Page 83 of Lost in the Silence (The Grove 2)

Cara

The stopping of the van jostles me awake. Radiating pain makes me bring my hand up to my nose, and I wince when the throbbing pain becomes unbearable as I touch it.

“Ughhh.” I gurgle, my voice sounding unlike my own with the damage to my nose.

Where am I?

What happened?

I try to get my bearings. As I open my eyes, I see what looks to be like the floor of a car. The floor of a car? I attempt to sit up, and my bones ache as I push up. The vehicle is unfamiliar. Looking out the window, the area is unfamiliar as well.

I bring my hand up to my nose again, wincing as I poke at the tender skin. Memories flash through my head.

Being ambushed at my home. Someone taking Wesley from me and coming back empty handed. Being punched in the face.

Fuck.

My nose is definitely broken.

Fear and panic seize me, making the breath leave my lungs. I sit up, ignoring the pounding in my head and the throbbing in my face. Reaching for the door handle, I find it locked.

“Shit.” I whisper.

I climb over to the front seat and try for the front, seeing that that’s locked as well. I hit the unlock button, but for some reason, it won’t unlock the door.

“What the fuck?” I cry, looking around for a magical button that will get me the hell out of here. “Somebody help me!” I scream, pounding on the window with my fists. We look to be at some deserted gas station, the windows all boarded up and the gas pumps all have an Out of Order bag covering the pump.

There’s no sign of life anywhere.

That doesn’t stop me from looking for a way out of here. I search the vehicle up and down, screaming and pounding at every window.

There has to be someone, right? It’s not like they just left me here to die.

When I see a shadow of a person, I pound as hard as I can, my hands throbbing in pain from the constant abuse. I keep going though, screaming until my throat feels like it’s bleeding and my voice goes hoarse.

When the shadow becomes a person, I smile. “Hey! Help me. Yes, yes, yes. Over here. Please, help me out of here!” When he comes close enough, I see that he looks strangely familiar. Not in the good way. He looks like the man that broke my nose.

I stop pounding, scrambling back in the van until my back hits the seat behind me. “No. No, no, no. Please, Oh, God. Get me out of here!” I scream at the top of my lungs. The pressure in my face makes me feel nauseous and I have a constant taste of blood in the back of my mouth.

The door opens, and the man's leers at me with his nasty, yellow teeth before speaking at me in a heavy accent. “You little puta hit me in my face.” He points to his cheek, where an ugly bruise has formed. I smile internally. “I’ll get my turn later, though. Just you wait.” He leans forward, pulling a needle out of nowhere and sticking me in the neck.

My eyes widen in panic, and then they droop as fatigue hits me in the worst way. I try to open my mouth to protest but my lips won’t move.

Then I slump over, and everything goes dark again.

* * *

When I wakeup the second time, I’m no longer in the car. Disoriented and in pain, I wake up in a dark, damp room with no light. It’s freezing in here, making me think I’m somewhere underground. Everywhere I touch is wet, and my skin chills to the bone as shivers rack my body.

“Fuck.” I reach up and grab my pounding head. My eyeballs feel like their pulsing with the pain. My body hurts from my hair down to my toenails. Not one inch of me is in good shape.

I sob.

“Wesley.” I whisper. Fear or what they’ve done to him. Is he still alone? Did something happen to Jackson, too, and Wesley is still outside, afraid and cold, just like me? Or worse? Did they hurt him and he’s no longer on this earth? Agony rips through my chest as I wail. I couldn’t live another breath if he wasn’t alive. I would take my own life without even a second thought. I couldn’t bear it.

“Hey, stop crying.” I hear from a small voice that echoes through the room.

I swallow down my cry, gasping as I crawl back against the wall. “Who’s there?”

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