Drip.

The door clanged back open and Ari returned to my side.

I knew it was my turn before he called my name. “Leah.” He sounded severely pained now. He obviously hadn’t found what he was looking for yet. He grabbed my arm before I’d had a chance to move and pulled me away from the room. The door clanged behind me and I kept my eyes clenched shut. I waited for the painful blast of light.

Another door opened and after he’d slammed it shut behind me I could hear the sound of wood against wood. Then a lock clicking into place.

The blast of light came after that. I almost screamed, but instead just threw my arms over my eyes.

“What were you four passing around?” He asked quickly as soon as he had pushed my down into a hard metal chair. I blinked heavily trying to get my vision back.

“What’d you find on Z?” I hoped he couldn’t see right through my fearful facade.

“I’m asking the questions here!” He roared. Yep, definitely angry.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t tell, but everyone else said it was a good thing!” I said. I was distressed. I was the one being blamed for something I had no clue about. I tried to quickly come up with lines for this new character. Maybe those drama classes would finally come in handy.

“Don’t play dumb, Leah.” He sounded calm, but the way he spit out my name told me a different story. I pulled my arms away from my face. I’d perfected the distraught look in my mind.

I stared back at him with wide, horror filled eyes. “I’m not playing!” I half-yelled. Be very dramatic. You have to be able to get the point across to those far from the stage. “I don’t know what’s going on.” Somehow I managed to squeeze out an effortless tear. Maybe it was how much my wide eyes were absorbing the light.

“What do you have in your pockets?” He drilled. It was almost a mimic of our questions.

“I don’t have anything! Look!” I dramatically jumped from the hard, cold metal chair and turned out my pockets.

“Take off your shoes.” He muttered.

“What?” I asked, moving my gaze from my empty pockets to his face. I looked into his dark hazel eyes, and actually feared, for a moment, for my life.

Then I remembered I’d moved the blade and took off my shoes. “There.” I kicked them with my bare feet towards him.

I watched him slowly bend over to pick them up. “And I’ll be keeping these.” He murmured to himself.

“What?” I yelled. My feet would freeze upon entering the freezing cement room.

“You heard me.” He said nonchalantly. I scowled. At least the man seemed to be losing his steam. If I could just manage not to piss him off again; if I could just lay low on the sarcasm meter, I’d be fine. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut…

He was talking again. How’s I miss that?

“What do you think?” He asked almost excitedly and my stomach flipped.

I tried to keep it in, but it slipped. “Well, I have this theory.” I watched as his smile instantly dropped. “I think that Doritos are originally from like Mexico or Spain or something and the U.S. just stole them.” I paused and took in the death glare he was sending my way.

“Very funny.” He practically growled out at me.

I ignored the tone and every other signal that would normal tell somebody that their angry and does not, in fact, think that it’s funny. “I thought so too!” Then my eyes widened and I bolted to the door I knew was locked. “Shit.” I whispered to myself. “Shit.” I turned the doorknob just incase. “Shit.” It was locked.

Pounding on the door did me no good, either. It only hurt my hands and wore me out. I could feel the heat coming off of him in waves as he stood behind me. I was too frozen and terrified to move. I was too shaken to turn and face the monster I had made him become. The tan, spiked hair and the dark hazel eyes. The familiar small nose and the full lips. I shuddered just imagining his looming features.

He stood behind me, just panting, as if trying to beat down the fire I had stirred inside of him. It felt like I was the dumb girl cornered by the psycho killer in all of the slasher films.

I felt dumber than all of them combined.

I whimpered slightly before dropping to my knees and letting my hands slide down the door. Tears streamed down my face, clouding my vision, before I closed my eyes.

———————

I was still sobbing when the man threw open the metal door and flung me across the room, still grumbling. I let out a quiet cry of pain and listened as it echoed around the room. It was the sad chorus of misery. My throat was dry and felt as if it had been skinned.

I curled my body into a ball where I landed against a wall and blocked out the loud sound of the door slamming behind the monster.

I felt them all bending over me, but I ignored them.

Drip.

“Did he find something?” Britnay’s distinct and fearful voice broke the silence.

“Shut up, Britnay!” Z yelled back. I could hear the worry in his flustered tone. I understood it, too.

Not that I would tell any of them.

“What did he do?” Ari whispered. It sounded more to herself or to the others around her. “What happened, Leah?”

I tried to hold in the whimper as a slight memory pulsed through my brain, but it came out anyway. I curled myself tighter. I wanted them to go away. I wanted it all to go away.

I wanted to wake up in my warm bed.

I wanted to become part of the damp, hard, probably grey walls and floor.

I desperately wished that none of them cared.