I legged it towards the front of the house but before I reached the door I hesitated.
It was always locked. What if it was locked again? I would waste time and be stranded. Blake was right behind me.
So I ran up the stairs instead.
It felt as though my heart was about to leap out of my chest. Hammering like a drill, pounding in such a way that I could feel it in my bones, the rest of my body aching.
I leaped up the stairs as I heard Blake cry out from the kitchen, "I'm going to fucking kill you, Ophelia."
I believed him. So I ran faster.
I reached the top of the stairs and scrambled down the hallway, my chest pounding. I tried to remember which door was which, but my brain was getting muddled. Was this Gwen's bedroom or the laundry? The office or Blake's room?
I tried a random door.
Gwen's room.
But I could hear Blake coming, crying out in pain and fury, so I ducked inside and shut the door.
I looked around, surveying my options. I could hide under the bed, but he would see me as soon as he walked in. The closet, but that seemed to obvious. Which left the bathroom.
I ran towards it, hoping and praying that it had a lock.
I slipped inside and quietly shut the door, and bingo. There was a lock on the door. I flicked it closed and stepped back, trying to steady my breathing. I was hyperventilating like a stray dog, so I worked to try quiet down and get my breath back. Then, I crawled back and climbed into the bath tub. There was a window beside the tub, a strip of the room that matched the exterior windows, that was somewhat disconcerting to sit beside.
I could see the landscape unfolding to the east, the mountains rising up above, and glistening in the afternoon sunlight, the snow shining on the jagged peaks.
From here, I could see the valley of these foothills, and the helicopter pad sitting down in the base, a black bug amongst the white landscape. I could also see the outline of the road, still frozen over with ice, but not as snow-covered as I had anticipated. It looked like it had been salted recently, and the thought made me hopeful.
The rescue teams will be able to get through. If I wait, the girl from the rest stop would get her dad, they would storm in here and save me.
I glanced at the locked door, feeling relieved.
It would hold. I would be okay.
For a few moments, there was quiet. Then, I heard Blake moving outside. It sounded like he was coming up the stairs.
"Oh Ophelia," he called out. "Do you really think you can hide from me?"
Yes.
I heard him pulling open each door, s arching the room.
"Hmm, did Jackson show you his hiding place perhaps?" I heard him ponder loudly and I bit my lip. So he did know about that.
Thankfully I wasn't there. And he couldn't reach me from in here.
I kept my breathing even as he searched the other rooms until finally, I heard him come into Gwen's.
"You know, pet, I've never been a big fan of hide and seek. So I'll tell you what, if you come out, I promise I won't hurt you."
Yeah, as if.
I stayed where I was, listening as he moved around. Then he tried the door handle and I stilled. I heard him let out a dark chuckle.
"Oh, Ophelia, I had no idea you were so predictable. Now, my offer still stands for another 10 seconds. If you come out, I'll let this go. The knife..." he trailed off, gritting his teeth. "It was only skin deep, and I'm sure you didn't mean anything by it, right baby? So just come on out and we'll forget this ever happened, hey?"
I bit my lip, angry and confused. Gathering my courage, I called out, "You threatened to kill me, Blake. How do you expect me to believe you?"
He laughed dryly. "Oh, my rose. You know I love you too much to do that. Now come on, this is your last chance. Ten, nine, eight..."
He started counting down.
"Seven, six, five..."
I did not budge.
"Four, three, two..."
There was no way in hell I was opening that door.
"Come on, pet. Last chance."
He paused, as if expecting me to push open the door and wrap him in my arms. Oh, thank you for being so kind sir. You're so forgiving.
Tough chance.
"One."
Silence.
"Alright, my rose. You've made your choice. Whatever happens next is your fault."
I expected him to start barging the door or something, but instead I heard his footsteps walk away.
I let myself breathe again, still alert, waiting for something to happen. What was Blake's plan? Was there a set of keys somewhere? That didn't make sense because it was a mechanical lock. Was there another entrance? I looked around the room: unlikely.
But no, what he had planned was much worse.
I heard nothing for a few minutes. I tried to focus on the view outside, watching the trees move in the wind, watching the birds, taking in the landscape.
Then I heard footsteps again. More footsteps. Had Blake brought Gwen up from the basement?
But my heart sank when I heard a distinct little voice.
"What's going on, Blakey?"
Surely not. Surely he wouldn't.
"Nothing, Jackson, Ophelia is just being very naughty so we're going to get her to come out. You just sit on the bed there for a second and I'll..."
I heard the click of his belt buckle.
"Blake, don't you fucking dare," I cried out.
He laughed. "Oh my, my rose, language. Can't you hear children are around?"
My heart started pounding again. "Blake, I swear to god if you lay a hand on that boy-"
"You'll what? Complain to me through the doorway? You can't very well do anything when you're in there, can you, Rose?"
