They’d made a mistake letting her hear her father’s voice. It came to her through the fog, cut through the fever and pain, awakened the sense of survival they’d nearly managed to kill. Even now, a day later, in her conscious moments between sleep and delirium, Karen struggled to make her escape.
The big man had done a poorer job than usual tying the ropes. She couldn’t use her mangled hand, couldn’t use her fingers to work on the knots, but she managed to wriggle her ankles free. Had she picked at the ropes with her toes? Or had one ankle merely slid out?
Karen had no idea. She struggled to her feet and stumbled against the wall, not taking her usual care to make sure the big man didn’t hear her. At any moment she expected him to rush in and throw her back down on the mattress and tie her feet.
There was a nail sticking out of the cabin wall. Karen could feel it pressing into her back. She felt for it with her good hand. With her hands tied behind her back, the nail was too high for her to reach, but on tiptoes she could snag the rope around her wrists. She did, and nearly fell over, but the nail itself helped hold her up. She increased the pressure on the nail, trying hard not to squeal from the pain.
The rope wouldn’t give. Had she hooked it in the wrong place? Was she actually tightening the knot? Could she risk changing the rope’s position on the nail?
The rope gave.
Her hands slipped free.
The pain from the restored circulation was excruciating. She bit her lip hard. Her knees buckled and she slid down the wall, the nail raking her back. She barely noticed. She rolled over, pushed herself to her feet.
The window was open. It was small and high and there was nothing to stand on. It didn’t matter. Karen grabbed the sill with both hands, causing fresh spasms of pain, and pulled herself up, climbing the wall with her feet.
It was too much. She slid back to the floor and hung, clinging to the windowsill. Fatigue, delirium, and pain overwhelmed her. She swayed back and forth with her eyes closed and her head sagging forward on her chest.
She couldn’t remember what she was doing.