Six(13)

I’d been locked in fright, but when he turned back to me, eyes in dangerous slits, an uncontrollable shaking took hold.

It only took him a few quick strides to get back over to me. He squatted down and grabbed on to my hair and pulled, yanking my head back. I reached back, trying to get him to release, my mind zapped blank by the pain.

“Stop,” he hissed between his lock-jawed teeth. “You need to shut the f*ck up before I shut you up permanently.”

I tried to snuff out the high-pitched sobs that squeaked out, but there was no controlling my turbulent emotions and fear.

He shook me by the hair, then released me, standing up.

I didn’t move. I couldn’t. The shaking of my body was so bad, the grimy floor and stained wall were my only friends.

Glued to the spot, I watched him move from one side of the room to the other. Blood made fine trails down his arm, but he didn’t seem concerned with it. At one pass, he picked up a cell phone from a black leather bag he’d pulled from the car.

Before he could do anything with it, there was another knock, earning me a silencing glare as he headed back to the door.

“Yes?” he asked through the small gap the chain gave.

“Hi, I’m staying next door and we’ve heard some strange noises,” a low male voice said. “Is everything okay?”

Saved. He’s going to save me.

“I explained to your wife that it is just the TV.”

Six tried to shut the door, but the man shoved his foot in the gap.

“Can I look?” the man asked.

“No.”

“Look, man, if you have nothing to hide, then what’s the problem opening the door so I can see for myself? Then I can get my wife to shut up about it, and we won’t bother you again.”

I couldn’t tell if it was just a line to gain a sympathetic edge, or if he really was annoyed with his wife’s meddling.

“You want to see what I have in my room? Fine.”

Six removed the chain and opened the door, grabbing on to the man’s collar. He pulled him into the room and threw him on the floor. I let out a gasp, drawing his attention. He didn’t look much older than me.

“Are you o—”

The silenced shot to the head cut him off, and I watched the light drain from his eyes as his body slumped onto the carpet. Thick, deep red pooled beneath him, and my stomach convulsed.

“Now you’ve seen.”

A scream was trapped in my rolling stomach as I stared wide-eyed at the lifeless body of my savior.

Six opened the door, and I watched his shadow in the sliver of opening at the bottom of the curtain as he walked to the room next door. The slamming of what was probably his foot against the door sounded, a scream, a snap, then silence.

He walked back in and picked up the bags he’d purchased along with his duffle bag and anything else that we brought in. “Come on.” He stared at me, waiting.

Tears slid down my cheeks. “What kind of monster are you?”

She tried to help me, and he killed her. He killed them both.

He stepped forward and yanked on my arm, pulling me up. “I’m your motherf*cking monster. Get in the f*cking car.”

Once again, he gripped me tight, dragging me along with him.

“Why did you have to kill them?” I asked after I reluctantly slid into the car.

He grabbed on to my jaw, making me look at him. “You made me.”

“What?”

“If you want to stay alive a little longer, if you want other people to stay alive, you will stop trying stupid shit. No trying to escape, no attempts to attack me, no talking to people. This is your life for the time being. Accept it.”

He just expected me to accept that I was stuck with him for however long he felt like it? To not try to free myself?

Maybe he was more warped than I thought.

Somehow, some way, I was going to get free of him, but it was obvious I was going to have to wait for the perfect opportunity.





I awoke to the change of speed and the sun shining in my eyes. It took a moment for the sleep to leave and for me to once again remember all that had happened.

Alive, for the moment.

“Where are we?” I asked as I sat up. There was a sudden need to pee that took over, and a churn in my stomach. A quick glance down at the clock revealed it was just before 7 a.m.

“Outside Atlanta. We’re going to stay here.”

I nodded and noticed the anxiety in me was lower. Something in the night changed me. Inside, the turbulent seas had reduced to a yellow flag—as close to the Goldilocks zone as I was going to get in my situation. Add in to it that the urge to cry was missing.

I hadn’t come to grips with what happened, but I did know crying wasn’t going to help me. I was dealing with a deranged man who had no issue doing anything, including killing me.

The only thing to do was just as he said—accept the situation. If I didn’t want more people to get hurt, or more precisely, killed, then I needed to have a level head and be smart about my actions.

A “Welcome” sign came up, and I read the name as we passed by.

“Woodbury, Georgia? We’re not seriously in Woodbury, are we?”

“Why?”

“The Walking Dead? Ring any bells?”

His brow scrunched up. “No.”