I'm in it for the Long Run // Edge of Winter

15

"Hey!" I yelled, slamming myself up against the door. "Let us out!" I banged my fist up against the wood until my fingers went numb. I finally retreated and found myself in Bradley's arms.

"We'll find a way out of here, even if it's the last thing we do." He assured, looking at me straight in the eye. I nodded my head as he let go of me and prepared himself to crash into the door.

He drew in a big breath and took a running leap into the wood. It lurched a bit, but not much. He did it again. And another time. And another. But it was no use, the door wouldn't even budge anymore.

Bradley turned around, anger raging along his features. He stopped for a moment and looked around the room desperately, until his eyes stopped on the bed frame. He kicked at it a few times until a metal bar came off. He was too distraught to notice at first, but Caleb had picked it up and begun examining it.

"Maybe we could break the window?" He suggested, holding the bar out in front of him. Bradley leaned against the wall and rubbed his chin with his fingers, then shook his head.

"Too loud, he'd hear." He sighed. For a moment I felt completely useless, there was nothing I could do to protect the boys I loved so much. There was nothing I could do that could help me see my parents again. Nothing I could do to get rid of Elliot.

I began pacing back and forth, the noisy flooring squeaking below me. Wait, noisy pallets! The floor! The floor! Was it dangerous? Extremely. But is it worth it? 100%.

"Bradley, the floorboards." I mumbled. He looked up at me with a confused look, signaling that I needed to explain further. So I stood up and took the bar from Caleb, I walked around the room until I found the squeaky floorboard again.

Bradley immediately bounced up and jumped towards me. "Belle you're a genius!" He exclaimed, enveloping me in a tight embrace. "Give me a hand." He took the metal bar and jammed it into the side of one of the pallets.

With all our might, Bradley and I heaved it out of the ground. We just managed to see underneath and luckily, there was a tunnel to the outside. We stuck the bar underneath the next panel, until we realized that one was bolted into the ground too hard. We couldn't get it up.

"Can you fit?" Bradley asked Caleb, giving him a look of courage. Caleb glanced at me, then back at the floorboards.

"Let me try." He stated. Then he stuck his foot into the hole, followed by his body, and carefully weaved himself down underneath. "It's really dark." We heard him say from below us.

I jumped up and zipped open the backpack that was on the table. I pulled out a flashlight and tossed it to Bradley.

"Here." He said, handing it down to Caleb. We saw the light flicker from down below and slowly crawl away as Caleb went farther. At first we thought our plan had worked, but we soon heard Caleb yelp and saw him scurry back towards us.

"Caleb? What? What is it?" I questioned, kneeling down next to Bradley. Caleb's skin had turned pale and his eyes darted everywhere away from behind him. He once again lost control of his own body and began shaking frantically.

"He- he's not moving. He's dead." He finally sputtered out. I put a hand to my mouth and leaned back so Caleb couldn't see me.

"Richard." I whispered to Bradley. He nodded his head roughly and exhaled.

"Listen you can't wait, we'll figure something out. You need to go, and I'll find you." Bradley ordered, pointing back towards the tunnel. Caleb's eyes began tearing up as he saw the grim look on his brother's face. But all that was interrupted when we heard Elliot's voice.

"What's going on in there." His muffled voice sounded like sandpaper, clearly angled down at the floor, making it harder to hear.

"N-nothing, we're fine." Bradley stuttered, his voice shaking wearily.

"You doing ok?" He asked, hearing Bradley's limp voice.

"Yeah better, thank you." Brad replied, trying to settle his words.

"I'm chopping some more wood, so it's 'bout to get hot in here." He mentioned, trying to keep us from worrying. But unluckily for him, we were far beyond that point.

The three of us sat in silence for a little until Bradley gave us a glare. "Say something!" He scolded, popping us out of our daze.

"Alright." I peeped quickly, trying to hide the fear in my voice.

"Thank you." Caleb called, projecting his voice from under the cabin. We waited until we were sure we heard Elliot walk away and out of the front door. That's when Bradley pulled a pair of keys from his pocket.

"Here, take these. Find the truck and-- go get help okay?" Bradley insisted, handing the keys down to Caleb. He shook his head as more tears threatened to fall.

"Brad I'm scared." He whimpered, his whole body shaking beneath him. Bradley sat back on his feet and turned to face me. He stared at my eyes for a moment, regret clearly written across his forehead.

"What?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows. He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight before placing the keys into my palm and wrapping my fingers around it.

"Belle listen--" He began.

"No!" I interrupted, widening my eyes and staring at him intensely. "If you think I'm leaving you here sick and with this madman then you're crazy! Brad, I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." I struggled to free myself from his grip, I couldn't possibly leave him here to fend for himself.

"Belle please!" He begged.

"No!" I yelled back. He kept trying to hold me down, but I always freed myself from his hands. "I won't leave you!" I cried. I eventually managed to get onto my feet and began walking away from him.

Within an instance, I felt him tug me close to him. Before I even knew what was happening, I felt his soft lips collide with mine. I immediately kissed him back, not a care in the world. If this was the last time I would see Bradley, I wanted him to know how I really felt.

I didn't want this moment to end. Our lips moved in sync with each other's as I began crying underneath the kiss. My salty-sweet tears mixed with our lips, providing a moment I knew would last forever.

When we pulled away from the kiss, my cheeks were stained with agony and a slight frown was curled upon my lips. I yanked him into a hug and balled up the back of his jacket in my fists.

"I love you so much." I admitted, holding him tighter.

"I love you more." He kissed the side of my head and we stopped hugging. "Now I need you to go."

I nodded my head and dropped the keys into my jacket. I lowered myself down into the hole with a little help from Bradley, reaching until my feet collided with the snow.

"Goodbye Belle." Bradley mumbled. But I shook my head at him.

"This isn't goodbye Brad, I'll see you again. Promise me you'll make it out." He looked down at his hands, a little ashamed of himself. "Promise me!" I shouted, grabbing ahold of his thumb. He pulled my hand up to his face and planted a kiss on it.

"I promise."