Maria.
Chapter 67
Amos’s voice sounds so far away, and my mind feels numb as I try to understand what’s happening.
I’m dizzy and can’t make sense of why Ester keeps trying to force me to stay on the couch.
I told her the coffee tasted strange and that I didn’t want to drink it anymore, but she seemed irritated and insisted.
What really triggered my alarm was the sudden shift in her posture. Her back was no longer hunched, and she didn’t look like the frail old lady I’d run into in the elevator. There was also something in her gaze that made me instantly aware—I needed to get out of there. My instincts took too long to kick in, but when they did, I knew I was in danger.
“Lilly?” I hear Amos’s voice calling, and I want to ask him for help, but my throat feels closed, and no matter how hard I try, no sound comes out.
I try to get up again, but my legs won’t hold me.
A heavy lethargy takes over my body, but I know I can’t fall asleep.
“You’re not going anywhere, you bitch.”
It’s not the words themselves but the hatred that drips from the old woman’s voice that truly terrifies me.
Amos calls my name again, and this time, the survival instinct pushes me to respond.
It seems to enrage her, because Ester slaps my face, and everything around me begins to darken.
I know I can’t close my eyes, but my head is pounding.
Afraid of being hit again, I stay still so she thinks I’m worse off than I actually am. The pain is nearly unbearable, but the certainty that I have to keep fighting is stronger.
“Stay the fuck on that couch or I’ll blow your brains out,” she yells, and only then do I realize she hit me with the barrel of a gun.
Suddenly, all the puzzle pieces fall into place. She’s not just a neighbor. Her name isn’t Ester. She can only be...
“Maria?” I ask, even though I already know.
“Took you long enough, you dumb blonde. Are you always this slow?”
A crash distracts her for a moment, and with the little awareness I have left, I think of the man I love and the sweet boy I want as my son, waiting for me.
I don’t want to die.
“Lilly!”
I realize the door has been broken down, and Amos is here.
More terrifying than this whole nightmare is the desperation on his face.
“You stupid girl. You ruined everything!” she snarls at me. “We would’ve been out of here already! You’re useless. Can’t even stay unconscious!”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, you psycho?” I hear him growl.
“One more step and she’s dead,” she threatens. “Tell me something, sweetheart. All those years you spent hunting me down, did you ever regret not obeying our orders that last day? Because no matter how hard you try to play the gallant hero now, we both know how twisted you really are. Admit it. You enjoyed every second of beating me.”
What?
Amos goes pale, frozen like he’s been poisoned.
“Oh, so you didn’t tell your little whore the truth?” she sneers. “Didn’t tell her how many times we filmed you hitting me?”
