Hope couldn’t control her shaking hands.

She could hear Carl downstairs, moving things around.

She was not sure if the guy across her room window was still there. She, on the other hand, was not.

She was back in her wing chair, her heart hammering fast against her chest that she could almost hear it throbbing against her ears.

What now? She had wasted precious time talking to that guy, explaining unimportant things when they could have just planned their escape.

Carl would have to leave again.

Or she could risk getting caught tonight.

For now, she had to be patient.

*****

Devin was not sure what to do.

Carl’s sudden arrival did not give him enough time to talk to Hope.

How would he help her escape? And the child that was with her?

Did she have a plan? He sure hope she did other than those window grills.

He went down to the basement and took out the wooden box he had been hiding there since he moved.

In the entire time he was in hiding, he never thought he’d have to open it.

But if worse came to worse, at least he’d have an escape plan.

They would have an escape plan.

Carrying the box back to his room, he wondered if he should call Burton. Surely the guy could help them. But for Burton, keeping Devin safe was what mattered the most. Other people who may tag along would not be as important. And Hope told him Carl had connections. It was a long shot, but Burton might do more harm than good in such situation.

For now, Devin had to rely on his own instincts. And his instincts were telling him to get Hope and the child out of that place tonight. Other things such as calling Burton would have to be the last resort as of the moment.

*****

She almost jumped out of her chair when the door opened behind her and Carl’s cigarette smell invaded the air.

“Did you pack yet?” he asked before laughing out loud at his own joke. Hope didn’t have anything to pack but her other dress.

“What time are we leaving tomorrow?” she asked, glad that her void did not shake.

“Tomorrow morning. I can’t stand this place anymore. Too many bad memories, don’t you think?”

Is it about that DNA result, Carl? Hope wanted to ask but she kept it to herself.

The hairs on her nape stood as he went behind her and massaged her shoulders.

“What about that girl that died? Patty?” she carefully asked.

His hands went still over her shoulder. “What about Patty?”

“Well,” Hope swallowed as his hands started moving again. “People might discover her.”

He gripped her shoulders tightly as he breathed. “Shit, you are wise for your own good. I should get rid of her before we leave. We can’t have people running after us to our new home.”

Hope held her breath until he withdrew his hands and stepped out of the room in a hurry.

She looked out the window. It was getting dark.

Carl would soon start digging Patty’s body out of that hole. He was too meticulous to just leave her there for anyone to discover.

Hope had thought of a thousand ways to keep Carl occupied that night and Patty helped her this time. Carl would never leave a trace of his evil behind. He’d have to dispose any proof, living or not. If anyone would come across Patty’s body, the authorities would start investigating and it would not be long before everything would lead to Carl. And knowing the police, after everything that had been happening in the news lately, they would find Carl wherever he might be. It was not as if he would leave his job anytime soon.

She had also thought that if the police would find the body and it would lead them to Carl, she might be saved without escaping tonight.

But there was always the possibility that Carl could outsmart them.

So she had to escape tonight.

It was only when she heard the backdoor open and close did she jump to her bare feet and walked to the window.

*****

Devin knew she would reappear even before she did. She heard Carl walking out the backdoor of his house.

He was ready for his questions when he saw her pale face.

“How do you plan to escape?”

“I am chained. And so is the girl. Carl is busy with something in the backyard and it might take him a few minutes. Once his is done, he will be going out for a ride. That should be enough time for us to escape.”

“He is going out again?”

Hope nodded. “He should be. He has to get rid of a body.”

It was not time to gag or get sick, Devin reminded himself.

“I don’t have a car, you know,” Devin told her. “That’s another problem. And don’t tell me you are going to stay here in my house because that will be impossible. I will need to drive you away from this place, as far as I could.”

“We will have a car.”

Devin frowned. “You said Carl will be driving out. He only got that car,” he said, referring to the police car Carl had been driving around.

Hope shook her head. “There’s another one in the garage. The one he used when he took me away.”

“Are you sure it is going to even start?”

Again, she nodded. “He maintains it as a hobby. I know because he tells me and because he is sick.”

Devin nodded. “You know where he keeps the keys?”

Hope shook her head. “But I can try to find them. They might be in his room.”

“What if he keeps them close?”

“Then I suggest you start searching the net how to hotwire one because that would only be our runaway vehicle.”

Devin did not answer but nodded. He was not sure about the hotwiring though.

“So for now we wait?”

She nodded. “And hope that he takes his time dumping the body.”

*****

Hope went to the wall that separated her from Samantha and knocked. “Samantha? Are you there?”

She heard the chains moving from the other room and Samantha’s voice whispered, “Yes.”

“Look, we are going to get out of here tonight--”

“How? He will find out!”

