Captured

It was about 2am and I was about to end my shift at the local diner. I live in a pretty small town where nothing exciting ever happens. My name is Lucy and I live in a small, ratty, old cabin at the edge of the town surrounded by all the trees. It’s the dead of winter and I’m struggling to keep all of the bills on top of each other. My parents disappeared when I was only 16, leaving me to care for my 5-year-old sister, Everly, by myself.

I’m not sure why my parents left, they never left behind a note or anything. For a while I went looking around for them and asking neighbors if they had seen them, but I eventually stopped asking because I didn’t want my sister or I to go into foster care. It’s been about 6 years since then and I would like to think we are doing okay, but it’s hard sometimes making sure everything is paid and that Everly gets everything she needs. I’m 21 now, almost 22 and I try to work as much as I can, meaning I’m not always home with Everly. I feel bad because she’s only 11 and never really asked much about our parents. All she knows is that they aren’t around and won’t be coming around.

I make it home just after 2:30 in the morning. I check in on Everly to make sure she’s asleep, and when I find her peacefully in her bed, I head back to the living area and make myself as comfortable as I can get on the couch.

**

The next week goes by fast and I finally have a few days off of work. Everly is staying with some friends for a few days so that just leaves me. I decided to do some cleaning and then headed to the small river about a mile from the cabin. I usually go to this area to get more firewood when we run low because I always find the best pieces here.

After walking for a while, I tripped over a hole that was dug into the ground and fell into the below freezing water. I slowly dragged myself out of the water and felt a warm liquid seeping from my head. When I touched it I only saw red. Great, I’m over a mile from home with a bleeding head and a bunch of firewood I need to take back. I went to look for the hole I tripped over, and I saw an old torn up bag. The back of my mind was telling me to leave it and to head back home but my curiosity got the best of me and I tried to pull it out of the ground. It was stuck so I had to dig a little bit. After 5 minutes of digging, I’m coated in dirt and the blood from my head. I was a little dizzy afterwards and sat down to check out the bag. When I opened it, I saw what looked like thousands of dollars in cash and a solid black, but slightly dirty notebook. I was completely shocked. I suddenly looked all around me to see if someone was playing a prank on me or wanted to see what I would do with it. I didn’t see or hear anyone, so I decided to be selfish and grabbed the bag and headed home. I would come back tomorrow for the firewood. I got home and right as I was about to walk to the front of the cabin, I saw an unknown car in front. This place is hidden so I don’t know how a car got here. Even Everly’s friends don’t know where we live as I normally drop her off and pick her back up.

I stopped and tried to listen for any sudden noises. After about a minute I heard 2 maybe 3 voices from inside. I was terrified. Who were these guys, how did they know where I live, and what do they want? I then remembered I’m holding a bag of money, which I counted out to be $20,000 with a strange black notebook. I threw the bag under the opening to get under the cabin then crawled under myself. I was still freezing from falling in the river with the blood now dried to my forehead. I had to cover my mouth with my hand to stop from shivering as I heard the footsteps and voices of the men get closer to me. “Where the fuck could they have hidden it, huh? This place isn’t very big and is limited on the hiding spots. You said it would be here, now where is it?” one of the men shouted at the other. My first thought was the money, they were here for the money that someone else must’ve hidden from them. I shifted a little under the cabin and I must have made too much noise. “What was that?” one of the men said. Next thing I know I’m being dragged out from under the cabin screaming, “look what we have here, guys, and she even found the notebook for us.”

**

The last thing I remember was being dragged from the cabin. I’m now in a dark, musty smelling room. I touched my forehead which is now free from the blood and I’m wearing warm, clean clothes. After a few minutes trying to remember everything that has happened and trying to figure out where I am, I heard footsteps. The previously locked door slammed open and the 3 men walked inside.

“So where did you find this money and the notebook? What all did you see from that notebook, huh?”

That was the moment I realized I fucked up and I’m in serious predicament.