Chapter 12 - The Car Ride
Athena's screams faded into broken sobs long before the car stopped feeling like motion and started feeling like escape.
She didn't know how long they had been driving.
Minutes.
Hours.
Time felt meaningless in the back seat of the dark SUV as trees blurred past the windows like shadows chasing them.
Her wrists hurt from how tightly she had been gripping her own arms.
Her throat burned.
Her chest felt hollow.
James's face kept replaying in her mind.
The way he couldn't look at her.
The way he said I'm sorry.
A fresh wave of tears slipped down her cheeks.
She wiped them away angrily.
"Where are you taking me?" she whispered hoarsely.
No answer.
The two men in the front seats sat like statues.
Huge.
Silent.
Terrifying.
But not... cruel.
She didn't know why she felt that.
One of them-on the passenger side-shifted slightly and reached into the console. He pulled out a folded blanket and handed it back to her without turning around.
Athena stared at it.
Confused.
"Take it," he said quietly.
His voice was deep. Calm. Controlled.
Not threatening.
She took it with trembling hands and wrapped it around herself.
The warmth made her realize how cold she had become.
The road changed.
She felt it immediately.
The smooth hum of pavement turned into a rough, uneven vibration.
Gravel.
Then dirt.
They were leaving the road.
Her breathing picked up again.
"Please," she whispered. "Please just tell me where we're going."
The driver spoke this time.
"You're not in danger."
She let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob.
"You broke into my house and kidnapped me."
Silence followed that.
But she noticed something strange.
They weren't defensive.
They weren't angry.
They sounded almost... careful.
Like they didn't want to scare her more than she already was.
She pressed her forehead against the cold window.
The forest outside had grown darker.
Denser.
Taller trees. No streetlights. No signs of civilization.
She had never seen this part of Oregon before.
Her mind raced.
Was this still Oregon?
How far had they taken her?
Her heart pounded again.
"I need to call my husband," she said weakly.
Neither man answered.
And something in her chest told her...
They weren't going to.
The car climbed slightly uphill.
The engine worked harder.
Then-
It slowed.
Athena's stomach twisted.
Her breath caught in her throat as the trees began to thin.
And in the distance...
She saw it.
At first, she thought it was a trick of the moonlight.
A shadow against the mountains.
But as they got closer, her eyes widened.
Stone.
Massive.
Towering.
A structure carved into the mountainside itself.
It looked like something from a history book.
Or a dream.
Or a nightmare.
"What is that..." she whispered.
Neither man answered.
The car rolled forward toward iron gates that were already opening.
Waiting for them.
And for the first time since she had been taken...
Athena felt something new settle into her chest.
Not just fear.
Recognition.