Bill was right about the basement. No one heard her in the concrete jail below the house. She stood as close to the blue door as she could get. The tight shackle cut into her ankle as she screamed for help for what felt like hours. No one came.
Now, Eva lay on the bunk. Her ankle throbbed. Silence pulsed around her as she stared at the ceiling. Cracks shot through it, and part of her wished the house would come crashing down on top of her. She didn’t want to die, but her imagination convinced her that whatever happened next would be worse.
You can’t talk your way out of this. That man will kill you. She sat up and looked around the room for any distraction. Don’t think about how. Don’t think about how. Don’t think about how.
The metal table, the kind she’d seen in hundreds of CSI reruns, glared at her from the center of the room. Three sets of straps hung lifelessly off of its sides. “Don’t think about that. You’re going to get out of here before he has a chance to put you on that table. There must be some way.”
She climbed off the bunk and onto the floor. “It’ll work this time.” She grabbed the chain and yanked. “It has to.”
Pulling the chain from the wall was hopeless. Her back and arms burned with exhaustion and blisters bubbled to the surface of her hands.
“Why me?” She wrapped her tender hands in the bottom of the baggy shirt. “Why did he choose my family? We’ve never done anything to anyone. None of this makes sense.” She folded her legs under her and gently rocked back and forth.
“Eva!” Bill’s muffled voice sang from behind the blue door. “I’m home!”
She scampered onto the bunk and tried to tuck herself away into a happy corner of her mind. The lock slid and the door handle turned. She sipped small shallow breaths and waited for him to enter. The door groaned and he stepped through.
“Are you feeling any better?” His voice asked the question, but his eyes stared at her like lifeless black marbles. “Yes? No?” The creaking blue door closed behind him.
Unsure of the correct response, Eva stayed silent.
“Well, I had a bit of a time over at your mom’s.” He rubbed his forehead. “The cops had just left.”
Having the police involved made Eva feel a little better. At least she knew there were trained people out looking for her.
“Actually, I’m really surprised they were there at all. Normally someone has to be missing for a couple days before they get involved. And right now, no one can be sure if you’re missing or just out playing at some guy’s house.” He paused and let his gaze bore into her. “Your blond friend was there too. What is her name?”
Eva stayed silent, struggling to not tremble. Bill glared at her. “I’m asking you questions, Eva. I don’t like the silent treatment. What is her name?”
“Bridget,” Eva sputtered.
“Bridget.” Bill rolled the name around in his mouth. “She was there, insisting you aren’t that kind of girl. They really are worried about you.” His tongue wriggled out of his mouth and glossed his bottom lip. It looked wet and gray. It slithered back into its dark hole. “Delightful.”
Bill sauntered over and sat next to her on the bunk. He pressed his leg against hers, and Eva’s teeth chattered wildly in her mouth. “I told them that everything would work out and that I was sure they’d find you very soon, which is true, in a manner of speaking.”
He pressed his hand against her leg and moved it up and down her thigh. Every muscle in Eva’s body clenched and tears pricked her eyes. The shiny skin stretched so tight over his knuckles that the creases disappeared.
“I didn’t, however, bother to correct them when they said they’d find you alive.” His hand stopped in the deep crease where her leg met her body. “Why take all the fun out of it? Their disintegrating hope will make your end that much more gratifying.”
He lifted his hand from her leg and ran it through her hair. “The buildup to your death is so fulfilling. I could never have imagined it going this well. Especially after last night’s mess and me losing my temper earlier. I have to apologize for that, by the way. I don’t normally have such a bad temper. I am sorry.”
He put his arm around her shoulder and forced her quaking body against his. “To prove to you that I am truly sorry, I won’t make you admit what your family has done. I know that can be rough for some people, and I don’t want to put you through that, okay?”
Eva stared at the blue door while he smeared her hair across his face. His breathing deepened and he shakily exhaled. “I feel like I’m going to bust right out of this skin.”
She flinched as he surged off of the bunk. “You’re a smart girl, Eva. I think by now you’ve figured out that this isn’t really my house, and that I’m not really Bill. Would you like to know who I am?”