I clenched my eyes shut. I didn't trust him. I wished that I could guarantee that he would never do it, that he would never hurt Jackson, but I couldn't. He would. He probably already had.
"Now, Jackson, Ophelia is being naughty. What happens when someone is naughty?"
"They get punished," he said, sounding scared.
I climbed out of the bathtub and started looking around, frantically trying to find something to use, something to stop this from happening and get away. I heard the bed creak, as Blake sat down.
"Mmm, that's correct, Jackson. Now, because Ophelia is being naughty but won't come out for her punishment, someone else has to take her punishment. Isn't that right?"
"Yes daddy," he said.
There, a razor, in the bottom drawer. I pulled it out and tried to pull it apart.
"So you're going to be a good boy and take Ophelia's punishment for her, aren't you Jackson?"
I struggled to crack open the razor, desperately gripping the head and trying to tear it apart to pull out the blades.
Jackson was quiet for a moment, then, in a terrified voice he squeaked. "Yes."
"Good boy. You know the drill, up you hop on my lap."
I heard the bed creak again, and the sound of sniffling. Desperately, I pulled on the razor and accidentally sliced my hand in the process, crying out on pain.
"What was that?" Jackson asked. "Is Lia okay?"
"I'm fine baby boy," I called out. "And you don't have to do this for me, baby, Blake is the one being naughty."
Blake let out a dry laugh.
"Come on, my rose. You know how to end this. Don't you move, Jackson. We'll start with ten, and I won't hit too hard."
"Blake," I cried out, clutching my bleeding hand to my chest. "Please."
"Alright, are you ready Jackie? Three... two..."
I pushed open the door, holding up the still-intact razor with my bleeding hand.
"Let him go," I said, my voice hard.
He did, pulling Jackson off his lap then standing up.
"Okay, Jackson. Go downstairs to your room now.
Jackson looked across at me, his eyes filled with tears. "Lia, it's ok. I can has your punishment so you don't has to."
I shook my head, tears in my eyes. "No, Jackie. I wouldn't let you. I'm not going to let you get hurt, okay?"
"Is okay!" He exclaimed. "I done it before."
My heart broke. Before I could respond, Blake did, sounding annoyed.
"Go downstairs, Jackson. Now."
Jackson whimpered and ran out the room.
Blake watched him go then looked at me. And the razor held in my bleeding hand. He smirked.
"And what are you going to do with that, pet?"
He stepped closer, tilting his head, noticing the blood. "Other than cut your hand open, I suppose."
He stepped closer again, reaching out and shutting the bathroom door.
"Mmm, pet. First, you stab me. Then now you're showing me a razor. You know, I'm starting to think you're trying to tell me something."
"That I fucking hate you?" I hissed. He smirked.
"No, pet. That you want another marking. Was rose not enough for you?"
My heart raced in my chest. "Blake, the rescue services are probably on their way here as we speak. Please, just let us go."
"Hmm, let me think about it."
He stepped closer, so he was inches from me. Then he reached up and gently plucked the razor from my hand.
"Alright, I've thought about it. And if I'm done for, pet, you know what?"
"What?" I asked, my heart pounding.
"I'm gonna spend my last few hours of freedom doing what I love most. Which is, torturing you're miserable fucking body until you're fucking broken."
He clamped down on my arm and I screamed, trying to get away from him.
"Nuhuh, bitch. You're not getting out of this one, whore."
He dragged me by the arm, his hand like an iron grip, out the door and down the stairs.
He pulled me to the basement door and pulled a key from his pocket. As he forced it into the lock, he hissed at me. "You wanted to see what I did to Gwen, my Rose? Now you get to join her."
He shoved open the door and pushed me down. I stumbled on the stairs but managed to regain my footing. He slammed the door shut behind us then grabbed my arm again and forced me down. When we reached the bottom, he pulled me through the painfully still living room, then down the quiet hallway to the door at the end. My heart was thumping in my chest, my vision blurred. I was terrified of what he was about to do to me.
He paused for a second outside the torture room, looking down at me with a face full of disgust and anger.
"I thought you were smarter, Rose. I thought we had gotten through this shit. Yet even with all of my warnings, all of my examples, you still continue to resist me. And this time, there is no mercy. I'm going to fucking destroy you, Rose."
I let out a sob, feeling the hopelessness come crashing down on me. Gwen was right. There is no getting away from this man.
And all of a sudden I remembered what Blake said on that very first day, just after he had taken me.
"You are my rose. You will do as I say when I say it." He had said.
"And what if I don't?" I had asked.
"Then, I will kill you."
At that moment, I was wondering whether he would hold true to his promise. I was scared because I didn't know. I was scared because I didn't know whether or not I would come out of that room alive.
He pushed open the door.