Haisley and I remained hidden in the dimly lit room, the tension in the air palpable. We could hear Wayne's heavy footsteps as he paced back and forth in the hallway, his voice growing louder with each passing moment. My mother's soft pleas were like a haunting melody, one I had hoped to forget.

Haisley turned to me, his eyes filled with determination. "We can't stay here, Tarryn. We need to find a way out."

I nodded in agreement, my heart pounding. "But how? He's watching our every move, and Mom..."

Haisley interrupted, his voice resolute. "We can't count on Mom right now. We have to rely on ourselves."

"I'm not leaving her behind -"

Haisley ran a hand through his hair. "I know, but we've got to get out of here. We'll come back for her."

My heart felt like it was trying to break free from my chest, racing faster and faster with each passing second. The air in the room grew heavy, thick with a suffocating dread, and my breaths became quick, shallow gasps. The walls seemed to close in on me, the room shrinking until it felt like I was trapped in a cage of my own fear.

I clutched my chest, my fingers trembling uncontrollably, as if I could physically slow down the relentless pounding of my heart. The world around me blurred, the once-familiar surroundings turning into a nightmarish distortion. Wayne's menacing presence loomed large in my mind, a malevolent shadow that threatened to swallow me whole.

Thoughts raced through my head like a torrential downpour. What if he found us? What if he discovered our escape? Memories of his unpredictable rages flooded my thoughts, a terrifying slideshow of his violence and cruelty. I felt paralyzed, as if the room were closing in, smothering me.

I gasped for air, but it was elusive, slipping through my trembling fingers like water. My legs gave way, and I sank to the floor, desperate for breath. The world around me grew hazy and distorted, and the room spun in a disorienting whirl.

Haisley, my anchor, rushed to my side, his voice a beacon of hope in the chaos. "Tarryn, focus on my voice. You're safe now. Breathe with me." His calming presence began to penetrate the storm in my mind. "I'm guessing you have no medication."

"Next time I'm being kidnapped, I'll ask them to grab it," I snapped, and shot my twin a glare. Slowly, I tried to regulate my breathing, syncing it with Haisley's rhythm.

"Inhale ... exhale. Inhale ... exhale."

His words were a soothing melody, guiding me away from the edge of panic. With each breath, the tight grip around my chest began to loosen, and the room gradually came back into focus.

Time felt like it stretched endlessly, but I clung to my brother's guidance, allowing his voice and his reassuring demeanor to keep me grounded in reality. As the storm of fear subsided, I could feel myself returning to the present, my racing heart beginning to find its steady rhythm.

"We need to find a way out of here. We need to get you to a hospital." Haisley glanced around, searching for a way out. The room was sparsely furnished, with a single window covered by thick curtains. As I approached it, I noticed that it was nailed shut from the outside. Escape seemed impossible.

Still, we had to try.

As Haisley and I frantically searched the room, a sense of despair began to settle in like a heavy fog. We had managed to slip away from Wayne's watchful eyes, but now we were trapped in this confined room with no apparent way out. Every door was locked, every window sealed shut, and our initial hope began to wither away.

I scanned the room's meager contents: a lumpy mattress on a rickety frame, peeling wallpaper that whispered tales of past captivity, and, a flickering light casting eerie shadows on the cracked walls. There was nothing here that could aid our escape.

A sense of hopelessness bloomed. I heard Haisley mutter a few choice words under his breath as he tugged at the window's stubborn frame, to no avail. His frustration mirrored my own, and I could feel the walls closing in on us, mocking our helplessness.

Every possible escape route we considered turned out to be a dead end. The door was a solid, immovable barrier and the windows, though tantalizingly close to freedom, remained impervious to our desperate attempts. Panic threatened to consume me once more, clawing at the edges of my resolve. I wanted my brothers and sister, I wanted Carson. I wanted to go home. I wanted my dad. I wanted my mom to be safe.

We sat on the floor, our backs against the cold, unforgiving walls, our breaths heavy with defeat. The minutes ticked away, each one a reminder of our dire circumstances. In that suffocating silence, the realization sank in: there was no easy way out of this nightmare.

