THEY HAD BEEN TRYING to open the freezer door for hours, hitting their bodies against the freezer door to try and get the door to open, using their entire weight and all their strength to try and get that fucking metal door open, but it didn't open. It didn't even move an inch. It just stayed that same way it was before: closed. The two desperately wanted the door to open, you had no idea how bad they wanted that door to open up so they could finally escape, but it didn't. No matter how hard they tried, the door wouldn't open. The sides of their bodies were already hurting from how hard they hit that freezer door, but they weren't going to give up, not yet.

They knew it wasn't going to work. They had known ever since their fifth try on attempting to open that door, but they wouldn't believe it. They didn't want to believe that what was probably their last chance to escape, wasn't working, and that it probably wasn't going to work. They couldn't believe that there was no way in getting out of this place, they wouldn't believe it, but they knew there wasn't. Avery Brown and Finney Blake were going to die in this horrible basement, just like all the other victims.

Avery had given up. She wasn't going to continue banging her body against the metal door anymore when she knew it was useless. Her body was in pain, but she couldn't care less about that when she knew that it was only a matter of time before she became another lifeless body lying somewhere nobody would ever find.

Finney saw Avery had given up and he gave up too. He didn't want to keep trying, it had actually finally hit him that there was no way in getting out of here, that he was going to die and there was no way he could stop it. This entire time Finney had hope about managing to escape this place. He had hope that he would be the one to escape The Grabber, that even though all the other victims couldn't, he would be the first one to, him and Avery, they were going to escape this together with all the other victims' help. But now, he knew that all those thoughts were just bullshit lies. Lies to cover up the fact that he was actually going to die and he most definetly was not going to get out of this place. He felt stupid for thinking he could ever escape when nobody ever did, not even Robin Arellano, not even Vance Hopper. "If Vance couldn't escape and he was the toughest kid in town, why did I ever think that I could escape?" He thought to himself. He felt stupid for thinking he would have a life to live for, he felt stupid for thinking that he ever had a chance of escaping because after all, he was just the kid who got bullied everyday and nobody even knew his name.

Finney saw as Avery was sat down inside the fridge together with him, her back against the side of the fridge, and her chest going up and down while she panted heavily with her eyes closed as she held in tears. Finney looked at her and felt ashamed. He didn't manage to protect her, he couldn't save her. He did the exact opposite of what he was supposed to do, instead of protecting her, he hurt her even more and now, there was nothing else they could do because he led her to her death. Finn wanted to disappear from her life, maybe that would help her in some way, help keep her safe. He couldn't understand how she still chose to be with him after everything he had done. How she kissed him and how she liked him back. He thought he didn't deserve it, he didn't deserve to be with her when he couldn't even take care of her. He looked at her and his eyes lowered to the cut in her arm from when The Grabber had held her, threatening to kill her, he looked at her and how she kept adjusting herself to a more comfortable position because of the bruise she received from when she protected him from his bullies, but also from the bruises on the side of her body she had received when Finney fell on top of her when he was attempting to climb the window, all those bruises had probably gotten worse now because of how hard she hit her body against the metal door. He looked at her and the bruise on the side of her face that she still had from the day she "saved" him from the fight against his bullies. Those memories came rushing back and hit him like a brick. He didn't want to look at her anymore, he didn't want to be in the same room as her because it reminded him of what a bad friend he was, what a bad person he was. It reminded him of all the things he did and all the things he didn't do, the things he didn't do to protect her, to keep her safe.

Finney felt tears fill his eyes, he blamed himself for getting Avery hurt and he blamed himself for them being here. He felt so guilty. Finney slowly climbed out of the hole he had made onto the wall, Avery eyeing him as he did so. Finney fell to the floor, and he sat down on the corner of the wall. Everything was just too much for him, the guilt, the pain and the fact that he knew he was going to die. For the first time since they had been kidnapped, tears fell from his eyes, real tears. And in that moment he just broke. He let the tears fall and he cried.

