The door opened and a tray of food slid several feet into the room. Eyes peeked in at me through the darkness.
“Shh,” the person said. “It’s me, Leslie.”
“Oh, Jesus,” I said with a gasp. “You have to help me.”
She looked over her shoulder and shook her head. “I can’t. Everyone is gone. There isn’t anyone left that can help.”
“Where is everyone?” I asked.
“They went off to fight. I thought it was going to be a few days but they left… right after training,” Leslie said glancing back again.
She seemed different. Not as bold and brave as she had been when I’d first seen her or when she stopped by to visit with Leah.
“What time is it?”
“Late,” Leslie said. “They wanted to take them by surprise. I’m so lucky I didn’t have to go. I wouldn’t have survived it.”
“I’m glad you’re here too,” I said getting to my feet. “But you have to help me. Leah’s in another room, and we need to get out of here.”
She shook her head. “If I get caught—”
“You won’t. Who’s here to catch you?” I asked. “Just go get my dad. I can tell you where to find him.”
“I know where to find him but I can’t do it,” she said. “His wife is there.”
“Girlfriend,” I corrected.
Leslie narrowed her eyes. “No, his wife. They were married a day or two ago. There was a big shindig. Weird he didn’t have his son there.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Positive. I was a server.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not surprised by anything when it comes to Eva but I need your help. I think my life probably depends on it. You need to get my dad. Wait until she leaves and tell him what happened to Leah and me, okay?” I said taking in quick breaths. “Please, I’m begging you. Promise me you’ll tell him.”
Leslie chewed her lip.
“This is important. Please.”
She looked over her shoulder again. “Fine. I’ll try but I can’t promise anything.”
There was a noise outside the room and she turned. Leslie closed the door and locked it.
I dashed forward and pressed my palms against the painted, solid wood.
I waited a long time before trying to get Leah’s attention. She didn’t answer. No matter how loudly I called for her.
My stomach swirled. I needed Leslie to come through for me and I needed Leah to still be in the other room when she returned with my dad.
Why wasn’t Leah answering me?
I sat down, my back against the wall. My fingers twisted into my hair as my legs bounced.
It felt like hours had passed before I heard sounds in the hallway. At first, I assumed it was my imagination or maybe I’d fallen asleep and it was a dream, but when the door opened and I saw my dad, I knew it wasn’t.
“Dad!” I said scrambling to get to my feet. I threw my arms around him. “They never brought the papers. Eva was behind it. She wanted to get rid of us.”
“I’m sure it was a misunderstanding of some kind,” my dad said but he looked confused. It was like he was trying to solve a challenging riddle. “We’ll figure it out later. First, let’s get you out of here.”
I followed them out of the room. Leslie led us to the next room down the hall where they were keeping Leah.
The door squeaked open and her head slowly rose up. Her eyes were narrowed. The only light in the room was what came in from the hallway. She’d been sitting in complete darkness.
“Leah!” I said helping her to her feet.
“Adam?” she said blinking rapidly.
“Yeah, it’s me,” I said.
She sucked in a shaky breath. “What’s happening?”
“My dad is helping us get out of here. Are you okay to walk?”
“I think so,” she said her voice groggy. “I fell asleep. I didn’t mean to.”
“It’s okay,” I said.
She stumbled over her own feet as I helped her along. Trying to move faster only made us slower.
“Sorry,” Leah apologized. “I’m slowing us down.”
“It’s fine. We’re going to be okay,” I said.
The front door that led to the outside opened and two guards charged in. One of them I recognized immediately… Leo.
Eva stepped in after them and lowered her umbrella, revealing a sinister, satisfied smile. She was truly pleased with herself.
“So predictable,” Eva said her voice and expression were utterly emotionless. “And Martin. What is this? You betray everyone in the resort to let out traitors? I can’t believe you would do this to me.”
“I don’t understand,” my dad said holding out his arms. “He didn’t get his papers. I figured we’d be able to straighten this out.”
Eva laughed. “There isn’t anything to straighten out. He should be down there fighting with everyone else.”
“He’s my son,” my dad said.
Eva clicked her tongue. “I guess it runs in the family… traitors, the both of you. We can’t have people we don’t trust here and, worst of all, on the counsel that looks out for the community. Sorry, but I don’t see any other way around this.”
“Around what?” I asked.
“His punishment,” Eva said.
My eyes narrowed and my head shook slightly. Leo moved faster. Before I realized what was happening, he grabbed my dad and shot him in the head.
“No!” I screamed dashing toward my dad. His limp body fell to the ground before I could reach him. “What did you do? What did you do?”
Leo wrapped his arm around my neck and jerked me backward. I could feel