+++

I didn't know the time, there were no clocks in the room. The absence of time only heightened our sense of disorientation, a cruel reminder of our captivity. The room seemed to morph with the passing, unmarked hours—each shadow growing longer, every sound a harbinger of dread.

Haisley's breaths were shallow next to me, a rhythmic reminder that we were still alive, still tethered to the hope of escaping this ordeal. Our whispers filled the void, discussing over and over again what we could possibly do to free ourselves from Wayne's iron grasp. But the truth bore down on us like the chains that held us; our options were as sparse as the room's barren amenities.

The door creaked open, its rusty hinges shrieking through the silence. Wayne's silhouette filled the doorway, a monstrous figure whose intentions were as dark as the night that enveloped us. The sliver of moonlight that sneaked in through the open door cast a ghostly glow on his twisted face as he approached us, a sneer curling on his lips. "How are my two children?" He asked, slurring his words. "I hope you're comfortable, it'll be a while before you see daylight again."

"We have the window, idiot," I said, "so we can still see daylight."

Wayne hauled off, slapping my cheek. The impact stung, and I cowered back into Haisley. My brother wrapped his arms around me, his hold tight.

"Don't fucking touch her again or I'll kill you."

Wayne burst into laughter. "Okay boy, whatever you say. You try anything and it's your sister who will be punished. Understand?"

Fear clawed at my throat, choking my cries that threatened to spill out. We were at the mercy of a madman, the uncertainty of what would happen next gnawing at our sanity. "Speak to me like that again and I will make you regret it."

Wayne's taunts were a vile melody, each word a dagger slicing through the thin veil of courage we had mustered. His laughter resonated through the room long after he had left, a haunting echo that danced with the shadows.

In the silence that followed, Haisley and I clung to each other, the chill of the night seeped through the cracks, wrapping around us like a shroud.

The night dragged on, an endless abyss that stretched with every tick of the unseen clock, each second a heavy stone on our already sinking hearts. Our eyes may have been closed, but sleep was a distant haven, chased away by the monsters that now lived in the light and dark alike.

Suddenly, the knob jiggled and the lock clicked, the door swinging open with our mother appearing. "Oh, my babies," she said, hurrying to my side. "Wayne is asleep, he passed out. You two need to get out of here -"

"What about Rose?" I asked, shaken.

"She's asleep upstairs. Tarryn, Haisley ... I need you both to run."

"No," I said, shaking my head, "we're not leaving you."

Mom turned to Haisley. "You know your way around the woods, right? You need to run as fast as possible and find some help. Now."

"No, I'm not leaving you behind, mom," I said, shaking my head, desperately trying to convince her to come.

"I need to stay here, try and give you two as much time as possible." She kissed my forehead. "You need to be brave, sweetheart," she said, "just like you were that night in the car, jumping into the the ditch. You need to protect each other. Can you do that, Tarryn? For me, please."

I took a deep, sharp breath, nodding. "Okay. Okay, we'll go."

"Good," she said, relief filling her expression. "Come on, you need to go, now. Before he wakes up." Haisley grabbed my hand, basically pulling me out of the room.

We made our way outside, the cool night air filled my lungs, and the moonlight guided our path. We had no plan, but we couldn't stay in that house any longer. Our priority was to find help and ensure our mother's safety.

We ran through the woods, my hearts racing, until we stumbled upon a nearby, gravel road. A semblance of hope flickered as we saw an old pickup truck approaching from the distance, its headlights cutting through the enveloping darkness. We dove into the shrubs by the side of the road, waiting, assessing. The truck slowed as it neared, and we took a chance, sprinting from our hideout and waving our arms frantically. The driver, an old man with weather-beaten features, pulled to a halt. His eyes narrowed as he assessed us, the desperation in our eyes must have told him all he needed to know.

"Need help?" His voice was gruff but held a tinge of concern.

"Yes sir," my twin said, "we would appreciate a drive to the nearest police station. Our father is trying to hurt us."

"He still has our mother captive," I said, adding to the urgency. The man's eyes widened and he beckoned us into the truck.

"I don't have a phone, but I'll get you to the nearest police station. Come on, I'm Chester," he said, reaching over to open the truck door. I climbed in beside him, Haisley sliding in behind me.

