Chapter 66
Cameron slowly opened her eyes. Her body ached from the heavy blows Steven had inflicted upon her only a short time ago. It was a miracle he hadn't killed her. She knew that the longer she remained with him, her death would be inevitable.
She needed to clear her head and think about what her next step of action should be… if there was even one take. The thought of moving was agonizing but the floor was hard and cold and the thin mattress she had grown accustom to over the past several days, actually sounded appealing at the moment. As she tried to sit up, a sharp pain shot up her arm causing a tiny cry to escape her lips. She laid back down on the floor, remembering that she had used her left hand to break her fall causing her wrist to break. She had no idea how bad the break was but she could still move her fingers, which was a good sign.
As she was trying to sit up again, a cold chill swept across her skin and she was suddenly aware of a presence beside her. She slowly turned her head to find herself staring into the face of Steven Mayer. Fear instantly consumed her. His eyes were closed and there was dried blood caked down his forehead and across his nose. It took a moment for Cameron to realize that he was unconscious. She was trying to comprehend the situation as to why he was laying on the floor next to her because the last thing she remembered was him standing over her before she passed out.
Careful not to put any pressure on her broken hand, she moved her body around, discovering that Steven's feet were tangled up in the chain that was still attached to her. It was then she realized that he must have tripped and fell against the metal beam, knocking himself out. She actually had to stifle a giggle at the thought of him doing this. However, survival instincts quickly kicked in, knowing that this might be her only time to find a way to escape. She began to access the situation and looked around the dark room, letting her eyes travel up the stairs to see that the small door in the ceiling was still open, then falling on Steven again. She stared at him for a long time, watching, making sure he was really unconscious. She knew he wouldn't stay that way for long and whatever decision she was about to make, had to be quick.
Desperation began to sit in as she searched for a way to free herself. There had to be something, she thought… a way… then it occurred to her. Steven still had on his work clothes and he usually carried his keys with him. A shot of hope shot through Cameron as she scooted across the floor towards him, praying that the keys were in his pocket and the key to unlock the shackle would be one of those keys. Steven was laying on his stomach, making the effort to search his pockets very difficult, especially with a broken wrist. At first, she tried searching with one hand but soon learned she would need both hands… one to lift him up slightly and the other to search his pocket. She carefully looped the fingers of her broken hand through one of his belt loops, took a deep breath and lifted. The pain was so intense, it was all she could do to not cry out but she knew it was vital to not make any sound. She quickly placed her foot underneath his hip, taking pressure from her hand and stuck her other hand into his pocket… the whole time not taking her eyes off of Steven's face. She fished around for a minute but didn't find any keys. It figures, she mumbled. She removed her hand and moved to his other side. Once in place, she did the same as before. It only took a second for her to find the object she was searching for. She gripped the keys tightly and pulled them out, careful to not to make any noise. Quickly searching the wad of keys, she looked for one small enough to fit the small lock around her wrist. Then she spied it - a small brass key hiding amongst two larger keys. She held her breath as she placed the key into the key hole and turned… a second later, she heard a click and felt the metal release from her wrist. Tears filled her eyes as she realized she was free. However, moans from Steven made her realize that she wasn't completely free and she needed to get out of the room before he woke up.
She carefully stepped over his body and scurried across the room to the stairs. She took the first step and looked over her shoulder to make sure he was still lying on the floor before continuing. She took another step and another, pulling herself up with one hand. Just as she was half way up the stairs, a noise caught her attention and she turned just in time to see Steven lunge for her, grabbing her legs. She let out a loud shrill as she held on with her good arm, all the while flailing and kicking as hard as she could but she couldn't free herself from his grip. He began to to climb up behind her, still holding onto her legs. Cameron kept moving her body and screaming at him to let her go. Just as she was about to lose the battle, she somehow managed to kick hard enough to break free, causing him to lose his grip and fall to the floor. Cameron didn't waste any time and shot up the rest of the stairs. Once she made it through the opening that placed her on the dining room floor, she kicked the small door shut and ran towards the front door. She frantically fumbled with the two deadbolts, all the while hearing her captor make his way into the other room. When the second deadbolt finally unlocked, she turned to see Steven step into the hallway.
"Allison!" He yelled.
Cameron didn't waste any more time and swung open the door and ran outside, stumbling onto the front lawn.
