Evan jolted up, awoken by a shrill scream. Assuming it was another one of Alice’s nightmares, he turned over to comfort her. After finding the bed empty, panic filled his lungs like water filling a vase. He leaped from the bed and looked around wildly. He then heard shoes shuffling, grunting, and then, glass breaking. He ran to the door and grabbed the metal baseball bat leaning against the wall. He remembered everything Alice’s dad had taught him about living on his own. “Evan, you have to be ready for whatever life throws at you. Criminals won’t wait for you to grab a gun from a safe. Always keep a weapon near the bed.” The words echoed through his head as he gripped the bat in his hand. His heart clogged his throat as he stepped outside the bedroom, dreading what he’d see. His eyes landed on two men standing in his living room, and his girlfriend slung over one of their shoulders. 

  He couldn’t explain the emotions he felt at that moment. Fear, shock, rage, everything swelled up inside him. He readied the bat, aiming for the man's legs. But of course, a creaky floorboard had to ruin it all. The two turned, making eye contact with him, and then they bolted. Stepping over the glass shards and slipping on the carpet, throwing open the door, and slamming it behind them. Evan chased after them until his foot landed directly on a shard of glass. Pain shot into the bottom of his foot, continuing to shoot up his ankle like a snake in his skin. He shouted out in pain, reaching down and plucking the shard out of his skin, warm blood trickled out of the puncture wound. But he couldn’t waste time worrying about his foot, he squeezed his eyes shut and limped out the front door. 

Evan wobbled down the rickety steps, barely putting pressure on his injured foot. By the time he jumped onto the dirt the short man had already closed his door, the taller man was jumping into the driver's side. He screamed for help as he ran towards the van, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear him. But he was too late. The engine came to life and the van was gone. Everything had happened in a matter of seconds, his whole world came crashing down in less than five minutes. 

  He collapsed to his knees, dread weighing his body down like an anchor. Rocks scraped the skin on his knee, and suddenly he was a little boy again. Back in that small house, watching through the window as his mom left. Chasing after her car as it drove away, tripping over a rock and falling on the pavement. Raw skin on coarse concrete. He felt like he had been punched in the gut, a raspy sob tore through his throat as he realized she was gone. And it was all his fault. Tears ran down his face as he punched the ground, little clouds of dust coming up to taunt him. He realized quickly he had to call the police, and finding the power to lift himself off the ground, he limped back into the house. He grabbed Alice’s phone off the counter and quickly dialed 911, it rang twice before it clicked. A woman's staticky voice asked questions from her side. What is the emergency, where are you located, are you injured. Evan looked down at his shaky hands, he answered the questions in a weak voice. Everything was a blur, everything hurt. And despite his physical pain, his heart hurt more than anything. He leaned against the wall and slumped down, 

  “Can you put Lewis on the line? I need to talk to him.” He took a shaky breath, his lip quivering as his voice cracked. 

  “Of course, Honey, give me a second. We’re sending a couple of units your way.” There was a pause, and then another click.

  “Evan! Evan, what happened?” Lewis Gardiner’s booming voice was enough to push Evan over the edge. Guilt flooded his senses, drowning him in his sorrow. 

  “I’m sorry, I’m so so sorry.” Tears poured out like a waterfall, he shook so hard he could barely breathe. “Everything happened so fast, I had the bat like you said, I tried to help her but-” 

  “Evan, this isn’t your fault. Calm down, I’m on my way there now.” 

   He took a deep, shaky breath, “I’m so sorry Lewis. I’m sorry.” He looked down at the floor, seeing the small, red splotches of blood on the ground. Lewis was silent on the other end and Evan wondered if he realized that it really was his fault. Millions of thoughts ran through his head, buzzing like wild bees swarming a picnic. Until the hum of a car’s engine snapped him out of his hysteria. He heard a car door open and close, then footsteps crunched up the dirt pathway. Evan heard the porch creak and the front door open, he heard Lewis muttering as he stepped on shards of glass. 

 “Sh*t, whose blood is this?” Lewis knelt in front of Evan, looking at him with wide, worrying eyes. 

 “It’s mine,” Evan mumbled, still shaking. 

 “What’d they do to you? Are you okay?” He grabbed Evan’s shoulders and looked at him. 

 “Nothing, nothing. I, uh. I stepped on some glass.” Lewis grabbed his hand and pulled Evan up, holding him so he didn’t have to put weight on his foot. He helped him limp to the couch and helped him sit. 

  “Here, sit. I’ll get the first aid kit.” Lewis began walking to the bathroom. Evan finally realized more cops had entered the cabin since Lewis had first started talking to him. A woman walked towards him, holding a pen and notepad. 

 “Hey Evan, I need to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?” Her eyes were soft and kind, there was a level of understanding between the two. She knew both of the Gardiners, therefore knowing Evan by association. She had seen Alice grow up, seen her go through all her phases. Being Lewis’ coworker, she’s heard plenty about Evan too. He was a good kid, everyone liked him. It hurt seeing him in such distress, almost as much as it hurt knowing the little Gardiner girl was taken. 

  “I want you to tell me everything you know.”

Alice’s eyes fluttered open, but she quickly shut them after being blinded by fluorescent white lights. She tried to rub her eyes, but she realized her wrist was chained to the bed she lay in. Her blood ran cold, she began hyperventilating as she tried to wriggle out of her restraints. She screamed out for help, hoping someone would hear her. She was acutely aware of her surroundings, the hospital bed she was in, her white hospital gown, and the bright walls. If she weren’t restrained she would’ve thought she was in the hospital. Perhaps she had lost her mind and hallucinated the whole thing, and she really was safe at the hospital. Tears stung her eyes as she looked around, she had craned her neck far enough to see the door to the left of her bed. 

 She attempted to call out, praying someone would hear her screams. “Hello? Can anyone hear me?” She used all her strength to try to free her wrists, but it was no use. Her head pounded and her body ached, she felt like she had been hit by a bus. All the screaming and lashing around had sapped the little energy she had, and by the time she gave up her throat was hoarse from all the yelling. Her wrists were red, scraped raw on the inside of her restraints. She sat in silence for what felt like years, there was no clock to tell time, and no windows to indicate if it was night or day. She felt like she was going crazy. She attempted to yell out again but her voice was quiet and raspy, barely even a whisper. 

  The door made a noise as a lock clicked, it squealed on its hinges as it slowly opened. Alice’s head shot to the side, straining her neck to see who had walked in. A woman holding a clipboard stepped into the room, followed by a man in a casual tee and blue jeans. Alice pushed herself against the wall as much as her restraints allowed. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them close. She observed the pair, struggling to remember any defining features. The woman was wearing some sort of lab coat, she was average height, with jet-black hair, and a large birthmark on her right shin.

  “What’re we calling this one?” The woman with the clipboard spoke looking down, she didn’t bother looking at Alice. She scribbled something down on her paper.  

  “Uh, I’m not sure. Boss didn’t say. Just call her Subject A for now.” Alice recognized the man's voice, she looked at him and realized he was the man who had taken her, the tall one. Eyeing him as he sniffled and scratched his nose, she saw a very distinct tattoo of a skeleton on his wrist.  She realized something else though, he had mentioned a boss, some sort of higher-up. This kernel of information didn’t tell her much, just that this was a whole operation, not just two sick bastards taking her for their own pleasure. Her heart sank to her stomach as she thought of her fate. She eyed the woman, looking her up and down. She wondered if she could crack her, get her to tell her something helpful, or maybe the woman would pity Alice and go easy on her. Maybe she’d even help her escape. The woman looked Alice up and down, her eyes filled with disgust. 

 “God, where’d you pick this one from?” She dropped her arms to her side, turning to face the man. 

 “Boss had her specially picked out.” He used air quotes around “specially”. “ Said he’s been watching her for a while.” He shrugged. Alice couldn’t believe it, they’ve been watching her every move. Waiting for the right moment to strike, to take her by surprise. Thick tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. She felt so vulnerable. 

  “Well, grab her and meet me in Chamber F .” The woman walked towards the door and pulled out what looked like a card from her pocket. She unlocked the metal door and stepped through, Alice could hear her heels clacking down the quiet hallway, growing quieter the further she got. Alice’s lip quivered as fear suffocated her and warm tears dripped down her cheeks. 

  “C’mon, let’s not make this harder than it needs to be.” The tall man moved towards the bed, pulling out a ring of keys and flicking through them. “As long as you cooperate we can do this the easy way.” She attempted to pull away further, yanking on her restraints. He held a small gold key in his hand and grabbed her wrist, turning it over to find the keyhole. “Ya know, I’m really not a bad guy,” he chuckled nervously, “I didn’t want to do it. But everyone needs to make a living somehow.” He pulled the restraint off and looked her in the eyes. “I’m sorry for this, but it won’t be too bad. Just don’t fight it too hard.” Alice looked at him carefully. Maybe it wasn’t the woman she’d crack, but the man who had taken her in the first place. 

  She gulped and spoke up quietly, “If you’re actually sorry you’d let me go.” Her voice was shaky, fear laced through each of her words like a thin thread. Tears continued to dribble down, a steady stream of salty water flowing into the crooks of her mouth. 

 “Don’t say that. I did what I had to, okay? I have a family to take care of.” He reached over her and grabbed her other wrist, inserting the key into the hole and twisting it. She could feel his hands shaking. “If you were in my position you would’ve done the same. You don’t know what it’s like! I didn’t want to-” 

  As soon as the lock clicked open Alice cut him off as she grabbed a fistful of his hair with her free hand. She yanked back hard, pulling him off her. She rocked back and kicked her legs into his chest, he grunted as he flew backward. She prayed it would be enough for him to lose his balance, and thankfully, it was. He yelped as he stumbled backward, knocking over a tray as he tried to catch himself. It clattered loudly to the floor, the noise bouncing off the walls and hitting Alice’s ears. She jumped off the bed and bent over to pick it up. Holding it high above her head, she made eye contact with the man. If she wasn’t so terrified, she’d be satisfied at the look of fear in his eyes. He held his hands up and pleaded with her, but she didn’t care. She swung the tray down hard, making contact with his skull. There was a pang of the metal making contact and a slight crunch, a smear of scarlet blood trickled out of his forehead. His head fell to the floor, his eyes shut gently. It almost looked like he was asleep. Alice breathed heavily, chest rising and falling.

