The Darkness Within (14 page)

Outside, the sound of a car horn honking caused me to snap my eyes open. David groaned, pushing away from me to go look out the window. He stood, peering through the blinds for a moment before he cursed under his breath. Moments after, the doorbell chimed throughout the house, quickly followed by knocking on the front door. I knew without a doubt that my mom had arrived to get me.

David returned to the bed, placing his hand on my throat and squeezing tightly. He pulled the blade out of his pocket and held it up to me. “Make a sound and I’ll kill everyone I have to just to keep you.” When he let go, I breathed in through my nose quickly, trying to rid myself of the burning in my lungs that the lack of oxygen had caused.

As David left the room, I sprang into action. I had to find a way out of here. There was no way I was going to let him hurt my mom or Adrianna. But first I needed to figure out how to get out of these handcuffs.

Fatal Wounds

I rotated around, bracing my feet on the headboard and ignoring the way the handcuffs dug into my wrists as I pulled backwards. Adrianna’s bed frame was old, and I hoped that, with enough pressure, the wooden rung my handcuffs were secured around would give way. So far, all it had done was creak noisily. I could still hear my mom downstairs knocking and I hoped she would just go away. If she walked away she could call the Rodriguez family and find out where they were.

Leaning forward, I threw my torso backward, causing the wood of the bedpost to splinter, cracking loudly. Praying David didn’t hear that, I tugged on the wood until the chain came free. Then, moving to the pace of my heartbeat, I removed the gag from my mouth and raced over to the landline on Adrianna’s desk. The dial tone was a refreshing change of pace. I had assumed the lines would’ve been cut.

Stabbing the three buttons with my finger, I dialed 9-1-1. I didn’t have to wait long before the dispatcher answered. As soon as the line picked up, I whispered, “Help me, please. It’s an emergency. I have to go and save my mom,” before they even had a chance to speak. I set the phone down on the dresser, not wanting to hang up incase they needed a way to find my location. I didn’t know how any of that worked, but I wasn’t taking any chances. I had one more task before I could go downstairs and stop David before he did anything to my mom.

The closet door creaked as I pulled it open. Adrianna was still slumped over inside. I rushed to her, checking to make sure she still had a pulse. “I’m going to get you out of here,” I whispered to her. Maybe my knowledge of Adrianna’s house would be beneficial. David didn’t know anything about it, but I knew all of Adrianna’s old childhood hiding spaces.

From behind, I lifted her under her armpits. For someone so petite, she was pretty heavy. I didn’t let that or my lack of muscle stop me. I dragged her out into the hallway, moving as slowly and quietly as possible so I wouldn’t alert David. In the hallway, the sound of a cell phone ringing from the lower level caught my attention. I listened for movement, wondering where David was. Finally, I heard movement in the kitchen and went back to work. I moved faster, dragging Adrianna past the staircase and to the last room at the other end of the hallway—her parent’s bedroom.

When we were ten, Adrianna’s parent’s got their house renovated. They added onto the right side of the house, turning the master bedroom into a guest bedroom, and creating a whole new master bedroom. One day, during a game of hide and seek, I spent over an hour looking for Adrianna throughout the house. Eventually she got hungry and came out, showing me where she had been. Her parent’s closet had a section where the clothes covered another door, which led to another closet. They hid the family safe in there, and her mother kept all of her jewelry and other valuables in there as well. Now I would use it to hide Adrianna. At least in there she’d be safe.

I moved quickly, laying an unconscious Adrianna out on the floor and hugging her gingerly before closing the door to the second closet. I pushed all of the clothes back into place, hiding the door once again, before I exited the master bedroom. I snuck down the hallway, trying to hear what was going on downstairs. Staying in the shadows, I crept closer to the staircase. Hopefully Mom had left since the house was dark. The police should be here soon, and David would be put away forever, just like his perverted father.

Suddenly, my cell phone began to ring. My unmistakable ringtone for my mother chirped from the lower level, floating up to me. My gaze zeroed in on the front door as the doorknob twisted and the door flew open. My mom looked all around, looking toward the living room where my ringtone was coming from.

“Claire!” she called.

“Mom! I’m up here,” I responded, stepping to the top of the staircase. My face was wet with tears and seeing my mom made everything better. I began to run down the stairs, screaming for mom to get out.

Then everything happened in slow motion. David grabbed her from behind, plunging a knife deep into her stomach. I screamed before Mom did, my legs going weak and my heart shattering.

David grinned at me as he twisted the blade deeper, causing Mom to cry out louder, her voice choked and hoarse. Then David yanked the knife out, letting her body crumple to the ground. I didn’t care about David standing there, I ran as fast as I could, dropping to my knees next to my mom. I pressed my hands over her wound, applying pressure while David stood over us, looking pleased with himself.

Looking into Mom’s eyes, I could see her fear and worry for me. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Tears dripped over my lashes and down my cheeks, and my bottom lip trembled. This was my worst nightmare come true. My mom was all I had.

