Inhuman

to pounce on me. Reaching the edge of the door to the closet, my heart in my throat, the sensation of success began to sweep through.

Extending my hand to the doorknob, I worried for a split second that it would be locked.

That would be my luck!

Placing my hand on the cool, metal knob, I turned it with trepidation. Luckily, it turned perfectly and I slipped into the closet with ease.

With an audible click behind me, I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt somewhat free and safe for the first time since I’d been abducted.

Looking around my new, and fairly dark, environment, I decided to turn over a silver bucket in the corner and have a seat. I had no idea how long it would take for Keanu to show up so I thought I’d better make myself comfortable.

Almost there.

 I patted my stomach to reassure my silent passenger that our freedom was just around the corner.

For the first time in months, I actually felt normal…even human…again. Since the whole nightmare began, I hadn’t allowed myself the privilege of considering a future for myself, but now, it seemed as though it just might be a possibility. If Keanu could get us out of here, we might just have a shot at a life. Maybe not a normal life, but a life none the less.

Growing up on the reserve had given me a different perspective on the standards of living. Though the Hopi people didn’t have much need for technology or modern housing, they had an understanding, an appreciation, for the land. They moved as one with the earth.

After so many years in the city, I’d almost forgotten my adopted roots. Even though I was not a Hopi Indian by blood, I was still a member of their community, trained with essentials to survive even the harshest elements; they’d taught me how to live.

In my youth, I learned how to gather and utilize the necessities provided by the earth. It had been years since I’d had to think about the basic survival teachings, but now, I couldn’t imagine going through all this without it. I was going to have to dig deep into my memories and retrieve everything I’d learned from the elders to get me through the next part. We’d have to live off the land just like the Hopi people, possibly for the rest of our lives.

It saddened me that I was never going to be able to finish school.

Even more, I missed Amy. My only friend.

Seated uncomfortably on my little silver pail, reflecting on my past, present and future, I almost didn’t hear the doorknob turn. Alarmed, my eyes widened as I watched the door move open slowly.

Keanu! 

Excitement rushed through me as I realized how close I was to getting out of here.

I had a silly grin of achievement already planted on my face. I hoped he’d be proud of me for sedating the guard and following his letter loyally. I even ripped it up into tiny pieces and flushed it just as he’d asked, even though it broke my heart to do so.

As the door swung open, however, I was met with a pair of startled eyes.

“What are you doing in here?!”

 Like a frightened child cowering in the darkness, face to face with the shadows that dwelt in the corners, I buried my face in my hands and cried tears of fear.

I’d been caught.

They were going to come and drag me back to my cell, allow me to complete my pregnancy, tear her from me—then kill me.

I’d failed her.

“What are you doing in here?!” The cleaning lady hissed again. “If they catch you in here…well…”

Glancing once down both directions of the hallway, she walked into the closet and shut the door behind her. Weeping, I tried to be quiet. She probably had no choice but to call security.

My hopes of freedom faded away like the scent of flowers on a breeze.

“Don’t cry. I’m not going to tell on ya.” Kneeling before me and pulling a tissue from inside the cuff of her sleeve, she handed it to me and patted me on the shoulder. Shocked, my head snapped up instantly.

“You…you’re not going to…tell on me?” I’m sure she could have told me she had a rabbit in her shirt and I wouldn’t have been as surprised.

“No. I’ve seen what they do to people here; I’d rather see you get away.” Her voice softened as she looked me in the eye. Sadness clouded over her eyes as she continued. “That little girl… the one you wanted to know about…”

“Jessica? Is she…?” I couldn’t finish my sentence without a knot tightening in my throat. “…okay?”

The look in the woman’s eyes read like a book, Jessica was dead. I just knew.

“How?” I asked as fresh tears surfaced in my eyes.

“They believed she was immune to everything…she wasn’t.” Closing her eyes and sighing, she continued. “They injected her with…a virus. One that they made themselves. She was dead within an hour. It was horrible.”

Stifling a sob with my hand, I cursed the men who had done this to her. If they were willing to do that to Jessica, what were they going to do to my baby?

“What do they want with me?” I queries through tears.

Shrugging, she seemed to be contemplating her words carefully. “They only ever want one thing…control. They don’t know what you are or where you came from, that makes you a threat.”

“Why?!” I asked, bewildered.

“If they didn’t make you this way, they want to know who or what did. For all they know, you could be some kind of secret weapon or Russian-made super soldier. That’s the way they think.” She shook her head. “I’ve worked here twenty-five years. Seen a lot of horrible things.”

Wide-eyed as I listened to her, I realized the gravity of the situation.

“Do you have a plan to get out of here?” The woman asked suddenly, leaning toward me.

Shaking my head, I didn’t want to divulge anything about Keanu. I trusted her but, just in case; it was safer to keep quiet, for her own safety as well as Keanu’s.

“Okay, the best way to get out of the building is through the big steel door just north of here. It will take you to an underground parking lot.” Staring me seriously in the eye as she explained, she stopped and sighed heavily. “Just…follow me. I’ll get you out of here.” She stood up and brushed her pants with her hands.

My mind veered a million directions at once. Should I trust this perfect stranger, abandon my plans with Keanu and attempt an escape with the cleaning woman? My heart pulsed ridiculously fast, nearly without pause between beats.

This might be my chance. Regardless of who gets me out, it’s only important that I escape. Fate is fate, right? If I’m meant to die this way, it will happen no matter who helps me.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to force my intuition to assist me. Begging the universe to show me the way, I prayed for the second time in my life.

What should I do?

“Are you coming?” The cleaning woman asked, her lips pursed in concentration as she held the door slightly ajar and peeked into the crack. Before I could answer, she jumped back and hissed. “Hide! Someone’s coming!”

Clambering to hide within the small closet, I managed to wedge myself into a dark corner in the back. A large yellow bucket on wheels with a mop extending out sat beside me. Like divine providence had intervened and placed it there, I pulled the trolley in front of me, shielding me perfectly.

Sitting absolutely still, I could hear the cleaning woman shuffling around looking for her own hiding spot.

Then, for a just a moment, there was pure silence.

Holding my breath, I distinctly heard footsteps nearing our location.

Tears welled in my eyes as I imagined the horrors that awaited me if I were caught.

What will they do to me? My baby?

Stifling a sob as I cowered in the dark corner, I wished in some small way that I’d just taken my life like I had planned. This nightmare would be a distant memory. No more pain, suffering and degradation.

Peace.