Vanessa.
Vanessa.
My eyes flew open, and I shot to a sitting position with my hand pressed to my chest and sweat beading on my forehead. I gasped in breath after breath as flashes of the past flooded my mind in vivid color, one after another.
When I opened my eyes, I saw a little girl sitting on a bed staring at me. She looked like me, almost exactly like me. Her eyes widened when she saw me look at her. She gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Vanessa?” In a flash, she was across the room hugging me. “I’m so glad you came back. I thought I would never see you again. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Your name is not Harper! It’s Vanessa. The sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be. Time for another lesson,” he screamed before I felt the streak of fire across my bare back.
“What happened to you, Vanessa? You don’t act the same as you did before the accident. Why don’t you remember our secret handshake or our favorite hiding places?”
“If you would do as you're told, I wouldn’t have to keep doing this,” he spat. Then he whipped me with his belt over and over and over.
“You motherfucker! What the fuck are you doing to my sister?” my brother bellowed. My brother! Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. Duke was there to save me. “Close your eyes, Harper! Now!” I did as he asked. Sounds of flesh meeting flesh and bones being broken followed. My bound hands prevented me from plugging my ears, so I started humming to try and drown out the noise. Suddenly, Duke was in front of me, removing the ropes and sliding a shirt over my head. “He’s dead. Take one look at him, and then I’m getting you out of here.”
I ran to the bathroom, dropped to my knees in front of the toilet, and vomited what little bit of bile and acid was in my stomach.
“It was just a dream,” I repeated to myself. They were all dead, and there was no way the Vines had anything to do with abducting me this time. The dreams were to be expected given my history.
With my elbows propped on the toilet seat and my hands cradling my face, I recalled something Ember said when she was teaching us some self-defense moves.“Use whatever you can as a weapon.”I looked up and knew exactly what I was going to use.
I had no idea how much time passed before I had an opportunity to put my plan into action. It had to have been hours, possibly even a day, but I couldn’t be certain. It was enough time for me to eat a sandwich and some chips and become hungry enough to eat again.
I was starting to get sleepy, but the moment I heard someone at the door, I jumped to my feet, grabbed my weapon, and got myself into position. The door slowly opened, and a woman stepped into the room carrying bags in each hand. I didn’t hesitate. I moved from behind the door and swung the toilet tank lid as hard as I could at the back of her head.
She went down to her knees with a groan of pain. She started to turn her head toward me as I swung the lid again, causing me to hit the side of her head. She went down, and the sound of her head bouncing off the concrete floor had me close to puking all over her. I managed to contain it and swung the lid one more time for good measure.
I thanked the lucky stars above that her keys flew out of her hand when she fell and landed not far from my feet. I grabbed the keys and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind me. With shaky hands, I found the correct key and breathed a sigh of relief when the lock slid home.
Judging by the concrete walls, lack of windows, and set of stairs, I was in a basement. Unsure of what I may find beyond the walls surrounding me, I picked up a piece of wood and quietly climbed the stairs. I pressed my ear against the door and listened. When I didn’t hear anything, I unlocked the door and cracked it open. That’s when I heard something.
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
What the hell?
I remained frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do. What if there was someone else in the house? Would I be able to get out unnoticed? Would I have to fight them off with only a piece of wood? It didn’t matter. I couldn’t stay in the basement with a psycho. I took a deep breath and slowly pushed the door open. The noise was significantly louder.
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
I waited and listened, but I couldn’t tell where the noise was coming from nor did I have any idea what it could possibly be.
Clank.
Clank.
Clank.
Creeping forward, I tried to ignore my fear and find a door or window. Every time I heard the strange sound, it felt like my heart stopped for a few beats.
Clank.