Escape The Basement (Complete)

XVII.

I see Stephanie shrink to the size of a ball and do the same. My head still throbs. Someone steps into the room and I blink a few times, not really believing what I am seeing. Amanda stands there, wielding a Michael Myers knife. (Halloween, anyone?)

“A-Amanda? Wha-What are you doing?” She just stands there, glaring at me. Like they say: if looks could kill....

She glares at me a few more seconds before answering. “Eliza, you should know. No, this isn’t three stories, nor a mansion, but it is our cabin in the woods.” She looks around, her gaze ignoring Stephanie. “The basement is a bit  too small. Can only keep a few people down here at once.” She looks back at me. “But I really only need room for the two of you.” She smiles.

“Amanda,” I say, my voice rising. Hoping this is all a big joke. “If you don’t tell me why you hit me and put me down here, you will live the rest of your life down here.” I glance toward Stephanie and see her staring at us, wide eyed.

** Stephanie’s POV**

Eliza laughs, but it sounds forced. This isn’t a time to be joking around, I think to myself.

Amanda starts laughing so hard her face turns red. She wipes a pretend tear from her eye. “Oh, Eliza. You are never leaving this basement. But before that happens, there are a few things we need to do first.” I look at Eliza. Her eyes slowly survey the basement. Her gaze sweeps over me, like I am not there.

“Nevik!” Amanda yells. Two sets of feet come down the stairs. Haden appears in the doorway. “Go on,” Amanda coos. Someone pushes Haden to the ground. He flips over and backs away.

I glance at Eliza, trying to gauge her reaction. She frowns at him but continues to survey the basement.

“Thank you, that will be all.” Amanda says. The door shuts behind her. She looks at Eliza, and says, “So. It is time for you to prove yourself.” Eliza continues looking around, like she can’t hear Amanda.

She sits down and rests against the door. “Everyone, will you please put your feet out?” She sticks her feet out, and everyone does the same but Eliza. She sits criss-cross applesauce.

My feet touch Haden’s, and I look at him. He doesn’t return the gaze, just moves his feet out of my reach. I look across at Eliza. She stares back.

Please, do what she says. I mouth to her. She does, but after searching both my and Haden’s face. She stares at our feet, almost making a square, frowning.

Amanda shifts so our feet make a complete square. “Eliza, it is time to prove yourself. You always talk about eating people, so now you are going to follow through.” Our mouths hit the floor. Eliza looks confused but also....pleased? I continue to stare at her, while Amanda explains.

“Alright. So this is how it is going to work. We are going to pick a number between one and ten. I will add up all our numbers, and starting on my right foot, count to that number. Whatever foot I land on will lose a toe or two.” I gasp. She can’t be serious! I look to Eliza again, and see her staring at the ground, head cocked to the side like a dog. “Numbers?” Amanda asks.

“Four.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Seven.” Amanda finishes. “Okay, so that equals fourteen. Alright,” She points to her right foot and says “One.” then going clockwise.

“Twelve,” She says, pointing to my left foot. “Thirteen, fourteen.” She lands on Haden. “Sorry bud, but you are the next contestant on the toe is gone!” She takes off his shoe and sock, then grabs her knife.

“Which one, Eliza?” She slowly blinks, then shakily points at his foot. “The big one?” Eliza doesn’t respond. “Good choice.” She turns to me. “Try anything and your boyfriend here won’t live to see Eliza eat his toe. Then I will torture you until you would rather go hell than be here on earth. Understand?” I nod.

She puts his foot flat against the ground then raises the knife up. She swings the knife down and I scream. Haden stares, before passing out. Amanda dips two of her fingers in the blood and smears some of it on her face. 

Eliza turns away. Amanda stands back up, holding something in her hand. I cover my eyes. I look through the slits in my fingers so I can only see Amanda and Eliza, not the blood, or Haden.

“Alright. Open up, Eliza. Bon appetit.” She holds her blood-soaked hand out to Eliza.

She shakes her head, holding a hand over her mouth. Amanda slaps her across the face. I wince.

“You stupid bitch. I have been putting up with your shit for months now. You slap me at least five times a day, elbow me, and once you actually cut me. And you think it is all a joke. Everything is a fucking joke to you. Now it is time to own up. You will fucking do what I say or I will make you eat your own fingers and toes. Before I do that though, I have to rip out the nails, right? That is how you do it? Then you cut off the fingers and toes, then ears and tongue. After that it is eyes, right? That is how this works? Maybe throw in some electricity, just to mix it up a little bit?”

I shut my eyes at tight as I can and cover my ears. There is something really wrong with that girl. Amanda stands up, and Eliza follows suit. She holds out her hand, and Amanda gives her three toes. “Can we at least take the nail off? I accidentally eat my nails sometimes when I pick at them and they are gross.”

I take my hands away from my ears and look up at them. There is no way she is actually going to eat them, is she? Amanda pries the nails off. Wow, she is crazier than Amanda. I stare, amazed, as she raises the toes to her lips. She takes the smallest one and closes her eyes, then pops it into her mouth. Her whole body shudders as she swallows.

She opens her eyes and looks at Amanda, mouth wide open. Everything is tinted red. “See? One down. Can I have some water, to help get rid of the metallic taste?” I assume it is from the blood. I look to Amanda, watch her shake her head no. “After I finish them, then?” Amanda just stares. Eliza nods. She takes the second toe and puts it in her mouth, plugging her nose.

She opens her mouth wide again. “Can you have Nevik get me some water, so after I eat the last one I can wash my mouth out?” Eliza spits on the ground near Haden’s feet. She shudders again.

“Time for the big toe. You might want to not put the whole thing in your mouth at once, wouldn’t want you to choke, would we?” Her face lights up when Eliza bites into Haden’s big toe. I feel bile start to rise in my throat.

Amanda glances toward me, and immediately crouches down, looking concerned. “Are you doing alright? You aren’t going to throw up or anything, are you?”

In reply, I throw up, all over Amanda.

*Eliza's POV*

I watch Stephanie throw up all over Amanda, and find myself laughing, hysterically. She spins toward me and holds her knife against my neck. “You just wait, you little fuck. You are going to get what is coming to you. You all will!” She shouts the last part, spinning in a circle. She stomps over to the door and leaves. I hear her stomp throughout the small house.

I look over at Stephanie, her face ashen. “Are-Are you alright? I’m sorry about all that.”

Stephanie doesn’t reply, she crawls to the corner by the door and curls into the fetal position.

Some time later Amand comes back, her hair pulled away from her face, her clothes changed. She looks from me to Haden (still passed out) to Stephanie. She walks over to Haden, and grabs him by the hair. In one swift movement, she cuts his throat.

Amanda then again disappears, returning once more in different clothes. She comes in and goes straight to Stephanie.

“Come on, honey. You shouldn’t be playing down here. Mommy told you not to. We don’t want the boogyman to come get you, do we?” She gets Stephanie to stand up and leads her out. The door shuts, and I am left alone.