I don’t understand this man or what he’s planning to do, but I also know going against him might not be the smartest thing in the world.
He throws open the door to my room. That same door that was locked before.
It’s almost as if I wasn’t a prisoner anymore.
But I know that can’t be true.
They can’t just let me go, not after all the trouble they went through to keep me here.
Soren barges through the door, and I follow him, curious to know what’s going on. As I exit the room and step into the hallway, my eyes home in on the other rooms in this house and see every other door being opened. Woman after woman is dragged out by a guard. The looks on their faces catch me by surprise. They’re as confused as I am as they’re pushed toward the stairs.
“What’s going on?” Instead of answering my question, Soren only grabs my arm and drags me with him.
We go downstairs with all the other women. For a second, my eyes connect with Olivia, a girl with long blond hair and bright blue eyes. We met once in a room downstairs when the men suddenly decided to let us interact.
I never once understood why they let us gather and talk.
Maybe it was because of that other girl, Amelia. All of us were there before she arrived, and during our short conversation, it didn’t seem like she was surprised to see us.
But it all ended so quickly, and I never saw them again, probably because they didn’t want us to conspire and risk an escape.
So why are we being gathered all at once like this?
Suddenly, I’m pushed to another side and into a hallway, away from the other girls who are guided toward the front door by a dozen other guards.
“Wait, aren’t we going with—?”
“No,” Soren interrupts. “Go.”
He pushes me farther, and I hurriedly glance over my shoulder at the other girls, lifting a hand in order to say goodbye. Even though I didn’t know them very well, we were all in the same boat. I don’t know if I’ll ever see them again, but the moment passes too quickly to properly say any farewell.
Soren pushes me beyond the stairs, down into the basement, and I swallow hard at the spiders hanging from the musty stone walls. This place looks ancient, even older than the house itself.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask again. I’m not expecting an answer, but I know I won’t get anything if I don’t keep asking.
He pushes on, beyond some old wooden doors with tiny windows in them that I dare not look through. This whole place reminds me of a tomb or a dungeon. Is this where they punished the ones who refused to bend to their will?
Just the thought makes me gulp hard as we go deeper into the corridor, all the way to the back, where Soren opens a door. Sweat creeps up underneath my shirt. I’m still wearing the same flannel outfit I went to bed in, and the cold makes my entire skin turn to goose bumps. I struggle to hide my peaked nipples from his penetrative gaze, and I cover my body with my arms in an effort to warm myself.
He marches into the room, and I follow, glancing over my shoulder to contemplate whether I could sneak out unnoticed. But when I turn my head around, his eyes are staring straight into my soul.
“Come.”
He sure doesn’t mince words. I sigh and realize there probably isn’t a way out for me without being noticed, so I go inside as well.
However, when I spot all the weapons hanging on the walls and the torture devices standing on the ground, I immediately halt.
What the …?
Panic swirls through my veins.
I was right.
This is a dungeon.
And people could’ve been behind those windows being tortured right now, but I was too afraid to look.
Soren grabs a bag lying on the table in the middle of the room and throws it over his shoulder, then he turns around to face me.
My eyes widen.
Is this the moment when he grabs me and ties me up?
Then shoves me into one of those rooms and locks me up, never to be seen again?
I swallow hard as bile rises in my throat, the thought of pain making me hurt already.
When he marches toward me, I raise my hands to protect myself. Even though I know it’s futile, I have to try.
I can’t let him put me in there.
I didn’t do anything.
I spin around on my heels and make a run for it.
Right then, his arms coil around my waist, and he lifts me from the ground. I squeal and punch at him, but he’s much bigger and much stronger than I am, and it feels like I’m an ant hitting a shoe.