Freed

41

I huddled my arms around my body as I stepped off the bus, shivers crawling up and down my spine. My throat ached raw because I needed water, and my head spun from how long I'd been awake. Every part of me was sore and throbbing.

I stood on the sidewalk and scanned the area, trying to figure out which street he'd told me to walk down until I saw a small, old house with a black SUV parked on the driveway. He said that it was surrounded by trees and the paint was chipping from the outside.

I started treading down the sidewalk, turning when I saw the familiar green sign that said the street name Lucas had mentioned. My shoes dragged tiredly against the cement as I walked, keeping my gaze downcast. My hair swept into my face, nipping at my cheeks as the wind whistled softly throughout the darkness of the night. A few cars drove by, but other than that, it was silent outside.

The house that he'd sent me a picture of came into sight. My footsteps faltered only momentarily as nausea sent my stomach churning. My eyes watered with unshed tears as I gazed up at the house, willing myself to be strong.

"You'll be okay," I whispered to myself, taking a deep breath as my hands clenched and unclenched by my sides. "You'll be okay, Izzy."

The presence of the knife that was hiding under my jacket was a small comfort. I'd grabbed it hours ago from our kitchen, and tucked it into the waistband of my jeans. I could feel it digging into my skin, the silver tip sharp and centimeters away from drawing blood if I made one wrong move.

I shuffled up the cracked driveway, and headed towards the front steps that led to the door. I rung the doorbell once, silently murmuring words of reassurance to myself as I waited for the door to open.

I flinched when a lock untwisted and the door whipped open, a familiar profile coming into my line of sight.

Amina's lips twitched into a small smile as she beheld me standing at the doorstep, her glassy eyes glinting with emotions I couldn't pinpoint. I noticed that her eyes were also bloodshot and glazed over. Her face looked sunken in. "Finally," she hummed, stepping to the side to let me through. "We thought you weren't coming."

I inhaled through my nose, ignoring the tears prickling my throat as I stepped past the threshold. Amina slammed the door shut behind me, and I scanned the house as everything came into my line of view.

I heard a strong, deep voice coming in from the room that was past the foyer. Fear turned my blood cold, but before I could give into the urge to run, Amina's hand hit my back and she shoved me forward.

I let her push me through the house until we reached the door leading to the living room. My eyes scanned the place, noticing the worn down leather couches, coffee table, and a fireplace that was burning brightly. The space was warm and cozy in a way that made me sick because I knew everything that was about to happen would be the exact opposite.

"There she is," a guttural voice drawled. My head whipped over to see Lucas leaning against the wall, a dark smirk shaping his lips.

My heart beat stumbled when I noticed the crying baby cradled in his arms. Noelle was bundled in a thin, white blanket and her little chest was heaving up and down as she softly cried; the whimpers sounding weak and tired as if she'd worn herself out by crying out for her mom. Or her dad.

Four other men stood on either sides of the room, near the windows, their faces set in stone as they watched the scene in front of them. Olivia was nowhere in sight.

"Where is Olivia?" I got straight to the point, my voice hoarse.

Lucas held my gaze evenly, his eyes revealing nothing. The dark blue color was so rich, his eyes almost looked pitch black under the dim lighting of the room. He was a monster.