"Thank you so much for stopping," I said as the truck rumbled to life, and Haisley and I exchanged a look of relief mixed with anxiety. The road ahead was uncertain, and the safety of our mother hung in the balance. But for the first time in what felt like an eternity, we were not alone.

The drive was a blur, the rhythmic hum of the engine lulling the terror, if only for a short while. We shared our story, hope festering in my chest.

The sudden screeching halt of the truck threw us forward, and before we could react, another truck swerved in front of us, forcing the man to pull onto the side of the road.

"No, don't stop," Haisley yelled but it was too late.

Wayne was there, standing in the middle of the road, his face twisted with rage. The old man didn't even have time to react before Wayne pulled out a gun from
his jeans waistband and shot him point blank in the head.

I screamed, the sound of the gunshot echoed through the silent night, freezing the blood in my veins. Haisley and I were paralyzed with horror, blood splattering over me. The image of the kind man who had offered us help, now lifeless against the steering wheel, would haunt me forever.

Wayne turned towards us, his eyes burning with a vicious fire that sent shivers down our spines. He grabbed us roughly by our arms, his grip like iron clamps. We were dragged back to the truck, our pleas for mercy only fueling his wrath further. Another car pulled up behind our father, two men stepping out.

"Get the body. Burn him. Get rid of the truck," Wayne ordered and I realized they weren't good men, they were Wayne's. Our father turned back to us, his eyes blazing with rage. "Look what you made me do, his blood is on you two."

He shoved us into the truck, producing a pair handcuffs. Haisley shoved me back behind him and kicked our father in the stomach. He grunted before backhanding my brother and then shoving his head into the dashboard. Blood seeped from a gash just above his eyebrow.

"Do that again and I'll put a bullet between your eyes, son or not," he snarled, locking the doors from outside before heading to the driver's seat. Our attempts to escape were futile, the doors were jammed, and the windows wouldn't budge.

We were trapped like animals awaiting slaughter.

Wayne sped down the road, the reality of our situation sank in. "You two are like your mother, weak and pathetic."

"You didn't have to a hoot him."

"He wouldn't have said anything."

We were back in the clutches of this monster, the brief taste of freedom now a mocking memory. The tears I had held back now flowed freely, my body shaking with a mixture of grief, fear, and cold.

The drive back to the house was a journey through hell, each mile taking us further from hope and closer to doom. Wayne's sinister laugh echoed through the dark, a grim reminder of the evil that lurked in the hearts of him and his men.

We were dragged back to the same grim bedroom, Wayne shoving us hardly into the same walls that bore witness to our despair earlier, now stood as silent sentinels to this fresh wave of terror. Wayne chained us to the rusty pipes along the wall, ensuring there was no escape this time.

The room felt smaller, the darkness denser, as if hope had been sucked out, leaving behind a void filled only with fear. We sat there, huddled together, the cold chains biting into our flesh, each passing second a reminder of our dire fate.

We were no longer just fighting for freedom, we were fighting for survival, every breath a revolt against the fate that seemed to be closing in around us. Our mother's face flashed before our eyes, her soft smile a painful reminder of the love we were so cruelly snatched away from.

As the night crawled by, our silent tears mingled with the darkness, forging a bond of sorrow and desperation. The night was long, filled with nightmares that weren't just a figment of imagination but a horrifying reality that stared us in the face. "I'm sorry, Tarryn," Haisley murmured, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry."

I tried not to panic, to calm myself down. I placed my hand over my heart, feeling it beat almost out of my chest. "It's not ... it's not your fault, Haze."

"You ... you're face is pale, what's wrong? Are you finding it hard to breath? Chest pains?" Haisley asked, frantic, his chains rattling as he reached for my hand. I nodded, knowing I needed my heart medication. "Fuck."

"What are we going to do?" I cried, leaning into him, the chain wrapped around my wrist pinching my skin.

"I don't know," my brother said, sounding as hopeless as I felt.

+++

They aren't going to get away that easily.
I hope you liked this chapter.
Thank you so much for reading.
Any ideas on how they might escape?
- Charlie 🧡