  She leaned down and felt his pockets for the card she had seen the woman with the clipboard use. After the third pocket, she checked she found it, a shiny, blue keycard. It had a few numbers on it and a name. Edward Strickland. She stood up and looked at the man, he definitely looked like an Edward. She walked towards the door and swiped the card against the reader. There was a clicking noise as the door unlocked, Alice took a deep breath before pulling it open. The metal was heavy and cool against her shaky hand. She peeked her head out, checking the hallway to see if the coast was clear. When she saw no one she stepped into the hall, looking around slowly. The hallway was long and narrow, with white walls and tile floor. The hallway was filled with different doors, hers being the last one. Each door was the same, rusty, blue metal with a window at the top. It reminded her of a prison. She took a few steps down the hall, observing her surroundings carefully. Alice started walking faster, then she began jogging down the seemingly endless hallway. Her socks slipped on the slick floor as she turned the corner, she spotted a couple more doors, but these were different. One was red, one was gray, and one was an elevator door. The gray door had a plaque next to it that read “Stairway”. The red door’s plaque said “Lab C2”. Alice walked towards the elevator, sneaking past the other doors. Suddenly the light above the doors blinked on, signaling the elevator was coming down. She cursed as she stumbled backward, slipping on her socks. She turned and slammed into the door to the stairway, groaning as she grabbed the cool handle and pulled it open. Practically throwing herself through the door, she yanked it closed behind her. Her heart was fast, beating against her ribs so hard she was worried someone would hear it. Alice heard heels clicking against the tile floor, mixing with a set of dull footsteps. 

  Once the footsteps echoed further down the hallway, Alice peeked out the window in the door carefully. She saw the woman with the clipboard and a large man walking down the hall. The woman looked irritated, taking short stomps. Alice sat against the door and held her head in her hands, running them through her wild hair. She looked at the stairwell and realized the only way to go was up. She pushed herself up from the floor and sighed. She began walking up the steps and let her mind wander.

The woman grumbled, her grip on the clipboard tightening. “What could possibly be taking him so long? There’s no way it takes this long to wrangle that girl out of the room and up an elevator.” The man next to her stayed silent, his expression still as stone. She continued whining and complaining to herself until she reached the door at the very end of the long hallway. She pulled out her keycard, the name on it read Diane Campbell. She sighed angrily as she pushed open the door, leaning her body against it. The first thing she saw was Edward laying on the ground, the room was in disarray and the subject was nowhere to be found. 

 “God f*cking damnit, Edward! How incompetent can you be!?” She stomped over to him and kicked him in the side. He groaned, contorting his face as he stirred awake. The man stepped into the room behind her, holding the door open with his arm. “How hard is it to grab her and bring her upstairs?” Edward sat up groggily, bringing his hand to the gash in his forehead. He pulled his fingers back and looked at them, whistling at the sight of the deep, red blood on the pads of his hand. 

 “Sh*t, she got me good.” He groaned and pushed himself up off the cold ground, swaying a bit as he tried to steady himself. 

 “She’s a 24-year-old girl, I find it hard to believe she knocked you out that easily.” Diane’s face was almost as red as the blood trickling down Edward's head. If this was a cartoon, steam surely would have been billowing out of her ears, accompanied by the whistle of a train. “Whatever, we’re wasting time sitting here arguing. Who knows where she is right now.” She groaned and ran a well-manicured hand through her hair. “Lorenzo,” she turned to face the man, his attention being pulled away from Edward, who was trying to steady himself against the bed. “I need you to go and look for her. I’m going to tell others to be on the lookout, so hopefully she won’t get much farther.” She pinched the bridge of her nose as she shooed him away, shaking her head as she thought to herself. Behind her, Edward could feel the anger rising off her like steam coming off a hot grill.  

  He shrugged his shoulders, his voice full of shame. “She caught me off guard, okay?”  

  Lorenzo marched down the corridor, making his way back to the elevator he had come from. It took him a while to get there, and he knew it was likely the girl was already on the main floor. Judging by the fact she had already escaped, she clearly wasn’t stupid. He was almost impressed. It was a short elevator ride up to the main floor, but it creaked and groaned under the man's feet. This building, and everything in it, was old. Its security system was anything but advanced, and Lorenzo knew it wouldn’t be hard for that girl to climb over the fence surrounding the building. The metal doors squeaked as they opened, giving him a view of the main lobby, and the small girl running through the parking lot.   

 .・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・．

Evan ran a shaky hand through his hair, it had only been a few hours since the police left. After questioning him and searching for fingerprints they bid him farewell and gave him their condolences. Lewis had said he’d stay behind to take care of Evan and had gone to pick up takeout. Now, Evan was left alone. What was once a small, cozy cabin now felt too big and too empty. The sun had set a while ago, leaving nothing but darkness outside of the windows. He walked into the bedroom the two shared, looking at all of the things Alice had collected since moving in. Small trinkets and keepsakes she had found or picked up along their journeys together, each representing a different place they visited or a memory of some inside joke the two had. He stopped in front of her nightstand, a vase of fresh flowers sat next to her lamp and the book she read every night before bed. He sat on her side of the bed, observing the bedroom they had slept in for nearly two years. The room once filled with love and laughter and warmth was now cold. A sense of dread filled him, he couldn’t help the sob that escaped his throat as a wave of fear crashed over him. He didn’t know how long he was crying, but eventually, exhaustion overpowered him. He pulled back the covers, crawled into bed, and fell asleep holding Alice’s pillow close to his chest. He quickly dozed off, drifting into a sea of memories. Good and bad, nightmarish and euphoric, his brain swirled with every new thought that flooded his senses. 

  He was fast asleep by the time Lewis opened the front door and walked into the kitchen, placing a greasy paper bag onto the counter. He called out into the eerily empty cabin, rustling through the bag to find his mediocre burger. When Evan did not respond he grew nervous. Lewis slowly walked down the hallway, checking the bathroom before he continued. He nearly walked past the bedroom, until he peered in and saw Evan asleep on the bed. He sighed, relief loosening his joints slightly. He walked back to the living room and flopped onto the sofa, letting out a shaky breath as he ran his hands through his hair. A tear dripped down his cheek, settling in the wrinkles around his mouth. He had tried to hold himself together as best he could, but he knew he would crack at some point. His daughter was missing. His little girl, the person he vowed to protect with his life– and failed– the person he would take a bullet for. He had failed her. In his line of work, he had seen his fair share of missing cases, runaways, kidnappings, and unfortunate deaths. He wanted to be hopeful, to will her safety into existence. But deep down he knew. He knew her chances were low– statistically speaking– he knew as a young woman it was likely she wouldn’t return. His mind raced as he thought of every missing case he had seen, ones he covered himself and ones he’s seen on the news. His shoulders shook as he held his head up in his shaky hands. He had tried to be strong. For Evan, for his team, but most importantly, for Alice. 

  He couldn’t help the tears running down his cheeks. He remembered all the times he swore to always protect his daughter. After her mother died, when Alice was just a toddler, he held her in his arms at the funeral. Silently promising his wife he would never let anything hurt their little girl. When she was a child he had rules in place for when she was home alone, rules that would ensure she stayed as safe as possible. In her freshman year of high school when her boyfriend cheated on her, he sat her down and told her he would never let another stupid boy hurt her. When she first introduced Evan, and he told him he would end him if he ever hurt Alice. He’d tried so hard to protect her throughout her life, but it was all for nothing. 

  He had failed her. 

The cogs in Alice’s head spun as she thought about where she could possibly be. It was obviously a basement of some sort, explaining the absence of windows. She hadn’t seen another door since the one she came through in the first place, it was likely she was deep underground. She continued up the stairs, checking behind her shoulder every so often. After climbing for what felt like forever, the muscle’s in her legs burned as she continued going up, these stairs just kept going. Alice sighed, she wanted to stop, but knew it wasn’t an option. The lights above her flickered and hummed, and Alice kept going until she came to a door. The door was, like all the others she had seen, metal with a small window in it. She peeked out and saw what looked like some kind of lobby. The room was mostly empty, except for a couple of doors. At the end of the hallway to her left was the elevator, and another door. To the right was an open room. She couldn’t see the whole room, but, in the furthest corner, she could see big glass doors. That led outside. She looked up and saw the stairs continued much further, she chewed her bottom lip as she weighed her options. She turned back to the door and grabbed the handle, checking the window to see if the coast was clear. She held her breath as she waited, eyes darting back and forth as she waited for someone to walk by, but no one did. She blew the air out and pulled the door open slowly, her hand shook violently as she pulled it open wider and wider. She tip-toed out of the doorway into the hall, silently thanking the socks silencing her steps. She shut the door softly, taking a few steps further into the hallway. The large room was empty and the doors were left unguarded, Alice found this weird considering this was obviously some kind of f*cked up organization resembling a prison, and they just left the doors unguarded? Maybe nobody’s ever escaped before, or maybe –and somehow this is an even scarier thought– she’s the first victim. 

  She looked around the room, large and unassuming. If she didn’t know any better she would have thought it was a doctor's office. Maybe some kind of big office building’s lobby. But no, she knew. The high, gray walls and white tiled floors hid something sinister, a hidden horror she hoped she wouldn’t have to find out. A few cheap-looking decorative paintings hung on the otherwise plain walls, a desk was in the far corner, thankfully no one sat behind it. The emptiness of this whole building was eerie, the fact that so far, she’d only seen two people in this whole seemingly endless building was odd. She wasn’t complaining though. She ran to the tall glass doors and looked outside. There was a wimpy-looking metal fence surrounding the perimeter of the walls, partially blocking the view of the forest surrounding her. Blocking her from an easy escape. Of course, they weren’t idiots, after all. She pulled on the door, mostly expecting it to be locked. But it wasn’t. A cool breeze hit her face and blew her hair behind her, goosebumps prickled up on her bare arms and legs. She glanced around a few times before taking off in a sprint. Her nearly bare feet were poked as she stepped on twigs and pebbles and other miscellaneous objects from nature. If she had lingered in the stairway or even the lobby a second longer she would’ve heard the elevator ding, or heard the squeal of the old doors as they creaked open. She would’ve heard the heavy, thudding footsteps of the large man walking through the lobby. 

  She crossed the large, very empty parking lot, breathing hard, inhaling the sharply cold air. She was closer to the fence now, it wouldn’t be long before she could climb up it and run off into the surrounding woods. She pushed away the itching feeling that even if she got past this fence and away from the people who had taken her, even if she escaped whatever horrors resided in this building, she wouldn’t escape this forest. It was highly probable, Alice had heard enough stories from her dad about people going missing in large forests, she knew it could happen. But, it was better than whatever waited for her within those beige concrete walls. 

