Chapter Thirty-Two

Charlotte

I woke up to the musty smell of mold and mildew. My thoughts were foggy, and I could vaguely hear my own soft groans. As I grew more conscious, the throbbing pain in my head increased. I bit back the urge to scream. Swallowing hard, I forced my eyes open.

Nothing but darkness.

Panicking, I started to wiggle in the chair but I was restrained. My arms were tightly secured to the armrests, and there was something wrapped around my waist and legs.

Where was I? What happened?

Suddenly, it came back to me, and my body grew cold with dread.

Mack.

Panic surged through me, and I fought desperately against the restraints to no avail.

I tried to look around again but I couldn't see anything. Dear God, why couldn't I see! Thoughts of blindness brought me close to tears, but then, thankfully, I saw a small crack of light further in the distance. It must have been the bottom of a door.

I had to get to that door - I had to get out of here!

I tried jumping in the chair to get it to move forward. It didn't budge. I tried again. Nothing. I squeezed my eyes shut in desperation.

Think. Think. Think!

And that was when I felt it - my phone. Well, not my phone but the one Karla gave me. It was in the back pocket of my jeans. Thank God Mack was not smart enough to search me and get rid of it! Now all I had to do was find a way to get it.

Easier said than done.

I pulled hard against the restraints around my arms. The coarse material dug into my skin, and I clenched my teeth in defiance. Ignoring the pain, I wrestled harder and harder until I could feel my arms dampen with blood.

I stopped to catch my breath but instead cried out as burning pain engulfed my senses. I bit down on my lip to silence myself. Beyond the sound of my laboured breaths, I could hear the soft patter of blood drops falling from my arms and down to the floor.

It was useless - the ropes were too tight.

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I let out a ragged breath. Was this really happening to me? Had I not been through enough already? All my life I stood up tall and pushed through all the pain, the hurt, the abuse and neglect, and for what? To end here? To die before I could reach all those goals I had fought so hard to get to.

No - I couldn't let that happen. I had to get out of here. I had to find a way to save myself.

Just then, the sound of chains rattling beyond the door caused my heart to still. My blood ran cold, and I frantically looked around for something - anything, but all I could see was darkness.

The door creaked open, and light spread through the room. I blinked against the brightness. It took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the light, but when they did, my vision was blurry.

I could vaguely make out the silhouette of a tall, male figure with brown hair as he strode causally into the room. He was carrying something box-shaped in his arms, and I squinted in a desperate attempt to get a better look.

"D-Danny, is that you?" My shaky voice broke through the silence.

His head snapped toward me as if just realizing I was conscious. He turned around and a muffled conversation ensued. It ended abruptly, followed by a a new figure pushing - who I assumed to be Danny - out of the way.

The new figure prowled into the room with predatory intend. There was no doubt who this new person was, even if I could only decipher a vague outline of her body. Mack's red curly hair bounced with each step, and although I couldn't see any distinctive facial features, I knew she was sneering at me.

"Ain't all too smart wit out'cha glasses, are yah, four-eyed freak?" There was an almost crazed eagerness to her voice. She held onto something shiny and tossed it from one hand to the other. "Ain't lookin' all too pretty either - wit them arms all bloodied. Danny!" He straightened and ran up to her. "Give her back dem glasses - I want her to see what's gonna happen to her."

My stomach dropped at her words.

Danny immediately complied and scurried over to me. He reached into the box he carried and pulled out my glasses before securing them on my face. I looked up at him pleadingly - if there was any way out of this, it would be through him.

But when I met his gaze with my full vision returned, that smug confidence he had mere days ago was gone. His eyes were wide in fear, and I realized in that moment that he was as much a prisoner as I was. I didn't know what Mack had on him, or why he was obeying her every command, but it was evident I would receive no salvation from him.

I tried to look past Danny to see Mack, but my restraints prevented me. "Please Mack," I begged. "You don't have to do this. You can just let me go, and I won't tell anyone, I promise. I'm sorry I told Mrs. O'Donnell - it was a mistake." Mack nodded to Danny but I continued, "The other girls forgave me, why can't-"

Danny punched me in the stomach, and I gasped for air as the wind was knocked out of me. I didn't even notice he had put the box down.

I barely caught my breath before Mack was in front of me slamming her fist into my face. Pain erupted from my jaw and my mouth filled with blood. "Did I say yah could talk?" Mack brought something up to my face and that's when I realized the shiny object she was holding was a long, curved dagger. The sharp edges gleamed under the light.

My heart hammered inside my chest. If I couldn't break free - I was dead. Mack was not just an angry teenager, there was something much darker inside of her.

I could see it in her eyes.

This wasn't just anger, spite, or jealousy. Her eyes shone with excitement, and she fondled her small dagger fervently. She took pleasure in this.

Coughing up a mouthful of blood, I spat it to the side before saying, "This has nothing to do with me, does it Mack? Your hate for me is just an excuse you tell yourself so you can justify your actions. You are not doing this because you hate me - you are doing this because you enjoy hurting people."

"Shuddup Nerd!" Mack glared at me, but as she reach down and grabbed a plastic bag from out of the box, the corners of her lips twitched upwards. She tried to mask her smile with a scowl, but I could see the eagerness in her eyes as she draped the plastic bag over my head and pulled it tight against my face.

Eyes widening, I tried to stay calm. I tried to hold what breath I had inside my lungs but panic gripped me, and before I knew it, I began thrashing violently. The ropes around my arms tore into my raw skin as I struggled against the restraints. My stomach clenched and ribs heaved, desperate to drag in air. My mouth opened unintentionally, and I struggled for a breath that never came. The bag drew into my mouth denying me any relief as my lungs burned. The more I struggled, the worst it got. I could feel my consciousness slipping away. I desperately tried to hold on - I couldn't die here. I wouldn't die here!

Mack pulled the bag off my head, and I heaved in a deep breath of air before erupting into a fit of coughing.

"Dun't worry, freak! I ain't gunna let you die that easy," Mack said, hysteria gleaming in her eyes. She laughed without humour before lightly drifting the dagger around my neck. I could feel a thin trace of blood trickle down and soak into my shirt.

I froze - refusing to so much as breath incase the sharp blade pierced my skin any deeper.

My eyes darted toward Danny. There was a look of horror on his face, but when I met his gaze, he quickly looked away and shook it off. He reached into the box and pulled out an old camcorder and a tripod stand. I knew it was a video camera that used tapes - my parents used to have a similar one stored in boxes of old electronics.

Mack withdrew the dagger and turned to Danny with arms folded. Tapping her foot impatiently, she waited for him to finish setting up the camcorder.

Blood drained from my face as I realized with horror they were going to video tape torturing me.

A red light turned on beside the lens of the camcorder. Mack turned to face me. Her eyes lowered and the corner of her mouth raised slightly into a sneer. "It's time ta teach this lil princess what happens when yuh cross me."