15
T he drive isn’t long, and before I know it, the van is slowing down. I press my back to the far wall, holding my knees up to my chest, terrified of what’s coming next but knowing I have to find a strength within myself now, otherwise I’m not escaping this. I have to dig deep and bring out the wild side buried within me.
I won’t die here.
The van doors swing open, and the same two men order me out. I do as I’m told, not wanting to risk being beaten and having even more of my strength ripped away from me. The moment my feet hit the ground, one of the men curls his fingers around my upper arm and jerks me in the direction of an old, abandoned house.
“Steady on,” I snap. “I’m walking.”
“Shut the fuck up,” the man growls.
As we approach the house, I can’t help but admire its haunting silhouette against the darkening sky. Its windows are shattered, broken shards and jagged edges, no doubt once filled with so many memories. The wooden boards are worn and weathered, the paint peeling, revealing molding panels beneath. The roof sags, and the deck has multiple large holes that have rotted out over time.
Surrounding the house, the overgrown grass and weeds brush against my legs as I’m dragged forward. The air is thick with the scent of damp earth, a reminder of the life that once thrived here but has long since been forgotten. Trees encircle the property, with overgrown branches. Once, I have no doubt, they would have been the perfect entrance to this place.
Every step closer fills me with a sense of fear, the kind that settles deep in your bones and refuses to let go. This place feels like a graveyard of memories, ones that have been long forgotten but still linger like old souls. It’s a terrifying presence, and I’m not certain I want to be taken inside. I feel like whatever is in there is going to haunt me forever.
As I'm dragged inside, the air grows colder, and the house smells of rot. The interior of the house is even more haunting than its exterior. The walls are lined with faded, peeling wallpaper, and the floorboards creak beneath our feet, with each step, I’m scared I’ll fall right through. Dust hangs in the air, coating every surface.
My heart pounds as I take in the surroundings, and I’m stuck with the thought that this might be the place Wolfe told me about, where he caught my father committing senseless murder. He said an old, abandoned house. The thought sends a shiver down my spine but at the same time, gives me a glimmer of hope.
If it is the place, then he might be able to find me.
The men lead me through a narrow hallway, past rooms filled with broken furniture and shattered glass. I try to steady my breathing, to keep putting one foot in front of the other, and to keep my cool. I need to be witty, strong and resilient right now. If I’m not, then I might not ever see the light outside again and I don’t plan on allowing that to happen.
We stop in a large room at the back of the house. The walls are covered in graffiti, and the remnants of fire damage in the back corner. In the center stands a man, his face partially hidden in the shadows. My heart skips a beat as I take a wild guess as to who that man is. There is only one person who would bring me here, and only one person who wants revenge.
Caleb.
His presence is commanding, and his eyes lock onto mine with an intensity that makes my skin crawl. I can see the years of anger and betrayal burned into his stone-cold features. This is the man who was wronged by my father, the one seeking revenge, and in his mind, I am the perfect way to enact that revenge.
“Welcome, Mera,” he says, his voice low and filled with a chilling calmness. “I’ve been waiting for this moment.”
I swallow hard, trying to muster the courage to speak. “Caleb, I’m guessing?”
He steps closer, and up close, I can see he’s actually a striking man. His blond hair is more sand than straw and sits messily atop his head. His eyes are a deep brown, and his lips are full and turn slightly upward when he smiles. He’s striking, but there is an emptiness in his eyes that scares me. “It’s wonderful to finally meet you. The daughter of an infamous killer .”
It sounds like a kind statement, but the way he delivers it is anything but kind.
I glance around the room, my mind racing. Is this where my father brought his victims? The thought is suffocating, and I struggle to keep my composure. I need to find a way out, but first, I need to understand exactly what Caleb plans on doing with me here. It’s apparent he has a plan, and I’m scared to hear what that plan is.
“I’m not anything when it comes to him,” I say, my voice firm. “What do you want?”
Caleb’s expression softens for a moment, but the hardness quickly returns. “I want justice. I want revenge. I want him to feel exactly what he made me feel. Tell me, Mera, did you like the clues I left? If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were enjoying my little game.”
“Believe me, I wasn’t,” I mutter.
He flashes me a smile, showing a row of perfectly white teeth.
“Do you know what your father did to me?”
Stay calm, Mera. “Yes. And for what it’s worth, I don’t agree with it. I never would have wanted something like that to happen to you.”
He moves quickly, slapping me so hard my head swings to the side and a gasp escapes my lips. My cheek burns as I swing my eyes back to him. “Do not fucking speak to me like I’m an imbecile.”
Okay, so Caleb is a little more unhinged than I first thought.