  Alice was now close enough to reach out and touch the fence, fingers brushing against the cool, coarse metal. She began to pull herself up, pushing herself up with her feet to scale the fence that was no taller than seven feet. She wasn’t too far up when a pair of hands wrapped around her waist and pulled her to the ground. She landed hard on the concrete, the rough material scraping her skin. She looked up at the man towering over her, heart dropping to her stomach. He was big and burly, his face cold as stone. Her blood ran cold as she realized there was no way she could fight this man off, not like she had that Edward guy. There was no element of surprise out here. She leaned back and kicked up with all her might, hitting his groin as hard as possible. He groaned and leaned forward, she took the opportunity and pushed up on her raw palms, sprinting in the opposite direction. Alice hoped her head start would put enough distance between her and this man. Her skin burned from where she scraped it on the concrete, her chest ached and her heart pounded. She didn’t know where she was running, all she knew was that she needed to get away from him. And that she wouldn’t make it up that fence in time. She didn’t have to look behind her to hear him catching up to her, his heavy footsteps practically shaking the ground under him. Fear filled her like sand in an hourglass, she felt her legs buckle under her weight, giving in to the exhaustion of running. No, this couldn’t be happening. Not now, she needed to keep going, to push herself past her limits. Sh*t. She had slowed down, and even if it was for just a second, it was enough for him to catch her. To grab her wrist and yank her towards him. 

  She tried to fight him off, hammering her fists against his chest, trying to push him away from her. It was no use, he threw her over his shoulder and began walking back to those tall glass doors. Calm and collected, as if he wasn’t taking her back to a prison. She kicked and wriggled, attempting to get away from him again. She screamed and yelled until her throat was raw. Her head spun, she felt like her throat was closing up, constricting like a snake. She was inside again now, and despite being shielded by the wind, she felt just as cold in here. Before she knew it she was thrown to the ground, a dull pain spread throughout her back, knocking the air from her lungs. She felt the smooth white tile against her stinging skin. Then she felt a needle prick her neck. 

  Her head fell onto the tile, staring up at the clean, white ceiling. The last thing she saw before her vision went black was three people she didn’t recognize, Each was wearing white lab coats and a stoic expression. They watched silently as her eyes fluttered shut, letting the cool tiles soothe her burning skin. 

The air was warm as the two basked in the late evening sun’s warmth. They sat on a checkered picnic blanket sprawled out on the grass, a large oak tree provided just the right amount of shade. Birds flew through the sky, filling the air with their sweet song. Alice hummed quietly, breathing in the perfectly crisp spring air. She lay on her stomach, kicking her feet as she turned the page to the book she was engrossed in. The click and flash of a camera tore her attention away from the yellowish pages. She eyed Evan suspiciously, the corners of her mouth twitching to form a smile.

  “What are you taking a picture for?” She giggled, keeping her place in the book with her thumb as the pages drifted closed. 

   He chuckled, looking at the picture his small digital camera showed him. She looked stunning, the sunlight dancing on her skin, shining through her hair and turning it a beautiful honey color. He looked up at her, savoring all the features the camera didn’t capture. The way her eyes seemed to glow in the sun, the way her lips stretched into that comforting smile that warmed his heart every time he saw it.    

  “No reason, I just thought you looked beautiful.” He smiled, looking back down to the picture before turning the camera off and putting it down on the blanket. She sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest and sighing contentedly. She picked at a loose thread on the blanket, letting her fingers drift along the soft material. The birds sitting in the surrounding trees of the park sang a tune, creating a peaceful ambiance. She smiled to herself, and as the two began talking, everything was perfect. Evan couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be sitting here right now. The two talked for hours, joking and laughing, telling stories from their childhood. They had watched the sun set below the horizon, watched as the first stars twinkled in the night and the moon took the sun's place. They lay side by side on the blanket, looking up at the sky. It was a warm night in June, chirping crickets replaced the birdsongs and fireflies danced across the night. Somewhere in the distance, a frog croaked noisily. 

   Alice squeezed Evan’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “As much as I want to stay here all night, my dad’s probably worried sick.”  She sighed and pushed herself upwards to a sitting position. She smiled down at him, her eyes sparkling like the night sky above them. No, as Evan stared into her eyes he decided they weren't quite like the night sky. They were even better. 

  “I’ll see you around, Evan” Alice stood up and began to walk away. Dread filled his chest, weighing down his heart as he got up.

  “Wait, don’t go. Please.” Evan grabbed her hands, looking deep in her better-than-the-sky eyes. “I can’t lose you.” His eyes roamed her face, memorizing every feature.

  She planted a soft, warm kiss on his cheek, pulling away to smile at him, “Don’t worry. You’ll see me again soon.” And just like that, she turned around and disappeared into the night. 

  .・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・．

Evan sat up and rubbed his eyes groggily. Sunlight flooded through the windows, shining into Evan’s eyes. He groaned and sat up to check the alarm clock, 7:30 AM. It was officially two weeks since Alice was taken. He laid back down and stared at the ceiling. The dream replayed in his head, it was so vivid he could almost smell the summer breeze drifting through the air. As comforting as it was, something was off. That dream wasn’t really a dream, it was more of a fond memory. About half a year ago he and Alice really did have a picnic at that park. It lasted well into the night and the two lay on the blanket stargazing. But, towards the end of his dream is where things get odd. In reality, Alice didn’t leave into the night, Evan was the one who brought her home. He had walked her to the door and kissed her goodnight, waited till he heard the front door lock to get back in his car and drive off. He thought back to what the dream version of Alice said, “Don’t worry. You’ll see me again soon.” He had never had a dream like that, never been one to dream at all. Why was he all of a sudden having weird, cryptic dreams? Could it be possible this was some kind of message from fate? Evan sighed as he sat up fast, if he stayed in this bed any longer he would end up going crazy. He placed his feet on the cold wood, avoiding putting too much pressure on his injured foot. He stood up and limped to the bookshelf in the corner of the room, squatting slightly to find what he was looking for. A dusty yellow photo album sat untouched next to a pot of fake flowers. Evan picked up the small booklet, his fingers leaving prints on the dusty cover. He flicked through the different pictures, pops of color catching his eye as he looked for the specific picture. Bursts jump out at him like fireworks on the Fourth of July.

   He found it finally, a small picture with the date June 17th, 2001 scrawled on the back. The picture was identical to the one he had taken in his dream. He lowered himself onto the floor after the ache in his legs grew too much. His hands shook slightly as he looked at the picture behind the thin plastic film. The photograph calmed him, warming his heart as much as the grin Alice flashed Evan in his dream. He turned and sat with his back against the shelf as he flipped through different pages of the plastic film filled with photos. Memories from past holidays, dates, and overall happier times. A picture dated October 31st, 2001 caught his eye, he and Alice leaned against a porch fence. He was dressed as Indiana Jones and she was dressed as Lara Croft. He had his arm wrapped around her, she was giving him a kiss on the cheek. A perfect moment, frozen in time forever. He chuckled at the memory, his fingers tracing over the grainy photo that had been taken three months prior. He was about to flip past the picture when he noticed something he hadn’t seen before. To be honest, he wasn’t even sure he noticed it when the picture was taken. In the background was a familiar white van, a man stood outside of it, leaning against the hood. Evan racked his brain trying to remember where he had seen the van before, seen the logo and scratches etched into the side until it hit him. This van—and the man outside of it— were the ones that took Alice.

   Of course, he’d recognized the van that was ingrained in his nightmares, waiting for him whenever he closed his eyes. The sound of the wheels screeching on the pavement echoed in his brain whenever it was too quiet. Evan slid the photo out of the plastic covering and studied the man leaning against the van, dark glasses covered his eyes, obscuring any discernible features. The only thing he recognized was the man's short stature and body type. His head throbbed and his heart thumped in his chest. He felt like he had just swallowed glass as he attempted to get his mind to work again. He got up shakily, his legs felt like they were made of jello. Evan held the picture in his hand as if it was something delicate, something that would break if he wasn’t careful. 

  He walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, the house smelled fresh, a chemical smell drifting through the air. Lewis had a mop in hand, a bucket sat next to the front door as he cleaned the droplets of blood off the floor. 

  “Hey buddy, how’d you sleep?” Lewis’s eyes were red, his face was puffy and swollen. Evan could see the way his eyes were glossed over and he knew he had been crying. He wondered if Lewis had tried to distract himself by cleaning. 

  “I found something.” Evan held the small photo up weakly, barely raising his eyes to meet Lewis’. Alice’s dad looked down at the picture, he hadn’t seen it before. Alice and Evan were on the porch of some house he didn’t recognize, they looked so in love. His heart warmed at the sight. Lewis’s eyes lingered longer on his daughter, remembering how much she loved Halloween as a child, dressing up as princesses and zombies. He chuckled a bit, thinking back on all the memories. 

  “This is a great picture Evan, did one of your friends take it? She looks beautiful.” He sniffled a little, forcing out a small smile.

  “She does, yeah. But, that's not the point. Look. In the background.” Evan pointed at the photo, his finger shaking slightly as he did.

  “I don’t see anything, Kid. What is it?” He looked up concernedly, taking the picture from Evan’s hand. 

  “See? The van. In the background. It’s the one that took Alice.” He wrung his hands, squeezing until the skin turned a sickly pale color.

  “Evan, I don’t see how that's possible, I mean–”

  “Lewis look! It's right there. That's the man that took her, he's leaning against the van they drove away in. I don't understand it either but I'm seeing it with my own eyes!” He rambled wildly, hands flying up to grab his hair. 

 “C’mon, you need to calm down.” Lewis grabbed his forearms and tried to gently pry his hands away from his skull. 

 Evan’s arms shook, his eyes wide. “How can I calm down when I just found out these people have been watching Alice for who knows how long!?” His shoulders shook as he began crying all over again. Lewis’s eyes widened once the realization of it all sunk in. 

  These people had been watching his daughter for months, possibly longer, and he’d had no idea. 

Alice opened her eyes sluggishly, her head throbbing and her heartbeat pounding in her chest. Whatever those people had injected her with had left her feeling drowsy and nauseous. She tried to sit up but couldn’t, she wasn’t just cuffed down this time– no, not after the stunt she had just pulled– but strapped to the bed. Long, thick pieces of fabric running across her forehead, chest, abdomen, thighs, and shins held her down to the bed. Her eyes scanned the pristine white ceiling of the room wildly, straining her eyes to fully view her surroundings. A strong rubbing alcohol smell flooded her nose, giving her a headache and amplifying her nausea. She heard a door creak open and then shut, soft footsteps got closer and closer until she could finally see one of the men in white coats. He was older, gray stubble decorated his chin. His eyes were a deep brown–nearly black– and his expression was cold. Deep wrinkles suggested that he spent his whole life scowling at people. He looked down at Alice as if she was inhuman like she was some kind of insect. More people entered the room, different sets of footsteps echoing throughout the small room. Alice could hear a faint squealing sound, like a mouse had been trapped in a bucket in the room and was screaming for help. She heard other noises, metal clinking against metal, shoes squeaking against the floor, something rattling by her head. She turned as much as she could, straining against her restraints to look to her left. She saw what the squeaking was coming from, a large cart had been wheeled into the room, its wheels getting stuck every so often. A bunch of tools Alice had never seen sat atop it. She couldn’t see exactly what tools they were, but she could draw the conclusion that they were definitely sharp. Next to those sat a couple of syringes filled with various liquids. 

