Cora ran as quietly and quickly as she could down the dark, damp hallway. She had to get away. There was no choice. She knew the risk she was taking. She still bore scars from the rapidly changing moods of her captor. She couldn’t let her baby endure the same treatment. She wouldn’t. But, if she didn’t get out of her makeshift prison soon, that would be exactly what would happen.
“Run all you want little mouse! How many times do we have to try this before you realize you can’t escape?”
Cora’s heart gave a painful jolt as she heard her captor’s voice call out after her. Well, what she had come to know as her captor’s voice. He or she wore a mask that must have some kind of a voice distortion mechanism in it. The voice came out as raspy, yet nondescript. Threatening and frightening, but completely unidentifiable, like a bad horror movie with no clues as to who the killer was.
Cora muffled her panting breaths the best she could behind her hand and continued running. She felt her spirits lift as she reached a part in the maze that she hadn’t yet reached in her previous escape endeavors. She felt them plummet again as she realized the sound of echoing footsteps behind her was drawing ever closer.
Please God, please! Help me get out. Please help me save my baby.
Cora began frantically feeling along the cold, damp walls around her for an alcove she could hide in. She became frustrated as each nook and cranny she found were too small to squeeze into with an almost nine months along pregnant belly. She almost cried aloud in relief when her hand bumped into what felt like a doorknob. She quickly twisted it and almost fell through as it easily turned and the door gave way.
Cora quickly righted herself and silently closed the door back in place, locking it. She placed her ear against the door and listened to the hall outside. Her belly gave a sharp twinge and she bit back a gasp. Those had been happening more and more frequently. Too frequently for her liking.
The captor’s heavy footsteps neared the door, stopping just outside it, and Cora held her breath in anticipation. She wanted to flee deeper into the dark room and hide, but she didn’t dare move a muscle. This was the most successful escape attempt so far and she wasn’t about to botch it now due to her impatience.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are little mouse!”
Cora tensed as she waited to see what would happen. She wondered if she should try to back up in case they tried the door, but she didn’t want to risk tripping over something in the dark and making a ruckus. Or worse, injuring herself and the baby. Finally, after what felt like five hours but was probably only five minutes, she heard the captor’s footsteps continue on. Cora heaved a sigh of relief.
Thank you God!
Cora waited another couple of minutes before moving away from the door. When the footsteps didn’t return she stepped away and pulled her lifeline out of her back pocket. Her other escape attempts had been unfruitful, but she had better resources this time. She had a phone.
She had managed to snag it from the captor’s hoodie pocket after she had temporarily disoriented them by knocking them into the rock wall. Too bad she was so weak or she may have had better success in knocking them completely unconscious. Regardless it was enough to quickly grab the phone and make enough of a head start to get to this room.
Deciding the benefit was worth the risk, Cora powered on the phone. Of course there was a passcode; however, like most phones, it did give you an option to make an emergency call. Cora held her breath and tapped the screen over the emergency call icon. A message popped up on the screen stating, "No Service." Cora wanted to cry out in frustration, but managed to keep her emotions in check before she made a sound. She must be below ground somewhere.
With nothing else to do, she decided to utilize the flashlight function to see if there was anything of use in her temporary reprieve. She put the beam on the lowest light setting, just in case, and used it to survey her surroundings.
The walls were much like those in the room that had been her cell for the past many months, made of rocks piled on top of each other. There were some random objects, brooms and mops and the like, leaning against the walls. She moved further into the small room and realized that it had to be some kind of storage space for whatever the building was that she was trapped in. In addition to the cleaning utensils there were some broken chairs, bookcases, and children's toys. It didn't seem there would be anything of use in here, though, much to her dismay. She would have to try to sneak back out into the hallway and find another location to search for a way out, if she could continue to avoid her captor that is.
As she tiptoed to the door, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned toward the source and saw an old blanket tacked up on the wall. If it had been a tapestry or something artsy, she may not have given it a second thought. This blanket, however, was just an old, tattered quilt that looked out of place hanging there like that.
She walked over to it and gave it a gentle, but firm, tug. The blanket came away from the wall, cascading down to the floor in a cloud of dust. What she saw underneath had her covering her mouth as a gasp of surprise escaped.
It was a window! There was a latch on the window holding it closed, but it didn't appear that there was a lock. And, best of all, she could see daylight filtering through the grime that was built up on the glass. It had been so long since she had seen daylight, about eight months to be exact. But how would she get up to it? And, would she be able to squeeze through? It looked like it might just be big enough. She had to try. She searched around for something that looked at least semi-sturdy to stand on. She knew she had to be careful and not pick something that may break. She wouldn't risk harming her baby, or her captor hearing her.
Finally, she located a bookcase that looked mostly stable. It had shelves that were spaced well enough apart that she thought she could use them as steps to reach the top of it. The wood looked intact, though parts of the top were warped as if from water damage.
Cora looked from the bookcase to the window. It wasn't a large distance, but far enough apart that she knew there would likely be noise when she moved it. She quietly walked back to the door and listened for any signs of someone out in the hall. Not hearing anything, she hurried back to her escape plan and gave it a shove. Cora winced at the screeching noise it made as it slid across the stone floor.
Please, God, let this work. Please help me get out.
When she didn't hear any signs of a presence outside the door, she went back to it. As she made the final shove, she felt another sharp pain in her abdomen and lower back. This one seemed worse than the previous ones and lasted longer.
She sucked in a breath at the pain and cradled her belly. No, not yet, not now. She could not be in labor now! And she for sure did not want to give birth down in this dark dungeon where her captor could show up at any moment and take her baby from her. In addition to that, she had gained the sense that her captor was after the baby specifically. Once the baby was born, she would be dispensable. She had no doubt the captor would kill her.
Feeling a renewed sense of urgency, Cora began hastily climbing the shelves of the bookcase to reach the top. As she reached the top, the doorknob behind her began to rattle. Cora stifled a cry and quickly pushed on the window. It wouldn't budge and she stifled a cry of frustration. She felt all around for any sign of a locking mechanism that was keeping it from opening.
"I know you're in there my little mouse. You were tricksy this time. Come on, open up now. It will be a lot easier on you if you open up the door willingly."
Cora tensed at the voice carrying through the locked door of the room. As she turned to continue shoving frantically on the window, another ripple of pain flowed through her. Cora bit down on the sleeve of her sweater to hold back the urge to cry out. As the pain was passing, Cora heard the sound of keys clinking together as if pulled from a pocket. No!
Knowing that she had but seconds to get the window open and make her escape, she pushed against the stubborn object in question with all the strength she could muster. With strength fueled by fear and adrenaline, the window opened with a loud screech at the same time the door behind her burst open.
"Oh no you don't,” the voice behind her cried out and her captor raced toward her. Without a backward glance Cora heaved herself into the opening of the window and squirmed her way through.
Lily Porter