“This has been fun and all, but I think it’s time for us to leave,” David spoke, reaching down, and yanking me upwards by my hair. Pain tore through my scalp, mixing with the throbbing that was already seared into my forehead. “This wouldn’t have happened if you would’ve stayed upstairs like I told you to,” he growled at me.

I tried to free myself of his grasp, but struggling only made it worse. The only thing worse than the physical pain he had inflicted on me was the emotional pain he’d caused when he hurt my mother.

“I called the police,” I told him smugly. “They should be here any minute. You aren’t getting away with this,” I spat.

If it was possible, David’s expression became even scarier than it had been moments before. Despite his obvious anger, I couldn’t stop myself from getting under his skin even more.

“I bet the neighbors heard us scream too. They’re probably on their way to see what’s going on.”

David cursed, hitting himself in the forehead with one hand, while tightening his grip on my hair with the other. After a moment, he raised his gaze to the top of the steps, and then lowered them to my mother before finally landing on me. He dragged me with him as he retrieved my mom’s car keys from the ground. She must’ve dropped them when he attacked her.

“I don’t need anything. I have everything I need right here,” David muttered. He kept his eyes trained on me as he added, “You’re all I need, Claire.” Using my hair, David yanked me to him, wrapping his arm around my torso from behind and lifting me off of the ground.

“No!” I screamed, kicking and thrashing. I tried to fight my way out of his grasp, but he was too strong. I didn’t give up, trying to hit him with the handcuffs, which were still around my wrists, but I couldn’t land a blow because my back was to him. My heart pounded against my ribcage as David carried me through the front door. “Somebody help me!” I screamed into the night.

“Shut up!” David yelled, slamming me against my mom’s car. He fumbled with the keys for a moment before the doors unlocked with a familiar clicking sound. When the trunk of the car popped open, I fought harder, kicking furiously. David pressed all of his weight against my body as his large hands closed around my throat, making it hard to breath. I gave up fighting him, instead reaching up to try and pry his hands away from my throat. My lungs burned in need of oxygen.

Finally, David released me from his deathlike grip. He shoved me into the back of the car, slamming the trunk down to trap me inside. This was it. I was never going to see anyone I knew again. As the tears streamed down my cheeks, I prayed that the police would get here in time to save my mother and Adrianna. Then I said another silent prayer, hoping they would find Adrianna. By hiding her from David, I may have just ended her life. No one would know to look for her in their family’s hidden room.

I curled into the fetal position, hugging my knees to my chest. When the car started, I squeezed my eyes shut, not prepared for what the future held for me. As the car began to lurch backward out of the driveway, the sound of sirens blaring hit my ears. There was a loud screeching noise, like tires skidding to a stop, before I heard a voice over a loudspeaker say, “Get out of the vehicle, and put your hands in the air!”

My breathing remained heavy. It was all over now. I couldn’t imagine a time when I would feel safe again, but I was grateful that the police had gotten here before David could get away with me in tow. I began screaming again, banging on the trunk so they’d know I was inside.

When the trunk finally popped open, I recognized Officer Archer reaching in to pull me out. I latched onto him instantly, crying onto his shoulder as he carried me to safety.

I had a vice-like grip on my mom’s hand as the nurse checked her vitals. I didn’t want to let her go, not even for a second, after almost losing her. Thankfully, the ambulance had gotten her to the hospital in time to save her. Upon arrival she was rushed into surgery. She had some internal bleeding, but the doctors found the source and dealt with the issue before too much blood was lost. Afterwards, they stitched up her stab wound and sent her to the intensive care unit to monitor her recovery. Thankfully I was allowed to stay with her.

It was hard arriving at the hospital and having my mother whisked away from me. All I could think about was how much I wanted, and needed, her to live. I would be lost without her. I couldn’t imagine a day where I woke up and she wasn’t right down the hall from me. Thinking like that had only made my emotions run ragged. I spent the entire time I got checked up, and had my forehead stitched and bandaged, crying. I was inconsolable up until the very moment I was allowed to see my mom after her surgery.

A nurse escorted me into her room, explaining how the surgery had gone well and how Mom was expected to make a full recovery. The nurse, Nurse Lien, gave me a blanket and the remote control to the small television across from my mom’s bed before leaving. I had been in the room for over an hour now, and all I’ve done is pull my chair closer to my mom’s bed and hold her hand while she slept. Even with all of the tubes and monitors hooked up to her, she looked beautiful and peaceful. I was so grateful to all of the doctors who had saved her life.

Adrianna had been another case completely. It was as if there was a black hole inside of me that was slowly growing and sucking away my happiness. I tried my best not to think about Ade because I knew if I allowed myself to think even one thought about her, I would break down again. My best friend is gone, and it was all my fault. David had said so himself.
I
was the reason he set his sights on Adrianna. He even thanked me for it. Although I had tried to save her, by the time the paramedics arrived she had already lost too much blood. They were able to stabilize her long enough to get her to the hospital, but she died in surgery. She had sustained severe head trauma, which caused her brain to swell, and that, added to the excessive blood loss, was too much. In the end, she lost her life, becoming the final victim in The Collector’s reign of terror.

