Beneath the Floorboards Chapter 2

The door opened pretty fast, and this guy with a face full of stubble and a nasty scar popped out.

His eyes were kinda spooky. He glanced outside first, like checking if anyone was around, then looked me up and down.

The way he stared… it was like he wanted to eat me alive.

Something felt really wrong. My feet were already backing away.

I managed to get a little distance, running, but he caught up to me anyway.

“Hey, I didn’t do anything. Why are you running?”

He lunged, grabbed my arm hard, and kind of rubbed it a few times, this nasty smirk on his face.

I frantically looked around. A few yards away, an older woman was walking towards us.

Using all my strength, I yelled, “Mom!”

In a crowd, yelling “Help!” might get ignored.

But yell “Mom,” and almost every mother will turn her head.

Sure enough, she looked over. She must have seen the scar-faced guy clamping his hand over my mouth and thought it looked weird, because she frowned and started walking our way.

“What’s going on here?” she asked.

The guy holding me didn’t miss a beat. “This is my wife,” he said smoothly, his hand still tight over my mouth. “She’s got some mental issues, doesn’t recognize me right now. Just having a little tantrum.”

He sounded so practiced, like he’d done this a million times. How many girls had he trapped with this lie?

I saw the woman’s expression shifting, starting to believe him, looking like she was about to walk away. I panicked.

This might be my only chance. My brain raced, forcing myself to stay calm somehow.

When his hand loosened just a tiny bit, I bit down hard on the palm covering my mouth. He yelped, snatching his hand back. “Shit! You bitch!”

I grabbed onto the older woman’s purse strap with all my might. “Help me! I don’t know him, I really don’t! Please, call the police! Please…”

He cut me off, grabbing me again. “How many times have you run off to the hospital? Can you stop making trouble for me?”

I looked up at him, saw his eyes darting around as he tried to pull me away.

I could only stare pleadingly at the older woman, praying she’d call 911.

Then the guy pulled something out of his pocket – I couldn’t see what – and showed it to the woman. The look on her face changed instantly, and she practically ran away, leaving me behind.

While his attention wasn't on me for that second, I kicked him hard, right where it counts, and bolted, running back the way I came.

I didn’t realize how dangerous that move was, how much it would provoke him. Later, I paid a heavy price for it.

A sharp pain exploded in the back of my neck, and then… nothing. Everything went black as someone dragged me away.