Page 60 of Genesis

She shrugs. “Yeah. I’ll just tell him I stopped seeing you.”

“You can tell him anything you want, but don’t fucking tell him that.”

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever.” She opens her car door.

“Hey,” I say. She looks back at me. “I’m sorry I put you in this situation. I don’t want you having to lie to your uncle.”

She sighs. “It’s okay. Like you said, I’ll figure it out.”

I nod. “Call me later.”

“Okay.”

I wait for her to get into her car and reverse before I follow. We then go separate ways once we pull out.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Bexley

Ten days missing

Danny was knocked out for a full hour after the stranger hit him. His wrists are bloody and cut to pieces from him trying to get loose. I can’t imagine what his arms look like underneath that shirt. I got dragged into the living room, or whatever you want to call it. There’s no furniture in here. I’ve been looking out the window in the bedroom, trying to see any sign of a road or cars or something.

He actually let me stay free, though. He fed me and left. I feel like this guy is regretting things, like he forgets himself, and then remembers why we’re here in the first place. I can’t help but wonder how close he was to Danny.

Did he work with him every day? Has he known him for years, or was it just someone Danny crossed paths with? But then, I think about the knife. You’d only know Danny carried if you saw him with his shirt off.

He left some food for Danny and told me to figure out how to give it to him. It wasn’t easy, but we got the job done. He actually left us some water bottles, too, which is odd. Like I said, I feel like this guy is having second thoughts or something.

It’s late. I’m not sure of the time, but it just feels late. I look out the window, which I discovered was nailed shut from the outside, and the door is locked from the outside, too, hence why he left me untethered to something.

Danny’s face is bruised, and his lip and nose are busted now. My lip is still sore from where he slapped me, and my jaw is surely bruised. We’re pretty banged up, but we’re alive and we have each other.

“Danny,” I say into the moonlight as I look up at the sparkling stars. That’s the only thing I’ll say good about this place. There’s no smog, so you can see every last twinkle.

“Yeah?” he says.

“Remember that Christmas we spent together? How you surprised me with the lights?”

“Hmm,” he says in remembrance. “I remember your face.”

“My face?” I ask.

“Yeah.”

“Ah, that’s right. You did say that.”

“That’s all I wanted for Christmas was to see you happy. I tried so hard to make you happy.”

I turn to look at him—this strong man, beaten and tied to a chair. Malnourished and void of energy.

“I was happy. If only for a moment, I was happy.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Bexley

2003

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