How is Beckett going to find me if I don’t even know where I am?
How am I going to get out of here and keep our baby alive and safe?
I walk over to the cot and take a seat.I allow myself a few moments to break down, but after that we are picking up our bootstraps and getting to work.I’ve let Papa and his people have enough of my life, and it’s time I take it back.
But first, I need a plan.
I’m notsure the exact date because I don’t know my mornings from nights since I only see sunlight peeking through when the hatch is opened and someone comes down.I always ask what day it is.They seem to come every five to seven days.I’m usually granted a date, and I make a mark on the wall to try to keep up with time.As the weeks go by, a different man comes by to deliver my supplies.I’ve found that it’s someone who is hired by The Fellowship to cut the grass.They must pay them a pretty penny to assure that one of these men don’t rat them out to the police.I’m always polite so that when I decide to strike, they won’t see me coming.
My stomach is more prominent, but I hide it well behind the large shirt and sweat pants that were brought down a few weeks ago.The weather must be changing and getting chillier, because I feel the temperature difference when the door opens and the wind comes down from above.I’ve been rationing the food better and have noticed that the only weight I’ve gained is in my stomach.I feel the movement from my baby more every day, and it is what keeps me sane.If I didn’t have something to hold on to, I don’t think I’d survive this.Colombia was horrible, but this is a nightmare.I’ve got eight slashes on the wall marking around eight weeks I’ve been down here, and I’m not going to wait any longer.The bigger I get, the harder it’ll be to make a move to get away.I’ve started doing a lot of exercising to keep my muscles as sharp as someone can in such tight quarters.
Now I just wait for the next time the hatch opens.
I’ve just gotten through with my lunges and squats and decide to take a nap to rest.There should be a delivery sometime in the next few days if my rations are correct, though I’ve been eating more lately.I’ll need all my strength if I’m going to pull this off.
I’m not sure how much time has passed, but a sound wakes me.The hatch opens, but for a few moments no one comes down the steps.
This is it.It’s time to make a move and gain my freedom.
Hopping up from the cot, I grab the LED lantern from the corner and turn it off.My eyes have gotten good in the dark and can see the movement of the person coming down.I can hear his breathing as he steps down on the last step.He grabs the two five-gallon buckets that they make me use for the bathroom and hauls the sealed buckets up to empty the contents.Every inch of my dignity has been stripped from me over the last several weeks.They grant me wet wipes to clean myself, and if I’m lucky they might throw in a few chocolate bars or fruit.
I stand off to the side and plaster myself to the wall.I’ve got one chance to make this work and need to make sure that I do everything in my power to get the heck out of here.The man comes down the steps slowly with several bags in his arms.The moment he makes it to the final one, I see him squint his eyes looking around the small crypt, trying to gauge where to put the supplies in his arms.
I don’t wait another second and pounce.Swinging the lantern with all my might, I aim for the man’s head.He doesn’t see it coming, and I nail him exactly where I was hoping in the face.I must have more power than I ever thought or I just got lucky because he crumples to the ground like a sack of potatoes.Not wanting to waste precious time, I step over him and up the steps as quickly as I can.The moment my head breaches the top, my eyes sting from the brightness.The soft wind feels like needle pricks to my skin as the fresh air fills my lungs.
I put my hands up around my eyes to shield from the light, and I hear the sound of pounding.I notice a fence and house, which means I’m in a backyard somewhere.The sound of hammering is getting louder as I start to move towards it.That means people are there, and hopefully one of them will help me.
“HELP!”I call out when I can finally remove my hands from my eyes.There’s a house being built and men up on ladders.“SOMEONE HELP ME!”I say again and see a few men stop hammering and look over.My mind must be playing tricks with me because I think I see Rocky amongst the guys.
“Sutton?”I hear my name being called, and I’m sure it’s him.
“Rocky!Get help.Call Havoc!”I race over toward the fence, but there’s no way to climb over the tall wooden panels.I look around and see two men come into the backyard.They zone in on me.
“Sutton?When did you get out of the hospital?”I hear Rocky ask as he steps up on the other side of the fence.I don’t understand why he asked me about being in the hospital, but maybe that’s where Beckett or Stone told him I’d gone and not kidnapped.
My time has run out as I look over my shoulder and see the man I nailed in the head make his way out of the bunker.He’s still looking out of it as the other two men start to approach me.
“Rocky call Stone or Raegan or Beckett, please,” I beg and let out a sob.“Tell them I’ve been taken.Tell Raegan I’m calling butterfly.Tell her butterfly and that I need help,” I urge as the men are almost to me.
“Okay, best friend,” he says, and I turn my back to the fence and watch the men close in on me.
“Love you, buddy,” I whisper to Rocky as the men begin yelling in Spanish, commanding me to do something.They sound just like the men from Colombia did when I was there.The accents match.
I’m grabbed by my arms and hauled through the yard as they speak amongst each other in rapid fire.My shirt has risen up, and one of the men point down at it, showing the other two.The man I hit goes first and looks around the corner.I’m on the same street where Raegan and Stone live.A white van is sitting in the driveway, and I know that if they get me in there, I’ll lose any chance of getting away.
“SOMEONE HELP ME!”I start screaming hoping someone will hear me and come out to help.“HELP!HELP!”
The men holding me start to argue.I can’t understand what they are saying as I try to yank out of their hold.
“STONE, HELP!”we hear a voice yelling and turn that way.
Rocky is next door in the front yard screaming into the phone.My heart leaps at the thought of him getting help, and that this nightmare is finally coming to an end.The men see Rocky with the phone to his ear, looking over at us.They start to haul me closer to the van, and I dig my heels into the ground.I’m not going to make this easy for them by any means.
“Sutton, come quick.I found her!I found her!”Rocky continues to whoever is on the other side of the call.
One of the men opens the backdoor, and I continue to struggle and yell for help.They maneuver me in the back as I kick out trying to aim for one of them.One of them stays in the back with me, holding me down as the other two hop in the front.The van starts, and the two in the front start to yell at each other.The van lunges forward, and I feel us go over the curb onto the street.Their voices are getting louder as the van comes to a halt.The passenger window comes down, and I watch in horror as he pulls a gun from his waistband and aims it out of the van.
“NOOOOO!”I scream so loud and hard my throat burns as I try to get up from the position I’m in to stop the man.