  “I have to say, I’m a bit impressed.” The woman in heels stepped into Alice’s view, her mouth was a thin line, her eyebrows raised in what looked like shock. Her dark hair swayed as she looked Alice up and down.  “I didn’t think you had so much fight in you.” She turned to the cart that was now next to her hip, she picked up a metal scalpel and looked at it, holding it in her thin fingers. 

  “Where am I?” Alice’s voice was raspy, her throat seared every time she swallowed. Her head throbbed and her whole body ached, she wished more than anything that she could be home. Back in the safety and familiarity of her small cabin, back in the warmth of Evan’s arms. 

  “Well, I can’t really tell you that, can I?” She looked back to the cart of objects, her hands exploring the different syringes, touching each one gently. A wicked grin spread across her thin lips. The door creaked and another man came and stood next to the woman. He whispered something in her ear and picked a syringe off the cart and handed her the needle. The liquid inside was translucent and had a slightly yellow tint. The sharp side of the needle was long, glistening in the fluorescent lighting. 

  “I’ll let you do the honors, Diane.” He stepped away, his own evil smile–more of a grimace, really– stretched the skin around his mouth. She glanced at the needle and moved closer, grabbing Alice by the chin and turning her head the other way. Alice squirmed around, trying to pull herself away from the prick she anticipated, and whatever was about to be injected. She felt the stab on the side of her neck, then the burning that made its way through her veins. The pain was immediate, burning through her neck and down her shoulders as if her blood was replaced by lava. She let out a hiss and gritted her teeth, not wanting to give these sadistic people the benefit of seeing her in pain. She felt her mind cloud, whatever they had injected her with made her feel like she was floating. She felt the restraints across her forehead and shoulders loosen, they slid away from her like snakes slithering back into the grass. As the rest of the strips of fabric were pulled away from her she didn’t fight back. Strangely, she felt calm, at peace. When someone grabbed her arm and pulled her to a sitting position she wasn’t scared, she didn’t jerk away or try to run.

  Her vision was foggy as she was carried down a hallway and into a different room. Being tossed onto the cold concrete floor snapped her back to reality. She looked around and saw a small room, the walls were just as industrial as the floor. The only thing in the room was a yellow bucket in the corner, and a few cameras mounted on the wall. She looked back to the door and saw the man who had handed Diane the syringe walk toward her. He had a different needle now, the liquid inside was slightly green, like a bad movie prop. She attempted to move away but she couldn’t move, her limbs felt like jelly and her brain felt muddled. She barely felt the needle prick the side of her arm as she sluggishly looked back at the doorway.

  “What did you just inject me with?” When she spoke it sounded like her voice was detached from her body. She slurred her words and had a hard time finishing her thought. Diane’s heels clicked on the concrete floor as she approached Alice who was sitting on the floor. She squatted down to eye level with her, and she tilted her head, smirking slightly. Alice’s eyes unfocused as she looked up at her, it almost looked like her skin was flowing. Her eyes were too dark and too beady, like a beetle sitting on a leaf. Now that she thought about it, bugs were crawling all over her face, into her eyes, and out of her nose–

  “You’ve just been injected with an extremely strong hallucinogen, soon enough, you won’t be able to tell what's real or not.” She folded her hands elegantly, that same wicked smile stretching her face as she chuckled.

  Diane stood up and walked back to the door, stepping on snakes and insects squirming over the concrete ground, the slimy snakes wrapped around her ankles and slithered up her calves, but she paid them no attention. Alice pulled her knees to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. She’d never been good with bugs, but now they were crawling all over her. Running over her feet and up her arms. She could feel them in her hair, inching down the back of her neck and back. Her skin tickled and her stomach churned. It felt like her intestines were moving around in her body, wiggling in ways they definitely shouldn’t. She could hear voices whispering to her, unintelligible muttering she couldn’t decipher. She opened her eyes and looked at her arms. For a second, her vision cleared. The bugs were gone and the itching stopped, the whispering silenced and her stomach finally stilled. Alice looked up at the doorway and saw the woman looking at her. 

  “Well, good luck, Subject A.” Diane barked out a laugh and slammed the door shut. Alice heard the lock click in place, then the woman’s rhythmic footsteps fading down the hall. She stared at the door, willing it to somehow open. She pushed off the ground, trying to stand on her wobbly legs. As soon as her hand touched the cool concrete, a fuzzy spider ran across her hand, tickling the skin on her knuckles and scurrying off into the shadows. 

 She shrieked as she fell back onto her butt, scooting away from the insect. Her back hit the wall as she attempted to get as far from everything as possible. She made the mistake of looking up at the wall, something that looked a lot like blood dripped down the gray walls. She held up her shaking hands in the air, carefully examining her skin to make sure she wasn’t bitten. Something moved under her skin, creeping down her wrist and up her arms. She felt it wriggling over her muscles, crawling up to her shoulder. 

  She tried to get it out of her skin, scratching at her arm. Angry, red lines spread across her sickly pale skin, small droplets of blood dripped from her forearms as she attempted to tear the thing out of her. Tears dripped down her cheeks–or was it bugs running across her face? She couldn’t tell-- as the fear overtook her. She laid on her side and curled into a ball, attempting to protect as much of her skin as possible. Her thin hospital gown left her legs exposed to the cold air and the snakes slithering throughout the room. The voices returned, louder now. Screaming at her, calling her name, laughing at her. She tried to block out the voices by clamping her hands over her ears, but they were everywhere. Echoing through her brain. Her skin prickled and itched and her head pounded. She wondered how long this torture would last.

 Alice had no sense of time, but she knew she’d been here for a while. Every day was spent being brought in and out of labs and experimental rooms. The walls were always bare. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she’d be brought into a room with a small window in it. She wouldn’t try to escape, or try to flag down help. No, she had already learned her lesson the first time–when she had jumped out of the guard’s grasp and banged on the windows– she didn’t see a window for a while after that. But she did like to look outside whenever she got the chance. She would look at the sun and nature surrounding her concrete prison and imagine she was outside sitting on the grass, letting the warm air dance across her skin and the grass tickle her legs. Unfortunately, she was always torn away from her happy thoughts before too long. Her dreams were always interrupted by whatever they were planning to damage her mind even further, shock therapy, drugs, starving her, who knows what it’d be today. 

  She lay in the cold bed, arms restrained at her sides. She had stopped fighting after a while, she realized soon enough that it wasn’t worth the beating she’d receive after. Now, she was back in the room she had first woken up in, it brought her a strange, screwed-up sense of comfort. A weird bit of familiarity in this awful place. Part of her wished there was a way to keep track of the days, something to tell her how long it’d been. Days, weeks, months? If she was told she’d been here for years she’d probably believe it. 

  It was mid-January when she had first been taken, what month was it now? Maybe it was Summer already. She wondered if her family had been looking for her. Would they keep looking for her, even if months had passed? Surely they wouldn’t just give up and accept that she was gone.

  The lock mechanism clicked and the door creaked open. Alice was too deep in thought to even notice the distinct sound of Diane’s heels clicking on the floors. Except it wasn’t Diane, it was Edward. He was dressed very casually, it was the first time in a while that Alice had seen a pair of blue jeans. She thought about persuading him to help her until she saw the small scar on his forehead and remembered what she had done to him in order to escape. She stayed quiet as she studied him, dissecting his features to try and see any anger in his eyes. 

        “Long time no see. I’m surprised you’re still here.” He tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned his shoulder against the wall. 

  “It’s not like I really have a choice.” Her eyes narrowed as she looked him up and down. 

  “Yeah, I just meant- Never mind.” He paused and cleared his throat, his eyes shifted as he glanced around the room. He lowered his voice drastically and took a few steps closer to Alice. “Listen, I want to help you.”

   Alice’s eyes widened slightly until she stopped to think. There was no way this wasn’t a trap. She was always gullible before, and look where that got her. She eyed the man standing before her carefully. 

 “I’m serious. I thought a lot about what you said the first time I talked to you. You were right, if I was really sorry I’d help you. And that’s what I’m going to do.” He stuttered and stumbled over some of his words as if he had to fight to get them out. “I have a plan.”

  Alice gulped, she tried to wrap her head around his words. Back home, she’d tried to see the good in everyone, she tried to believe everyone had good intentions. But now, she would never see the good in people. She wasn’t sure she’d ever see anything good for the rest of her life. She had to make a choice now. Bite the bullet and accept her abductor's help, or stay here and rot until some experiment finally killed her. 

 She inhaled deeply and looked up at Edward. His eyes were soft and kind, genuine. Silence filled the room, the tension could be cut with a knife. Alice sighed. 

  “Okay. What’s your plan?”  

 .・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・．

  Lewis trudged through the thick brush in the forest. The grass was getting greener now that spring was upon the small town. It was late April, Alice had now been gone for over three months. Not only that, she had missed her 25th birthday. Her birthday was on April 13th, it was warm and sunny that day, and a cool breeze rustled the leaves of the trees. It was Alice’s favorite kind of weather. Later in the afternoon, Evan had tearfully admitted that he planned on proposing to her over a romantic dinner. Lewis’s heart ached at the thought of seeing his daughter in a white dress and walking her down the aisle. But she was still missing. And it was nearing four months now. Lewis’ hope was dwindling more and more as each day passed. The sky was gloomy and full of clouds, a bitter cold nipping at the skin of his hands. The search party had been scouring the forest for hours now, and it was nearing the time the sun would begin to set. 

  He turned around and set off towards the voices calling Alice’s name. He and Evan had organized many different searches in the time since Alice had gone missing, and now people were growing skeptical. People gave the two men their condolences, bringing containers of food to the cabin’s doorstep and muttering apologies. Gushing over how sweet Alice was. Lewis didn’t know it was possible to hate a word so much, but whenever someone said was and Alice in the same sentence he couldn’t help the boiling in his blood. 

  Lewis saw Evan shining a flashlight into the treeline, pushing past tall bushes and vining plants. 

 “Evan! Come here,” When Evan stood to face Lewis he motioned with his hand for the young man to walk over. Evan tripped and stumbled over branches as he stepped through the grass to reach Lewis. He stopped just in front of him, tilting his head a little. 

 “I think it’s time to tell the volunteers to go home. The sun’s setting already.” Evan glanced up at the sky as Lewis talked, watching as the little light that poked through the clouds slipped away. Inky darkness took its place, slithering through the trees like a sentient being. 

 “Okay, you can tell them to leave. I’ll stay and look longer.” Evan started to turn away, already lifting his leg to step over the grass. 

