Page 23 of His Captive

Five

LYSETTA

My heart sinks to my stomach when Ethan instructs Buddy too take me back down to the cold, damp hell of the basement.

I feel dirty, and my body still aches from the discomfort of being chained all night. The only thing I have to be thankful for is the fact I’m not hungry anymore.

“Ta dummmm.” Buddy extends his arm out as he opens the door to my prison cell. Obviously he’s excited to show me the mattress, pillows, and blankets that are now arranged on the floor against the back wall.

“What is this?” I ask.

“Ethan asked me to make your room more comfortable. I dragged this down from the spare room, and there’s a bucket over there in case you, you know… the collar will reach I’ve checked.”

“How efficient of you,” I don’t hide the sarcasm from my voice.

“Thanks, Miss.” Buddy grins back, clearly not understanding the concept. Leading me over to the mattress he lifts up the collar, and places it securely around my neck. Checking it over like a concerned parent would make sure their kid is wearing their safety belt properly. When he’s satisfied, he steps away and makes his way toward the door.

“Wait!” I call out, the pitiful desperateness of my tone echoing from the walls and causing Buddy to still.

“Don’t leave me. Please,” I beg, he turns around, his eyes staring at me curiously. “Please don’t leave me on my own. It’s lonely down here. Stay with me… Just for a while.”

“I don’t think Ethan would like that,” Buddy sounds sad, like he might want to.

“Please, we can talk. Tell me about yourself, Buddy, you said we could be friends. If we’re friends, we should know about each other, Right?” I clutch at anything I can to keep him with me.

Buddy thinks for a while, his eyes narrow and suspicious before eventually giving in to a wide grin and stepping back toward me. He sits on the floor opposite me, crossing his long gangly legs over one another.

“What you wanna know?” he asks

“Anything… Anything that you want to tell me. Like…where are you from?”

I’m so desperate not to be down here alone he can tell me his whole life story if he wants to.

“I was born here… This place has always been my home.” His eyes raise to the ceiling. I’m a little shocked, unsure how someone like Buddy can fit into Ethan’s life, but I see it as an advantage to me, right now the only one I have.

“That’s cool, really cool Buddy. Has Ethan always lived here too?” I try to sound casual with my questioning, Buddy shakes his head.

“No Miss. This house used to be owned by a bad man.”

I have to question what Buddy defines as bad, considering that he lives with a guy who keeps girls locked in basements, but I keep that to myself.

Buddy has a childlike quality about him that I can’t help warm to. And it seems a shame that he has spent his whole life living in such a miserable place.

“So these chains... Did Ethan have them installed for all his house guests, or just the real special ones?” I roll my eyes.

Buddy’s eyes fall to the concrete floor.

“You made him mad,” he sighs. “Mad enough to come down here. And Ethan never comes down here.”

I sit up a little straighter, intrigued by the new information. Ethan doesn’t seem the kind of guy to be scared of the dark, there has to be a reason he doesn’t like it down here.

“Why would that be, Buddy?” I ask, trying my best not to sound like I’m prying.

“Ain’t my place to say, Miss.” He stands up to his feet “I’ve said too much. Gotta get back to work.”

“Buddy, please don’t leave me down here, it’s dark and I’m afraid… Please.”

I panic, can’t stomach being locked alone down here. My head thinks too hard when there are no distractions.

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