“Don’t worry, you’re not dead yet. I like to play with my food,” she hissed in a menacing tone. I heard her soft footsteps leave, and I would say it was safe to look around, but my situation was the opposite of safe. I slowly got to my feet. My hands were red and bleeding from where the zip ties had dug in. Then I laughed to myself; that idiot gave me something to use to escape. I lumbered over to the old glass window; I could fit, but it would hurt. BANG. My eyes darted through that old window, and I saw her drive out in her beat-up van.
I knew I had one option. I would wait for her to bring her next victim, play to that dumb killer’s game, then help my fellow victim to escape. I felt strangely giddy, like a spy from the movies. I sat there for a weirdly short time. Then a groaning sound came from the car door, the sound I feared not so long ago. A young girl was dragged into the shack; she was tormented like me, and I felt a sinking feeling - she was too young. What if the killer wanted kids? Then, BANG, BANG, BANG. My chest throbbed. I hunched over in pain as I heard the gruff old voice say, “Behave for me, or you will end up like my other old toy here.”
That little girl sobbed loudly as I sat silently in a pool of blood. Then my killer left, and the car started again. “You! Come here,” I said in a loud but soft voice. “I am going to help you escape, love, ok?” I whispered to the sweet girl sobbing into my arms. She looked at me and nodded, scared but relieved. I winced as I slowly got up. The crunching sound echoed through the room. The little girl looked up at me while I slammed my wrist against the decaying glass. It may have hurt like hell, but I knew I was saving a life. Then the sound I was waiting for came: the cracking as the window fell.
“My name is Silvia. Go to the edge of the wood and to the closest road until someone stops to help, ok? Oh, and run, run for your life.” I picked her up and slid her out the window.
She slowly looked back, picked herself up, said, “Bye, Silvia,” and ran faster than I had ever seen someone run. One more life, I would stay and save on more life. So, I lay down and counted the wood panels till I unfortunately fell asleep. My head hit the wood hard, and I just blacked out.
God knows how long later, I heard groaning for the third time, and footsteps followed. But not panicked, not angry, calm. Not footsteps a victim would make. The door swung open, and she walked in. My killer walked in, alone. A ripple went through my veins.
“Oh,” her voice came back calm, but there was anger at the back of her throat, “You’re alone. I think it's time to stop playing with my food and eat it.” She said with satisfied horror. The breath left my lungs; would I wind up dead?
I can’t say I lived that day. But what I can say is I smile at that little girl every day from heaven. I saved a young girl's life, and that’s all I need to know.