Cooper whines and rests his head on Nate's leg. "Shut that mutt up," Joseph snaps, glancing up at them in the rear-view mirror.
"He isn't used to being in a car with this many people," Nate mumbles. He gently runs his fingers through his thick fur. "Nataneal you don't need the dog," Rick sighs. He stares absently out the slightly tinted windows. "That's not what the doctor said Papá," Nate mutters bitterly.
"The doctor doesn't understand the complications of your circumstances. That man's incompetence prevents him from seeing the path that the Lord has intended, the path to forgiveness and resurrection," Rick says, glancing at his son.
"Do you?" Nate raises an eyebrow.
Rick stares at him with fiery intensity. "What if you're wrong? Have you thought about that? What if these girls lives have ended for nothing?" Nate demands sharply.
"Nataneal my hijo you have not seen the things I have."
"Epilepsy has no part in the Lord's intention. It's just something that got screwed up," Nate murmurs.
"This girl is the last one. She'll end it," Rick breathes.
"No she won't Papá. Sacrificing someone doesn't cure a neurological disease," Nate snaps.
"You're right. It doesn't. Sacrificing a girl who has committed sins but who is still in a pure state earns you forgiveness."
The car lurches forward and Cooper growls. "Calma," Nate sighs.
"You're too young to understand," Adam mumbles, shifting in the front passengers' seat. Joseph tightens his grip on the steering wheel before pulling up on the side of the road.
"Adam you know what you're getting?" Rick asks.
"Yeah I've got it," Adam replies.
"Nate try and behave yourself," Rick groans, dragging himself out of the car.
"Be quick. I don't want to be sitting here for too long," Joseph complains.
Nate ignores him, cracking open the door. He steps out of the car and Cooper leaps out after him. He hovers close to his side, stepping around his heels.
They follow Rick and Adam into the small convenience store. They split up, wandering across different directions. Nate's dark eyes flicker around the store.
Cooper's ears prick up and he surveys the unfamiliar aisles. "Coop," Nate whispers. The dog wanders around him like an impenetrable guard.
A girl with chocolate brown hair lets her green eyes flicker over Nate. She shifts the weight of a heavy box against her chest, balancing it on her forearms. "You can't have a dog in here," she mumbles, staring at Cooper. "I can," Nate mutters.
Her gaze turns steely, raising over the box. "He's a service dog," Nate breathes. The girl dumps the box on the bulky counter and folds her arms across her chest. "Whatever. Just keep him under control," she rolls her eyes.
She walks swiftly around the counter and rips open the cardboard box. Nate's dark eyes flicker over the small picture of Ella stuck on the front of the counter. Beneath the black and white photo is written MISSING in bold print.
"How long has she been missing for?" Nate asks.
"Ella?" the girl frowns. Nate nods, staring at the picture. "Since Friday," she sighs.
"Did you know her?" he murmurs.
"Unfortunately," the girl mutters, tearing through the box. Nate raises an eyebrow. "I convinced her into coming to the party with me," the girls leans forward on the counter.
Cooper whines, nuzzling the picture of Ella. "Did you know her?" the girl asks.
Nate nods slowly, "Her father owns this store right?"
"Yeah."
"Can you give him a message for me?"
"Do I look like the mailman?"
"Parecer chica," Nate pleads.
"I don't know what that means but it sounds cute so I'll do it," the girl breathes. She tosses a worn notebook onto the counter and slides across a cracked pen.
Nate scribbles down two foreign words in swift, cursive;
Lo siento.
"Gracias," Nate murmurs, folding the paper in half.
"You're Spanish?" the girl assumes, leaning further across the desk and offering herself to him.
Adam wanders out of an aisle, brushing past Nate. "C'mon kid."
"Sorry chica," Nate mutters, trailing after him.
***
"Roy?" Jacquie groans, walking into the cramped storeroom.
"Yeah?" Roy sighs, glancing up at her.
"Some guy came in and left a note for you."
"Did he says who he was?" Roy asks.
"No. He was some Spanish guy," she shrugs.
She holds the folded paper out to him. "Spanish?"
"I don't know. He was pretty hot though."
"Jacquie," Roy scolds. The paper is flimsy between his fingers.
"What? I'm allowed to look."
"I bet you're parents would be proud to here that," Roy mutters.
He unfolds the sheet of paper and stands at the two words. "It's not in English."
Jacquie looks over his shoulder, "Maybe he doesn't know how to write in English."
"It's not like it's Chinese," Roy moans. Scrunching the sheet of paper up he stuffs it into his pocket.
Weariness burrows into his bones and embeds itself into his eyes. "Maybe you should go home. I can run the shop for a while," sympathy forces hesitation to catch in her voice. Roy shakes his head, "I'm fine."
***
Nate tightens his arms around his sister. She burrows her face into his shoulder in an frail attempt the muffle the twisted screams rising through the floorboards. "Que están dañando su!" Cristina sobs. "Shh," Nate soothes, smoothing her hair back.
He shifts away, gripping her thin shoulders. Her exotic olive skin is drained of colour. Tears glaze her dark eyes and bead around her thick lashes.
"Quedarme aqua," Nate says. He wanders away from her, walking quietly down the hall. Cooper trails behind him, cowering softly. "Stay boy," Nate mumbles, "Quedarme aqua."
Cooper whines and sits down. There's a glassy, pleading look in his brown eyes. Nate ignores him and walks down the hall. He stands in front of the basement door, swallowing the anxiety knotted inside his throat.
He quietly pushes it open. The light pierces through the dark revealing the shadowy figures of the five men. Adam, Joseph, Rick, Christian and Brock.
Ella lies splayed between them, sobbing weakly. Her auburn hair falls across her pale, dirt smeared face. The concrete floor has torn her knees, leaving them bloodied and raw.
"Natanael go back with your sister!" Rick snaps. Nate shakes his head, keeping his gaze firmly locked on Ella. Tears trickle in jagged paths down her cheeks. Her brown eyes shine through the dark, locking with his.
"Just tie her up. If he wants to stand there let him stand there," Joseph shrugs. Rick's jaw clicks tight and his eyes burn through him. He turns away and leans over Ella.
She screams wildly and desperately tries scurry away. His fingers tangle through her hair. Violently he hauls her to her feet. Her crying echoes around the claustrophobic basement.
Joseph slams Ella's fragile body against the cross and pins her down on the rough wood. "Tie her!" he snaps. Adam and Brock tighten thick ropes around her wrist.
Nate watches her body slump against the cross. She struggles against the hold of the ropes, kicking against the cross. Eventually her body falls limp and her lolls against the wood.
YOU ARE READING
Salvation
Teen FictionShe's his prize, his beautiful, flawless prize. She's his trophy, a girl he stole from the world. He holds her captive in the harsh shadows of the basement and tortures her. He loves her, charishes her every breath and lives off her every scream. He...
