part0019

Zoe grasped the iron bars and threw her body weight forward and back. The gate rattled but didn’t move more than a fraction of an inch.

She had spent the past several hours pacing and plotting. She no longer felt like a teenage girl. No longer cared about the things she had a day prior. A primal feeling bubbled inside her. She was a caged animal. A rabid dog.

Getting her fear in check was the first step. The more she suppressed it, the clearer she could think. And the stronger her resolve.

Zoe figured it to be midday. The light carried a warmth that hadn’t been there while the doctor was present and, although she had no way to keep track of time, she was sure at least six or seven hours had passed.

Shortly after the doctor left, she thought she heard the faint sound of a boat motor receding in the distance. She imagined the surroundings outside of the underground cell.

After she was abducted, she was transported by boat. The doctor seemed to have left the same way. Was a section of the fort only accessible by water? If that was the case, it was unlikely that anyone would happen by. The shores around Fort Wetherill were rocky and treacherous. And while the steep shoreline was accessible by land, it was off the beaten path. The chances of someone venturing into the dense brush and exploring the craggy coves were slim.

Then again, she thought, maybe she was smack-dab in the middle of the Fort Getty campground. Hidden in plain sight. She imagined campers tending to their fires. Children playing a game of tag only feet away.

There was no doubt she’d arrived by boat, but how far was she carried after they landed? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall.

No. She was confident she had heard the boat motor when the doctor left. And she hadn’t heard it since. The sounds of the ocean reverberated against the smooth walls. They were close to the water. Very close.

If they listened intently, they would be warned of someone’s arrival. They could prepare themselves. To do what, she didn’t know. At least not yet.

For a moment, Zoe hoped their captors wouldn’t return at all. Maybe they would be arrested or would simply move on. Zoe physically shuddered at the thought. The doctor had left three bottles of water and hers was already more than half gone. How many days could they survive without more? Two? Three? As awful as both men were, they were the lesser of two evils. Being stranded, locked in a cage, meant certain death.

She had to assume they were completely alone. So they could talk to each other. They could put their heads together. She crouched down next to the blonde-haired girl.

“They’re gone,” Zoe said. “We’re alone.”

The blonde-haired girl turned her head away.

“Just tell me something. You don’t have to speak, just nod. Do they always come at the same time? Late at night or early in the morning?”

The blonde-haired girl’s head hesitantly nodded up and down.

It occurred to Zoe that their captors may have been trying to avoid detection by avoiding times when they might be spotted by other people. If there was a predictable pattern, they might be able to use it to their advantage.

“Have they ever shown up in the daytime?” Zoe asked.

The blond-haired girl shook her head.

“They’re not here,” Zoe repeated. “We can speak. No one can hear us. You have to trust me.”

Zoe looked to the other corner. The short haired girl had perked up. Her eyes were brighter. More focused.

“Look,” Zoe said. She put her face to the bars and yelled at the top of her lungs. “Hey! Assholes! Can you hear me?”

As the echo of her own voice dampened, nothing but the sound of lapping waves filled the space.

“See,” Zoe said. She turned back to the blonde-haired girl. “I’m Zoe. What’s your name?”

The girl’s dry, cracked lips parted. “Leigh.”

“Leigh. Okay. How long have you been here, Leigh?”

“Five days, I think.”

“How about you?” Zoe turned to the short haired girl. “What’s your name?”

“Wait,” Zoe said. “I know you. From school. You were two years behind me.”

“I remember you,” Lucy said.

Zoe turned to Leigh. “Are you from Jamestown too?”

“No. I’m from Connecticut. I go to URI.”

“How old are you?” Zoe said.

“I’ll be nineteen in August.”

Lucy burst into tears. “I want to go to college. I want to get my license. I want to see my parents again.”

Zoe hobbled over to Lucy on her knees and wrapped her arms around her. “We’re all going to see our families soon. They’re out there looking for us. They’ll find us.”

“I don’t think my parents are looking for me,” Leigh said. Her face was devoid of expression. “I have an apartment off-campus. I decided to stay for the summer. They probably don’t even know I’m missing.”

Lucy sniffled. “Mine probably don’t want to find me.”

“Stop that,” Zoe said. “I bet they’re freaking out right now. I know mine are. And I’m sure Leigh’s family is looking by now, too.”

“I was so nasty to them.” Lucy broke down again. Mucus dripped from her nostrils and onto her lips.

“You’ve got to stop crying,” Zoe said. “You’re going to get more dehydrated.”

Lucy wiped her eyes. “All the kids would make fun of me because I have two moms. I guess I was just mad. Like, why did they have to be gay? The worst thing is that I never told them that. I never told them so many things. I wish I could hug them and tell them I love them and that I’m sorry for being such a jerk.”

“The most important thing we can do right now is have faith,” Zoe said. “We are going to get out of here. We’re going to survive. And then we can fix whatever regrets we have. But we can’t just roll over and wait to die. We have to do something.”

“There’s nothing to do,” Leigh said. “We’re going to die in here. You might as well admit it to yourself.”

“She’s right,” Lucy said. “Just like the other girl.”

“What other girl?” Zoe said.

“When I got here, there was another girl,” Leigh said. “I tried talking to her, just like you. But she wouldn’t speak to me. I didn’t know why until he caught me trying to talk to her. I remember him going to get the key and then unlocking the gate. He beat me bad. It was the most pain I ever felt in my life. The next thing I knew, it was daytime, and he was gone. I have no idea how long I was unconscious for.”

“I’m sorry,” Zoe said. What else could she say? She had also been brutalized at the hands of the Captain. She had experienced his frightening strength. But it was better not to dwell on past trauma. They were making progress, and the last thing Zoe wanted was for her two companions to clam up again. “What happened to the other girl?”

“She was here for a few days after I got here. She had a bad injury to her hand. I don’t know what happened to her, but every morning, during the morning session or whatever, her bandages were changed. Then, one night after Lucy showed up, she was taken out. I knew as soon as I saw the flashlight and that stupid Captain’s hat come around the corner, it was going to be bad. And it was. She never came back. He killed her just like he’s going to kill us. Now you’re here. I’m the next to go.”

“You don’t know that,” Zoe said. “Maybe they let her go because she was too badly injured or something. Maybe she’s being held somewhere else.”

“If she got away,” Leigh said, “wouldn’t she tell someone where we are? Wouldn’t she have gone to the police?”

Zoe didn’t have a response. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Leigh was right. She changed the subject.

“We need to figure out what they want with us. We must have something in common. Some reason we’re all here. What was this stuff the Doctor was saying about trying to cure us? Does he think we’re all sick? Does he know something we don’t? It makes no sense. It’s like they know us. Or we’re supposed to know them. Have either of you ever seen them before?”

“All the time,” Lucy said. “Haven’t you?”

“I don’t think so, no. I mean, I wasn’t able to get a good look at the Captain, but the Doctor didn’t look familiar. Do you really know them? From where?”

Lucy and Leigh looked at each other. Both of their eyes widened as if sharing a telepathic moment of shock.