Bella's POV
Darkness. A cool, smooth floor attacked the withering warmth in my cheeks. My hands were bound together by rope, frayed edges pinching the raw flesh of my wrist. The same rough material trapped my feet and held them captive to the frigid floor. I wearily opened my eyes, not ready for the bright rays of the sun to assault them. However, the brightness never came. I was captive to the darkness, in every literal sense.
I spread my hands out on the ground as my body slowly heaved itself up into a sitting position. A pounding in my head accompanied the simple movement, causing a groan to burst from my lips. My throat was sore and dry. I tried to swallow but an uncomfortable, burning sensation erupted.
I slowly lifted my head up, taking in my surroundings. Large, dimpled cement blocks lined the walls of the room. A small window resided on the wall behind me, too high for me to reach even without the constraints. The ceiling was covered with wood planks that held up the structure above. Weak, wooden stairs resided in the far left corner.
My survival instincts took over and I quickly looked to the ropes wrapped around my ankles. I pushed my knees together and wrapped my arms around them. Guiding my tied wrists to the material surrounding my legs, panic started to fill my mind.
How did I get here? Who took me here? And, more importantly, where is my captor? I looked around the room as my fingers negotiated with the rope. The wall behind me straightened along the length of the basement but stopped a few feet before it hit the back wall. The small gap could contain the thief, but I was far too concerned with escaping to care.
A sigh of relief escaped my lips as my fingers reached a loose loop in the intricate rope ties. I pulled until the material loosened and finally untangled. A small smile graced my lips as I kept repeating the process with the other knots until the material was free from my legs.
I looked down at my wrists, groaning at the thought of having to wait to get them off. The only thing I could use to undo the restraints is my teeth, which would take far too much time. Bracing my back against the wall, I used the muscles in my legs to haul myself to my feet.
Ignoring the ache in my head, I took off for the stairs. Adrenaline pumped through my veins, making each step sound like thunder to my ears. Chancing a glance at the gap in the wall, I noticed that the only thing residing in the indention was gym equipment.
I looked up the steps, noticing a large door sealed shut at the top. A chill ran up my spine. What if the door is locked? What if someone dumped me in a locked room with no escape? I darted up the steps, taking two at a time as fear settled upon me. As I reached the final step, the door snapped open.
I stopped. Clinging to the thin railing lining the stairs, I slowly looked up to the man looming in the doorway. He had dirty blonde hair held back by a flimsy rubber band. His jeans appeared tattered, with many holes scattered about. His plaid shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his chest covered by a white wife beater. The most stunning physical feature he possessed were his wild, red eyes.
"Please," I whispered, "You don't have to do this."
"Unfortunately for you, I do" he replied, his voice quivering with anticipation. Before I could utter another word, he hiked up his boot and kicked me square in the chest. The movement was so unexpected that I didn't have time to grip the railing. I tumbled down the stairs, the pain in my head increasing ten-fold.
He smirked, shoving the door behind him. I tried to get up, but a wave of pain racked my body and knocked me back to the ground. A tear slithered down my cheek before everything went black.
Edward's POV
The hum of the engine was deafening as I sped down the narrow roads. James left specific instructions and told me not to bother with a GPS. I was hesitant to follow them, but figured he was short on time to keep playing games.
My eyes flickered to the phone resting on the dashboard. No cops.
I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if I didn't seek out Charlie. It was his daughter on the line, yet I wasn't sure if James would be able to detect a police officer from around his hide-out. More importantly, what would he do to Bella if Charlie was discovered?
I shuddered at the thought. I grabbed my phone and tossed it into the floor board to avoid the temptation. Only I can deliver Bella back safely.
My fingers crawl over to the lukewarm coffee resting in my lap. As much as I hated to, I made a quick stop at a convenience store to fill up my tank and grab some liquid courage. I knew it would help me with the drive and staying alert, but I couldn't help thinking how much seconds matter in a case like this. He was desperate and feral, James could do whatever he wanted if he felt as though the police were on to him.
I groaned in annoyance at all of the negative thoughts roaming through my mind. Gripping the crumpled paper, I scanned over the directions for the millionth time.
Once you reach Bella's House, drive until you find a hidden road on the left. Follow that road down until you come across a dirt road off to the right. It should be surrounded by a tree with a large carving of a "J", my personal touch. Turn onto the road and coast down it until you reach an old, white house. That's where your precious Bella and I will be waiting.
I sighed and shoved the paper on the seat. I had already passed Bella's house, but I had yet to find the road. He had left specific instructions for how to get to the house after the turn-off, but very shady directions for how to find the road. I slowed the car down to 30, scanning the left side very closely.
A car honked behind me, the driver flailing his hands around in agitation. I pulled off on the side of the road to let him pass me. I may have flicked him the bird and muttered obscenities. It's not like he was on his way to save the love of his life from a deranged lunatic.