“Touch me again and I’ll cut your fucking finger off,” I snap. “I don’t think you’re an imbecile, I’m only speaking the truth.”
He steps up close to me, his presence overbearing and strong. I don’t back down, I face him, a desperate attempt to show him I’m not scared. “Your father will pay for what he did to me, and I’m going to make him pay with the one and only thing he loved. You.”
I flinch.
“Why, because you figured out he didn’t love you?” I retort. “Is that what this is? You’re butthurt because your fake daddy didn’t care about you the way you thought?”
He slaps me again, this time sending me flying back so hard I smash into an old desk in the corner of the room. As I hit the ground, pain radiates through my body, but I refuse to let it break me. The impact is jarring, and for a moment, I fear I might just black out. I won’t give this dick the satisfaction.
I grit my teeth, determined not to show weakness. My resolve hardens, and I push myself up, ignoring the throbbing in my side. I won't let Caleb see me defeated. I won't give him what he so desperately wants. I rise slowly, meeting his gaze with defiance. No matter what he does, I won’t go down without a fight. I am stronger than this, stronger than him, and I will find a way out of this nightmare.
Caleb grins. “I see you have your daddy's streak in you. We’ll have fun, Mera. You’re going to enjoy this.”
With that, he turns and walks out, leaving me standing alone in the room with the two guards staring daggers at me.
This isn’t over.
Oh no, far from it.
He’s right, I do have my father's streak, and it’s one he doesn’t want to see.
I’M LEFT IN THAT ROOM with the two guards for a couple of hours, before one of them receives a call and then I find myself being dragged from the room to a basement below the house. The basement itself is dimly lit, with a single flickering bulb casting shadows across the cold concrete walls. The air is thick with the smell of mildew and something metallic, like rust or old blood.
When we reach the main open area, my eyes move to a girl and my heart skips a beat. She is around my age, and I already know who she is – I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve watched the news, hell, I’ve been accused of taking her. It’s Nia and she's huddled in a corner, her eyes drooping with exhaustion. Her clothes are dirty and torn, and her wrists are red raw, like at some point, she has been bound with rough rope. Despite her disheveled appearance, there's a spark of defiance in her eyes that mirrors my own.
Seeing her like this, my heart aches with a mix of relief and anger. Relief that she's alive, and anger at the monster who put her here. I want to rush to her, to reassure her that we'll find a way out, but the guards' firm grip on my arms keeps me in place. He isn’t letting me move until he’s good and ready.
Nia looks up, her gaze meeting mine. I do the only thing I can, and that is to offer a small smile, in hopes that she will know I’m not here to hurt her. I’m on her side. We're both trapped in this nightmare, but seeing her, only strengthens my resolve. I will find a way to get us out of here, no matter what it takes.
I will fight for both of us.
The guard tosses me to the ground, and with that, he turns and leaves. I’m grateful to see him go, and the moment the door slams closed and locks, I rush over to where Nia is sitting, kneeling down in front of her. She’s exceptionally beautiful, which I already knew from the pictures, but up close, she’s even prettier.
Her hair is a soft strawberry blond and her eyes are vibrant green. She’s only tiny and petite, from behind, you would probably assume she was only a teen. She’s like a little pocket version of a lady and it’s absolutely adorable. Nia is beautiful in a way that is rare. “You’re Nia.”
It’s not a question.
She nods. “And you’re Mera.”
How does she know who I am?
“You know me?”
She shakes her head. “Not personally, but that psycho up there has made it clear to me that the reason I’m here, is because of you.”
Guilt grips my chest. “I’m so sorry you got caught up in this. Until a few days ago, I didn’t even know who Caleb was. He’s coming after me for something I had no part in. Instead, he is hoping to make me suffer for the sins of my father.”
Nia purses her lips. “Yes, well, the man is unhinged.”
A smile tugs my lips. I think I’m going to like her. “Just a little.”
Her eyes lighten and she offers me a small smile in return.
“Your family are still looking for you,” I tell her.
She looks away, her eyes flashing with something I can’t quite read. “I wish I cared.”
That doesn’t sound good.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you weren’t close with them.”
She shrugs. “It’s not your fault, you don’t know me. I guess part of me is glad for the time away from that family, even if I am trapped in a basement.”
Gosh, is it that bad?
“That doesn’t sound great,” I flop down onto my bottom.
“It isn’t. Do you think we’re going to get out of here?”
I tuck my knees to my chest and shrug. “I don’t know, I don’t even know what he has planned. All I know is that whatever it is, he is determined to crush my father and in doing that, he is going to crush me.”
“Are you afraid?” Nia asks.
I shake my head. “Of that piece of shit? No.”
