Chapter 30 The Sound Of The Tide

Chapter 30 The Sound Of The Tide
I sat on the dirty mattress and listened to the silence. My heart was still beating hard against my ribs like a trapped bird. Lily was gone. The men were gone. The only sound was the far-away splash of the ocean against the warehouse walls. I looked at the rusted piece of metal in my hands. It was my only hope.

I started to cut the plastic ties again. The plastic was thick and hard to break. Every time I moved my wrists, the sharp metal cut into my skin. It hurt, but I did not stop. I thought about Edward.

Snap.

One of the ties broke. My left hand felt a rush of blood as the tight hold left. I quickly pulled at the other tie, using my free hand to help. A few seconds later, I was free. I rubbed my sore wrists. They were red and bleeding a little, but I did not care. I stood up, but my legs felt weak. I had to lean against the cold brick wall for a moment.

"Okay, Serena," I whispered to myself. "Think. How do we get out?"

I looked at the heavy iron door. There was no handle on the inside. I looked up at the tiny window. It was too high to reach, even if I stood on the mattress. I looked around the room again. It was mostly empty, with just some old wooden boxes in the corner and a pile of dusty blankets.

I dragged one of the boxes toward the window. It was heavy, and it made a loud scraping sound on the concrete floor. I froze, holding my breath, waiting to see if anyone heard me. Nobody came. I dragged another box and put it on top of the first one. It was shaky, but it was enough.

I climbed up. My fingers held the cold metal edge of the window. I pulled myself up and looked out.

The sun was high in the sky. I could see the driveway of the warehouse. A black car was parked there. It was not the van. It was a nice, costly SUV. A man was leaning against the car, smoking a cigarette. He looked like one of the guards from the Vance estate.

Then, I saw another car pull up. It was a white car. A woman got out. She had dark hair and was wearing a simple coat. She looked familiar. I tried to see her face.

It was Louise.

I held my breath. What was she doing here?. Did Louise know I was here? Was she part of the plan?

I heard voices coming from the floor above me. 

"Edward isn't going to find out anything," Louise asked. "By the time he sees the tracker is dead, the girl will be on the boat", the man from the suv answered. 

Tracker? I touched my neck. I remembered the small necklace Edward gave me shortly after we got married; he told me to make sure I always wear it. It had a tiny GPS chip inside. He told me it was just jewelry, but he said later it was for my safety, but it was gone. They must have taken it while I passed out.  

If I could find a way out of this room, I could find a phone and call Edward.  

I climbed down from the boxes and went to the door. I started to feel around the edges of the iron frame. It was old. Maybe the hinges were weak? I pushed against it with my shoulder, but it did not move. I looked at the rusted metal piece again. Could I pick the lock?  

I pushed the metal into the keyhole. I did not know anything about locks. I just pushed and turned, hoping for a miracle.  

Clink.  

Something moved. I held my breath and turned the metal harder. 

Creeeeeak.  

The door did not open, but I heard the lock move. I pushed the door with all my strength. It opened just an inch. It was enough to see into the hall.  

The hall was long and dark. I stepped out of the room, my heart beating so fast. I moved slowly.  

I reached the bottom of the stairs. I could hear the voices clearly now. They were in the room above.  

I began to climb the stairs, one slow step at a time. I stopped every time I heard a sound. When I reached the top, I looked through the small opening in the room door.  

Louise was standing by the desk. The two men were standing near the window, looking out at the water. On the desk, I saw something that made my heart jump.  

It was my phone.  

It was sitting right there, next to Louise’s bag.  

I looked at the men. They were busy talking. I looked at Louise. She was looking at the floor. This was my only chance.  

I pushed the door open just enough to get inside. I crawled behind a row of file boxes. Louise was only five feet away. I reached out, my hand shaking, and grabbed the phone.  

I put it into my pocket and started to crawl back toward the door.  

"What was that?" the driver asked, turning around.  

I froze. I was hidden by the boxes, but if he moved two steps to the left, he would see me.  

"Probably just rats," the other man said. "This place is full of them."  

"I don't like it," Louise said. "I think I left my phone in the car,”
 "I need to check it. I’m expecting a call."  

She turned and walked toward the door. As she passed the boxes, her eyes met mine.  

I held my breath. I thought she would point at me and tell the men I was there.  

Instead, Louise looked at the men, then back at me. Then, she walked out of the room.  

I did not wait to see why she helped me. I crawled out of the office and back down the stairs as fast as I could. I did not go back to the basement. I ran toward the back of the warehouse, where I heard the sound of the water.  

I found a small side door. It was locked from the inside with a simple bolt. I opened it and stepped out into the bright afternoon sun.  

I was on a wooden dock. The ocean was right in front of me. To my left, I saw an old boat tied to a post. To my right, there was a path going toward the road.  

I pulled out my phone and turned it on. My hands were shaking so hard I almost dropped it.  

10% battery.  

I opened my call log. I had twenty missed calls from Edward. I dialed his number. 

"Serena?" Edward’s voice was loud and full of fear. "Serena, is that you? Where are you?"  

"Edward!" I cried, tears finally coming out. "I’m at the harbor! The North Harbor! Lily... Edward, it's Lily. She’s the one."