Chapter 3 - Into the Dark
My husband ignored my scream and pulled me harder across the gravel.
The heavy wooden doors of the root cellar loomed at the edge of the property, hidden beneath a patch of overgrown weeds.
He kicked the doors open, revealing a pitch-black staircase descending into the earth.
A wave of damp, rotting air washed over my face.
He did not carry me down the steps.
He dragged me, letting my numb legs bounce violently against every wooden plank.
I bit my lip until it bled to keep from crying out as another agonizing contraction hit me.
At the bottom of the stairs, he threw me onto the cold dirt floor.
The sirens were deafening now, screeching to a halt right in front of our house.
His mother yelled down the stairs that she would handle the police.
She ordered my husband to keep me completely silent, no matter what it took.
The heavy cellar doors slammed shut above us, plunging the room into absolute darkness.
I heard the heavy iron latch slide into place from the outside.
Mara had locked us in.
My husband was breathing heavily in the dark just a few feet away from me.
I curled into a ball, trying to protect my stomach as the baby shifted violently.
Heavy boots stomped across the porchboards right above our heads.
I opened my mouth to scream for help.
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A cold, heavy hand clamped over my mouth, tasting of rust and engine oil.
My husband leaned close to my ear, pressing the sharp edge of a hunting knife against my throat.
