I move to take out my phone to put on the flashlight, but remember I left it in my jacket next to the ladder.
Fuck
“I can’t see much. It’s too dim inside here. Maybe I have to get my phone first,” I whisper loudly to Saylor while I crouch down and let my hand swipe over the wooden floor of the maintenance compartment. Then, my fingers graze something that feels like a fine chain next to the motor. I strain my arm to get into the space beside it and tug it out from under the motor, letting the chain dangle from my fingers in front of my face. It’s a beautiful golden necklace.
“Got it,” I exclaim, looking up to see if Saylor is watching, which he is with a wide grin.
“You’re amazing,” he tells me when I put the necklace into my sports bra so I have both my hands free to climb out of this fucking hole.
I’m just about to stand up straight when suddenly, the latch creaks, and I freeze. Then, I watch the hatch come down on me in slow motion, falling shut with a boom that makes my ears ring, leaving me in complete darkness. The stark contrast of no light and the click of the hatch drags me under into something I’d rather not remember.The darkness is all-consuming,pressing in on me from all sides. It’s so thick, so palpable, that it’s like a living entity, wrapping its cold fingers around my heart and squeezing. Every breath I take is labored from the weight of the void pressing down on my chest.
How long have I been in here?
Hours? Days?
Time has lost all meaning.
The silence is deafening, broken only by my ragged breathing and the occasional distant echo of screams or muffled voices.
I try to calm myself, to push away the rising tide of panic.
Breathe, Sloan. Just breathe.
But it’s hard. The darkness is suffocating, and every whisper of movement sends my heart racing.
I’ve always been afraid of the dark. As a child, I would hide under the covers, convinced that the souls and ghosts were out to get me. But this... this is worse than any childhood nightmare.
This darkness feels eternal, as if I’ll never see the light again.
Drifting in and out of a fitful sleep, my dreams are haunted by memories of Nan. Her warm smile, the way she’d hold me close when I was scared.
Is she okay?
The thought of her, alone and afraid for me, tears at my heart.
I turn to the side, as much as the straps allow. Which is basically just letting my knees fall to the side, trying to find some semblance of comfort on the cold, hard bed. But there’s no escaping the darkness, no escaping the fear.
Will I ever get out of here again?
Have they just locked the door and forgotten about me?
TWELVE
“This is the last time, Lio,”I tell him sternly as we walk from the truck to the shipyard.
Yesterday evening, we visited North in his office, asking him if he wanted to help get groceries and make some homemade pizzas. It’s something Lio saw on one of those kid’s shows, and he was excited to try it out. But as always, North’s mood was less than stellar, and he didn’t even listen when Lio told him about his idea.
We ended up making our pizzas with Nash. It was fun anyway, but my patience with North is wearing thin. It would be good for him to spend time with his son.
And good for his son, goddammit.
While we were at North’s office, Lio played with one of the toy boats North had given him for his birthday, driving it all over North’s desk. But he somehow forgot it there, and now we have to come back and get it since Lio can’t go through a day without it.
It’s not the first time this has happened.
“I’m sorry,” Lio says in a small voice from behind me, slightly panting from the short walk from the truck to the side door.
Fuck, maybe we need to increase his steroid inhaler dosage.
