"Hey, George?" asked Alby, and George turned his head, his bleary eyes barely open.
"Yeah?" he croaked
"Tomorrow, we're gonna go to the Outside," said Alby, and George's eyes widened.
"What? But... the noises, you don't even know what's out there," said George, and Alby noticed his breathing getting quicker.
"It's okay, kid. Have you ever heard those noises during the day? They're only out at night when the doors are closed. As long as we get back before they close, it's completely safe. We just have to find out what's out there. It could be our way out," said Alby, and George closed his eyes, contemplating.
"They could just be quiet at night, not gone," said George.
"Kid, there's no other way out, I've searched every inch of this place. The only place I don't know about is through those doors,"
George was silent for a bit and then smiled, "Don't call me 'kid'," he said and then yawned.
"Okay, I trust you," said George and lied down, pulling the hide close to him. Alby smiled and closed his eyes. For the first time since he climbed out of that crate 5 weeks ago, he slept peacefully.
"Stop, please just fucking leave us alone!!" Harley called out at the top of her lungs.
It had been a quiet night until they left the cabin in search of help. They couldn't run, they couldn't escape.
Harley was shoved to the ground, hard. He slammed his fist down on her chest with so much force the air in her lungs escaped. Harley gasped for air. The sounds of fabric ripping pierced her ears and more tears fell fast.
Max laid sprawled out a few feet away. His motionless body sent chills down Harley's spine. She wasn't sure if he was still alive. "Please be okay," she whispered to herself. She could feel the blood flowing down her face and pooling to the back of her throat. She coughed out, "Please stop, why are you doing this?"
"Because of you." He growled.
The pain was too much to bare.
Then, everything went dark.
--
About six months later Harley and her family moved to Florida. After the incident, her parents felt she needed some time away from Ohio and the cold. So it worked out when her father's company had an opening in Florida.
As she starts almost a quarter of the year in, Harley struggles to find her footing and live like a normal teenager. Would her new friends get her through it? Or does her past come back to haunt her?
Warning: Graphic content, sexual, and physical abuse.