He’s bare-chested and still glistening with sweat, his hockey pants hanging low on his hips, his feet bare against the dirty floor. His face is a mask of cold fury, his jaw clenched tight as he drives the guy with the cast into the opposite wall.
Then Zach’s hand locks around the guy’s throat, muscles rippling as he squeezes, his voice a dangerous growl. "I told you to keep your fucking hands off what isn’t yours."
The two others move, attacking Zach and pulling him off their friend. It becomes a three-on-one fight. When the one in a backward baseball hat hits him in the back of the head I lose my shit.
I throw myself at the motherfucker, my body colliding with his in a clumsy tackle. My teeth sink into the meat of his shoulder as my fists rain down on whatever part of him I can reach.
He howls in pain, his hand twisting in my hair as he tries to pull me off. His friend grabs my arms and yanks me off, using the momentum to send me flying backwards.
The world tilts violently, and my shoulder slams into something solid—a door. It gives way under the force, swinging open as I tumble through and hit the floor hard.
"Merci!" Zach appears in the doorway, blood dripping from his nose. He steps into the cramped space and extends a hand.
Just as my fingers brush his—
Click.
The sound echoes like a gunshot in my skull.
No.
No, no, no, no, no.
"Please, I can't—" A sob tears from my throat as I grab Zach's wrists, my fingers digging into his skin. The walls are already closing in, crushing the air from my lungs. "Get me out. Please get me out."
He turns and slams his shoulder against the door, the impact echoing through the small space. It doesn’t open. Again and again, he continues to throw himself at it, each thud making me flinch.
But it won't budge.
Just like the freezer.
My heart slams against my ribs so hard I think they might crack. Sweat soaks through my shirt, yet I'm shivering.
Cold. So fucking cold. The basement was always cold.
I shove past Zach, throwing myself at the door. My palms sting as they hit metal, but I can't stop. I have to get out. Have to escape.
"Daddy, please!" My fists pound against the door, over and over, each impact jarring my bones. A loud ringing roars in my ears, drowning everything else out. "I'll be good! I promise I'll be good!"
He's not listening. He never does. Never will.
"Let me out! Please, let me out!" I claw at the door, not caring my nails tear and split. The blood makes the metal slick, but I keep going. Keep fighting. Because the walls are pressing closer.
I can't breathe. Can't think.
Screams tear from my raw throat. But I barely hear them over the thundering of my pulse as static fills my head.
Someone touches my shoulder, and I thrash wildly, fighting against phantom hands on my ankles dragging me down concrete stairs. "No! Please, Daddy, I'm sorry! I'll be good!"
"Merci." Zach's voice seems far away, muffled like I'm underwater. "Calm down. I’m here."
I keep screaming, keep fighting.
My lungs burn, chest constricting, as I gulp for air that isn't there. Black spots bloom across my vision as the walls press closer. The air is running out. I'm going to die here, trapped in the dark.
Like the worthless piece of shit my father always said I was.
Chapter 26
