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“Hold on!” Suddenly, Carter slammed on the brakes. “Holy shit,” Carter cursed as he yanked the steering wheel sharply to the right to avoid hitting the young girl, who suddenly ran out of the forest and jumped into the road right in front of the SUV.
“What— Oh no! Look out!” Daphne screamed as the SUV veered, and her body lurched forward against the seatbelt. She threw her hands out in front of her, fingers clawing at the dashboard in desperation. “Oh God,” she whimpered with her heart hammering against her ribs as adrenaline flooded her system.
With a shriek of tires on the tarred road, the SUV shuddered to a stop mere inches from the massive tree directly in its path. For a brief moment, the world seemed to stand still, nothing audible except Daphne’s ragged breathing.
“Did we hit her? Carter? Did we hit her?” Daphne managed to gasp, her gaze fixed unblinkingly on the tree looming before them. Her fingers remained locked on the dashboard despite her brain urging them to let go.
“No, but something’s wrong with her. She hasn’t moved from the spot.” Carter’s voice was tense but steady. Gently grasping her rigid hand, he asked, “Are you okay, love? Did you get hurt?”
Shaking her head mutely, Daphne slowly dragged her focus back to the interior of the vehicle. “I’m fine... it’s j-just...” she stammered, her entire body beginning to tremble in delayed reaction.
Carter firmly clasped both her hands and gently pulled them free of their death grip on the dashboard. Daphne clung to him, the dopamine draining from her system and leaving her shaken.
“Th-The little g-girl. Wh-Where is she?” Daphne managed to ask through chattering teeth as she clung to him when her entire body began to shudder from delayed shock.
“Relax, Daphne. Breathe. C’mon. In and out,” Carter soothed, patiently guiding her through slowing her frantic breaths. “Good. Keep breathing. I’m going to check on the little girl.”
“Th-That’s good.” Daphne nodded jerkily, still struggling to calm her pounding heart. “Y-You go.”
With a brief nod, Carter stepped out of the SUV, and moved cautiously toward the little girl where she still stood like a statue in the middle of the road. As Daphne watched through the windshield, she noticed the child’s eyes grow wide with fear, how her small body became tense as she visually shuddered upon Carter's approach.
“Are you okay, little one?” His voice floated back toward Daphne as she looked on silently, all the while willing her body to stop trembling.
The little girl took a faltering step back, her face etched with raw terror as she gazed up at Carter’s tall, muscular frame looming over her. Though he spoke in a gentle, soothing tone meant to calm her, she only seemed to become more panicked.
“Oh, no. Stop!” Daphne called out as she quickly jumped out of the SUV and rushed over. A gentle hand on Carter’s arm stopped him in his tracks. “Let me. She’s obviously scared of men,” she said softly.
Carter stepped back with an understanding nod. Daphne turned to the frightened child. When the girl eyed her with open suspicion, she crouched down to her level.
“It’s okay, sweetie. No one’s going to hurt you. We’re here to help. You have nothing to be scared of. We’re going to take you home,” she murmured in a soothing voice as she opened her arms invitingly.
“Y-You’re not gonna take me back to th-that place?” The fear in the girl’s voice was palpable. Daphne looked over her shoulder at Carter. That place could only be where the girls were kept until they were well-groomed for whatever dark future was in store for them.
“No, honey. My name is Daphne, and this is Sheriff Carter Scott. I promise you, all we want to do is take you to safety.”
After another moment of hesitant trembling, the young girl rushed into Daphne’s embrace. She clung to her with her thin body wracking with sobs.
“I w-want to go h-home,” she cried brokenly.
“I know, honey. I know.” Daphne enveloped her in a comforting hug while gently stroking her hair. She had a hard time keeping her own tears at bay. “Shhh, it’s alright. We’ll take you home.” She continued murmuring calming words until the child’s tears slowed.
As the young girl lifted her face, Daphne saw an ocean of relief and trust in her red-rimmed eyes. The raw fear from moments before was gone, replaced by a fragile hope as she kept her small arms wrapped tightly around Daphne.
“What’s your name, little one?” Carter’s deep but tranquil voice wrapped around them. Still, the girl cringed, and her arms tightened the hold she had around Daphne’s waist.
“It’s okay. You can trust him. He’ll never hurt you.”
“M-My name is L-Lisa.” She looked briefly at Carter. “Lisa Whittle.” Refusing to release the stranglehold she had on Daphne, she was forced to walk to the SUV in a hunched-over position since Lisa was too big for her to carry. Daphne judged her to be around twelve years old. “Can we go home now, please, Aunty Daphne?”
Daphne felt emotion clog her throat at the child’s complete faith in her—this scared young girl seeking safety and comfort in her embrace. She hugged her closer, wishing she could shield her from whatever had caused such heart-wrenching terror.
“We’ll have to go to the precinct first, but then we’ll take you home,” Carter interjected gently. He smiled as fresh tears formed in her eyes. “Don’t worry. It won’t take long. I just need to get your parents’ details and prepare them for your return.” He hesitated, obviously loathed to keep asking questions, but Daphne knew it was necessary. “How long have you been in... that place?”
“I’m not sure. W-We were locked up in an underground dungeon. B-But we counted the days with marks against the wall. Today was the seventy-fifth day.”
“We? How many others are there?”
“I’m not sure.” She started crying again. “Th-There were many rooms, and I never saw the others, just heard them. In our room, there were f-fifteen girls.”
