopped cooking and faced me with a wild look in his blackened eyes, paired with a sinister smile. He closed the distance in a few quick strides. I backed away on instinct, but he gripped my arms before I could retreat, holding me firm where I stood.
