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Madi’s heart pounded as the truck came to a jerky stop, sending a cloud of dust into the humid night air. She sat frozen in the passenger seat, every muscle tensed, her mind whirling with the realization that she had been led into a trap. The darkness outside was almost complete now, with only the pale glow of the truck’s headlights illuminating the clearing. Beyond that, the forest seemed to press in, the trees standing like silent sentinels, their branches swaying gently in the night breeze.
The man beside her, Sid, shifted in his seat, the old leather creaking under his weight. He turned off the ignition, plunging them into near-total silence, save for the faint rustling of leaves and the distant call of an owl. Moonlight flooding in through the windshield cast eerie shadows across his face, highlighting the deep lines in his weathered skin and the cold glint in his eyes.
“Where… where are we?” Madi’s voice was barely a whisper, thick with fear.
Sid turned to her, his eyes narrowing as he studied her face, his mouth curling into a half-smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “This here’s my place,” he said, gesturing vaguely to the dark outline of a structure just visible beyond the trees. “Ain’t much, but it’s home.”
Madi’s stomach twisted with dread as she squinted through the gloom, making out the shape of a small cabin nestled among the trees. It was old, with weathered wooden walls and a sagging roof, the kind of place that looked like it had been forgotten by time. The windows were dark, and there was no sign of life—no lights, no sounds, nothing but the oppressive stillness of the night.
“I thought you were taking me back to Ponca,” Madi said, her voice trembling as she forced herself to meet Sid’s gaze.
His smile widened, but it was devoid of any warmth, only a cold, unsettling satisfaction. “You got nothin’ to worry about, missy. We’ll get you back on the road in no time. But first, you need to rest a spell. You look like you’ve been through a lot.”
Madi shook her head, panic rising in her throat. “No, I don’t want to stay here. Please, just take me back—”
Sid’s hand shot out, gripping her wrist with surprising strength. “I said you’re stayin’,” he growled, his voice hardening. “Now, come on!”
Madi’s breath caught in her throat as she felt the pressure of his grip, his fingers digging into her skin. Her instincts screamed at her to run, to fight, to do anything to get away, but she was paralyzed by fear, her mind spinning with thoughts of what might happen if she didn’t comply.
Sid’s eyes bore into her, a silent warning that there was no use in resisting. Slowly, reluctantly, she nodded, and he released her wrist, the ghost of his grip lingering on her skin. She reached for the door handle again, this time finding it unlocked. She pushed the door open and stepped out into the cool night air, her legs shaky beneath her.
The clearing was darker than she had realized, the trees blocking out most of the moonlight. The cabin loomed ahead of her, its crooked outline silhouetted against the sky. A chill ran down her spine as she noticed the way the forest seemed to close in around the cabin, as if the trees themselves were part of the trap, preventing any escape.
Sid climbed out of the truck, his boots crunching on the gravel as he moved around to her side. “Come on,” he said, nodding toward the cabin. “Ain’t no sense in standin’ out here.”
Madi swallowed hard, her heart hammering in her chest. She could hear the faint rustle of the trees around them, the night alive with sounds that suddenly felt too close, too menacing. Her mind raced with thoughts of how she could escape, but every idea felt futile. She was miles from anywhere familiar, without a phone signal, and with no way to know where the nearest town even was. And Sid, she was sure, would catch her before she made it far.
Reluctantly, she followed him toward the cabin, each step feeling like a march toward something terrible and unknown. The ground was uneven beneath her feet, covered in a thin layer of dead leaves that crunched softly as she walked. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and decaying wood.
As they approached the cabin, Madi’s eyes flicked over the building, searching for any details that might help her. The door was old and heavy, made of thick, weathered wood that looked like it hadn’t been opened in years. The windows were small and dirty, their panes cracked in places, and the roof sagged dangerously, as if it might collapse at any moment. The entire structure seemed to lean to one side, as if the ground beneath it was slowly giving way.
Sid reached the door first and pulled it open with a creak that echoed through the silent forest. He stepped inside, motioning for Madi to follow. She hesitated at the threshold, her eyes scanning the darkness beyond, but there was nothing to see—just shadows and the faint outline of a room beyond.
She steeled herself and stepped inside. The cabin’s interior was just as dilapidated as the outside, with rough wooden walls, a rickety old floor, and a low ceiling that made her feel claustrophobic. The air was musty and stale, carrying a lingering scent of mold and something more acrid, something that made her wrinkle her nose in disgust.
The only light came from a single kerosene lantern that sat in the middle of an old wooden table in the kitchen, casting a dim, flickering glow over the room. The furniture was sparse and worn—a rickety wooden table, a couple of mismatched chairs, and a threadbare rug that was more holes than fabric. In the corner, a small wood-burning stove sat cold and unused.
