“Can I please just talk to someone?”
My personal guard still ignored me. My voice was raspy from crying. I knew trying to get his attention was pointless, but I had to try something. Chances were his attention was split between me and the door, he just didn’t respond. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to. Military orders were probably quite strict with things like that.
Like with holding teenage girls imprisoned, you mean? You think they’ve got protocols?
Ugh. I didn’t need the voice to go all smart on me now.
“Please. Let me go.”
Hadn’t the woman pleaded for the very same thing with me? Now I could see why. Had she felt as hopeless as I did now? She had made it out somehow, perhaps I could do the same. Just how long had she been imprisoned here before escaping, only to be caught again? I’d been hearing her voice for months.
I shivered. What if it’d be months before I saw another friendly face again? But my parents would call the police. They’d send out search teams, trained dogs, specialists… My eyes burnt. They’d find nothing, just like they had found nothing when I’d given them my anonymous tip. My parents would think I’d run away, or died. And they’d never know for sure. They’d never have closure.
All because I’d been stupid and decided to play detective in the middle of a forest.
I held back a sob. I rattled at the bars again, kicked them when they didn’t give, and screamed my frustration when nothing continued to happen. Or not happen. I didn’t know anymore.
However the woman had gotten out, I didn’t have the same options. Maybe if I knew my way around locks I could have opened it with a hair pin – not that I had any – but then I would still have had that guard to content with.
It was no use. I was trapped until someone decided otherwise.
A dull thud filled the room, and I looked up.
The guard lay on the ground, motionless. Or more motionless, anyway. It was hard to see in the dark, but there was definitely a liquid pooling out from under him and suddenly I was grateful for the terrible lighting.
Another thud came from my left, and I jumped backwards, my heart racing.
Something had just killed the man.
Something which was now mere metres away from me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable. If I’d been the hero in one of my favourite books I’d have stared death in the eyes, but I wasn’t. I wasn’t brave. I didn’t know how to fight. I shouldn’t even have been here.
“Are you okay?”
My head jerked up.
“Mel? What the–”
“I’ll explain everything later, I promise. Right now just tell me if you’re all right?”
“I’m in some underground dungeon and you just killed that guy! I’m not all right!” What fudging kind of question even was that?
“Hang on, he must have keys on him.”
“Hang on? Where the fudge would I go?”
I watched as Mel bent over the man he’d just killed, and searched his body. Somewhere at the back of my mind I knew that this was messed up, but too many weird things had happened today for me to make sense of it. I had no idea how Mel had found me, broken into this facility, and shot the guard, but if he could get me out of here alive I wouldn’t complain until what was left of my sanity attempted to return.
Mel jingled a key ring with at least ten keys, and started to fiddle with my lock.
“Did they hurt you?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Someone whacked me over the head in the forest and I woke up here. No idea how long I was unconscious.”
It occurred to me that they could have done Berry-knows-what to me while I’d been out. I cringed, and choked the rising bile back down. I’d feel… sore, or something, if they’d done that, right? I didn’t feel much of anything, but I definitely didn’t feel any pain down there.
“Are you injured?”
“I don’t think so.”
The lock sprang open, and Mel opened the door.
I never thought I’d ever be this glad to see him.
“You saved me.” I was shaking, but grinning when his arms closed around me. “How did you know where to find me?”
Mel tried to pull away but I didn’t let him. I needed this hug more than I’d ever needed anything in my life.
“I saw you earlier when you were walking to the forest.”
“So you followed me like some creepy stalker?”
“I didn’t mean–”
“Thank you.”
“Come on,” he said as he gently pushed me away. “We need to get out of here. I don’t think he had time to call for reinforcements but we don’t want to be here if anyone else shows up. Did you see anyone else?”
“No, but he didn’t leave that door.”
“Doesn’t matter. Let’s get you out of here.”
I couldn’t believe I shook my head.
“There’s a woman here, she’s hurt I think. I’m not leaving without her.” No idea where my sudden surge of courage came from. I just knew I couldn’t leave her.
She was the whole reason I was in this mess. If I was leaving, so was she.
“A woman?”
“Yes. She’s behind that door, I think.”
“What did she look like?”
“What did she– Does it fudging matter?” I’d always known he was a pervert deep down.
“There might be more than one prisoner, Poppy. I can’t save her if I don’t know who I’m looking for.”
Fair point. “She’s…” I remembered her face. The odd tattoos on her skin, and her paler than white skin. Her bigger-than-fair boobs. “She’s white. Really white, I mean, lighter than any berry I’ve ever seen. She’s got these really pale tattoos all over her face, and she wasn’t fully conscious when I found her.”
Something played behind Mel’s eyes then, but I had no idea what. Fudge, with how dark it was in here I couldn’t be sure that I hadn’t imagined it.
“Stay here. I won’t be long, I promise. Take this, in case we’re not alone.” And then he handed me a fudging gun. I took it, not sure how else to react, but it felt too heavy in my hand. The cold metal felt wrong between my fingers.
I didn’t want to have this.
I watched Mel step over the dead guy like he’d done this thousands of times before, and tried, unsuccessfully, to shut up the voice in my head.
How can he promise that if he’s never been here before? He knows the layout of this place, Poppy. Maybe he’s been here before.
“Fudge off.” I so wasn’t in the mood for this brioche.
He just gave you a gun, Poppy. Don’t you think that’s a little irresponsible?
“He just wants me to be able to defend myself, in case we’re–” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “In case there’s someone else here.”
Or maybe he wants to frame you for murder.
“Who the hell are you?”
My heart stopped. Oh Berry. Oh fudging fudge.
“Erm…” I’d never been any good in social situations. This was worse than PE grading, or doing a ten-minute presentation at school.
“Turn around, nice and slow.”
My legs were shaking so hard I thought I might collapse.
“Who are you?”
The fudge was I supposed to tell him? That I was just an innocent girl who had stumbled into their secret underground hideout by accident? That I was meant to be locked up, but my friend broke me out and killed this guy’s colleague?
His eyes flashed to the body behind me, and he straightened.
“You’re coming with me.”
He grabbed for my arm, but I stepped out of his reach.
“Don’t touch me.”
He sighed. “I don’t have time for this nonsense. Come with me, you’ve got some explaining to do.”
He made another attempt to grab my wrist, but I stepped back.
“No.” Where the fudge was Mel? What was taking so long?
“Now listen here, you little brat. You’re not supposed to be here, you’ve got a gun, and Pepper over there is dead with a hole in his skull. You can come with me willingly, or I’ll drag you.”
He reached for my arm again, and this time I wasn’t fast enough. I struggled against him, but he was so much stronger than I’d ever be. He tried to take the gun from me, but it was the only thing I could hold on to, and I held on with everything I had. I was not giving it up.
He twisted my wrist so hard I gasped. I panicked.
I didn’t even hear the gun shot in real time. Everything had slowed down, like it did in the movies. Like this was happening to someone else, or maybe in a nightmare.
He looked surprised, like he hadn’t thought I’d actually shoot him. Fudge, I hadn’t thought I’d actually shoot him. I hadn’t. My finger must have slipped when he twisted my wrist. I wouldn’t–
I just wanted Mel to get back and make all this better somehow.
The military guy stumbled back one step, and pulled his hand away from the wound between his ribs. So much blood. It was quickly staining the floor a dark, ugly red when he collapsed and his chest stopped struggling.
Berry. What had I done?
I’d killed a man.
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