Her grandmother’s old house used to have one of these. It was where she kept her burlap sacks of potatoes. Once, when Addis had used it as her hide-and-seek spot, someone had accidentally placed something heavy in front of the door, but she hadn’t realized that until she’d tried to get out. She probably hadn’t been in there long, but it had felt like a lifetime as she pounded and screamed until her father had come running from outside and rescued her, pulling her into his arms, comforting her as sobs and hiccups tore through her. When she’d finally released her hold on him, it had only been so she could clamber up onto Aunt Grace’s lap where she’d burrowed her face into the crook of her neck as Aunt Grace murmured softly that she was safe now.

So, when she realized the kidnapper’s intentions were to force her and Emerson inside, her muscles practically liquefied.

And then his hands were on her shoulders as he pushed her down to her knees. ‘Inside,’ he ordered. Like she had regressed back to the place of her childhood trauma, her sobs choked her, cutting off her air, but she did as he said, knowing her dad would never again be able to come to her rescue. A few seconds later, Emerson was crammed in beside her. Surprised when he left the door open and walked away, Addis prayed he wouldn’t actually lock them inside.

Em’s head dropped to her shoulder, her body trembling so violently, it made Addis feel like she was bouncing down a bumpy road. ‘What’s going to happen to us, Ad? I don’t want to die.’ Her gravelly whisper was outlined in terror.

Even if Addis had known the answer, she couldn’t have spoken it out loud because a crippling panic attack had wormed its way through to the surface, and she struggled to concentrate on anything else. It was clear she’d lost the battle as her own baying pleas to let her out pierced the air.

How much time passed before the man’s form darkened the doorway once again was a mystery, but he was suddenly there, leaning down as he peered inside, swiveling his head back and forth between her and Em before rising back up and walking away, repeating this strange behavior over and over. With each trip, the man, the room, and everything else became one giant fuzzy blob as Addis felt herself tip to the side, the weight of her body held up by Emerson’s.

Just before everything became nonexistent, the door dropped closed. The last thing she remembered before the darkness welcomed her back was a damp, earthy odor tickling her nose as she pushed four words past her numb lips and foggy brain. ‘Daddy, please save us.’

Chapter Seven

Friday, October 4