Thirty Eight: Alex
Dominic snaps his phone shut and looks at me, "I don't think she liked that conversation very much Alex." I frown and a smile sweeps across his face.
I have so many things I could say to him right now. There are so many thoughts reeling, bursting at my brain, ready to come out but I can't say a word. If he hurts me… if anything happens to me Olivia will never forgive herself. If anything happens to my baby, not only will Olivia never forgive herself for that too… neither will I.
The two men head upstairs and I'm left alone again. I hear Dominic start to yell at Robert for coming down here in the first place. I get up and go over to the bottom of the stairs to listen.
"From now on, you only go down there when I tell you, you can," Dominic reprimands Robert.
"But you said to that detective lady…" Robert starts.
"I was just pushing that bitches buttons… but I wasn't lying about you breaking her in. I hate that detective. I want to teach her a lesson and we're using Ms. Cabot to do it."
Oh my God, I'm in for it. I've got to get out of here. I leave the stairs and look around the basement. I'm not going out like this. I look at the small window near the ceiling. There is no way I'm going to fit through that window… Or is there? How the hell am I going to get up there? I look down at the planks along the wall and I know I can't lift them. There's no way. I look at the hanging deer. Gross. I have to go near it.
I explore the rest of the empty basement. The deer is strategically hanging in front of the cellar doors that lead to the back yard. I push it aside to get to the handles. The deer's heavy, cold corpse rubs against my back as I discover the chained handles. I hear a heavy rainfall start to bounce off the metal doors. The sound startles me until I figure out what it is and the smell of the deer leaning against my back is gagging me. I pull my dress top up over my nose. I feel the chain in the darkness and it's rusty. It's obviously been there for ages.
"Dammit," I mutter to myself. I move away from the doors and comb the damp floor for anything I can use to pick away at the disintegrating barrier. My body is trembling terribly at the frigid air; my teeth chatter loudly. Being on the floor on all fours is only dropping my body temperature. The chill of the cement on my knees and legs is agonizing but I try to push the thoughts out of my mind. I comb the dirty ground with my fingers and find a long sturdy nail. This will have to do. I jump to my feet. I hear a knock at the front door and I go to the base of the stairs to listen.
"$13.52 Sir," an Asian accent comes through.
"What happened out there?" Robert jokes with the man.
"Sleet and rain coming down hard! Weather man say, it'll be like that for all of tonight!" the man exclaims.
"That sucks man, drive carefully," Robert says kindly to him.
"Thank you," he says and I hear the front door close and I smell the take out.
"Bring me a beer and turn this to channel four. The game is on." Dominic barks at Robert.
I decide this is the perfect time to get out. I go over to the door, pull the fabric over my nose and push the dead animal aside. I feel in the dark for the rusted parts of the chain. I'm not even going to waste my time with the lock. That's going to be impossible. I feel a weak spot and chip away at the broken metal. I hold the chain tight and stab the spot over and over with the nail. I feel little pieces break off. Yes! Maybe I can get out of here after all. I stab it over and over. The nail misses and I get myself in the hand. I suppress a yelp and keep going. I feel the weak spot get smaller and smaller until it falls. The clank the swinging chain makes causes my heart to stop and I hold my breath. I wait; listening for movement upstairs… nothing. I gently pull the chain from the handles and place it quietly on the floor.
I head over to the base of the stairs to make sure I'll have a good head start before they've figured me out. I hear them mumbling and the roar of the game on their big screen TV. It must be huge; the sound coming through the basement is out of control. Also judging by the size of the lodge itself, this family doesn't really go without.
I go back to the cellar doors. This is going to make a lot of noise when I open them. Maybe I should wait until they scream at the TV. again. Who knows how long that will take? However there sleet is masking a lot. I might just be able to get away with it. I just want to get out of here and I'm face to face, with what might be, my only chance. I trust Olivia to come but Dominic is mad now and he could do anything he wanted before she gets here. I'm not about to let myself get tortured.
I take a deep breath and I push the door. It doesn't budge. I take another deep breath and brace myself. In one swift movement I push with all my might. The rusted door cracks and I'm able to push it open. Oh thank god! It didn't make as much noise as I thought it would. I run up the stairs on my toes in my strapped on heels and turn to slowly close the heavy door.
I can see the men through the window. They are screaming at the football game. I see Dominic throw the remote control at the TV. I duck low and head for the woods. I see a lodge in the distance with lights on. That's my target. I just have to get up that hill and get help. I'm going to make it!
I walk slowly crouched under the windows until I am able to slip into the dark woods. Once cloaked by the dark shadows, I move as fast as I can in these heels towards the soft glow of my, soon to be, safety.