The Collection

Chapter 4

        I slice through the ropes holding Aaron's waist against the wall. Aaron is the man that has been here the longest, the man that first flipped Dad off.
        Tears are streaming down his face. "Thank you," he whispers.
        I sharply stab at the lock on the handcuffs with my knife, and when it doesn't give, I do it again. Finally, it cracks, and his wrists are free. He rubs them together profusely. Now all that's holding him is the chain around his legs. I tug at it, and scrape away with my knife, and after a few tries, I'm able to tear it off.
        Aaron collapses to the ground, and I help him up. I hand him a backpack that I packed for him, with food and supplies in it. Then I put my finger to my mouth and creep up the stairs.
        Dad's sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book. He looks up when I enter the room. "Dad, I forgot to tell you - earlier today, when I was outside, I saw a  woman slapping her kid," I lie, crossing my fingers behind my back. Luckily, he takes the bait.
        "I'll teach her!" he exclaims, standing up, grabbing his coat, and marching out the front door.
        I look down the stairway and motion for Aaron to come up. He does, and we sneak out the back door. "Aaron, you need to run as fast as you can in this direction, and don't stop until you reach town," I tell him, pointing him in the right direction. "But whatever you do, don't tell them about my dad. If they try to come, he'll pick them off one by one. I'm going to have to somehow steal his stash of drugs, but I can't do that yet. Soon, there should be more Incompletes coming, and when that happens, then you can report my dad to the police. Okay?"
        Aaron nods. "Okay. And... Thanks." He hugs me before taking off.
        I watch him go, and then I turn and go back into the house. I head into the kitchen and pull open the cabinet where Dad keeps the syringes. When I find them, I drop them on the floor and stomp on them, one by one.
        Now, I can free another Incomplete. I go downstairs, and fifteen minutes later, Jenna is free. I take her hand and turn around to-
        Oh, NO.
        Dad stands in the middle of the basement, staring wide-eyed at me. His expression of surprise turns to one of anger, and his face blooms red.
        "Kiara, what the HELL are you doing?!?" he yells, yanking Jenna's hand out of mine. "This girl has SINNED! She MUST be punished by being kept here!"
        Jenna's eyes are wide with fear. "I- I- I'm sorry- Please don't hurt me-" she stammers, but Dad pulls something out of his pocket.
        My heart stops when I realize it's a gun.
        But he doesn't aim it at Jenna. He stuffs it in my hand.
        "If you shoot her now, Kiara, I won't punish you!" Dad gives me a sickly smile.
        I push the gun away. "No. No, I refuse."
        Dad narrows his eyes. "Well.. suit yourself." And he shoots.
        Jenna screams, and so do I. But he's only shot the concrete next to her.
        "Defy me again, and I will not hesitate to splatter your brains all over the wall," Dad says, his voice cold. He grabs Jenna by the arm and drags her over to the supply closet. He reaches in and pulls out a new pair of handcuffs, their key, and a coil of rope. Then, he yanks Jenna back to her spot on the wall, and roughly shoves her up against the cold stone. He puts the handcuffs around her wrists and locks them. Dad then takes the rope and uses it to lash her tightly to the wall.
        Finally, he whirls around, pure hatred in his eyes.
        "Are you going to kill me?" I ask.
        Dad laughs. "You wish," he says, and the last thing I see before everything goes black is the butt of the gun.