Chapter Eighteen
Hadley
"She's pretty," came a gruff voice.
I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed whoever was talking about me would think I was still asleep.
"Did I do good, Pops?" asked Caden.
Pops? Where am I? What has Caden done?
I could hear what sounded like a hearty pat on the back.
"Yes, you sure did," came the unfamiliar voice, followed by a chuckle. "She's pretty too."
My heart thumped rapidly in my chest. Does Caden's dad think this is normal? What the hell is wrong with this family!
"Do you think we can bring her in the house?" asked Caden meekly.
Someone cleared their throat and spit.
"I don't know..."
"She'll be different from the others," pleaded Caden. "I promise!"
The others? Did Caden bring Bianca and London out here?
"Mmmm, why don't we give her a few more days out here first. If she doesn't cause any trouble, you can bring her in Sunday, after we get home from church."
Church? You think it's okay for your son to kidnap someone and then go to church like it's no big deal?
"Okay, Pops," said Caden. "That sounds fair."
Fair? Is Caden's entire family deranged?
"Now, come help me get lunch ready. You can let her sleep a little bit longer," said Caden's father.
Even though he said nothing, I could sense Caden's hesitation.
"She'll be here when you get back," said his father in a cold voice.
"Yes, sir," responded Caden quietly.
The sounds of footsteps retreating filled the air.
Are they gone? Too scared to open my eyes, I counted to fifty and forced myself to take ten deep breaths.
Peaking out of one eye, I took in dilapidated structure. Sunlight filtered in through the rotting wooden siding and splayed out in patterns on the dirt floor.
Confident that Caden and his father were gone, I opened the other eye and tried to sit up. Immediately met by a sharp pain, I laid back down.
Since Caden had taken me, he had drugged me on several occasions. Upon waking up from those terrifying experiences, I always had a pounding headache and dealt with an upset stomach the rest of the day.
I focused on my breathing and tried to calm the stabbing pain.
After a few minutes, I slowly eased into a sitting position, rubbing my temples and trying to ignore my unsettled stomach.
Is this Caden's family home? Is this barn on his family's property? If I start screaming, will anyone hear me?
The chains holding me against my will clanged together as I stood up.
There's got to be a way out of here, I thought as I looked around the old barn.
I glanced at the chains tethering me to the cement block in the corner of the horse stall. Trying to flex my wrists, I winced. The cuffs were tighter then usual and dug into my flesh.
Maybe I can crack them off if I bang them on the cement?
I crouched down and tried to hit the edges of the cuffs against the cement that the chains were embedded in. Pain immediately shot through my wrists and reverberated down my arms.
With tears in my eyes, I tried again and again. Come on! Please break! Please!
Ignoring the pain, I didn't stop until blood ran down both wrists and dripped on to the floor.
Collapsing, I brought my hands to my eyes and cried. I hadn't experienced an emotional outburst like this in weeks. But when the chance of rescue had presented itself the day before, something inside of me turned back on. I wanted to live. I wanted to get away from Caden and go back home.
Wiping a tear away from my eyes, I gasped. The blood coating my wrists allowed the cuffs to slide with ease.
With trembling hands, I slowly eased one of the cuffs up my wrist and attempted to squeeze it over the biggest part of my hand. The pressure built up and I eased it back down.
This is going to hurt, but it might be your only chance, I told myself. You can get through the pain, Hadley.
I looked down, spit on the cuffs, and slowly moved them up my wrist.
"Okay, it's now or never," I whispered to myself.
Closing my eyes and biting my lip, I held the cuff with one hand pulled my other wrist down. The excruciating pain shooting through my wrists took my breath away.
You're almost there! Just a little bit more, I told myself.
Then, with one final tug, my hand went free.
Opening my eyes, I gazed at my trembling hand and immediately slapped it over my mouth, covering a scream of triumph.
You're half way there!
The possibility of freedom coursed through my body as I spit on the other cuff. After several minutes, I managed to free my other hand.
YES! I DID IT!
Not wasting a further moment, I jumped up to my feet, grabbed the granola bar in the corner of the stall and tugged on the stall door.
My heart sank. A large padlock held the door in place. Not willing to give in to defeat, I quickly looked around and studied the stall.
I pressed against different boards in the stall and against the wall of the barn. Although the boards seemed weaker, I wasn't able detect an area that I could easily break through.
"Oh my love, are you awake yet?"
I froze.
"Hadley?" called Caden's voice. "It's time to get up."
Dropping to the ground, I curled up into a little ball. I pressed the handcuffs against my stomach, hidden from sight. Is it just Caden or is he here with his father again?
The release of the padlock opening kicked my adrenaline into overdrive.
Convincing myself it didn't matter if Caden's dad was there or not, I knew it was my last chance to get away from this psychopathic family once and for all.
As Caden's footsteps got closer, I tensed up and prepared for battle.
"Hadley," he said lightly touching my shoulder. "How are you-"
But before he could finish his sentence, I reached up and grabbed his wrist. Pulling down with all of my might, I caught Caden off guard and his body easily crashed into the ground.
Without a moment of hesitation, I kicked him in the stomach repeatedly, forcing the air from his lungs in the process. Leaving Caden gasping, I grabbed the chains and wrapped them tightly around his body, pinning his arms to his sides. Looking over my shoulder, I raced to the door and grabbed the padlock. I rushed back and managed to secure the chains together, tightly wrapped around Caden's midsection.
Caden's jaw dropped and his bright blue eyes widened. "Wh- wh- what are you doing, Hadley," he stammered.
"You're never going to put your hands on me again," I seethed. Kicking him once more, I turned and sprinted toward the open barn door.
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Dearest Undies/Undertakers/Fundies/Funders/Underians/Lovelies,
OMG! How intense was this chapter! I seriously looked like this the entire time I was writing it ---> 0_0!
I can't wait to hear what you think of the chapter, Pops, and the ending! EEK!
Also, three things!
1) Have you checked out the #WattpadBlockParty - Summer Edition yet? It is going SOOOO WELL! I shared "The Untold Ending" for Captured. If you've already ready my debut Wattpad novel, Captured, definitely check it out! BUT, if you haven't read Captured yet, maybe wait until you finish before checking out my post, as it contains a MAJOR SPOILER ALERT!
2) I recently was asked by the awesome people at Wattpad HQ to participate in the #WhereIWrite campaign on Periscope! I had a ton of fun sharing my writing space with loads of Wattpadders yesterday! In case you missed it, here's the link: https://t.co/UQTGnPHa5B
3) I ended up having so much fun interacting with everyone on Periscope that it got me thinking. I'd like to have a regular segment on Periscope where I answer questions, talk about all things writing, give tips, and hang out with fans! I threw the idea out on Twitter and had an amazing response! What do you all think? Would you like to join me on Periscope one a week/month? If so, what topics would you like to see me cover?
I'm super excited to hear your thoughts on everything!
Hearts,
Kelly Anne Blount xoxo