Since I was already pulled over, I decided to take the opportunity to soak in my surroundings before continuing the search. Houses lined both sides of the road in scattered clumps. Mailboxes poked out at the road, waves of green flowing everywhere. An alien planet, Bella would say.
I squinted through the trees, trying to make out something-anything-hidden in their vast depths. My eyes trailed across a line of bushes and trees placed a little too perfectly. Behind them, heavily concealed, was a narrow strip of a road.
A sigh of relief passed through my lips as I eagerly whipped the car back onto the road. I turned onto the hidden turn-off and sped down the small strip. I found the dirt road he mentioned without any trouble, the trademark carving easy to identify.
My car crawled down the driveway. I studied the ancient building in front of me, wondering how it had yet to be condemned. The panes on the windows were chipped, revealing the filthy brown coating beneath. Shattered glass from the window rested in the grass, pointing up like knives. A withering, wooden porch supported the crumbling front door.
From the front, it appeared to be a one story house. As you moved around to the back, the hill sloped downwards and revealed another floor. I parked the car, staring at the bottom floor. I knew Bella was in there, I could feel it deep within me. Without another thought, I shot out of the car and pounded on the front door.
Bella's POV
A ringing in my ears, an ache in my head, and a soreness to my body greeted me as I slowly woke up for the second time. I opened my eyes, allowing my memory to slowly return to me. He was nowhere in sight. I could remember a stroke of familiarity upon seeing his face. At the time, I was too afraid to acknowledge any sort of connection with the monster. Yet the more I thought of those cold, red eyes..the more I seemed to feel a stir in my memories.
I thought back to the woods, the argument I had with Edward. I knew the reason I had amnesia, but at the time I couldn't recall the man's face that had tried to shoot Edward. Now, as I sat here on the cool, creaky wood, I could remember with perfect clarity. The man who had shot me was the same man who had kidnapped me. James.
My breath hitched as I recalled the events after the incident. Edward had promised that James had been locked away, so how was he able to take me?
I pushed the questions out of my mind. I could worry about them later, I had more pressing issues to attend to. With a painful groan, I managed to once again pull myself into a sitting position. I looked down and noticed a pool of blood resting beside where my head was.
I swallowed. The rusty, metallic smell assaulted my senses. I took deep breaths, struggling to stay conscious and focus only on escaping. Once I felt as though I was in control of my body, I opened my eyes to once again take in my surroundings.
The basement looked undisturbed, the same emptiness radiated throughout the large space. Aside from the gym equipment, it was still completely bare. Which meant that James most likely hadn't been down here since he sent me tumbling down the steps.
I looked up the stairs, noticing with a pang of annoyance that the door was still shut. Mustering all the strength my feeble body possessed, I leaned forward and started a slow pace towards the bottom step. The crawl was deafening in the silence, but I was sure that James wouldn't be able to hear it from upstairs.
I spread my hands out on the second to last step and heaved myself up onto the bottom slab of wood. I took a deep breath, easing the ache in my head before I repeated the motion. As I slowly climbed the stairs, I heard voices echoing from upstairs.
Their words were muffled and it was hard to distinguish who the voices belonged to. I inched up the stairs faster, ignoring the throbbing in my head. As I got closer, I could easily hear James' snarling voice.
Another step. I was three quarters of the way to the top and I had no intention of stopping.
A few steps later, I was greeted with the sound of another voice. I smiled, the velvety sound of his voice reaching my ears. Edward.
Relief coursed through me as I finally hauled myself up to the final step. I pressed my ear to the door, listening to the arguments unfolding from behind the door.
"Quit playing games, James. I'm here with no cops, just as you requested. Now let me see her," he growled. Sensing that he wasn't going to aid Edward, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I intertwined my fingers together and pounded the door with the side of my hands.
"Edward!" I yelled through the door. My name came out in a gasp from his lips. I smiled, relief filling me like water in a swimming pool. Tears dripped down my cheeks, this nightmare was finally over.
I felt a tug on the door but it didn't open.
"Edward?" I questioned. Shuffling sounded from outside the door. I heard Edward grunt in pain as the noises became louder. I knocked on the door, trying to offer a distraction. The movements didn't stop. There was more banging around, the steps vibrating as they tumbled to the floor in sync.
"Edward, are you okay?" I whimpered. No response. Another moan of pain erupted but I couldn't tell who it came from. Another shuffle echoed through the door and then silence. My breath stopped as fear gripped me. What if Edward had been hurt? I didn't care what James did to me, my only concern was for him.
A gunshot echoed throughout the house.
"Edward!" I screamed in agony. Sobs racked my body as I desperately pounded on the door. Silence. Slow breathing and heavy footsteps moved closer to the door. Tears fell down my face at an erratic pace. The doorknob turns and slowly the door opens.
Another cliffy :) I epically fail at updates, I'm sorry for that. I was going to make this a filler chapter, but I'm not sure when I will be able to update next so I decided to give y'all some action. The next chapter entails Edward's trip inside the house and what happened between him and James. What did you think? Love it? Hate it? Please R&R!
