“Your friend here? She’s a liar.”
Murphy gave one last glare toward everyone in the room, threw a plastic bag down the stairs and stormed off, slamming the door behind him.
Kate rushed to look into the contents of the plastic bag and announced excitedly that they had new supplies. Ava didn’t care much for that. She quickly took Ellie’s face into her hands and searched for injuries. Ellie tried to wrestle free, but Ava was adamant.
“Oh, I am going to kill him,” Ava whispered under her breath when she took in Ellie’s bruised eye and split lip.
“What happened up there?”
Ellie laughed despite the gravity of the situation.
“My foster parents were well off, so that guy did his research well. What he didn’t consider was if they cared for me or not. When he told me to call them, he was surprised at how they denied me being their daughter in the first place. Then he accused me of lying.”
“So he took his anger out on you,” Ava muttered darkly.
Her thoughts wandered to Lena. What if Murphy lost his temper with her too? She herself had been on the receiving end of Murphy’s rough treatment. There was no doubt that he wouldn’t hesitate to use violence to get what he wanted. These girls were here for far longer. They flinched when anyone made any sudden movements. They shied away from loud sounds, and they were too comfortable to stay in the shadows. Looking at the other girl in the room, Ava could guess that she was thinking the same thing.
The urgency of the situation made itself clear. They needed to get out of here and fast. Ava made a mental list of things they needed for their great escape. Her mind swirled with possibilities as she tried to mentally map out the area. She thought long and hard, but being met with only negative results gave her a headache.
“Hey, Ellie,” Ava called out. “You asleep?”
“I was. What do you need?” Ellie replied groggily.
“Have you ever stolen something—successfully?”
Ava heard the rustle of some sheets. Even in the dark, she could tell Ellie was observing her.
“Are you looking for a reason to arrest me when we get out of here?”
Ava laughed softly and shook her head. Ellie couldn't see that and waited for Ava’s serious answer.
“I’m going to need you to steal a key for me.”
“Which key?”
“The one Murphy keeps around his neck.”
Ellie answered immediately.
“I’ll do it. You got an idea for how I can get them?”
Ava suddenly reconsidered her plan. Maybe bringing in a seventeen-year-old to steal something from a man with anger issues wasn’t the best idea after all.
“You know what? I’ll do it. Never mind,” Ava said.
It had been more for her sake rather than Ellie’s. Although, if Ellie had gotten hurt during another plan Ava orchestrated, she wouldn't be able to live with herself.
Ellie sighed in annoyance.
“I’m not a kid, Ava. Just tell me what to do. We don’t have much time here.”
Reluctantly, Ava explained her plan. They had to get into the house somehow, and the easiest way in was to fake an illness of some sort. Ava worried about Lena who never returned, and she emphasized to Ellie that there was an exceedingly high chance of the same thing happening to Ellie.
“You mean I could get killed in there?”
Ava bit her lip. She was regretting this plan even more, but she couldn’t think of anything more. She couldn’t ask the other girls for help. They were too afraid of Murphy to do anything that would displease him.
“Yes,” Ava replied eventually.
But they had to do this fast. Ava couldn’t just rely on the hope that they would eventually be found. If they were to escape in the dark, it would be more successful anyway.
“You ready?” Ava asked.
Ellie nodded and Ava rounded up the girls.
“I need both of you to memorize the number I’ll give you. We’re planning to escape tonight but in case I don’t make it with both of you, I want you to call this number, ask for Carl and tell him the location of this place and that it was Murphy. Can you both do that for me?”
At their confirmation, Ava recited the number and relayed the plan to both of them.
“Kate, I want you to stay ready. Ellie and I will go out there to search for Lena and steal the key. The moment that trapdoor opens, I want both of you to run for it and get somewhere far away from here. Understood?”
Kate looked afraid but she nodded her head in agreement.
“Stay hidden,” Ava ordered Kate.
To Ellie she said, “Let’s go.”
They climbed up the stairs until Ava could touch the trapdoor. Ellie laid on the floor and Ava began to yell for Murphy. She pounded on the trapdoor until Murphy made an appearance.
She had gotten so used to the low light, that when she was hit with the full force of a mere hallway light, she held her hand up to shield her eyes.
“What happened?” he asked.
“What do you think happened?” Ava replied sarcastically, gesturing to Ellie’s figure on the floor.
Murphy glared at her, and Ava could have sworn she saw his fingers flex as if getting ready to swing at her.
“Give her to me.”
Murphy held his hands out expecting Ava to just hand Ellie over. Ava hesitated, and she felt Ellie nudge her subtly in the ribs. Reluctantly, she handed Ellie over.
“Can I come with?” Ava asked.
Murphy gave her a dubious look and pushed past her.
Ava grabbed hold of his shirt and insisted.
“I actually need to talk to you. Come on, I
