CONSUME

11.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Esther didn't know how many days it had been. It felt like weeks. She's received food, he wouldn't let her out of the chains and she had threatened to go silent. They had argued, then she had went into silence, punishing him in the only way she could. She's been silent for days until he'd finally given in. The chains were gone but she was still captive.

It was small, but it was the first step in the right direction.

She knew she needed to negotiate anything for more freedom.

The window was useless.

She had wanted to break it after hearing him leave but the glass was thick and she had nothing with enough force to break it.

You couldn't open it.

The whole place seemed like it was made to keep someone in.

He'd brought her clothes.

He would sit in her room, trying to talk and she would do her best to control herself.

"You're having dinner with me tonight." He spoke.

He opened the door, leaving her eyes to search for an exit. It seemed that if she was miserable enough, he would give her a little more.

The thought of running to the door filled her mind but she knew it survive, she would have to play the long game.

Earn his trust.

Earn his trust and escape.

She let him lead her trough the spacious cabin. A narrow hall lead to a large living room connected to a old-fashioned kitchen.

She glanced at the windows, being met with a wall of dense forest.

The town was surrounded by forest, being located near a nature reserve that lead to miles of mountains and harsh terrain.

"It would take days for you to reach civilization. You'd die out in the cold." He spoke, looking at her as she stood before the window.

She didn't know if he was lying but his worried tone, the tone that showed he believed she was daring enough to do it, made her concerned he wasn't lying.

"I wasn't thinking of that. I've been locked inside for days, it's nice to see the outside." She tried to keep her tone believable.

She glanced around the cabin even more. She noticed the alarm system beside the door. The door didn't have a regular lock. It had a bolt chain and an alarm that seemed to be a coded one. She looked at the pictures that hung on the walls, nothing showing anything personal. One jacket hung on the coat racket, telling her that he wasn't often here.

It had to be a hunting cabin.

He wasn't lying about how they were far from civilization. She wondered if there were any other cabins close by or if there was a gas station near.

She glanced at the driveway, seeing a pickup car parked.

He was smart enough to not drive a police car up here.

He had probably planned this for long.

She glanced for car keys but the place was tidy.

The leather couch was spotless, the tv large and the carpet looking like it had never been stepped on. A large bookcase stood beside a fireplace, the dark wood contains shelves upon shelves of literature. A tv stood against one of the other walls, a dark green couch across it. The dresser in the hall had a small black lamp on it, a small bowl beside it that she figured he had kept the keys in until he'd brought her here.