Chapter 52
GRAHAM
Thirty minutes earlier …
Stephen disappears into the dark tunnel, leaving Graham with his phone light, which only has twenty-two percent battery life left. He doesn’t know what Stephen has planned, but he knows he must hurry to rescue Sophia and her mother from behind the bars and then race to save his friend too.
He gets straight to work, using the thin wire Stephen gave him to jimmy open the padlock. Stephen made it look easy. Sophia holds the phone light for him so he can use both his hands. It takes several frustrating minutes, but eventually, the padlock pops open.
Graham wrenches open the bars. ‘Fetch your mother,’ he says.
‘I … I can’t. I’m not strong enough to carry her. You’ll have to do it.’
Graham opens his mouth to ask what’s wrong, but it’ll only waste time they don’t have. ‘Take me to her,’ he says.
Sophia leads him along the tunnel. The further along he gets, the stronger the foul smell becomes.
It’s a mix of damp, rot and sewage. To think, these women have been down here for all this time.
Sophia’s mother has been down here close to fifteen years.
It’s unthinkable, unfathomable that a so-called loving husband and father could do this to the people he loved, even if it was to save them from certain death.
Sophia runs ahead, disappearing round the corner. There’s a faint light ahead. Somehow, Frank must have rigged up a lighting system, but when Graham arrives at the light he finds only a flickering lantern with a candle inside.
He stares around the small cave; the one room where Sophia and her mother have been living together.
There’s a filthy mattress on the floor, covered in a dark blanket with a pillow, along with a couple boxes of vegetables and plastic bottles of water.
A black bucket sits in the furthest corner, covered with a flat piece of wood; the origin of the rancid smell, he presumes.
That’s all there is here.
‘Jesus Christ,’ mutters Graham, not usually one to take the Lord’s name in vain. He looks around, searching, but something is missing.
‘Where’s your mother?’
Sophia points to a corner that’s shrouded in darkness. The candle’s light can’t quite reach that far. No sound or movement is coming from the area.
‘Sophia,’ he says solemnly. ‘Is your mother …’
‘She’s there. She’s just sleeping.’
Graham’s eyes flood with tears as he swallows down his overwhelming grief for the poor girl who’s been trapped down here in the dark with the body of her mother for God only knows how long.
‘I promise you that she will be brought to the surface, but right now, I need to get you out of here. Do you understand? I can’t take your mother with us, but I will personally see to it that she is taken care of once you are safe and I’ve rescued my friend.’
Sophia glances towards the dark corner where there’s a noticeable bump underneath the blanket. A cold shiver runs down Graham’s spine as Sophia approaches the body, kneels beside it and whispers a few words.
She joins Graham at his side seconds later.
‘Let’s go,’ she says.
‘Brave girl,’ says Graham.
They reach the bottom of the ladder. Graham climbs up first as he’s unsure if Sophia will have the strength to push open the trapdoor above. He hopes Stephen was able to wedge something into the hinges, enough so that it doesn’t form a tight seal.
The closer he gets to the top, the harder his heart thumps. He can’t hear voices, but he reckons he knows where they’ll be taking Stephen. He doesn’t have a lot of time. Sophia climbs silently behind him. He can hear her heavy breathing, but she doesn’t utter a word.
Higher and higher he climbs in the pitch black, having to keep his phone torch off because he can’t climb and hold it at the same time. He pauses on each step, checking his grip. The metal is slippery, cold in his hands as he nears the top.
He waits a moment, listening for any sounds. There’s scuffling above, sniffing. He thinks he knows who the culprit is.
A thin strip of light signals the end of his climb. It means the trapdoor hasn’t shut all the way. It’s still going to be heavy to lift, but he reckons they won’t have locked it again because Graham pocketed the padlock earlier.
Awkwardly positioning himself under the trapdoor, he lifts his arms above his head, pushing against it with his hands.
His aging muscles and joints pop and scream in annoyance, but with enough effort, he lifts the trapdoor and pushes it open, ensuring to stop it before it crashes down against the floor.
The building is empty – bar a very excited collie dog who is waiting for his master’s return.
Graham climbs out of the hole, then turns and reaches out his hand for Sophia. A few seconds later, her head emerges, her eyes blinking against the light of the fading sun. She’s trembling as she emerges from the dark hole and wraps her arms around herself like a shield.
But then the dog yaps and lunges at her.
‘Barney!’
Sophia collapses to the ground as the dog throws itself at her frail body, licking frantically, wagging his tail so hard that Graham’s half convinced it’s going to fall off. Barney yaps and whines while Sophia smothers his furry head in kisses, tears rolling down her dirt-stained cheeks.
‘Look how grey you are!’ Sophia strokes his head, staring at the silver hairs around his eyes and muzzle. She looks up at Graham with tears in her eyes. ‘He was just a pup when I last saw him.’
‘He led us straight to you,’ replies Graham. He watches the happy duo for several more seconds, but he can’t hang around.
‘Sophia, I need to go and help Stephen. I’m going to hide you in the main house, but then I’m going to have to leave you for a while. Will you be all right?’
Sophia nods. ‘I can come with you.’
‘No. It’s you who they really want. I can’t guarantee your safety.’
‘But …’
‘Please. Stay here with Barney.’
Sophia stands up on wobbly legs. ‘Okay,’ she says.
Graham nods and, with Barney close at their heels, they race across the yard to the farmhouse. Graham quickly checks over his shoulder. He can’t see or hear anyone else around. She’ll be safe here now that she’s out of the hole.
‘Stay quiet. I’ll come back for you. If I haven’t returned in an hour, then head into the village and speak to the police, or failing that, speak to someone you know you can trust. Can you do that?’
‘Yes. Please. Go and save your friend.’
Graham races to Stephen’s car, praying, hoping he’s not too late.