Page 73

I gasp for air, my eyes shooting open. A low ceiling greets me above, braced by thick wooden beams blackened with age. The small fire burning a few feet away draws my attention, and smoke from the still-green wood fueling the fire chokes my lungs. Or maybe that's the bruised ribs from when that monster hauled me around.

Groaning, I roll onto my side despite the ache in every nook and cranny of my body. Last thing I remember, the beast placed a massive hand over my face when I wouldn't stop screaming. The lack of oxygen had swiftly knocked me out again. My muscles twitch, still flooded from the adrenaline that had spiked when I thought I was going to die without getting to tell Orion how sorry I am.

A fresh wave of guilt crashes through my chest, nearly as painful as the bruises blooming across my ribs. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment before forcing myself to observe my surroundings.

Rusted iron tracks emerge from the darkness behind me, cutting straight through the chamber before disappearing into another tunnel on the opposite side. An ancient mining cart sits crooked on the rails nearby, and strips of something leathery dry above the fire.

Squinting, I lean closer to get a better look, but immediately jolt backward when the charred edges of a belly button catch in the light.

Human fucking skin.

My stomach lurches. I push myself upright too quickly, and pain detonates behind my eyes as something metallic rattles beneath me. Glancing down, I finally take note of the thick iron cuff circling my ankle. It's connected to a length of rusted chain bolted into the cavern floor.

“What the fuck?” Panic floods my veins when I grab hold of the chain to try and yank it free, but someone speaks across the cave.

“It won't come loose.”

I freeze at the sound of that familiar, feminine voice.

Following the direction it came from, I gaze through the smoke to take in a figure huddled against the far wall, knees pulled to her chest. Dark hair hangs in greasy strands around her face, and blood coats the remains of a short, silky nightgown.

My mind refuses to believe what it's seeing, at least until she lifts her head. “Paula?”

Her face has changed. Not enough that I don’t recognize her, but enough that the flirty diner owner has vanished entirely. One eye is swollen, her lips are cracked, and bruises decorate both arms where the gown has torn away. A cuff matching my own clings to her ankle.

“Benji,” she breathes.

“What the fuck,” I say again, automatically trying to crawl toward her. The chain doesn't let me go far.

She lets out a shaky laugh that immediately dissolves into another sob. “I... I thought I was losing my mind.”

Glancing around the cave, I do my best to ignore the human flesh sizzling over the fire between us. “Where are we?”

“I was hoping you'd know.”

Wincing, I sit back down and poke around the metal cuff bruising my ankle. “Last thing I remember was being at Mary's. That thing crashed through her roof and kidnapped me.”

Paula sniffles loudly. “Is she okay?”

A hard swallow lodges in my throat. “I… don’t think so. She got knocked down, and when it took me out of the house, she wasn’t moving.”

Silence passes between us. When I look back up again, she's got her chin resting on her knees and a far-away expression on her face. Even from a distance, I can tell how glazed her eyes are against the crackling fire. She looks like hell.

“How long have you been here?” I ask, taking stock of her gaunt cheeks.

She hugs her legs tighter. “I don’t know. Lost track after a while. It's hard to keep count down here.”

“But… what about Earl? I just saw him at the gas station…” The look of pure rage that crosses her features steals the words right out of my mouth. Realization slams into me shortly after. “He gave you to the monster. Didn't he?”

Fresh tears streak down the dirt on her cheeks when she squeezes her eyes shut. “He drugged my coffee.”

“That son of a bitch.”

“I spent years thinking I'd finally married one of the good ones,” she rasps. “Until my own son disappeared. Then you and Gale died, and when he showed up with your damn car, I knew. And he knew that I did, too.”

Gazing at her quietly, I let disbelief and sympathy battle in my gut. Part of me wants to demand how she could be so ignorant; I mean, look at their house for fuck's sake. It's practically a mini mansion. Deadfall isn't exactly rolling in money, yet Earl somehow afforded to live in luxury. Where the hell did she think all that money came from?

But none of that matters right now. We both ended up in the exact same situation, anyway. She's just another person Earl decided was expendable the second his way of life became threatened.