Page 90 of Inside Silence
I love it when he smiles. He has really white teeth, and a dimple on one side of his mouth that only shows when he’s smiling.
Carson is so good-looking, easily the hottest guy in school, and sometimes I catch some of the other girls looking and talking about us when he sits with me for lunch. The best part about that is he doesn’t even seem to notice all the attention. Or maybe he does and is used to it.
I’m not used to it though, and I normally don’t really like people checking me out, but it’s different when I’m around Carson. He only talks to me and ignores everything else, and that makes me feel pretty special. Like it’s just the two of us.
“What’s special about Watts Lake?”
“It’s pretty. Not as pretty as the view from Sheriff Colter’s barn, but still pretty. We won’t be able to stay for the actual sunset if we wanna be back before six, but since practice ended early anyway, I thought I’d quickly show you. When the lake is calm, the water is like a mirror and it reflects the mountains. When Mom was sick and after she died, I used to go there quite?—”
He abruptly goes silent as he glances in the rearview mirror, but when I start to turn around to see what he’s looking at, he grabs my arm.
“Don’t. It’s just gonna make us look suspicious.”
I’m about to ask him what he’s talking about when I catch lights flashing behind us in my side mirror and hear a few short bursts of a siren.
“Shit,” Carson curses softly before pulling over to the side of the road. “Just stay quiet, let me do the talking.
My heart beats in my throat. I’ve never been pulled over by the cops before. Are we going to be in trouble?
Carson rolls down the window and turns his upper body so I can’t really see who’s outside, and it would be hard to see me from the outside. I’m pretty sure he’s protecting me again.
“Did I do something wrong, sir?”
Instead of an answer I hear a loud crackle and suddenly Carson jerks and slumps over, knocking me sideways. I struggle to push him off me and try to find the handle to open the door to get out, when suddenly the door is ripped open. Next thing I know, I’m being dragged from the car, an arm wrapped around my neck making it hard to breathe.
The last thing I remember is something sharp jabbing my shoulder.
My head is throbbing.
I try to open my eyes, but it’s hard. My eyelids feel like they weigh a ton and I can barely lift them a hair.
I don’t know where I am. It smells a little musty, like the time I forgot to move the sheets from the washer to the dryer like Mom asked. We had to wash them again to get the smell out. I’m lying with my face on concrete, I think. Or some kind of stone. It’s cold and rough, biting into my skin.
Why can’t I move anything? Where is Carson?
Who was that?
I manage to open one eye to a crack but it takes a few moments before I can actually make anything out. The light is faint, coming from a small window high on the wall. It looks like I’m in a basement. When I try to lift my head to see better, I hear a rustle and find the source in the far corner of the space. There’s a man crouched down over someone lying on the ground.
I immediately freeze, too scared to even breathe. Memories of the flashing lights, Carson slumping over, being pulled from the car, and the arm around my neck come flooding back.
Was I drugged? Is that why I can’t move?
I watch as the crouching man seems to be tugging on the feet of the person lying down. Is he hurting him? Then I see him remove the other man’s boots.
Suddenly the guy turns his upper body around, and I snap my eye closed, holding my breath, hoping he didn’t see me.
I only got a glimpse of his face but enough to recognize him, and I know I’m in deep trouble.
It’s eerily quiet. I listen for any movement, almost waiting for him to come over. If he does, I won’t even be able to run.
My eyes burn with tears I hope won’t escape or he might see.
I want my dad. I didn’t even have a chance to text him where we were going.
I wonder, would it hurt when you die?
When the sounds resume in the corner, I’m almost surprised. I was so sure he’d seen me looking. But I resist looking now, keeping my eyes firmly closed.
