"Hello?" A woman asked.
Kyla wasn't sure if she heard right. She had been stuck in the box without knowing how long she had been there.
"Hello? New girl?" The voice asked.
Someone was talking to her. Either she was going out of her mind and hearing voices or someone was actually talking to her.
"Yes?" She asked.
"Down in the corner. We worked hard to make holes through the boxes so we can talk to each other. It makes us feel less lonely, you know," the voice said.
Kyla felt her way around the box and felt the tip of someone's finger.
"That's me," the voice said. "My name is Chelsea. What's yours?"
"Kyla," Kyla said.
"How did they get their claws in you?" Chelsea asked.
"I'm Roman's girlfriend," Kyla said.
"What?" Chelsea snapped.
"Or was," Kyla sighed. "I got a warning note about this place in the mailbox and stupidly I went here to figure out what was going on. He clearly didn't like me finding out his secret."
"I'm sorry," Chelsea said.
"So am I," Kyla said. "Has anyone ever escaped this place?"
"No," Chelsea said. "People have left but they weren't alive when it happened."
Chelsea sniffled and Kyla wondered how many friendships Chelsea had created by talking through the boxes, only to see those women be carried out of this place.
"Is there anyone here we can trust?" Kyla asked.
"What do you mean?" Chelsea asked.
"Is there anyone coming here who doesn't hurt us?" Kyla asked.
"There is one. He just sits there and watches. We all just figured he's got erection problems since he keeps coming back," Chelsea said.
"Who?" Kyla asked.
"His name is Dean," Chelsea said.
Kyla's box opened and she stared at Dean.
"We need to talk," he said.
"Are you gonna hurt me?" She asked.
"I'm probably the only man coming here that would never hurt you," he said. "Please, come out. There's no one else here. Everyone went home. I went with Roman and kept pouring alcohol in him until he passed out from drinking. I've never seen him so angry before. You really did a number on him."
"What does that mean for me?" She asked.
"I have no fucking clue," he answered. "Please, Kyla. Come out here."
She crawled out of the box and stood up. She tried covered her chest with her arms but it didn't matter. She was naked. He sighed and shook his head.
"This shit ain't right," he said.
"You're part of it," she said.
"I warned you," he said.
"The note was from you?" She asked.
"Of course it was from me. I wanted to get you away from him. I never thought you would come here," he said.
"What the fuck else was I supposed to do? You didn't exactly write in that note what's going on here. You left me no other option," she said.
"You were supposed to leave him," he said.
"And go where?" She asked angrily. "He controls my life, Dean. You know this. I have nothing but the money he gracefully allows me to use. I got nowhere to go, nothing useful to take with me, and no one to help me."
"You have me!" He raised his voice.
He grabbed her and pulled her in for a tight hug. She grabbed his shirt on the back and started crying into his chest.
"You have me, Kyla," he spoke more softly. "I wanna help you."
"If you truly wanted to help me, you'd call the cops," she said.
"He's got them in his pocket," he said.
"Get us all out," she said.
"I can only help you," he said.
"Bullshit!" She growled.
"I can get inside his head and convince him he didn't lock your box properly. You escaped during the night. You already know the code so you ran for your life. I'll delete the security footage so he won't know what really happened," he said.
"If that was the case, I would still unlock the other boxes and get everyone out," she said.
He sighed and ran a hand down his face.
"I'm trying to help you, Kyla," he said.
"Then help me, Dean. Help all of us," she said.
"He'll haunt you all down if I let you go," he said.
"He'll haunt me down if you let me go," she said. "Figure out a way where he'll never be able to find us. Be the fucking hero instead of the coward you've been so far."
She crawled back into the box and his heart broke by the way she looked at him.
"I'm not a coward," he said.
"Then prove it," she said.
He felt tears in his eyes and nodded at her.
"I will," he said. "Hang in there, Kyla. There's still hours until someone shows up to open the club. Don't lose your sanity. I'll figure something out."
He closed the box again and pushed the bolt lock back in place to keep her in there. He kept staring at the box for a long minute before finally letting out a deep sigh and walking out of the room. He had made her a promise and he wasn't going to let her down.