 “No, no, no.” Lewis grabbed a hold of his wrist, anchoring him in place. “You need rest, Evan. You’ve been searching almost every day for weeks. C’mon, let's go home.” Lewis sighed, clearly exasperated, he ran a hand through his thinning gray hair. Evan opened his mouth to argue but saw the bags under Lewis’ eyes and how tired he was. He knew arguing would just make the older man’s life even more stressful, so he dropped it. 

 “Fine, I’ll go let everyone know.” Evan pushed through the brush and continued on, telling all the volunteers it was time to head home. 

 Evan made a mental note of how long Alice had been gone, as if he was a prisoner drawing chalk tally-marks on his cell wall. It had been 93 days, who knows what could’ve happened to her in that time. Would she be okay after all this? Could the sweet, gullible girl he knows ever recover from whatever she was going through? Would there even be an “after all this”? Maybe she was already dead. Maybe searching the woods and surrounding towns was a lost cause. Maybe Alice would just be another “Have you seen me?” poster left on the town's message board. Another case on the news, another tragic unsolved story people would tell their kids when they asked why they couldn’t stay out late. Because there's bad people outside, people waiting to take kids and young people away from their families. Every story was the same. Only this time, the bad people weren’t outside, they had snatched her right from her own living room. Taken her right from what should've been the safety of her own home. If people aren’t even safe inside, are they really safe at all?

A few weeks had passed since Edward offered Alice his help. He had told her how long she’d been in this hellhole, 4 months and 3 days. 123 days total. She had missed her birthday and the majority of her favorite season. From what Edward told her she knew the air was heating up, the days were longer, and the sky was clearer. Summer was always nice back home, and even though Spring was her favorite, Summer was a close second. Alice wished she hadn’t taken the heat for granted, the facilities walls were always cool to the touch, retaining none of the sun’s warmth. Throughout the weeks after Edward brought up the plan he explained things to her. After whatever experiment she had that day, she would be unresponsive. She wouldn’t talk or move, no matter what they did to her. They would bring her to a medical room to examine her, they would likely call in some kind of doctor to come evaluate her. Once the coast was clear she would change into the clothes Edward would leave hidden in the room. He had brought her some old and baggy shirts and pants, despite being too big, they were better than nothing. He also brought a pair of old sneakers, and even though they too were too big they’d have to do. Edward would meet her in the room, and together, they’d get out of here. He’d bring her to a car he had hidden a few miles away and drive to the nearest town. They would get help, and Alice wouldn’t tell the police Edward had taken her. She decided he had redeemed himself, and didn’t deserve jail time. Besides, she didn’t want revenge, she just wanted to get home. Edward would tell police he found her wandering on the side of the road and picked her up. Their plan was thorough and foolproof. The only thing that could go wrong was getting caught. 

   Alice didn’t want to set herself up for disappointment, but she couldn’t help but have a sliver of hope for the future. She had the possibility to go home, see her family, breathe in the fresh air, and soak up the sunlight. The experiments were arduous, but she pushed through. When the day of the escape finally came, Alice couldn’t help the knot that had grown in her gut. Despite preparing for weeks, she still had the sinking feeling that something would go wrong. But, there was no going back now. Everything was ready, everything was where it needed to be. 

  “Okay, you know the plan, right?” Edward was crouched next to her bed, fidgeting with his clammy hands. 

  “Yes. Play dead. Wait for them to bring me to the medical room. Change into your clothes. Wait for you, then we’re out of here.” She relayed each step in their plan, visualizing a checklist with each step in her mind. Back home, lists helped keep her organized, they helped her thoughts from jumbling up and bleeding into one another. 

 “Perfect. Remember, there's no going back from this. If we get caught it's over. Especially after all the other stunts you've pulled,” he rubbed the back of his neck and debated on saying the next words. “If they catch you or me, we’re both dead. Got it?” His gaze was hard and serious, he needed Alice to know what she was getting herself into.

  “Yes, I know. You’ve told me a million times.” She sighed, the pit in her stomach growing so big it could swallow her whole. She pulled her eyes away from the spot on the ceiling she had been focusing on, turning to look at Edward. “I’m scared.” Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

  “I know. I am too. But it's now or never, right? Do or die.” He met her eyes for a moment and looked away. He scratched his eyebrow, something Alice noticed he did a lot when he was nervous. “Your family’s still looking for you. I’ve seen their interviews on the news, you’re the most popular story.” He chuckled dryly, picking at the skin around his fingers before continuing. “A lot of people think you’re dead. But your family doesn’t. They’re still organizing search parties for you.” Edward cleared his throat, looking into Alice’s tired eyes. “I’m gonna get you home, okay? You’re going to see them again.” 

  Alice smiled, grateful to know that Lewis and Evan hadn’t given up on her, even though she knew they never would. She silently promised she’d do everything she could to get home. She was even more determined now, after hearing Edward’s promise she knew she was going to fight harder than she ever had before. She was going to execute this plan, and she and Edward were going to make it out of here. Alive. 

  A crackling noise filled the room as Edward’s walkie-talkie started making noises. A woman’s unintelligible voice spoke from the other end, muffled by the fabric of Edward’s jeans. He pulled it out of his back pocket and held a finger to his lips, silencing Alice before he pressed a button and spoke into the microphone. 

  “Sorry, could you repeat that?” His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he gulped, waiting for Diane’s response. 

  “I said, bring Subject A up to lab Q3. Can I trust you to do that? Or do I have to send Lorenzo?” Her tone was filled with spiteful venom as she barked out the orders she had just given. Clearly, she hated repeating herself. 

  “Yes ma’am. I’ll be up there with her in a second.” He pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood up, pulling his keys out of his other pocket. Edward stuffed the walkie-talkie back into the fabric just as another message hissed through the speaker, he ignored it as he unlocked the restraints on Alice’s wrists. 

  He motioned to the wheelchair in the corner of the room and she got up, her legs shaking beneath her with each step she took. She plopped down into the chair and placed her hands on the armrests, waiting for Edward to tie her wrists and legs against the cool metal of the chair. Her breathing was shaky and unstable, her fingers twitched as nerves overtook her. 

  “Hey, it’s going to be alright. No matter what happens just stick to the plan and I’ll meet up with you as quickly as possible.” He patted her shoulder as he began to push the squeaky chair to the doorway, opening it with his keycard and propping it open enough to wheel her out. 

  When the two reached Lab Q3 the knot in Alice’s gut had grown tremendously, roping her intestines together into one big ball of dread. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Like her lungs were too small for her body. 

  “Hey, just breathe. It’ll be okay.” He whispered and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before his face hardened and he reached for the door. 

  Before she knew it she was being laid on what seemed like an operating table. The coldness of the metal sent shivers up her spine, causing goosebumps to appear along her arms and legs. Alice took a deep breath and tried to focus on calming herself down more than guessing what experiment would be done to her this time. She went over the list in her mind. Play dead. Wait to be brought to the medical room. Change into Edward’s clothes. Wait for Edward. Escape. Play dead. Wait to be brought to the medical room. Change. Wait. Escape. Dead. Medical room. Change. Wait. Escape. Dead. Medical room. Clothes. Wait. Escape. Dead. Medical room. Clothes. . .

Edward had left the room a while ago, sending Alice one last look of encouragement. She knew he was off finishing his half of the plan, making sure everything was in order for their escape. Now, all she needed to do was find the perfect opening to enact hers. Today’s experiment was shock therapy, perfect for a mysterious medical emergency. She waited for the opportunity to “play dead”. Mentally preparing herself for the moment to strike. When Diane muttered something to the doctor about upping the voltage, Alice took a deep breath and waited, balling up her fists in anticipation. The electricity ripped through her nervous system, burning through her limbs like a vicious fire. She let out a groan and jerked upwards, before going limp and allowing her head to thud back onto the steel table. Despite the dull throbbing on the back of her skull, she stayed silent, keeping her eyelids softly shut. The room was silent for a few seconds, before one of the men in the room cleared his throat.

  “What the hell happened?” She heard a voice she didn’t recognize next to her right ear. Alice felt a hand wrap around her wrist and lift it up, dropping it harshly. She let it fall limp to her side, burying the urge to rip her hand away. Alice heard the dull click of heels getting louder the closer that woman got to the table. Alice felt vulnerable being unable to see, but at least she could rely on her ears. 

  Diane hummed as she walked around the table, observing the girl from every side. “Maybe we took the voltage too high.” She scratched her chin in thought and placed two fingers on the pulsepoint below her jaw, waiting for a few seconds before sighing and stepping away. 

  “Well, she’s not dead. Take her down to medical, I’ll call someone in to do an evaluation on her later.” Alice heard a pen scratching on paper, then the click of heels fading into the distance. 

  “You heard her, bring the subject to the medical room.” One of the men spoke gruffly to another one, not waiting to hear his response before leaving the room. 

  The man groaned and grabbed Alice, struggling to lift her off the table before he dropped her into the wheelchair Edward had used to bring her here in the first place. He didn’t even bother to tie her down, if she really wanted to she could jump up and run away right now. But she knew she’d never make it out of the lobby, so she didn’t. Besides, her and Edward’s plan was foolproof. She played up her faux condition a little and slumped forward, nearly falling flat on her face. The man caught her by the shoulder, swearing under his breath as he pulled her back up to a normal sitting position. After what felt like ten minutes the two stopped walking, he–yet again– struggled to lift her. She was laid onto a bed, she heard the man sigh, then the door clicked shut and his footsteps receded down the hallway. She opened one eye slightly, checking if the coast was clear before sitting up. She slid off the bed and crossed the room to check the cabinet Edward said he had put the clothes in. She opened a few, reaching her arm in to the shoulder to feel around the dark inside, when she felt nothing she grumbled and moved onto the next small, wooden door. Even though she knew the clothes had to be hidden, she was a bit frustrated he had hidden them so well. It wasn’t until the fifth cabinet she checked that she felt the clothes stuffed into the furthest corner, it startled her at first, she was a bit worried she had touched a mouse. She reached her cautious hand out again and wrapped her fingers around the cloth, pulling out the cotton T-shirt and jeans neatly folded on top of eachother. She reached her hand back in and felt her knuckles slam against the rubber sole of a sneaker, pulling the two shoes out and placing them on the floor next to the clothes

  Alice looked at the clothes before her, letting her fingers run over the smooth cotton, then the denim, and finally the coarse shoelaces strung through the tennis shoes. The feeling of normal clothes was so foreign to her, something she didn’t know she would take for granted so much. She hummed contentedly as she pulled the jeans on, they were a bit big, but fit well enough around the waist that she didn’t mind much. All she had to do was roll up the ankles a bit. Then she pulled the hospital gown off, discarding it on the floor by her feet. She pulled the black shirt over her head, shoving her arms through the holes and pulling her grown-out hair out of the neck hole. Alice sat on the ground next, pulling the shoes onto her feet. She mentally cursed at the size of the shoes, her feet not filling were definitely not them up the way they should. And from years of playing around in her dads ill-fitting shoes, she knew it was usually a bad idea to run in them. She slid them off again, placing them on the floor and thinking to herself. She noticed a pair of medical grade scissors laying on the counter, an idea popping into her head. Alice grabbed the blue gown as she stood up and walked over to the counter. She grabbed the scissors and began crudely cutting up the fabric, balling up the long strips and placing them to the side. When she was happy with what she had she walked back over to the shoes. She began stuffing a few balls of fabric at the toes of the shoes, she folded up a smaller strip of fabric and placed it at the heel. She slid the shoes back on, smiling a little when they were slightly tighter than before. Still not ideal, but better than breaking her ankle in shoes three sizes too big. She glanced back at the scissors after lacing the sneakers up as tight as they would go, and standing up and shaking her ankles to test the fit. She grabbed them off the counter, holding them firmly in her hand, ready to use them as a weapon if need be. 