Avery saw him sitting down in the corner, crying and her heart broke. Not even once had she seen him cry while they were stuck there. She had cried a few times while they were there, but she never saw Finney cry. Finney was always there to help her and comfort her and protect her when she cried, and he never cried. Avery quickly climbed out of the hole and went infront of Finney, she wanted to help him and comfort him. Avery just looked at him for a few moments, and the scene made her devestated. Tears filled her eyes just by seeing the boy she loved crying infront of her. Wait, did she just say she loved him? She did, and she didn't regret it. She loved the boy and she had finally come to terms with it, she loved him. Avery felt tears in her eyes, and she forced them not to slip. Avery got closer to Finney and held his hand, but Finney simply brought his hand back to where it was. Finney didn't want her to hold him because he didn't think he deserved her touch, he didn't think he deserved her.

"Hey, Finn. Please don't cry. It's okay, everything's gonna be okay." She said in a soft voice, even though she didn't really believe in what she was saying she was trying to get Finney to calm down. Just like the many times Finn comforted her promising her they were going to escape, she never felt as if it was a lie. Even though there was a chance they would escape, she still believed in his words, it was hard, but she did. And even if they didn't make it out alive, she would never stop believing his words.

Right now, Avery didn't know what to do, but she had to comfort him, just like he always did to her. So she got closer to him and wrapped her arms around him giving him a hug. A warm, very needed hug, for both of them. Finney felt comfort in her hug and he wanted to stay like this forever, but the guilt he had earlier, was still with him. Finney tried stopping his tears, but he couldn't control them, so the tears just kept falling. He shook his head into the hug and continued crying.

"I-I'm sorry, Avery. I'm so sorry." Finney backed away from the hug, he couldn't look at Avery's eyes. He knew he had to apologise to her, for everything he did. But Avery didn't know why he was apologising, if she knew the real reason on why he was apologizing, she definetly wouldn't care, but Finney thought she did.

"What? What are you sorry for? You have nothing to be sorry for, Finn."

"Yes I-I do, Avery. I hurt you. Everytime I tried to protect you I ended up hurting you, and now we're probably going to die in here because of me." Finney kept crying. Avery's heart broke when he said that, the fact that Finn thought it was his fault that she got hurt, or that they were stuck here broke her. She knew it was definetly not his fault, and never in her life would she blame him for this.

"Finney, don't say that. It's not your fault, okay?"

"Yes, it is, Avery. I was the reason why you got hurt. I was the reason you're here with me, if you hadn't walked with me, you probably would be safe in your home, with your family. A-and I took that from you! I ruined everything and I'm so sorry."

"No,you didn't, don't say that. One thing I know for sure is that you didn't hurt me, you weren't the cause of this. Who was the one that came back to this shit hole just to protect me? It was you, Finn! Who was the one that always comforted me when I cried, when we were in the same situation? You! And I could give so many more examples of moments where you protected me, moments when you did nothing but keep me safe. Finney, you helped me so much while we were stuck here, and I don't know what I would've done without you. So, don't say you hurt me or you ruined everything for me, because you didn't. Finn, you saved me. You saved me in every way a person in this situation can be saved." Avery's tears had now finally escaped, and a few rolled down her cheeks. Finney looked deep into her eyes and he now knew for sure that he loved her, he loved every little thing about her. Every tiny imperfection, it was perfect, she was perfect. Avery wrapped her arms around him and hugged him once again, sniffling as she did so.

"You saved me, okay?" She muttered into Finney's chest, and a few remaining tears fell from his eyes.

They stayed for a while in this hug, none of them wanting to let go. She didn't care if her shirt was getting wet from his tears, and he also didn't. They were safe with each other, and this was probably going to be the only place where they would feel safety for a good while, but honestly, it was all they needed. They just needed each other, that's all.

After staying for a while in each others arms, they finally pulled away from the hug but before they could say anything, the phone started ringing. The two slowly turned their heads to where the noise was coming from. They thought Vance was their last hope, but what they didn't know, was that it wasn't, and there was someone very important waiting for them on the other line of that phone. Waiting to give them everything they needed to hear.

MESSAGE FROM ME: OKAY I HAVE SOME NEWS. okay, so, we are, unfortunately, getting to the end of this book!! I could not be more thankful for you guys, seriously thank you so much for all your reads! I honestly did not expect this book to get so much attention when I first started writing this. it's my first book and the love that you guys gave it was amazing!! so, thank you so much for everything!!
i'm honestly getting emotional because i don't want this book to end!!!