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I woke up with a jolt.
The night was dreamless. For the first time in weeks, I had no nightmares. I didn’t wake up during the night, shaking in fear, covered in a cold sweat. I didn’t dream of him doing inappropriate things to me, or the way I always responded to his touches.
It was a peaceful night, as peaceful as it was possible.
I blinked, taking in my surroundings.
The first thing I noticed was that my hands and legs weren’t restrained. A small sigh of relief slipped from me, and that meant I’d grab the first opportunity to escape. My nerves were acting out, and I struggled to calm my breathing.
My hand was on my chest, as if that was going to help me regulate my breathing.
This whole place was too familiar.
The old dresser in the corner, the big wardrobe that spread across the entire wall, the small desk in front of the gigantic window. I was confused, but then my eyes widened in surprise. Even the mattress I’d slept on felt way too familiar.
This was my father’s cabin, the one he sold a year ago.
How the hell did I end up here? More importantly, this proved just how insane this man was.
What happens when the people who own the cabin show up? It was wintertime. There was nothing for miles, and the snow was too beautiful. This was a perfect winter wonderland. Someone was bound to come and then find two strangers inside of their cabin.
Unless, the worst had happened.
What if he had found the owners and killed them?
The thought made shivers run down my body. It was the worst possible scenario, and I absolutely loathed it. Was that my fault as well? And how the fuck did he know about this place? I’d never publicly said a word about the cabin, nor had pictures of it. So, how did he find out?
I pushed the darker thoughts to the back of my head and focused on the task at hand. Scanning the room, I licked my bottom lip. It had gotten dry, which was another proof that his place felt too familiar.
For reasons unbeknownst to me, whenever I visited this place, whether it was summer, winter, spring or fall, my skin got dry. Lips as well. It took a while after going home for me to repair the damage.
I blinked.
Unless something had changed in the time I was here, then I knew every little detail of this cabin. I knew the ins and outs, even the hidden basement that was underneath that atrocious green rug in the living room.
Slowly, I threw the covers off my body and rose to my feet. I was grateful beyond words that he didn’t remove any of my clothes, aside from my coat, boots and socks. My feet felt too cold, but a pair of fluffy, warm-looking slippers were next to my bed.
I made my way towards the door, feeling warmth fill my feet, but the rest of my body suddenly chilled. Goosebumps appeared. I was mainly curious. Yes, curiosity killed the cat, but who wouldn’t be curious in situations like these?
What the hell did he want from me? Why not kill me, just like he did to his victims?
‘‘Calm down, Storm,’’ I breathed out. ‘‘He obviously wants something from you and won’t kill you until he gets it.’’
My mind was flooded with memories from last night. He looked truly disturbed in the head. That sinister grin made me choke on air. It was the first time I’d experienced anything like that. And it made my mind fill with thoughts, half of which I was not supposed to have.
Slowly, I placed my hand on the doorknob, twisted, and pulled.
I expected that he would’ve locked me in, but I couldn’t say I wasn’t relieved to find the door unlocked. I peeked my head through, looking left and right before stepping outside of the room.
I winced at the sound of the squeaky laminate floor beneath my feet.
The new owners had yet to repair it.
This cabin wasn’t too complex. It had two floors. On the top floor were two bigger bedrooms, and a smaller one, with two bathrooms. The bottom floor had a kitchen with a dining area, a living room and a small hallway.
The main reason my father kept it for as long as he had, given that the size of our family didn’t match the size of the cabin, was because we only had one joint vacation here. The rest of them were split, dad with the boys, mom with the girls.
He sold it, saved up some money and bought a bigger one, in hopes our family could vacation together in the future.