  It was quiet enough in the lonely room that Alice heard dull footsteps coming towards the room. She panicked a bit before deciding she needed to hide, if someone came in now and saw her dressed the way she was, she was dead meat. The plan would be ruined. Edward would be put in just as much— if not more— trouble as her. She grabbed the rest of the scraps of her old hospital gown and opened the cabinet door under it. She squeezed herself under it, pulling her knees to her chest to make herself as small as possible. Alice’s grip on the small, silver scissors was so tight her knuckles were pale. She shook with adrenaline as she silently prayed whoever just opened the door would leave. She squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, hoping whoever’s footsteps were walking throughout the room wouldn’t hear her hammering heartbeat. 

  “Alice? Alice, are you in here?” She let out a long breath, relieved to hear Edward’s voice again.

  “I’m in here.” She pushed the cabinet door open, stretching her legs out as she revealed her hiding place. 

  “Jesus, you scared the sh*t out of me. I thought the plan didn’t work.” He reached a hand out to pull her up, worry forming wrinkles between his eyebrows. 

  “Nope, you were right. First sign of something going wrong and they brought me here. They must really care about me.” She chuckled at her own joke, already feeling a bit less anxious at the thought of leaving. 

 He let out a nervous laugh, his voice breaking away at the edges. She sighed and cleared her throat. “So, you ready?” Edward spoke up, reaching into his pocket and pulling out car keys. 

  “Ready as I’ll ever be.” Alice swallowed down the lump in her throat, for the first time today, she felt ready to do this. She wasn’t a nervous wreck like she had been this morning. She was prepared to scratch, bite, and kick her way out of here. She was ready. 

  “Okay, let’s do this.” 

Edward had been conducting what could only be described as extremely thorough research in the weeks leading up to the grand escape. He had carefully taken note of nearly every employee’s schedule, what days they worked, what time they roamed what hallways, etc. Everyone was very consistent, like worker bees droning to the same patch of flowers at the same time everyday. While odd– and creepy– it was extremely helpful for the two. Currently, they had about 15 minutes to make it out the front doors, over the fence outside, and through the woods to the car hidden in a clearing, without being seen. Their window of time was slim, and the longer they spent talking now the less time they had to escape. Edward walked back to the door and checked the watch on his wrist before peering out. They now had 12 minutes. Sh*t. 

  He motioned for her to follow him and she did, still clutching the scissors as a lifeline. Despite the fact that the hallway was completely deserted, they still stayed close to the walls, ready to hide if anyone happened to pass by. 

  “Okay, we have to get to the stairwell and down to the first floor. Look, the door’s right there.” Edward whispered over his shoulder to Alice who was close behind him, pointing a little ways away to the silver door down the hall. She hummed in acknowledgment and they continued further down, only stopping once to check over their shoulders. They quickly made it to the door and pulled it open, slipping inside and shutting it quietly behind them. Alice began making her way down the seemingly endless staircase, although –in her experience– going down was definitely easier than going up. Edward followed closely, only a few steps behind her. The soft thud of their shoes echoed through the stairwell with each hurried step they took. A sign on the wall stated they were now on the second floor, only a few more steps to go until they were homefree. 

  Alice was absolutely buzzing with emotions. Anticipation, fear, excitement, homesickness, and gratefulness for everything Edward was doing for her. She was fully aware that this was incredibly dangerous, this could end terribly for both of them, but she chose to bury that under the idea of returning home again. Going back to that familiar cabin, with its old furniture and creaky floorboards. With the AC that barely worked, or the heater that made a rumbling sound and made the house smell a little burnt everytime it was on. She missed her small family. She missed coming home to Evan’s smile, and hearing her dad’s voice on the phone when he’d call on his way home from work. She promised herself that if, no, when she got home she’d never take those things for granted. She would never ignore her dad’s calls ever again, and she would laugh at every single one of his bad jokes. She wouldn’t wake Evan up in the middle of the night anymore, and she would watch whatever bad action movie he asked her to. 

  Her internal pity party was cut short when she realized they had reached the first floor. Edward checked his watch behind her and told her they only had 5 minutes left. They would need to be quick, really quick. It would only be a matter of time until–according to Edward,-- most of the doctors would leave for the night, making it impossible to leave. And, soon another doctor would be going to check on Alice in the medical room where she was supposed to be, and once he found her gone they’d no doubt put two and two together and sound the alarms. Edward checked out the door to make sure they were in the clear and held it open for the two to exit.

  Nervousness filled Alice’s gut, nausea rippled through her as they stepped towards the lobby she had been in months prior. It was a straight, unblocked path to the door, just like the first time. No guards stood perched outside, and no other staff bustled about in the area. So what was causing this dreadful fear to crawl up her spine and raise the hair on the back of her neck? Maybe it was simply anxiety from what they were doing, or maybe it was some kind of sixth sense. Maybe– 

 BANG!

The sound ripped through the air, shattering the eerie silence that filled the room beforehand. Alice ducked her head and covered her ears as soon as she heard it, and when she looked up at the wall in front of her, a single bullet hole pierced the once pristine walls. She turned and made eye contact with Diane just as another shot rang out, Alice dropped to the ground and looked to Edward who had done the same. He was on his hands and knees and visibly shaking, but he looked physically okay.

  “And where the f*ck do you two think you’re going?” The woman had a wild look in her eyes, her finger twitched on the trigger as she looked down at them. 

  Alice wasn’t sure what to do. She knew she was in a bad spot, on the floor, surely not able to move faster than a bullet. But she couldn’t exactly stand up, not without the psycho with a bob blowing her brains all over this perfect white tiled floor. And her only weapon was a pair of scissors, not exactly great against a gun. So she stayed on the ground, shaking as she stared up at the woman, fully at her mercy. 

  “Diane, listen,” Edward’s voice was shaky, he was holding his hands up in surrender and slowly getting to his feet. There was no excuse to get him out of this, and everyone knew it. Especially Diane. 

  “I always knew you weren’t cut out for this job, Edward. You’re too compassionate. You care too much about others. And look where that got you.” She pointed between the two with her gun, stopping to point it directly at him. Venom dripped from her mouth when she talked and Alice could see her finger tightening on the trigger. 

  “Please, I know you have a heart Diane. Somewhere under that hard shell you’re a good person.” Edward was clearly grasping at straws. Saying whatever he could to possibly throw her off. 

  She scoffed and rolled her eyes, and the distraction was just enough. The second her attention was misdirected Alice sprung forward, pouncing on Diane and knocking her off balance. The scuffle between the two of them was a blur of limbs and grunts as the two women fought over the gun. Alice had the slight upper hand, already prepared for the fight while Diane had clearly never done her own dirty work. She was sloppy, and before long Alice had landed some good hits and got the small pistol away from her. She slid it across the floor to Edward and continued her attack on Diane. Suddenly it was like a switch flipped and she punched Alice in the gut, taking the opportunity to turn over and slam her onto the ground. Alice was pinned under Diane, desperately clawing at the manicured hands wrapped around her throat, when another loud pop echoed in the room. Diane’s grip loosened and Alice studied her face to see any pain on it. She looked at her body in search of a bullet hole but found none. Then she turned and saw Edward’s body fall to the ground. A single bullet hole sat in the middle of his forehead, already leaking crimson red blood onto the white tiles. 

  She felt her entire body stiffen and her blood run cold. This wasn’t supposed to end like this. They were supposed to get away. Both of them. That was the plan. Their foolproof plan. He had done so much research and planning and work to set this whole thing up, just so that she could be free. She was not going to let him die in vain. 

  She felt the cool metal of the scissors just a little to her left, so she wrapped her fingers around them and drove them deep into Diane’s gut. Just then the deafening alarm started to sound. Red lights bathed the room, red like the blood that now puddled under Edward’s head. Red like the blood trickling out of the wound in Diane’s stomach. Alice pushed her off and grabbed the pistol from the ground. She turned towards the other hallway, where a large security guard stood holding his own gun. Alice didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, thinking of Edward when the bullet hit the other man in the chest. As the alarm continued blaring the elevator door opened, revealing a few more men in lab coats. She couldn’t tell if any had weapons, but she didn’t want to stay and find out. She turned and booked it, running out the glass doors as footsteps echoed behind her. She didn’t dare glance behind her, not even to spare one last look at Edward’s body. The guilt of it all was awful, nearly consuming her. But she knew she couldn’t stop. Not when she was so close to freedom. 

 Alice ran as fast as her legs would take her, it was only a few seconds before she reached the fence. The oversized shoes made it hard to get a good footing, but she was able to throw herself over the top. She landed with a thud on the other side of the fence, a dirt cloud forming as she scrambled up. Behind her, the alarms continued blaring throughout the building. A gunshot echoed through the air and Alice dropped to the ground fast. Her breathing was heavy and her heart hammered behind her ribs. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a man in a lab coat running towards the fence. Diane stood in the middle of the parking lot, her arm raised. The small pistol in her hand glistened in the moonlight, she held a hand over her stomach and took a few staggering steps forward. Alice pushed herself off the ground and took off into the woods, stumbling a little as she slipped. She could hear the blood pumping in her ears as she ran faster than she had in her whole life. Footsteps thudded on the ground behind her. She hadn’t even realized she had left the gun on the dirt by the fence, too consumed with fear to even notice the absent weight. 

   She bolted between trees and under low-hanging branches. She had no idea where she was going, but she knew she had to get away from the man chasing her first. Her sides ached and her lungs burned, she wasn’t sure how much further she could go before stopping. The branches reached out like hands trying to drag her back to hell, catching the fabric of her shirt and tearing holes. The hair on the back of her neck pricked up as he grew closer, she could feel the heat of his skin reaching out to her. His rough, calloused hand wrapped around her upper arm, yanking her backward onto the ground. She landed hard, accidentally biting into her tongue. 