“Shh!” Hope said, panic setting in. “Don’t be loud. He’ll hear us. No, we are going out tonight because this is our last chance. Do you understand? If he comes to your room, don’t say anything. Just do whatever he wants. Don’t tell him anything, okay? Do you understand me?”

“But what if he kills my Mom and Dad? He knows where they live.”

“No, we are not letting him do anything. Do you want to get out of here?”

“Yes.”

“Then don’t say anything. I will come after you later. Just stay where you are. Do you understand? Don’t tell him anything.”

“Yes. Please, Hope, I am scared.”

“We are both scared. But we have to be strong. You have to be strong, Samantha.”

The child did not answer.

“Samantha?”

“Okay.”

Hope leaned away from the wall and started pacing, counting the minutes in her head. Carl would still be in the backyard, doing some digging. The neighbor, whatever he had in mind, better not betray her. She had risked so much trusting him.

*****

Devin paced around his living room, waiting and anticipating.

He had tucked his gun behind him just in case he needed it for later. He had packed some clothes, his computer, the small box, and other things he needed in case his plan didn’t work.

Burton would kill him, he was sure of that.

The guy would chain him to his waist once this was all over.

But for now, he had to save Hope and the child.

He placed his duffel bag beside his front door and paced some more. He was dressed in jeans, his hiking shoes and a brown leather jacket he owned for years.

And then he remembered something. He went to grab his box from the duffel bag and opened it. He found them under the other things he hid inside. They were two keys he had been keeping safe for years. He took the other one and looked at it for a moment, deciding what to do. Before he changed his mind, he closed his hand over it and went to the kitchen. He found the sugar container, opened it, and dropped the key inside. He added more sugar and replaced the lid. He prayed the key would stay sugarcoated for a long time.

He checked his watch.

It was six in the evening and the sun was out.

He walked to his kitchen and peeked out the window.

He saw Carl dragging something, but the guy soon disappeared inside his kitchen.

Devin stepped away and forced himself to sit on a chair beside the small table.

He closed his eyes to listen to whatever Carl was doing next door. He could not hear much, but he was certain the guy would be gone anytime soon.

If he was dumping a body, he could go anywhere. To be safe, Devin gave himself at least half an hour to get next door and rescue Hope and the child.

His heart started pounding when he heard Carl’s car start outside.

His legs started to shake against his will.

He had been afraid for years, but this was the first time the he felt the danger so near he could almost taste it and his body was not responding well.

When Carl’s patrol car sped down the road, Devin forced himself to walk to the door. He grabbed his bag and waited until the only sound he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears, his adrenaline pumping hard.

His hands shook as he worked on his door locks. When he opened it, there was darkness outside, the sky with a tinge of orange as proof of the day ending.

Carl’s patrol car was no longer in sight. The house next door gave no sign that two women were being held prisoner upstairs. Devin checked the neighbors. No signs of nosy old maids or housewives. Good.

He did not walk directly to the front door. Instead, he circled Carl’s house and went to the backyard. He saw a hole freshly dug where the flowers he admired days ago once stood. The hairs on his arms stood at the thought of a body lying underneath those plants.

He hesitated when he reached for the door. The guy was a cop and he would surely have an alarm.

Blood drained down his face when he realized the problem.

But if the guy had any security alarm installed, and if anyone broke in, the police would come rushing to the place and discover Hope and the child. Surely, Carl would not be that stupid.

Taking his chances, he turned the knob. It was locked.

He checked his watch. Five minutes had already passed. He only gave himself thirty.

Shaking his head, he stepped back and kicked the door. It did not budge.

If Devin had a lot of locks, Carl had more, he thought.

Not intending to waste more time, he ran to the nearest window and looked inside. No grills like Hope’s. Good.

Looking around, he checked the other neighbor’s house. Dark windows. No one was home.

Again, good.

Devin took off his jacket and used it to shield his head as he broke the window glass with a rock. He then laid it on the sill to cushion his entry. Throwing his bag through the window, he climbed in and landed on the kitchen sink.

A great wave of relief rushed through him when he did not hear any beeping sound nor saw any rectangular device attached on any of the walls that could indicate an alarm system was on. But he could never be too careless.

He grabbed his jacket, shook the shards of glass and put it on. Grabbing his bag, he ran to the stairs and was behind Hope’s door in a matter of seconds.

His heart still pounding, Devin tried the knob.

It was locked.

“Hope,” he called.

The sound of chains being dragged across the room told him she heard.

“The door is locked,” her voice spoke.

“Step back.”

He guessed she did because he heard the chains move again.

Devin stepped back and kicked the door open. Unlike the backdoor, it only had one lock.

The light inside her room was switched on and Devin saw Hope Madden close up for the first time.