She laughs, softly. “He’s a real cry baby when he doesn’t get his own way.”
We both giggle.
“Well, it’s good to know that we might be able to outsmart him,” I say, exhaling.
“I hope so. I’m ready to get out of here, even if I’m not looking forward to going home.”
That bad? I feel for her, knowing that she would rather be trapped in a dirty basement then to go back to her own family. I only experienced her mother for a second, but from what I could tell, she was intense. I thought it was simply a mother desperate to get her child back, but now I’m wondering if it’s so much deeper than that.
“Well, here’s hoping he gives us something to work with. I’ll find a way out of here, no matter what. I promise you that.”
Nia studies me. “You’re really his daughter, the Shadow Butcher?”
I shrug and nod. “Yes, unfortunately. I wish I wasn’t, but there is no changing it now.”
“What was he like, as a father?”
I shift, leaning against the wall beside her. “Believe it or not, he was a great father. I think that’s what makes it worse.”
Nia nods in understanding. “I can only imagine. What do you think it is that breaks in someone so badly that they can murder people yet come home and be good to their families?”
“I wish I knew,” I tell her, honestly. “Until recently, I never saw any kind of mental health issues in my father. If you had asked me back then, I would have said he was the most stable person I knew. Obviously that wasn’t the case.”
“It’s a scary thought.”
She’s right. It is.
The door unlocking has both of our heads turning just in time to see Caleb walking down the stairs, followed by the same two guards. He is smiling, so pleased with himself, like he has already won. He hasn’t, but I’m going to let him think he has for a while longer. It’s his weakness, I’ve already figured that out.
“I see you two have gotten acquainted, wonderful.”
“Get to the point,” I mutter. “Nobody wants to hear you drag on for ten minutes.”
His eyes harden, but I don’t waver. I hold his gaze until he has no choice but to look toward Nia.
Yeah, Caleb has a big weakness, and I’m going to play on it.
“I suppose you are wanting to know my plan,” he crosses his arms.
“Not really,” Nia mutters beside me.
I press my lips together.
Caleb shoots her a glare.
“You might think you’re tough now, but that won’t last long. I’m going to make the both of you wish you ate your words. Spilling your hatred is only fueling my fire.”
God, he’s delusional.
“Are you going to tell us your wicked little plan?” I snap. “You’re already boring me.”
He bares his teeth in a threatening way. “You won’t be so mouthy in prison, girl.”
Prison?
“Oh, cat got your tongue?” he chuckles. “That’s right, I’m sending you to prison, right there beside your father. Nothing in this world would hurt him more than having his little angel locked up, and for the world to think she’s a killer.”
What is he talking about?
“I really wish it didn’t have to come to this, I quite like you, Nia, but you’re just a part of the bigger picture. You see, Mera here is going to prison for the rest of her life for your murder.”
Reality dawns on me.
This sick motherfucker is going to kill Nia and then frame me for it so I’ll go to prison. He’s right, it would kill my father to see me in prison. It kills him that I’m already living in his toxic shadow, let alone adding that to the mix. Killing me wouldn’t be enough, my father could grieve that and move on. No, sending me to prison is the ultimate revenge.
All my father ever wanted was for me to remain the innocent little girl he thought I was.
The one he so desperately tried to create.
“You’re an idiot if you think that will work,” I mutter. “Wolfe has proof, he will find a way to show it was you.”
Caleb grins. “Oh, about that. Wolfe won’t do shit, because he’ll be dead.”
I flinch.
“In fact, if my calculations and plan are correct, he already is.”
The thought that Wolfe might be dead hits me like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless and reeling. It's as if the world has shifted beneath my feet, and I'm left dangling on the edge. Wolfe and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, but my feelings for him run deep. The idea that he might be gone forever is a weight I can't bear, a loss that feels too immense to grasp.
My heart aches with a deep, hollow pain, and I fight with everything I have not to show to Caleb. I can never let him see how much his words hurt. I can never let him know just how much Wolfe means to me. Regret gnaws at me, a reminder of all the things I never said, the emotions I never fully expressed. I wish I had resolved the tension between us instead of leaving with so much unsaid.
Will I truly never see him again?
Is Caleb telling the truth, or is it an empty threat?
Either way, the thought is crippling and for a moment, I forget how to breathe.
My anger simmers beneath the surface, a mix of rage and helplessness. Yet, even during all of this, a flicker of defiance burns within me. I refuse to let Caleb act out his plan. I will find a way out of this. Part of me prays that it’s all a lie, that nothing has happened to Wolfe, but right now I can’t allow myself to feel that. Right now, I have to get Nia and I out of here, before Caleb can do anymore damage.
Then, I can deal with what comes next.