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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
Hurry, dad.
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When Lizzie came to, her head was aching and she could only make out a faint light. She managed to pry her eyes open despite the tiredness she felt. Her arms felt heavy and once she started trying to move, she quickly realised why. Her arms were bound above her head with chains and her feet were barely touching the ground. She immediately let out a cry of frustration as she pulled at the chains, rattling them hard but they wouldn't budge. She was stuck. And there was nothing she could do.

Giving up, she gave herself the time to take in her surroundings. She was in a small box like room with three separate cages in one corner of the room—the darkest corner. The only light source was the flickering yellow light in the centre of the room. There wasn't a window in sight and it was cold. Lizzie felt an immense dread as she came to the realisation that she was underground.

"Shit..." She hissed under her breath, hanging her head and closing her eyes, trying to compose herself. From what she could tell, she was alone for the time being but she had no clue where Daniel could be or how long she had been out for.

Upon bringing her head back up, she could see a table in the centre of the room with various tools laid out—torture tools. Scalpels, knives, tasers, pliers. And at the edge of the table, her fathers gun. Lizzie felt her eyes tear up. She didn't want to go out like this—not by the hands of a serial killer in his torture chamber they hadn't yet found. They had been so sure the plan would work that they hadn't even looked into the torture chamber, assuming they could pry the location from Daniel after his capture. But things had gone differently.

Lizzie heard footsteps from above her, followed by what sounded like a steel door closing. Lizzie perked herself up, not wanting to show any fear as Daniel came down the wooden steps to the left of her, dragging a woman who kicked and screamed the entire time until he threw her down the remainder of the stair, making her body hit the concrete with a thump, "Hey, asshole! Don't touch her!" Lizzie yelled at him, rattling the chains above her as the woman scurried back into a corner of the room, sobbing hysterically.

Daniel walked by the woman and right up to Lizzie before backhanding her across the face, bursting her lip open. The slap stung and it was enough to make her eyes water. Daniel grabbed Lizzie's face, brushing the hair out of her face, "Such a fowl mouth for such a pretty thing." He chastised, grabbing at her chin before pushing her head back.

Daniel walked across to one of the cages where there were chains inside of. He pulled them out and approached the woman who tried to kick at him as she screamed. But he handled her the way he had Lizzie and backhanded her across the face, knocking her facedown into the concrete. Whilst she was reeling from the slap, he grabbed her hands and put the shackles around her ankles, locking them shut.

"Why are you doing this?" The woman cried, her makeup smudged all over her face, her skin blotchy from crying and being struck.

Daniel grabbed her, putting his face close to hers as she smirked manically, "Because I want to," He threw her down to the ground and she collapsed into the foetal position. He walked over to his table full of torture tools and picked up a knife, "The real question is, which one of you whores do I start with?" He wondered aloud, looking between them with a wild look in his eyes.

He smirked at Lizzie before crossing the room towards the woman, grabbing her shoulders and hoisting her to her feet, "How about you, huh?" He asked her, trailing the knife along her collarbone as she cried in fear.

Lizzie pulled at the chains above her head, "No! No!" She yelled, catching his attention. He looked over at her and she held his gaze defiantly, tipping her head back, "Start with me. Start with me!" She exclaimed, fighting against her restraints, as if it would set her free.

Daniel tossed the woman aside like she was nothing and approached Lizzie, like a lion stalking his prey. He stopped in front of her, trailing the back of the blade down Lizzie's cheek as he smirked, "Okay, Lizzie. But you're gonna regret it." He said before moving her hair aside, revealing her chest and Lizzie gritted her teeth, preparing herself for the feeling of the knife cutting into her skin.

When the sensation came, Lizzie threw her head back and wrapped her hands around the chains, gripping them tightly as he cut the knife into the skin on her chest, blood the colour of her dress pouring out onto the skin. She blew out her cheeks, closing her eyes and clenching her teeth—but she didn't scream, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

After Daniel was done with her, he took her down from where she hung, allowing her body to crumble against the floor. He had grabbed her, dragging her weak body into one of the cages before throwing her inside and kicking the gate. She had leaned against the bars weakly, closing her eyes. Lizzie didn't know how long the torture had lasted but it had felt like forever. Her chest had several slashes and incisions and blood was smeared all over her chest. There were holes cut into the dress on her abdomen from where he had slit the knife into her skin. But yet, none of it had earned him a scream. In the end, he had been the one yelling at her to give up, to scream. But she hadn't. And that was the only reason why he had stopped. Because she wasn't giving him what he wanted.

Daniel left, probably to find his third and last victim of the lot. Lizzie shifted in her cage, leaning her face against the bars as she turned to look at the other woman slouched over, shaking violently, "Hey," Lizzie croaked, trying to catch her attention, "Hey, look at me," The woman with platinum hair pulled her head up, her bloodshot eyes meeting Lizzie's, "What's your name?" Lizzie asked her, moving closer to the bars that connected their cages.

                   "Hannah," The woman said shaking, sitting up to join Lizzie at the bars that separated then, "Hannah Banks." She elaborated, curling her fingers around the bars to keep herself up. It was obvious she was exhausted, though Daniel hadn't tortured her, she hadn't had food nor water and it was obvious the emotional turmoil was taking its effect on her.

                  Lizzie mustered up a smile through her burst lip that stung at the gesture, "Hey, Hannah. I'm Lizzie." She introduced, her voice gentle as she spoke to the woman opposite to her.

                  Hannah sniffled slightly, her nose red, "Why is he doing this to us?" She asked in a small voice, her eyes beginning to water.

