Chapter 23: Katie

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THIS BOOK OR ANY PORTION OF THIS BOOK THEREOF MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED OR USED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR. ANY UNAUTHORIZED COPYING, BROADCASTING, MANIPULATION OR INFRINGEMENT OF THIS COPYRIGHT IS PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

Today's song is "Lie to Me (Denial)" by Red. This cover ------------------------> over there, was made by the gorgeous sarbar6996, who took the time out to hand draw it for me. She's such a dedicated fan :) This chapter is dedicated to her for that reason <3

Part Twenty-Three
Saturday, February 13, 2010

My head was pounding and my entire body ached. My butt was numb from sitting on the floor for so long. My wrists and ankles were red from rope burns. I just wanted to close my eyes and never wake up. I wanted this nightmare to be over, even if it meant the end of me.

"Where's Steve," I heard Sam mutter, breaking the gruelling silence. As opposed to a question, she said it more like she was making a statement, emphasizing the fact that he had been gone a long time.

Mary shrugged, "I don't know, but I hope something horrible happened to him."

I ignored Mary's comment and asked aloud, "What was that commotion we heard earlier?" more to myself than anything else. We didn't know at the time, but what we heard was Lilah escaping and Steve falling down the stairs.

"Who knows," Julia responded, shrugging.

Several minutes of silence followed until Sam announced with despair, "I can't stop thinking about Sabrina..." I looked at her next to me as she glanced at her bound hands, one of them still red and swollen from when Steve stood on it earlier in the night. She started sniffling, evident that she had been trying not to cry. "It must have been..."

"Horrible," I finished.

Mary put her head between her legs, "It should have been me," she moaned, barely audible.

My eyes widened, "What? Why?" I asked her, concern in my voice. "No one deserved what happened to her. Not you. Not even Sabrina."

Mary wasn't the only one fighting tears, "I just... The way I came down on her before he... I feel so bad," it was becoming difficult for her to talk through her weeping now, "I c-c-called her a b-b-b-itch and I c-c-can't ap-p-p-pologize because she's G-G-G-GOONE!" She wailed, tilting her head back in anguish. I wanted so badly to comfort her, to give her a hug and tell her everything was going to be okay, even though I didn't really believe it myself. But I couldn't.

"Sabrina loved you, Mary," I said, "she wouldn't want you to beat yourself up."

"I wish she was here," Sam mumbled.

Silence followed, save for Mary and Sam's quiet sobbing. And then I heard the most miraculous sound. It was so amazing that I thought I must have been imagining it. But then I saw the recognition on my friends faces and I knew it was real. We could hear sirens.

They became louder and louder, and as they did, the ecstatic grin on my face got bigger and bigger.

I knew right away that it must have been my parents who called them. They wouldn't just stand by and give Steve what he wants while their daughters were being tortured. I just knew it. But what would Steve do? Was he going to be really angry?

"Julia," I smiled, "We're going to be saved." I slid closer to her and tried to take her hand, but you could imagine the difficulty seeing as our hands were bound. I could see the hope and relief on my sisters face right away. In that moment, I had never been happier that we were together. I had never been happier that she was my sister.

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