A flicker of amusement crosses Marlin’s face, his shoes clicking against the concrete floors as he returns to Maddox’s side.
“You would be surprised.”
I watch him straighten the man’s dress shirt and pants as though they were his own, the precise movement of his hands following each crease until they lie neatly against the sleeping man.
“Grab a body bag from that supply closet over there. Second one on the right, you’ll find them on the top shelf.”
I wince, “We’re putting him in a body bag?”
“Unless you have a better idea on how to carry him on the street undetected.” He gives me a pointed look, “Second closet, top shelf.”
Muttering profanity under my breath, I turn and head towards the closet in the back. The subtle grey door that blends in with the drab setting around us.
Light from the exterior spills into the tight space, illuminating the pile of bags sitting on the top shelf. I step inside and press my hand against the wall, feeling for a light switch that doesn’t want to be found.
Click.
Darkness envelopes me and for a moment I’m confused.
No ridge juts up beneath my fingertips, yet all the light from the main room is gone. It takes my brain a moment to put the pieces together, for the closed door at my back to suddenly find itself unable to open.
“Marlin, the door is stuck.” I turn around and jostle the handle, feeling sweat break out along the back of my neck, “I need you to pry it open. Something must have fallen or-
A chuckle floats through the slit above the top of the door. Low and amused, it’s the same sound that’s been following me all fucking evening.
He locked me in from the outside.
The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, an indefinite amount of weight collapsing on my chest and shoulders until it feels like I can’t fucking breathe.
“Marlin, let me out. Let me out right now.”
I back up from the door and hit the back of the closet. The pressure in my chest explodes, anxiety seeping out in waves while my mouth goes completely dry.
“Marlin! Can you hear me?”
The ringing in my ears grows louder as my breathing becomes ragged, the sound of my heartbeat thundering through my ears.
I slam my body against the door, rattling my bones and jerking on the handle like it might be enough to set me free.
“Open this fucking door right now!”
My shout bounces off the walls, walls that seem to be closing in on me. I’m gasping, fighting for air while the collar around my neck starts to tighten.
“You don’t understand, I...”
The air cuts itself off and suddenly I’m choking. Gagging and tearing at my neck to try and get the oxygen back in my chest.
“Let. Me. Out.”
Another body slam has my teeth knocking together, the iron clad lock causing me to stumble back into the wall. Something wet and heavy hits my hands as I start to choke in earnest, suffocating on the past until my dinner spews out onto the floor.
There’s not enough light to see the blood but I can smell it. On my hands, in my hair, dripping from every scar on my body until I start to bleed out.
I’m screaming but I can’t hear myself scream. My head is shoved underwater, the sound muffled as my nails tear at the cord wrapped around my neck, sending flesh and blood flying into the darkness.
The screams turn into barking and the barking turns into tears. Somewhere amidst it all, I collapse to the floor, leaking from too many parts of my body to stop the spill.
It’s a drum pounding in my ears, a steady rhythm that steals the only thing that’s always been mine and shatters it into fucking pieces.
