Chapter 69 Unexpected
Days passed in the cell, each one blurring into the next. No food came through the slot in the door. No water. Nothing. It was another layer of punishment, another way to break them down before the next initiation.
Nora drifted in and out of consciousness, her broken body struggling to heal without proper nutrition or medical care. Noah stayed by her side, his own injuries throbbing but secondary to his concern for her. He talked to her when she was awake, held her when she slept, and prayed to a God he wasn’t sure existed that somehow they would survive this.
By the third day, both of them were weak from dehydration and hunger. Noah’s lips were cracked and bleeding. Nora’s breathing had become more labored, her body struggling to function without sustenance. They were dying slowly, and both of them knew it.
On the fourth night, when darkness had fallen completely and the only light came from a sliver of moon through the high window, they heard footsteps approaching. Not the heavy boots of guards, but lighter steps, accompanied by the rustle of fabric.
The lock turned. The door opened.
Sussie stood in the doorway, her face illuminated by the torch she carried. But she wasn’t alone. Behind her stood an old woman, bent with age, her white hair hanging long and tangled around her shoulders. She was dressed in the same kind of ragged clothes Nora had worn during her captivity, and her face was gaunt, hollowed out by years of poor nutrition.
“You have fifteen minutes,” Sussie said coldly, stepping aside to let the old woman enter. “Not a second more.”
The old woman shuffled into the cell, her movements slow and painful. Sussie remained in the doorway, watching, the torch casting dancing shadows on the walls.
Noah looked up from where he sat holding Nora, confused and wary. Who was this woman? Why had Sussie brought her here?
But Nora, even in her barely conscious state, reacted. Her eyes, which had been half-closed and unfocused, suddenly widened. Her body tensed despite the pain it caused. She made a sound, something between a gasp and a sob.
“No,” Nora whispered, her voice hoarse from dehydration. “No, it can’t be.”
The old woman moved closer, coming into the small patch of moonlight. Her face became clearer, and Noah could see the tears streaming down her weathered cheeks.
“Hello, my darling girl,” the old woman said, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Grandma?” Nora’s voice was barely audible. “Grandma, you’re… you’re dead. I went to your funeral. I mourned you.”
The old woman knelt beside them with difficulty, her joints clearly causing her pain. She reached out with a trembling hand to touch Nora’s face, her fingers gentle despite their roughness.
“I’m not dead, Nora,” she said softly. “Though there have been many times I wished I was.”
Noah stared at the woman in shock. This was Nora’s grandmother, whom Nora had believed died years ago. The shocking twist was almost too much to process in his exhausted, starved state.
“How?” Nora asked, tears now flowing freely down her bloodied, bruised face. “How are you here?”
The old woman’s face hardened with anger that wasn’t directed at Nora. “Your grandmother had been held prisoner by the cartel for five years,” she said, her voice taking on a bitter edge. “Since the beginning, since they first took you. I opposed your kidnapping from the beginning, you see. When your parents told me what they planned to do, I fought against it with everything I had.”
She glanced back at Sussie, who stood impassively in the doorway. “As punishment, they had locked me up. They couldn’t kill me because I’m still useful, still have connections they need. But they could make me disappear, make everyone believe I was dead.”
“Where?” Noah asked, finding his voice. “Where have they kept you?”
“In a cell in another building this whole time,” the grandmother said, turning her attention back to Nora. “Completely isolated from the world. No windows, barely any light. They feed me just enough to keep me alive, give me just enough water to keep me conscious. For five years, I’ve been in that cell, knowing you were somewhere in this compound, suffering, and I couldn’t reach you.”
Nora was sobbing now, her broken body shaking with the force of her grief. “Grandma, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Hush, child,” the old woman said, stroking Nora’s hair with gentle fingers. “You have nothing to be sorry for. This is not your fault. None of this is your fault.”
She looked at Noah, assessing him with sharp eyes that showed the intelligence that had kept her alive all these years. “And you must be Noah. I’ve heard about you through the walls, through the whispers of guards who don’t know I’m listening.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Noah said quietly.
The grandmother nodded, then turned her attention back to Nora. “I’ve been kept in that cell for five years, Nora. Five years of darkness and isolation, five years of knowing what they were doing to you and being powerless to stop it. Five years of waiting for a chance to see you again, to tell you that you are not alone, that someone in this cursed family still loves you.”
From the doorway, Sussie spoke, her voice cold and impatient. “Ten minutes left.”
The grandmother ignored her, keeping her focus on Nora. There was so much to say, so little time to say it, and Nora could barely stay conscious long enough to hear it.