Chapter 3 - Extracting the Queen from the Dungeon
I slipped back into the house through the side utility door as silently as a ghost.
The morning shadows still clung to the hallways.
From upstairs,
I could faintly hear the low hum of my mother's television and the scent of expensive coffee brewing.
They were living a life of pampered luxury,
completely unaware of the tempest outside.
I pushed open the door to the storage room.
Gwen was awake,
shivering slightly under the thin blanket,
her large, hollow eyes fixing on me with a mixture of terror and hope.
"Vance?"
she whispered,
her voice raspy.
"I'm here,
baby,"
I murmured,
kneeling beside her makeshift mattress on the cold concrete floor.
"Pack whatever small belongings you have left.
We are leaving this place right now."
Panic flared in her eyes.
"Your mother...
your sister...
if they see me—"
"They won't see a damn thing,"
I interrupted gently,
taking her frail, cold hand in mine.
"And even if they do,
they won't have the power to stop us anymore.
Trust me."
Gwen looked at me,
searching my face for any sign of hesitation.
She found none.
She nodded slowly,
reaching down to grab a small, worn cloth pouch containing her few personal items and medical documents.
I scooped her up into my arms.
She weighed almost nothing,
a terrifying testament to the months of starvation and medical neglect she had endured.
I carried her out of the storage room,
stepping lightly over the dusty floorboards.
As we neared the back exit,
heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs.
"Paige!"
my mother's voice echoed through the hallway.
"Tell that lazy girl in the back to take out the trash before she does anything else!"
My jaw clenched.
I didn't stop.
I pushed open the door,
carried Gwen out into the blinding morning sunlight,
and gently placed her in the passenger seat of the rental car.
I buckled her in,
wrapped my jacket tightly around her shoulders,
and closed the door.
As I walked around to the driver's side,
I looked up at the second-story window.
My sister Paige was standing there,
holding a mug of coffee,
garing down with a look of absolute disdain.
She didn't wave.
She didn't ask where we were going.
She just rolled her eyes and pulled the blinds shut.
Let them enjoy their ignorance while it lasted.
I got into the car,
May you like
started the engine,
and drove away from that house of horrors without looking back once.