  His face twisted to a disgusting look of triumph as he straddled her hips, effectively holding her down. He pulled a syringe of the now familiar tranquilizer out of his pocket, carefully uncapping it to unsheath the needle. He hummed slightly, smiling to himself as he looked down at Alice.      

  “Diane will surely be proud of me. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get a raise.” He grinned maliciously, his crooked, yellow teeth making him look like a cartoon villain. He reached forward, the needle almost inserting into Alice’s neck when a large rock smashed into his skull. 

  He yelped out and grabbed his head, Alice pushed him off and grabbed the syringe he had dropped. She injected it into his neck and drained all the liquid out. From the look on his face and the groan he let out, she knew it hurt him as much as it had hurt her. She stood up shakily, running the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead. Her chest heaved up and down with each deep gulp of air she took. She turned to walk away but stopped. She glanced back at the man in the lab coat who had taken so much pleasure in her pain. She stepped forward and kicked him in the stomach. He let out a whoosh of air and coughed, groaning as he phased in and out of consciousness. Alice took that as her cue to leave and turned around, stepping on twigs and dead leaves. The blaring siren of the facility faded away with each step she took until all she could hear was the crunching forest floor and the sound of her ragged breathing.

.・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・．

She stumbled through the woods, a blanket of leaves muffling her footsteps. She was exhausted, hungry, dehydrated, and tired of tripping over fallen branches. She had been walking for hours before she stopped to rest against a tree. She had tried to find the car but that was a bust, and even if she did find it, she didn’t have the keys. Once the sun had risen she decided to continue onwards. Her stomach grumbled and her throat was searing. She had come upon a road about an hour ago, so she walked along it, hoping for someone to drive by. No one did though, and now, as she continued dragging her feet along this empty road, she was beginning to lose hope. It was looking unlikely she’d get picked up by some passer-byer. Then again, maybe that was a good thing, she wasn’t too sure if she would ever get in the car with a stranger again.

   The sun shone too brightly in the sky, warming up her shoulders through the tattered, too-big shirt she wore as she walked down the side of the road. Sweat trickled down the back of her neck, dripping down her back. Woods surrounded both her sides, the only possible way to go was forwards. The road had to lead somewhere though, right? Gravel crunched under her feet as she walked over the unpaved ground, the oversized shoes Edward gave her slipping on loose rocks. Her ankle ached after tripping over something while tramping through the woods. The road beside her stayed quiet, not a single car in sight. Her dirty T-shirt had large holes in the back- probably ripped open when her legs gave out and she tumbled down a hill in the forest earlier- revealing her bare back and leaving the exposed skin red from angry sunburns. She hugged herself in a defensive position and continued onward. The muscles in her legs begged for rest, but she had to keep moving. If she had stopped to sit down she wasn’t sure she’d ever get up again. Who knows, maybe falling asleep and being reclaimed by nature wouldn’t be too bad. 

   After walking for what felt like hours, she reached a more residential area. A blob of houses was visible in the distance, the quiet hum of cars filled the air. She continued until she reached an area filled with shops and cafes. People bustled about, paying no mind to her disheveled appearance. She felt a twinge of anger, these people were so caught up in their own lives they didn’t even spare her a passing glance. She wondered if they even saw her at all, maybe she wasn’t really there. Maybe she was a ghost. Maybe she never really escaped at all. Maybe this was all a dream. The crowd of people conversing with each other overwhelmed her, having not heard this much cheery socialization in months.
  She stood on the sidewalk hugging her stomach, glancing around this unfamiliar town. An uneasy look covered her face. Suddenly, someone caught her eye in the crowd. A man leaned against a brick building. He was tall and stern looking, with a thick mustache decorating his upper lip. The man’s police uniform stuck out like a sore thumb to Alice, even though it was a little different from the one her dad wore. A light at the end of this seemingly endless nightmare tunnel. A beacon of hope that gave her the last push of strength she needed. Her breath hitched in her throat, the girl's heart was a stone in her chest, seemingly unbeating. She forced her shaky legs to step forward, disregarding the crosswalk to get to the brick building. Her heart drummed against her chest, threatening to break out of her fragile ribcage. A car honked as she ran in front of it. People glanced at Alice, just now noticing the scuffed-up girl. A few gasped, some just stopped and stared as if looking at some injured animal left on the side of the road to die. The uniformed man looked up from his phone, doing a double take as he took in the sight of Alice. She was shocked her wobbly legs were able to carry her after all this time, she jogged to the man and collapsed into his arms. Pure exhaustion turned her limbs to jelly. She hadn’t even realized she said it, somewhere deep down she mustered up the courage to say one simple sentence. 

 “Please, help me.” 

  He was talking to her now, but she couldn’t tell what he was saying. Everything around her sounded muffled like she was underwater. It was as if the world around her stopped. Time was frozen. Her vision went blurry as she slowly lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was the man pulling out his radio and yelling something into it. Then everything went black.

Her eyes fluttered open as she woke up to the faint beeping of machinery. She groaned and sat up slowly, looking around curiously. The room she was in was plain, blue paint decorated the walls and the floor was white tile. A window to the right of her gave her a glimpse at a beautiful blue sky. She looked down at herself, clear tubes stuck out of her arms. Her eyes landed on the material under the white blanket covering her. She was wearing a thin, blue hospital gown. The feeling of dread was back ten-fold. No glimpse at the sky could calm her now. She felt her heart racing and her stomach drop, the machine next to her beeped faster now. Her breath quickened as she attempted to get up from the bed, but her legs refused to do what her brain told them, it was like her body was betraying her mind. She was hyperventilating now, her throat felt like it was closing up. 

  The door swung open, no lock clicked, but a man in a white coat walked in anyways. Alice felt her blood run cold as she tried to think about what to do. She could try to run. Or fight back. But would she even be strong enough? The man walked to the side of the bed, looking at the machines before he turned to Alice. She scooted further away from him, pulling her knees to her chest to protect herself. His eyes were kind and gentle, his smile was warm and comforting. The wrinkles around his mouth and above his eyebrows were a sign of happiness, not anger and maliciousness. 

  “You’re awake. How are you feeling?” He tilted his head as he adjusted the beeping machine. Alice eyed him cautiously, debating whether to reply or not. 

  “Do you think you could tell me your name? The man that brought you here said you had no form of identification on you.” He placed a gentle hand on her arm, and although she jumped, the touch was so light she felt just a little bit safer. She noticed a badge hanging onto the man’s coat, it had a picture on it and his name. 

 “Where am I?” Alice gulped, her throat still burning a little. 

 “You’re at the Meddale City hospital. Do you recognize that name?” He raised his eyebrows and turned back to the machine. The beeping machine slowed slightly. 

  “No. I don’t.” She looked past him out the window. The sky was clear and the sun was shining. 

   She cleared her throat and looked back at the man. “My name is Alice Gardiner.” She picked at the skin around her nails.

  He smiled and nodded, “That's a very pretty name. I’m going to have a nurse come and check on you while I contact your family, alright?” 

  “Yes. Yes, that’s alright... Thank you.” Her voice was low and timid, and a little raspy. Thinking about seeing her family again brought tears to her eyes.

  He gave her arm a quick squeeze and smiled, his gentle eyes had a glint of sadness hidden behind them. “You’re safe now. Everything is going to be okay.” 

  The doctor turned and left the room, shutting the door softly behind him, so unlike the slamming doors she had grown accustomed to over the last months. Alice glanced back to the window, birds flew through the blue sky, diving through the air. Two birds flew around each other, landing on a nearby branch before snuggling up next to the other. A blonde nurse walked into the room, making small talk as she checked on Alice. Despite the fear she felt waking up, a new feeling bloomed in her gut. Hope.      

.・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・゜゜・ ゜゜・゜゜・．

  Lewis’s phone rang noisily, the shrill noise echoing through his empty home. He sighed as he got up off the couch, running his hand through his messy hair. He grabbed the phone and looked at the caller, not recognizing the string of numbers displayed on his screen. He pressed the accept button and brought the phone to his ear, bracing himself for whatever conversation he would have to sit through now. 

  “Hello, may I speak to Lewis Gardiner?” A man’s voice spoke from the other line, Lewis could hear people talking in the background, a cacophony of noises that amplified his already existing headache.   

 “Yeah, this is him.”  He sighed, stretching his neck as he walked into the kitchen. It was seven in the morning, too early for Lewis to be dealing with telemarketers. 

 “Sir, I’m calling from the Meddale City hospital.” He paused for a second, before clearing his throat to continue. “Your daughter, Alice, is here”

 Lewis stopped. His heart leaped into his throat. He stuttered a little, unable to believe what he had just heard. “What did you just say?” 

  “3 days ago an officer brought Alice to our hospital. She had nothing to identify her so she was labeled a Jane Doe until she woke up. She’s awake and stable, talking as well.” He hummed a little, “Somebody is going to go in later to ask what happened, but as of now we just want her to feel safe. She was in pretty rough conditions when she was first brought in.” 

  Lewis's heart soared, he felt like the weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. His daughter was alive and safe. He mumbled something about leaving to the man on the phone and hung up. His body moved faster than his mind, before he knew it he was getting into his car and driving to Alice’s cabin. The drive there was a blur, the familiar road blending together. Blobs of color bleeding into one another as his car whizzed past. He pulled onto the dirt driveway, the car jumped up as it passed over the uneven ground. He parked and hopped out of the driver's seat, his feet slipped as he rushed up to the door. His fist pounded on the old wood, the material poking his knuckles as they rapped against it. Lewis continued knocking obnoxiously until he heard the lock click. The door swung open, and a disheveled Evan looked at him, deep bags under his eyes showed how much sleep he was getting lately. 

  “Jesus Christ, Lewis! What are you banging on my door for?” 

  “They found her. She’s at a hospital in Meddale now, that’s about two hours away. Get your shoes on, we’re leaving now.” Lewis rambled, his brain shooting out words faster than his mouth could deliver them. 

   Evan blinked rapidly, looking at Lewis with his brows furrowed. His confusion was clear in his eyes, clearly not registering what he said. “Wait, what?” 

  “They found Alice.” Tears filled Lewis’ eyes, spilling down his cheeks. “She’s alive.”

The drive was anything but silent as the two men sped down the freeway. They had been driving for nearly 40 minutes, and Evan was jittery with a mix of anxiety and relief. He had asked a million and one questions that he knew Lewis didn’t have the answers to but couldn’t hold himself back. It was like a dam had broken and everything was flowing out freely. The next hour and a half was spent silently crying in the passenger seat as Lewis continued down the freeway. It felt like a huge weight was lifted off Evan’s shoulder. Alice was alive. She was alive and safe and in a hospital. And he was going to see her again. The relief he felt was almost euphoric. 