Absentmindedly, I raised my hand to my forehead, touching the gauze that covered my branding. I knew I’d forever be labeled as the girl who escaped. I was the only girl to survive after David had her in his sights, though that didn’t make me feel any better. I was the demented version of Harry Potter—
The girl who lived.
People would recognize me by the eight on my forehead. The cut was so deep that I knew the scar would heal terribly. I already planned on buying the best scar cream on the market, using as much makeup as needed, and even giving myself bangs to keep it hidden. I had heard stories where survivors wore they scars as badges—trophies of their survival—but I wasn’t going to be one of them. I never wanted to see it. The eight would only remind me of the horrible night I’d experienced, plus all of the events leading up to it and all of the people I’d lost.

The police officers went inside the house after they took David into custody. They collected Adrianna from the second closet I’d hidden her in, lifted my mom’s body onto a gurney, and collected two dead bodies; one belonging to Holly Martin and the other belonging to Larissa Rodriguez. Apparently, Mrs. Rodriguez had stayed home during the search so someone would be there in case Adrianna returned. It was scary how far David was willing to go to continue what his father started. I still remember the smug look on his face as the police car he was loaded into left the scene. He didn’t take his eyes off of me the entire time.

I tried to shake the memory from my mind, but I could still feel the weight of his dark stare. I shuttered, hoping the memory wouldn’t be ingrained in my mind forever. If I thought my nightmares were bad before, I was in for a rude awakening. They would be even worse now.

Finally letting go of my mom’s hand, I turned on the small television, planning to flip through the news stations to see if any of them were covering the story already. The first channel I got to was showing live footage outside of the Rodriguez home. I stopped on it, turning the volume up slightly.

A pretty woman with smooth, chestnut skin stood to the side of the camera, holding a microphone to her mouth. Her tight, natural curls bounced as she talked enthusiastically. “For those just tuning in, we have breaking news coming to you from the Drexel Hill area in Pennsylvania. It has been confirmed that the notorious serial killer, The Collector, who has been terrorizing the Midwest for almost three years now, has finally been taken into custody.” She waved her slender arm out, gesturing towards the house behind her, where officers were still going in and out of the house. “The Collector, whose real name is Nathan Hawthorne, was apprehended here, in the home of his final victim, young Adrianna Rodriguez.” The picture I had given Adrianna’s parents to use for her ‘missing’ fliers of her in the cafeteria flashed on the bottom of the screen.

I bit my bottom lip to keep it from trembling as I stared at the photo. It was only taken a little over a week ago, but so much had happened in that short time span. Now my friend was gone and I would never see her again. There would be no more homework dates, laughing about boys, no more of her eating my lunches, or hanging out. My best friend since elementary school was gone and it was all David’s fault—Nathan’s fault. Whoever the hell he was. Whatever his name is, he’s the cause of all this pain I’m feeling now and I would never forgive him for that.

Adrianna’s picture began to scroll across the screen, her name and age going with it. The next picture to go across the screen was of her mother, and lastly was a picture of Holly Martin. Unlike the other’s, Holly’s picture froze on the screen, accompanied by her name and age.

“Tonight, Holly Martin, who has been missing from her home in Addyston, Ohio for six weeks was found dead at the scene of the crime. Her family has already been contacted with the devastating news and arrangements for a memorial service are already underway.”

My gaze flicked to the analog clock on the wall. The Martin family must have already been prepared for the worst. I had only been in the hospital for three hours, yet they had already made arrangements for a memorial service. It was strange to think that while I was here, life outside was still going on. I sighed, leaning against my mom’s bed and taking her hand in mine again as I focused my gaze back on the television screen.

“Nathan Hawthorne is being charged for numerous kidnappings, murder on multiple accounts, and attempted murder. Thanks to a statement given by one of the survivors of tonight’s horrendous events, Nathan, along with his deceased sister Natalie, is being tied to another string of murders. Police think the pair may be responsible for more than thirty unsolved cases going back over the last
decade
.”

My jaw dropped at her final statement. The reporter’s words played on repeat in my head.

Police think the pair may be responsible for more than thirty unsolved cases going back over the last decade.

I had wondered how many people David killed, and now I had my answer. Six girls, not including the people he killed tonight, was bad enough, but the total number was abhorrent.

I thought about all of the times David,
Nathan
, was in my home, and the times I was alone with him in his. Mom and I couldn’t have imagined anything even remotely close to how horrible he really was. He ate dinner with us and we treated him like a human being, but in reality he’s the farthest thing from that. My skin crawled.

We were oblivious to the darkness within him—the darkness permeating the very soul of his existence. He hid behind a mask of lies and we were none the wiser—even I had been fooled at times.

I made a pact with myself right there in the hospital to never allow myself to trust anyone so absentmindedly again. After all, you never truly know who you could be dealing with.