Sid locked the door, then moved to the table and set the key down. "Don't want nobody just walking in," he said. The sound of it clattering against the wood made Madi jump, her nerves frayed to the breaking point. She watched as he then pulled out one of the chairs and sank into it with a sigh, his eyes never leaving her.
“Make yourself at home,” he said, his voice low and rough. “Ain’t much, but it’ll do.”
Madi hovered near the door, her eyes darting around the room, looking for anything that could help her. Her gaze landed on the key on the table, its metallic sheen catching the light of the lantern. It was large and old-fashioned, the kind of key that would fit a lock heavy enough to secure Fort Knox much less a place like this. She wondered briefly why he needed such a large lock, but she didn’t dare ask.
Instead, she took a tentative step further into the room, the creaking wood floor gritty beneath her sneakers. “What do you want from me?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
Sid leaned back in his chair, studying her with an intensity that made her skin crawl. “I want you to sit down,” he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Madi hesitated, every instinct screaming at her to run, to fight, to do anything but obey. But she knew she was at his mercy for now. Slowly, she moved to the other chair and lowered herself onto it, her back rigid with tension.
Sid watched her with a slow, almost lazy smile, as if he had all the time in the world. “You don’t have to be scared,” he said, though the way he said it made her blood run cold. “I ain’t gonna hurt you—long as you behave.”
Madi forced herself to hold his gaze, trying to hide the fear that was threatening to overwhelm her. “What do you mean by that?”
Sid’s smile faded, replaced by a look that was harder to read—somewhere between amusement and something darker. “I mean, you do what I say, and you’ll get out of here in one piece. You start causin’ trouble… well, things might not go so smooth for you.”
Madi’s throat tightened, her pulse pounding in her ears. She needed to stay calm, to think clearly, but it was getting harder with every second that passed. “What do you want me to do?”
Sid leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “For now, I want you to sit right there and not move. I got some things to take care of, and I don’t need you wanderin’ off.”
Before Madi could respond, he stood up and walked over to a small door at the back of the cabin. He unlocked it with the iron key and disappeared inside, leaving Madi alone in the dimly lit room.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Madi sprang to her feet, her heart racing. She had to find a way out. She tried to open the front door, but it was locked and wasn't budging. She turned her attention to the windows. The one nearest her was small and dirty, but it looked just big enough for her to squeeze through.
She moved quickly, crossing the room in a few strides, her breath quick and shallow. She grabbed the edge of the window frame and pulled up with all of her strength, but it didn’t budge. The wood was warped and swollen, the glass so dirty she could barely see through it.
Panic bubbled up inside her as she frantically tried to pry the window open. She could hear muffled sounds coming from the room Sid had entered, but she couldn’t tell what he was doing. All she knew was that she needed to get out before he came back.
With one final push, the window creaked and gave way just enough for her to lift the frame. She scrambled through, forcing her body through the narrow opening, her hands scraping against the rough wood. She fell to the ground outside, landing hard on the dirt with a grunt.
She didn’t waste any time. Madi pushed herself up and ran, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she sprinted for the cover of the trees. The forest was thick and dark, but she didn’t care—she just needed to get as far away from the cabin as possible.
The branches tore at her clothes and scratched her skin as she plunged deeper into the woods, the sounds of the night becoming a blur of noise around her. Every step took her further from the cabin, further from Sid, but also deeper into the unknown. She had no idea where she was going, only that she had to keep moving.
But as she ran, she heard it—a heavy, distant thud that echoed through the trees. It was followed by the unmistakable sound of something large and heavy crashing through the underbrush, heading straight for her.
Sid was coming after her.
Madi’s legs burned as she pushed herself harder, the fear driving her forward. She couldn’t see him, but she could hear him, the noise getting closer and closer, the sound of his pursuit like a drumbeat in her ears.
The forest seemed to close in around her, the trees pressing tighter and tighter, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop. The darkness was nearly total now, the moon hidden behind thick clouds, and she was running blind, her feet pounding against the uneven ground.
Suddenly, the earth gave way beneath her. Madi cried out as she stumbled and fell, tumbling down a steep incline, her body twisting and rolling as she crashed through the underbrush. She came to a stop at the bottom, her head spinning, pain shooting through her limbs. She tried to push herself up, but her vision swam, and she collapsed back onto the ground.
The world around her seemed to spin and blur as she fought to stay conscious. She could still hear Sid, but he sounded far away now, his voice muffled by the dense forest. Madi lay there, gasping for breath, her body aching, her mind a haze of fear and pain.
And then, everything went black.
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