                  "It's what he does, he's a serial killer," Hannah let out a sob at Lizzie's words. Lizzie quickly put her hand over Hannah's wrapping her fingers around hers, "Hannah, hey. It's gonna be alright. I'm FBI—and my team, they're gonna be looking for us, okay? I promise you. They're gonna come for us." She promised the woman, feverishly nodding her head, believing that her team would find them—that her father would save them. Just like he had before.

                   Hannah looked at her, tears dripping from her lashes, "And if they don't?" She croaked, not believing there was a way they made it out of there alive. But she didn't know the team—or Lizzie. She didn't know that Lizzie would do anything to get them out of there.

                    Lizzie tightened her grip on Hannah's fingers, "Then I'll get us out of here myself," She assured her confidently, "Hannah, listen. If the opportunity ever comes and you can get out of here, you need to leave—you just run and you don't look back, okay? You find the closest phone and you call the LAPD, ask for Aaron Hotchner. He'll come get you." Lizzie said. If she had to sacrifice herself so that this young woman could live—she would do it.

                    "I can't just leave you," Hannah said, "You took that for me—that should have been me." She said, reaching out to touch Lizzie's face that was bruised and cut through the gap in the cage.

                   Lizzie shook her head, "That was my call. This isn't on you," Lizzie told her, "But I promise you. If I get you out of here and you get in contact with Aaron Hotchner, you will be okay." She promised her, determination flashing in her green eyes.

                  Hannah sniffled, "You have a lot of faith in that man..." She pointed out and Lizzie smiled to herself, nodding softly.

                   "He's my father. And he's the best FBI Agent I know. He's probably already on his way to us just now," She told the young woman, smiling into her eyes, "Hannah, do you have anyone you believe in that much?" She asked her, tilting her head.

                   Hannah nodded, trying to hold back tears, "Jake—my son," Her words made Lizzie's throat tense up. Now she had one more reason to get Hannah out of there, "He's five and the light of my life. I just want to make it home to him. Lizzie, I've got to make it home to him." Hannah began sobbing, overwhelmed by the thought of never seeing her son again.

                  "You're gonna make it home to him," Lizzie spoke over her cries, griping onto the bars, "Hannah, you're going to see him again. I promise you that, okay?" Hannah held Lizzie's green-eyed gaze for a moment and all she could see was truth in them. She made her believe.

                  Hannah nodded, offering a smile through her tears. "Okay." She agreed, giving Lizzie's fingers a gentler squeeze.

                   Lizzie and Hannah were kept in their cages for hours. They spoke here and there, talking about little things to take their mind off of their situation. Hannah told Lizzie about how her son had recently started taking up soccer and that he wanted to be one of the greats some day. Lizzie spoke about her little brother, how he didn't have any interest in sports yet—but loved to play with his action hero's because they reminded him of his father and older sister. In that time together, they got to know one another—creating a bond only people in their situation could make.

                    Eventually, Daniel returned—and not empty handed. He dragged a young girl into the underground bunker. She didn't come kicking and screaming like Hannah had, instead, she was sobbing her heart out as he pulled her down the stairs and chained her up like he had Lizzie, "No! No! Please, you don't have to hurt her!" Lizzie immediately exclaimed, throwing herself against the front of her cage, gripping onto the bars, "Please, take me! I can take it more than she can!" She yelled, rattling against the bars.

                    Daniel finished chaining the girl up, her limp body hanging from the ceiling, toes brushing against the concrete floor. He then crossed the room and crouched down in front of Lizzie, smirking widely at her, "I don't want you to take it. I want you to scream—"

                    "Okay! Okay, I'll scream. Just please—please don't hurt her." She yelled over him, her eyes tearing up, staring the murderer in front of her down.

                     Daniel tilted his head, "You're so brave, aren't you, Agent?" He taunted before glancing over his shoulder, smiling at the young girl, "Looks like this is your lucky day, Beth. Agent Lizzie here is gonna take your place." He cooed at her and the young girl immediately began spitting out her gratitude, thanking Lizzie over and over again who sighed and rested her forehead against the cool bars whilst Daniel pulled out the keys.

                    "Lizzie, you don't have to do this." Hannah said, leaning her body against Lizzie's cage who looked up at her with tearful eyes.

                   "Yes, I do." She said before Daniel was unlocking the cage and yanking her from it. He took a fistful of her hair, dragging her across the room before throwing her down by the girls—Beth's feet.

                     Daniel unchained her and Beth collapsed to the ground, immediately grabbing onto Lizzie, pulling her into a bone crushing hug, "Thank you! Thank you!" She cried through her hysterical sobbing.

                    Lizzie rubbed at her back, "It's okay." She assured her before Beth was being pulled away from her and thrown into the cage that had been meant for her.

                    Daniel grabbed Lizzie, hoisting her to her feet and she stared him down as he lifted her hands above her head, tightening the shackles around her wrists, "What we thinking this time, Lizzie? Shall we go a little harder?" He taunted her, tilting his head as he stared at her with menacing eyes.

                     Lizzie's nostrils flared as she glared at him, "Bite me." She spat.

                    Daniel grabbed onto her face roughly and pointed at her, "That kinda attitude is what will make me bring one of them up here instead of you. You hear me, bitch?" Lizzie stared him down but gave a nod of her head before staring straight by him as he began sorting through his tools.

                   Hurry, dad, she thought to herself.

( authors note )

             lizzie truly be going through it guys and it's only chapter nineteen🫣 so sorry in advance!