Justified

There was only one rule: don’t open the door.

Sarah remembered his voice whispering that warning into her ear each time he left her in the dark. The warm feel of his breath on her neck as he reminded her, he was in control. As if she had forgotten.

We all know the voices that linger, living rent free in your head. The ones making you freeze or run, keeping sleep and peace out of reach, selfishly stealing your sanity. Those were the memories haunting Sarah.

See, she had been held behind that door for 3 years and would give anything to scrub them out of existence. But they were never far away, taunting and teasing her, keeping her from moving on.

The day she escaped, she swore she would never go back. And for years she was successful at pretending it never happened. But when she saw the news describing the latest disappearance of 3 local girls, she knew he was at it again. She knew she was the only one able to put an end to their horror.

Those voices would not be silenced, they would not allow another to suffer at his hands, as she had.

She made her way to the closet at the end of the hall and pulled out a small gray duffle tucked snugly, in the back. She'd assembled it with items that would guarantee she would never be a victim again.

She stood at the door for what seemed like forever, before cutting the lock and sliding the door open. The familiar scent urged her inside the darkness. As he spun around, he saw her standing there, smiling. Fear had changed teams and as he began to speak, she whispered, shutting the door behind her, "shhh, I am in control now."