Deranged [REWRITTEN]

Chapter Seven

After last night's event, I couldn't find it in myself to fall asleep again. Every sound I hear, I jump in fear that something will attack and eat me.

It feels like days have gone by. I don't even know what day it is. Every time I think about making a move it's almost as if he knows it and gives me terrifying glare that has me shaking in my dirty clothes. I haven't had a shower in what feels like forever.

"I still don't understand how you want me to help? You say you can't leave.. are you afraid of getting caught?"

He looks at me before scoffing.

"Afraid of getting caught?" He goes to open his mouth again, but immediately stops when bright red and blue flashing lights appear from down the tunnel. I gasp and stand up a little too quickly. "Shit," He curses, charging toward the lights. I chase after him, feeling so relieved.

"Hands up where I can see them!" An officer yells. I raise my hands up. "Hands up!" I look over at him and his hands are at his side and he's glaring at the officer. A gun is immediately drawn and pointed at Harry along with a flashlight shown on both of us.

"Turn around with your hands up!" The officer yells at me. I turn around, heart pounding in my chest. "Walk towards the sound of my voice, keep your hands up," He says, aggressively. I start walking backwards, glancing up at Harry who's still glaring at the officer.

As soon as I'm near the officer, he grabs my hands and puts me in handcuffs.

"You are detained, not arrested. You will be released once the situation is under control." He tells me before pulling out his gun and pointing it at Harry. "Put your hands up!"

I watch as Harry stares, a fiery glint in his eyes noticeable. The officers continue to yell at him to follow their orders, but he stands there staring at them. His fists are clenched and the only movement is a slow head tilt and a half smirk.

"Put your hands up or I'll tase you!" The officer yelled, taser and flashlight pointed at Harry. I'm taken by surprise when he unclenches his hands and slowly raises them in the air. "Turn around and keep your hands up!"

He eventually complies with the order and I watch as the officer rushes over to him and cuffs him as quickly as he can. The cop holding my arm opens the car door and the cop dragging Harry shoves him inside using as much force as he could before shutting the door.

"What is your name, miss?" The cop that shoved Harry in the car asks.

"Grace Wheeler," I answer, eyeing the man in the car behind them rocking his body back and forth. "I... I don't know what day it is. I was taken from my home and dragged to this place," I explain, the tears starting to build up.

They nod as if they recognize the name. They take the handcuffs off and I rub my wrists, letting the tears escape. I feel so relieved that this is over.

"Your parents reported you missing a day
ago. Let's get you home, Grace."

I nod and follow the cop to the other car and he allows me to sit in the passenger seat. The heat is blasting in the car and I can feel myself finally relax. The tension and the stress almost seeps all the way out of my body as we drive further away and closer to home.

"I'm glad we found you, Grace," The officer speaks up, and I nod at him. Dealing with multiple missing persons reports and coming up short was always the outcome. There is always a low chance of finding a missing person alive. I can't get over this feeling of escaping my nightmare and wondering how I wasn't already dead.

I silently cry at the sight of my neighborhood and my house. I see my parents standing outside of the house, my dad holding my mom from behind. The door opens and I step out, watching my mother hold her hand up to her mouth and cry out my name.

I rush over to them and they wrap their arms around me, savoring the feeling of being encompassed in safety.

"My baby," My mom cries, brushing my hair away from my face which is no doubt smudged with dirt. She wipes the tears from my face and pulls me back into a tight hug. The officer has a short talk with my dad about pressing charges against the man they caught. "Let's go inside and I will draw you a nice bath," My mother whispered, moving me away from the cop talking to my father and towards the house.

+

Every creek throughout the house nearly made me jump out of my skin. The past few days were filled with fear that he might come back and take me away. I stuck to my mother's side every single day and each minute I spent alone it felt like eternity.

A short bark snapped me out of my thoughts and I almost screamed at my dog sitting by my feet. I let myself relax and I picked up Teddy to hold him to my chest. He licked my face and I smiled at him, ruffling his curly fur. As the commercial on the TV ended I looked up just as the news started to broadcast an alert.

"Have you seen this man? Police are on the lookout for a suspect that was charged with kidnapping just a few days prior. He fled police custody this morning by assaulting up to as many as five officers before he made his getaway. This man is known to be highly dangerous so if you have any information please call 911 and report it immediately."

The picture displayed on the screen made my heart drop.

The moment they displayed his picture I forgot how to breathe. It was like I blacked out and I was struggling for air. When I opened my eyes my mother was by my side trying to help me breathe.

"It's okay, you're safe," She said and I calmed down by the sound of her voice.

"He's out there somewhere," I whispered, my throat feeling scratchy. She rubbed my back as I thought of the first place he could possibly be.

____________________________
Author's Note:

I'm officially done with this semester and it is summertime, thank God.

Also this is a short look into the new changes in this book. Hopefully, it isn't too bad!