Ch. 10

Elise was breathing hard. She could feel her heart beat in her ears. I can’t take this, she thought. Her eyes danced around the room, searching for a source of light, and an exit. Get me out of here, NOW!!! For some reason she found she couldn’t talk. She couldn’t even feel the tears running from her face onto her dress.

 

The chains around her wrist were now cutting into her skin from trying to struggle free. When she was little, her mom told her never to give up, but her will to live was running out.

 

Elise couldn’t move her body, and half-hearted sobs came out with tears and gasps of breathe. She was still staring at the reflection in the mirror in front of her. No matter what, she couldn’t look away. She couldn’t close her eyes. Now, the person staring back at her seemed so unfamiliar.

 

Elise bent over on the side again and dry-heaved. She ended coughing up blood. Exhaustion took over, and Elise quickly fell into unconsciousness.

 

 

 

 

Kaedon’s eyes fluttered until he could open them completely. He looked around. Gray cold stone walls surrounded him. He felt like a volcano was about to erupt in his stomach, and he bent over to his side and puked up blood and stomach acid.

 

Chains gripped his wrists, but he had no energy to even lift his arms. Nausea swept over him like an ocean at high tide. The scent from the car still lingered in his nostrils. What is going on, he thought dazed.

 

Quickly, his thoughts flashed to Elise. He panicked as his pulse quickened. His head started throbbing and he screamed out in pain. He had lost everything, even Elise. He was upset at himself, and he couldn’t even save the one thing that meant the most to him. Tears trickled from his eyes. Kaedon looked up as he heard a door shut.

 

“I’m afraid I’ve never seen you cry,” a mysterious man lifted Kaedon’s chin up. “I wonder how much you really love Elise.” His voice sent a chill through Kaedon’s spine. He vaguely recalled this man from the car.

 

Kaedon jerked away. “You shut up about her. If you hurt her, I swear…you’ll pay.”

 

“That’s big talk for someone who’s chained up right now,” the mysterious man gawked. “That’s big talk for someone who couldn’t even save the person they supposedly love.”

 

Kaedon’s eyes shot open as his eyes welled up with tears.

 

The mysterious man continued. “Now, just think of what will happen to poor Elise. But, what would you have done even if you caught up to her? I mean, you allowed yourself to be distracted, and now look where you are. You wouldn’t have been able to even rescue her. You’re pathetic.”

 

Kaedon looked up and spit on him. “Shut the up. You’re sick.”

 

The mysterious man frowned. “You disgust me,” he walked out.

 

After a few moments, Kaedon just screamed at the top of his lungs, than tears poured from his eyes.

 

“Elise…I am so sorry….”

 

Out of nowhere, exhaustion overcame him, and willingly, he shut his eyes, hoping this would all be some bad nightmare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is this, she thought to herself. Somehow, she was swimming underwater, surrounded on all sides by it. When she rose to the surface, she was on a beach where her and her mom went when she was little.

 

She saw her and her mom playing ball, laughing and giggling. Then, as that passed, she noticed a dark looking man. He gave off a creepy aura, and all he did was stare intently at her mom.

 

When she looked at him, he didn’t seem to notice her. She went back to go look for her mom, and couldn’t find her. The man had disappeared also.

 

She spun around in circles, shouting out her mom’s name. No one responded. She continued calling out her mom’s name over and over but no would ever answer.

 

Dazed and dizzy, she started hearing herself repeated, like echoes, in her head. When she turned around, her head spun as terror struck her entire body. The man faced her and went to go grab her.

 

She spun around again and ran towards the water. She could hear herself in her head screaming, over and over. So many voices all at once.

 

She quickly found herself underwater again, trying to go up for hair. She was drowning, and she would go up to gasp in water and air, and then go back under again. When she looked up one of the times, she saw her mom the way she was left after she was murdered, and started screaming.

 

Elise woke up screaming at the top of her longs, and silently cried while calling out for her mom. Sweat beads lay on her forehead. I want to get out of here, she cried. She was balled up, covering her legs with her arms, and rocking back and forth on the cold concrete. Tears were obvious as they streamed down her face.

 

“…mommy…..,” she whispered, “….where are you…..”

 

 

She continued crying, and for the most part she wasn’t even sure why. She still couldn’t get herself to talk before choking down her tears. Maybe it was because she was scared that the mysterious man would come in again. Or, maybe it was because she kept hearing strange noises next door and she didn’t want it to hear her.

 

What could it be, she thought to herself. She was still sitting on the ground wrapped up in a ball. Whatever it was kept banging on the wall, each time more startling. Then, to make things worse, she kept hearing her name.

 

Stop it, she pleaded in her head. More and more tears streamed silently down her pale cheeks. She realized it sounded a lot like Kaedon.

“…Kaedon…,” she whispered. She heard her name again. “Kaedon?” Her tears stopped midstream, and she crawled to the wall. “Kaedon, is that you?” she whispered for fear of it being someone else.

 

“…Elise…,” the voice whispered.

 

Elise’s heart throbbed as she put her ear to the cold concrete. “Kaedon? Where are you?”

 

“Liz? I’m in some room. It’s cold in here. No windows. Where are you?” Kaedon whispered back.

 

“I’m in a room too. I’m freezing and my body is in so much pain,” Elise choked in tears. “Are you ok? Were you hurt?”

 

“I wasn’t really hurt. But I’m scared. We’re going to get out of here though. I promise babe.”

 

Even though he said that, things still looked very gloomy. Right now, they were both chained up in adjacent walls. There wasn’t much of a chance of escaping right now.

 

They stayed quiet for a little while, but it was comforting to know each other was there. After a little bit of silence, Elise managed to ask something that had been on her mind.

 

“Are we going to die…like my mom, Kaedon?”

 

Kaedon froze at the question. He never thought that it would ever come up, but how could it now?

 

“Babe,” Kaedon chose his words carefully, “We’re going to be fine. We’ll make it out of here. I love you, and I promise…”