Maybe he’s got other women trapped around here.
I don’t believe his promise of protection for one second. Maybe he doesn’t plan on sharing his things, but I’ve been a fool once, and it’s not happening again. Being Tommy’s fiancée afforded me certain protections too—from everyonebuthim.
Tommy wasexceptionalat keeping other men away because he instilled the fear of God into me that it would somehow bemyfault if someone’s gaze lingered too long. The one time someone played with his toy, I heard the echo of a gunshot, followed by total silence.
My mind races as I squint against the darkness. There’s no telling where the tunnel leads. I could get lost in there or come across somethingother.
I rub the muscles in my sore arm and glance back at the hole above the pool. There has to be another exit besides that.
Getting to it is a feat I’m not sure even a seasoned rock climber can achieve. The rock wall is curved with hardly any prominent grooves that I can make out. Jagged stones await at the bottom of the hole, promising injury if there’s one slip—and therewillbe a slipup with the state of my arm and shitty vestibular system.
Then, there’s the way we came in.
I’m a decent swimmer, but there’s no way I’ll be able to get out through the underwater channel without drowning.
I’m out of options. The tunnel is my only choice. It leads either to an unknown place or something far worse than the devil I know.
I swipe the tears from my face and grit my teeth against the agony throughout my body as I put one tentative foot in front of the other, using the damp cave walls as a guide. Minutes tick by, or maybe they’re a matter of seconds, possibly hours.
I can’t tell.
“Shit,” I hiss, losing my footing and crashing my knee into something hard and jagged. Pain slices up my leg. I rear back and almost lose my balance.
My hands fly out in front of me to land on a solid surface. Harsh breaths echo through the tunnel. Every sound I make is like an alarm that will alert the monster to my attempted escape. I squeeze my eyes shut. Rotting away isn’t how I wanted to go.
Pull yourself fucking together,I scold myself, drawing whatever is left of my sanity to gain some semblance of control over my emotions.
I quickly feel the walls around me to gain a sense of direction.
No.
It can’t be.
My heart hammers in my chest as I keep turning in my spot, hands out to orient myself. It’s the perfect 360 spin.
It’s a dead end.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” Tears of frustration burn down my cheeks. Hopelessness, raw and guttural, pounds down on me.
Why is this happening to me? Why me? What could I have possibly done in my past life to deserve all this?
My knees buckle, and I narrowly stop myself from falling. I’m so tired, exhausted from constantly running, fearing for my life. There’s never going to be an expiration date to this feeling—it makes me question the point of fighting.
Dad said he’ll always be happy as long as I’m doing what makes me happy. He’s not even here, and I can feel his disappointment. Happiness isn’t on the table for me. The only thing I can offer him is my survival, however fleeting that might be.
I have to go back to the cavern. Climbing out of the hole is my only option.
I swallow, attempting to bring moisture to my dry mouth. When was the last time I drank something? Ate? The lack of food and water wouldn’t be helping my condition either.
My head swims as I trudge forward, the vestiges of my adrenaline chipping away until I’m struggling to stay upright. Today has consisted of trauma after trauma. Exhaustion has me by my throat.
I’m panting by the time I stumble into the cave, coated in a layer of cold sweat, grime, and blue liquid I can only assume is the evidence of my attempted attack on the kraken. I pause, narrowing my eyes against the sudden light and waning energy. At the edges of my blurry vision, I spot something circular and brown.
My brows furrow as I close the distance, half crawling, half walking.A coconut. It sits atop a pile of shells, all husks of different maturity that have been broken, or…gnawed on?
My stomach grumbles. I snatch the fruit at the top, and my heart sinks. It’s empty.Dammit.
Movement sounds behind me. I whip around, holding the object up in defense.That’s not the krak-
