AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“A couple of d-d-days,” he stutters.
“It was you at the other cabin yesterday? Fuck!” Sawyer shouts, and I jump. “How did you get in?” Matt doesn’t answer, and Sawyer fires another bullet, this time into his knee. Matt groans, and I scream, shuffling backward and away from them. “Answer me, unless you want a bullet in your head.”
“Spare k-k-key.”
“Where’s the girl?” Matt shakes his head, and I close my eyes, waiting for Sawyer to shoot him again. “The girl!” he yells. “Where is she?” Matt still doesn’t answer, and Sawyer reaches for him. “Get up, you piece of shit.” With his gun still trained on him, Sawyer uses his other hand to drag Matt across the decking toward one of the patio chairs. Matt screams as Sawyer pushes him onto the chair, his hand pressing into the wound on his shoulder.
“Tell me where she is before I put a bullet in your other kneecap,” Sawyer shouts.
“Attic,” he groans out.
“Hallie, baby… I need you to fetch me the duct tape from the drawer in the kitchen. Can you do that?” His voice is soft and like the Sawyer I know, and I nod, even though he can’t see me, his eyes still fixed on Matt. “Hallie?” he repeats my name when I don’t answer him.
“Yes,” I whisper. “I can get it.” I stand on shaky legs, realizing I’m still holding Matt’s gun. It feels like it’s burning a hole into my skin, and I want to toss it away from me.
“I have his gun,” I say to Sawyer, my voice breaking. “What shall I do with it?”
“Bring it to me, sweetheart.” Without taking his eyes off Matt, he holds out his free hand, and I move slowly toward him, pressing the gun into his hand. He does something with the safety and slides it into the waistband at the back of his shorts.
Turning, I run into the cabin, not stopping until I reach the kitchen. Throwing open drawer after drawer, I pull things out, looking for the duct tape. Finally, after what feels like hours but is possibly only a minute, I find it. Snatching it up, I run back outside.
When I reach the patio, Sawyer and Matt are nowhere to be seen. Panic begins to form as I spin in a circle, my eyes wide with fear.
“I’m in the den, Hallie,” Sawyer shouts, and I close my eyes, relief sweeping over me. When I get in there, Matt’s sat slumped in the patio chair, but there’s now blood coming from his head, and he’s unconscious. His head hangs down, and I think Sawyer must have hit him with the butt of the gun.
“I’ve got it,” I say, holding the duct tape in the air.
Sawyer finally puts his gun away and brings Matt’s arms around the back of his chair. I pass him the tape, and he secures Matt’s hands together behind him. He then duct-tapes each of his legs to the chair before taping his mouth. When he’s sure Matt’s secure, he walks toward me, his face soft.
“Come here.” He opens his arms, and I throw myself at him, his arms wrapping around me. Tears streak down my face, and I can’t stop them. My whole body is shaking. “It’s okay, you’re safe. It’s all over,” he soothes, stroking my hair. “It’s all over.”
My legs give way, and we both sink to the floor, holding onto each other. I’ve no idea how long we sit there, but eventually, my tears subside, and my breathing evens out. Glancing over Sawyer’s shoulder, Matt is still unconscious, and I’m glad. I don’t want him to wake up. Ever.
“Baby, I think the young girl Bryant took might be in the attic at the cabin. I need to go and see. The police are coming, but they’ll be a while.”
My fingers grasp onto the material of his T-shirt, and a fresh wave of panic threatens to overwhelm me. “Don’t leave me here with him!”
“I would never leave you here.” He strokes my hair until my breathing evens out and then pulls me up to stand. “Let’s get you out of here.” He guides me out of the den, not allowing me to look back. As he closes the door, the lock clicks behind us.
Taking my hand, he leads me outside and around the lake toward the neighboring cabin. “I’m going to need to check the house is secure, so I’ll be going in with my gun, okay?” I nod, and he squeezes my hand. He knows I hate his gun, but I have to admit, I’m glad he had it with him today.
As we get closer, he reaches behind him, pulling his gun from the waistband of his shorts. Dropping my hand, he makes eye contact, putting his finger to his lips before pushing me behind him. Nerves swirl in my stomach as we stop outside the front door. Reaching into the pocket of his shorts, he pulls out a key. He must have taken it from Matt once he’d knocked him unconscious. Opening the door, I stay close to his back as he checks through all the rooms before heading upstairs. When he clears the upstairs too, he turns to me.
“You okay?”
I nod and point to the hatch that leads to the attic. “How are we going to get up there?” I whisper.
“I’m sure I saw some ladders in one of the rooms. Hang on.” He disappears for a few seconds, returning with a large ladder. Putting his gun back into the waistband of his shorts, he leans the ladder against the wall and climbs up, slowly opening the hatch. I follow him and watch as he climbs into the attic. Reaching for his gun, he keeps it low by his leg as he turns and helps me up.
There is power up here, and the light is already on. Boxes litter the large space, and my eyes flit from one side to the other. “Poppy,” I shout. “Are you here?” We’re met with silence, and my heart sinks. Matt could have been talking about any attic, or he could have been lying completely. “We’re not here to hurt you. Matt’s been caught. You’re safe now,” I call out, trying again. Suddenly, soft crying comes from the other side of the room. I grab Sawyer’s hand. “She’s here!”
Sawyer starts to walk toward where the crying is coming from, and I pull on his hand.
“Can I go? She’s going to be scared.” He squeezes my hand and nods.
Crossing the attic, I negotiate boxes and paintings, the soft crying getting louder the closer I get. A large pile of stacked boxes is right in front of me, and when I round them, a young girl is sitting on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chin. Her eyes are wide, and her face is pale as tears stream down her cheek.
“Hey, Poppy. My name’s Hallie. We’ve come to take you home. It’s over, sweetheart. You’re safe, I promise.”
