The Forest

Chapter 41

    I stood there, staring hopelessly behind cell bars. I was alone and it was dark, in an eerie sort of way that made a chill roll through me. Not many occupied the cells around me, and that made me feel even more lonesome. The ground was cold and the bars were like ice as I wrapped my hands around them. There was a guard towards the end of the hall. I knew because I could hear him breathing very heavily. In and out. In and out, over and over again. I wondered how much longer I could stand this before I lose my mind - oh wait, too late. 

    I slump down onto the floor and lay my head back against the wall, it was cold too. Everything in this cell was cold, and that made me feel dead...again. I tried closing my eyes, but I could not sleep for the guards breathing sounded like banging against my ears. I had no concept of time, but I knew that I had been in there for hours because the barred window showed hardly any light than it did before. Soon, it would be dark. 

    To my surprise, in due time, I fell asleep and drifted into my nightmarish dreams, Jasper encapsulating my thoughts. I expect it now and take it almost as a greeting into the world of my tortured sanity. However, I heard a loud enough sound that my eyes sprung open and alarm shot through me. I couldn't see what was going on, but the sound of crashing, grunting, and falling filled my ears...then it stopped. I was afraid for what was out there, is it after me? What was going on? 

    Eventually I heard footsteps coming toward my direction and a figure appeared before me. I couldn't make it out, but it appeared familiar enough to me. The figure turned on a flashlight and pointed it toward their face with a smirk. Suzanne. 

    "Hey there criminal" she whispered to me

    "How'd you get in here?" I ask her, confused as to how she got this far 

    "I have ways, especially when I know a thing or two about picking locks" she responds, proud of herself 

    "Who taught you that?" I say 

    "Wouldn't you like to know" she exclaims, and starts to take a key out of her pocket. She unlocks my cell and I feel a spring of elation. 

    "I would have been here faster, but I had to do a few things first..." 

    "What things exactly?" I ask her with confusion

    "I'll show you outside what I mean" she says, and I still don't understand but I nod in acceptance to her secret. 

    "Let's get out of here, before anyone realizes that you are gone" she pleads to me 

    We start to make our way out of the cell block and towards the way out. On the way there, we hear someone at the door. It was only now that I found out it was 3 a.m. and the town was quiet and bare. That only made me more worried when I saw the door handle turn and it started to open. I noticed it before Suzanne did and I yanked her to the floor behind a desk. Someone was walking towards it and we sink lower so we're hidden in the dark. They shuffle through a few papers and move on to the other side of the room. I wasn't sure who it was until a call rang in to the office. They answered the phone and I immediately knew who it was when they answer "Hey, what did I tell you about calling me at work? Don't call here again. You stay out of this, Suzanne will get over it, I'll talk to you when I get home. " and slams the phone down. 

    Suzanne looks over at me and the same fear was displayed on her face. We knew that he was going to check my cell and when he found out that I'm was not there he would do anything possible to find me. More than he has ever done before and that I as entirely positive of. So, at the sound of his footsteps going toward the cell block door, before he would see the knocked out guard, Suzanne and I race toward the door. We open it and make our way down the street, gathering further away from Sheriff's office. I ran as fast as I could, but Suzanne grabbed me by the shoulder and I halted.

    "Hold on" she said, "We don't want to leave them behind" 

    "Who are you talking about?" I ask, breathing heavily with my chest heaving 

    At that moment two figures from the sidewalk walk toward us and I shake my head in utter amazement 

    "Elizabeth?" I ask and I knew it had to be her. It was almost as if her face was engraved in my brain and everyday I could see her. She stared up at me and I stared back at her. She was really standing right in front of me. 

    "Hello, Matthew. My name is Cassandra, I'm Elizabeth's mother" an older woman says, holding Elizabeth's hand. 

    "..Hi. W-what are you guys doing here?" I continue looking over at Suzanne, "How did you find them?" 

    "My father keeps all the files of families whose children were abducted or...you know. I was able to track them down" Suzanne answers me 

    "We're here because...we know who you're looking for and we can tell you where he is" Cassandra said, and I was taken back. 

    "William? You know where William is? How?" I ask frantically 

    "I used to go to William and Kimberly's prayer circles...back when Kim was alive. We were good friends, and I feel a great pain wherever I think about the day she died - if I knew what would he would do to her... We all thought he had changed, but clearly we were wrong" she continues, "Since I came to their house often, talking to Kimberly about things, William considered me part of the family. I had some issues after awhile, being that I was going through divorce, so I stopped attending church. I even stopped going to William and Kim's prayer circles, and that made William angry. So, when he went on a killing spree I couldn't help, but feel fear as he murdered those who he believed committed a sin - and me not attending church lit a fire under him..." 

    She stops for a second, trying to collect herself and her emotions as she seemed to have tears rolling down her cheeks. 

    "One day I was alone at home, and I heard some strange noises coming from my back door. Before I could defend myself William had burst into my house and started attacking me. He tried to choke me, but I managed to get him off of me. When he charged at me again, I scrambled through the nearest drawer and stabbed him in the side with a pair of scissors." she exclaims, wiping her face. 

    "Wait...so, he's already dead?" I ask 

    "No. I only hurt him enough so that he could no longer defend himself. That's when I had him" 

    "So, where is he then?" I ask, becoming irritable 

    "I locked him in my basement" she whispers