The Life I Want to Live ~Sequel to On The Run~

Chapter 8

"Where the hell is Louis?!" Harry screamed upstairs.

"Out checking the dogs." Someone answered as Harry growled.

"Fuck! I'll be back later. Don't leave." He said before slamming the front door shut making me jump and squeeze my eyes shut.

After Harry was done yelling at me, he retreated back upstairs to have a meeting with the boys which fell through when he wouldn't tell them anything. I was left down in the pitch black basement huddled in the corner to conserve my warmth. Harry had done a beating on my right arm which is now bruised and my shoulders are sore from him gripping them so tightly. Without even realizing it I began to sob again.

"Who the hell was he talking to down there?" Someone asked from above the basement as he walked towards the steps.

"I don't know mate, maybe he was just on the phone."

"Fuck mate, we don't even have cell service up here! When was the last time you did an inventory check down there?"

"Probably before Harry got here, speaking of that I don't think I've gone into the basement since he's been here." Niall answered.

"Fuck it then-we're going in the basement now because it's probably the only chance we'll get." Someone jiggled the basement door and kneed up against it. "Fuck it's locked. Niall where's the key?"

"Harry has it."

"Shit. Help me come break this door down-Liam you too!" Zayn yelled as he was the only one he didn't refer to. The footsteps got closer to the basement door making my heart speed up rapidly. What if they wanted answers from me just like Harry? What if they thought I was giving information to someone else? What if they'd kill me just how Harry threatened? All the thoughts in my head became too much and I started having a panic attack as the door came crashing down.

"Where's the light?" Someone asked as they stepped carefully down the steps, feeling the walls for the switch. I tried to keep my loud, ragged breathing to a minimum as I didn't want to be noticed. "Found it!" Someone exclaimed as they flicked it on temporarily blinding me. When I finally opened my eyes I saw all three boys staring down at me with wide eyes and confused faces.

"Maddie?!" Liam exclaimed as I started to full out ball. "What-"

"You're fucking kidding me." Zayn said through gritted teeth as he walked closer to me.

"P-please don't h-hurt me!" I said as I scooted back towards the wall and buried my face. Zayn started to reach his hand out but I moved quickly. "D-don't touch me." I said quietly as the tears dripped down my face.

"Maddie I wasn't going to hurt you-" Zayn started as he stood up and I cried silently.

"How long have you been here?" Niall asked calmly as he looked down at me with anger. I didn't answer right away which made Niall close his eyes temporarily. "We can't help you unless you tell us what we ask. Maddie c'mon how long have you been here?"

"I d-don't know...Harry used chloroform so I-I don't know h-how long I've b-been here." I answered bluntly as I wiped the tears from my face with my un-handcuffed hand.

"Why did you sta-he fucking handcuffed you?!" Liam yelled abruptly as he came over quickly and grabbed my arm. I buried my head in-between my knees as he pulled the chain off the wall and released it from my wrist.

"I'm going to kill him. I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM!" Zayn yelled as he ran up the stairs and out of sight.

"Well, we can't fucking take her back now..." Liam trailed off as he looked over at Niall.

"But we can give you a shower and some better living conditions." Niall said as he walked over to me. "Can you stand?" He asked as Liam helped me up. My feet were a bit wobbly at first and I almost fell to the ground but he kept me up.

"I'll carry you upstairs." Liam stated as he picked me up in his arms and made his way towards the stairs.

"P-please you don't h-have to do t-this. I'll just s-stay down t-there-" I said as I started to cry.

"Maddie. You've been in a fucking basement for who knows how long, and now that someone's trying to help you you're saying you'll go back? Just be quiet and let us help." Liam huffed as he proceeded towards the bathroom. Liam left and Niall guided me towards the shower.

"There should be shampoo and stuff in there. I'll bring in some clothes. Take as long as you need." He said as calmly as he could-still quite angry about finding me here.

After he shut the door I started the water and began taking off my clothes. When I took my boots off I could barely feel my toes and the warm air made them sting. As I climbed into the shower my whole body felt numb and I couldn't tell the temperature of the water because my body was stinging. Hoping that the water wasn't too hot or cold I proceeded with shampooing my hair and washing my body with the shampoo in the shower. I could care less who it had been used by considering the fact I hadn't taken a shower in a week.

When I was finished I wrapped the gray towel around my body and the other around my hair so it could dry. Just then there was a knock on the door and Niall's head popped in.

"I grabbed you some clothes out of my drawers-woah did you burn yourself?!" He exclaimed as I looked down at my red skin.

"I couldn't t-tell the temperature of the w-water. My whole body w-was numb." I said quietly as the tears started to brim in my eyes.

"It's ok we have some burn cream. Come down when you're ready and one of us can help you put it on." Niall said as he exited mumbling profanities. I quickly put the clothes on and tightened the draw string on the pants to make sure they wouldn't fall off. I rolled the bottoms of the pants up a bit too and put on his socks.

The last thing I did was use the toilet. You don't realize how much you miss commodities until you've had to use a bucket for a week.