  After what felt like a years long drive the hospital came into view. It was big and modern, very different in comparison to the small building on the west side of their hometown. After Lewis found parking Evan found himself feeling much less weightless than before. A knot of dread built up in his gut as he exited the car and approached the entrance to the looming building. Hospitals had always made him uneasy when he was younger, but now he was downright terrified. What sight would greet him when he finally saw Alice again? Would she be happy? Would she even remember him? His mind swarmed with different possibilities.  

  The strong chemical smell of alcohol filled the men’s noses as the glass doors slid open, effectively snapping Evan out of his thoughts.Their shoes thumped on the linoleum tiles as they ran to the front desk. The woman sitting there looked up at the two of them, clearly unfazed by panicky people approaching her. 

  “How may I help you two?” She smiled up at them sweetly, her too-straight and too-white teeth gleaming at them under the bright fluorescent lights. 

  “We’re here to see Alice Gardiner,” Lewis spoke up, his tone shaky and more high-pitched than usual. 

   Her wide smile faltered slightly, a hint of recognition glinting in her bright eyes.  “Alice Gardiner,” she paused to type something into her computer before looking back up at them, “ she’s in room 242. Take the elevator to floor two, her room is gonna be down the left hallway.” The woman offered them a tight-lipped smile, losing her bubbly personality from earlier. The two walked off towards the elevators, steps echoing down the empty hallway. 

   Evan looked back over his shoulder, at the woman watching them walk away, and the people sitting in the cold waiting room. He wondered what they were going through right now, was it anything like the misery he had felt for the past four months? He hoped not, nobody deserves to feel that. The ride up the elevator was quiet, except for the faint music and the thundering heartbeat in Evan’s chest.

  “I can’t believe it. She's been missing for months, I thought she was dead. And now we’re about to see her again.” Lewis made an odd sound. Like he was trying to chuckle, but his body wouldn’t let him. The elevator door creaked open to reveal two hallways branching off. They took the left hallway, like the woman at the desk had said, and looked for the plaque that said “Room 242”. They passed many rooms, 215, 228, 232, 238, 240. Evan counted down the seconds until they’d be standing in front of room 242. And then they were there. An odd feeling settled in Evan’s gut. A mixture of happiness, relief, and most of all, fear. What if Alice blamed him for not doing more to help her, for not saving her? He wasn’t sure if he could handle that. Not when he blamed himself every day. He couldn’t handle her hating him when he already hated himself more than anything. 

  Lewis took the first step, pushing open the door gently. Evan gulped, attempting to dislodge the lump in his throat. He followed Lewis in, holding his breath as they stepped through the door frame. Alice was there, sitting upright in the small bed and looking out the window. At first, she didn’t notice the two walking in, assuming it was just another doctor or nurse coming in to ask her questions she couldn’t bring herself to answer. She turned slowly, eyes landing on her father and boyfriend standing in the corner of the room. 

  The next few minutes were a blur. Lewis ran forwards and wrapped his arm around his daughter for the first time in four months. She squeezed him back as he cried into her hair, kissing the crown of her head and mumbling into her scalp. Evan had come around to the other side and hugged her as well, sniffling as he tried to hold himself together. Lewis pulled away and allowed Evan to get a full hug in, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. 

 Evan pulled away from the hug and held her face in his hands, examining all the features he took for granted. The moles and freckles dotting her skin, her eyes that had lost the gleam they once had, the dark bags that tinted the skin under her eyes. His jaw clenched when he saw the purple bruise on her neck.. 

   “I thought you were dead.” He muttered quietly, putting his forehead against hers. Everything was quiet for a few seconds, the only thing he could hear was the faintly beeping machines and Alice’s soft breathing. 

  “I’m okay.” She sniffled a little and looked into his big, sad eyes. “I got away. I’m okay now.” Her voice was wobbly and it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself than him. 

  He lowered himself onto the edge of the bed. His hand found hers and he turned it over, looking at every purple bruise that bloomed under her skin. His heart sank as his thumbs grazed her cracked knuckles. A doctor walked in and asked to talk to Lewis, leaving the young couple alone in the room. 

  “I missed you so much.” Evan looked back up to her, she was staring out the window again, unblinking as she watched the birds fly through the vast blue sky. “We looked for you everywhere.” His voice wavered as he reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. He felt a pang in his chest as he remembered every time he went out looking for her. Every day he spent looking through the woods with a flashlight while volunteers called out her name. Or the nights he spent watching CCTV footage of that damn van driving down roads until it would go through a tunnel and disappear. Every sleepless night he spent looking through photo albums, reminiscing on memories that seemed so far away. 

  He squeezed her hand, looking at the side of her face. “I love you, Alice.” She faced him now, looking up at him. Her eyes were glassy and red, tears threatening to spill over. A small, sad smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. 

  “I love you too.” 

The sound of the door shutting echoed through the small house despite the gentleness of it. Alice still cringed at the sound of the lock mechanism clicking into place, it was one of the many things she had learned to accept nowadays. Like the nightmares she would have weeks before her flu shot appointments, or the flashbacks she would get when driving past a big building with a fence surrounding it. She was getting better though. Evan reminded her daily that things would get easier, her mental—and physical— wounds would heal with time. And they had, slowly, it got easier to sleep at night. It got easier to breathe again. She could look at the scars on her arms without spiraling. Life continued, the seasons changed around her, the leaves fell and grew back again. Flowers bloomed, and wilted, and bloomed again. Two years passed, and eventually, everything calmed down. The news companies stopped calling to ask for interviews, people stopped staring at her at the store or looking at her with pity hidden behind their smiles. Alice could finally go to the grocery store by herself and feel almost normal again. Until she would see a white van, or a man who looked almost like Edward, and she’d fall right back into the inescapable pit she had desperately clawed her way out of. But Evan was always there. Reassuring her, lowering a ladder down the hole, and helping her climb out. He was there to remind her everything would be okay, and that was all she needed. 

  “I’m home,” Alice called out into the house, the hum of the television drew her attention to the living room. 

  “Hey Hon! How was therapy?” Lewis sat on the small couch, his arm raised up in a wave. 

  “It was good. Catherine went over some breathing exercises I can use at my appointment next week. She also talked about this group session on Sundays, I might do it.” She shrugged as she dropped her bag onto the table next to the couch, now devoid of the lamp that once sat there, shattered after a scuffle with the men who kidnapped her. She could feel her feet slipping in the mud that surrounded the pit in her mind, one wrong move and she’d be back at the bottom. She cleared her throat. “Where’s Evan?” 

  “He went to pick up some takeout. He invited me over for dinner if that’s alright with you.” His attention was now on whatever movie was playing on the TV. Some kind of dorky action film Alice definitely wasn’t interested in. 

  “Of course you can stay, Dad.” She plopped down onto the couch next to him, snuggling next to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. 

  Alice sighed and let herself get distracted. She watched the dorky movie and listened to her Dad’s dorky commentary. She let herself pretend like she wasn’t kidnapped and held captive for months. Like she wasn’t traumatized. Alice let herself pretend—even for just a few minutes— that everything was normal. That she was normal, her life was normal. She was just a twenty-seven-year-old girl, sitting on the couch watching a movie with her dad. Waiting for her fiancé to get home with dinner. Sometimes, that was all she needed to step away from the edge of the pit. Granted, it was a small step, barely there, but it was enough. 

  The lock clicked and the front door creaked open, shutting gently and locking again. This time Alice didn’t flinch. She knew she didn’t need to worry anymore, she was safe. At home, in her small cabin. With her dad, and her now fiancé— she loved saying that—and tonight, she would go to sleep in her own warm bed. 

  “Hey Babe, how was your day?” Evan walked to the kitchen, turning his head as he spoke to Alice. “I brought your favorite.” He held up the bag of Mexican food in his hands and placed it on the kitchen counter. He pulled out styrofoam boxes of food and placed them gently, humming to himself. 

  “It was alright. Better now that you’re home.” She got up off the couch and joined him at the counter, planting a kiss on his cheek as she grabbed a container of food. Her stomach growled at the mouth-watering sight. She had been expecting it, Evan always brought her favorite takeout or made her favorite food after her therapy sessions. He knew how hard talking about everything was, so they would sit on the couch, eating her favorite food. They’d watch a movie and talk about each other’s days, sometimes they even talked about their upcoming wedding. It always made her feel better. Like the sun shining through a sky full of gray clouds. 

  She carried the food to the couch, handing her dad his, and took a seat next to him. Evan sat on the other side of her, sandwiching her between the two men who loved her unconditionally. It was times like these that she let herself forget about everything. Being surrounded by her family, even if it was small and a little bit broken, was enough. She was happy, and that was all she really needed. Happiness, love, family. It was what had saved her in the end. And when she fell back into that dark hole, when she thought it would be better if she hadn’t escaped, she thought of her family. Evan, the light of her life, her soon-to-be husband. Her sunshine on a gloomy day, her sweet summer breeze blowing away a cold winter. And Lewis, her father, the man who raised her. The one who never gave up on her, who sacrificed so much for her. 

  Alice looked at the two men sitting beside her, both of them focusing on the action movie, arguing over whether the CGI looked realistic or not. She realized then that she would never wish for anything different. All she needed was them, her rocks, the beam of light shining through a dark tunnel. She smiled to herself, wondering how she could’ve ever gotten so lucky to have these two men in her life. For the first time in a while, Alice could say she was truly happy. She didn’t feel the gnawing dread in her stomach, or see Edward’s blood on her hands whenever she looked at her palms. Instead, she felt hope and happiness. She felt safe squished between her father and the love of her life. She didn’t know how long it was before she had dozed off, her head slumping onto Evan’s shoulder. 

  Lewis chuckled and took the food out of her hand, placing it on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Maybe this movie’s awful CGI bored her to sleep.” He reached behind him and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch, draping it over his daughter. Lewis kissed her forehead before getting off the couch to put her leftovers away.  

  For once, Alice had no nightmares. She slept peacefully, her breath a gentle rhythm that Evan would never get tired of hearing. In her dreams, she stepped away from the pit that took up so much of her mind. The clouds above her cleared more and more with each step she took onto the grass. She walked over a hill until the sun shone completely, warming her arms as she shielded her eyes from the light. She saw Evan and Lewis, sitting on that red checkered picnic blanket she loved so much. They waved, beckoning her to them, insisting she come join them in the sun. So she did. She left that pit behind, not worrying about slipping into it anymore. All she had to think about now was the clear skies, the sun, and her family.