Chapter 31 – The Bargain
The phone buzzed.
A new message flashed across the screen from the unknown number.
~ Do you want to see her alive again?
Her fingers hovered above the keyboard. “Yes,” she whispered, her throat raw. Then she typed, hands shaking:
~ Yes. Tell me where. Please.
The reply came instantly, as if he had been waiting.
~ Come alone. Abandoned warehouse on the city’s edge. 3am . No police, no friends. If I see anyone else, she dies.
Emily’s lungs constricted. The warehouse. She knew the place vaguely, a relic from the city’s industrial past, abandoned for decades. Empty and desolate, the perfect stage for a nightmare.
She swallowed hard, her stomach roiling. 3 a.m., which gave her only hours to prepare if preparation was even possible.
Her first instinct screamed to call the police, to hand over the phone, and let them track the number. But the memory of the officers brushing her off after the fire investigation slammed into her. They had not believed her then. Why would they believe her now? The messages would have disappeared before she was even able to show it to them. what if involving them put Sarah’s life in more danger?
Emily clenched her fists until her nails bit into her palms. She could not risk Sarah like that.
Her phone buzzed again.
~ Do not be late. She does not have much time left.
Emily dropped the phone on the table, shoving her hands into her hair as she bent forward, her forehead nearly touching her knees. Her breaths came shallow and fast.
She forced herself to stand. Her legs trembled, but she pushed through it, pacing the room as thoughts collided violently in her mind.
She could not go in blind. She had to bring something, anything that might protect her. A weapon? She had none. But maybe…
Emily hurried into Sarah’s kitchen, rummaging through drawers until she found a heavy chef’s knife. She held it up, staring at the blade glinting under the dim light. It felt foreign, awkward in her grip. Could she even use it if she had to? Her hands shook as she tested its weight.
The thought of stabbing someone twisted her stomach, but then Sarah’s sobs echoed in her memory again. She tightened her grip on the handle.
“Yes,” she whispered to herself. “I will do whatever I have to.”
Hours crawled by like lifetimes. Emily sat rigid on the couch, the knife beside her, staring at the clock as it ticked closer to 3 am. Each second hammered against her nerves, each minute feeding her dread.
When the time came, she slipped on her coat and shoved the knife into the inside pocket, the cold handle pressing against her ribs. Her phone vibrated in her hand as she ordered a rideshare. This time, she scrutinized the plate number, the driver’s face, the dashboard, every detail to ensure no tricks were waiting.
The ride to the outskirts of the city stretched in unbearable silence. The driver made casual attempts at conversation, but Emily barely responded, her gaze locked on the darkened horizon.
Her heart thudded louder as the car slowed near the edge of the abandoned industrial district. Rusting fences lined the cracked pavement, graffiti sprayed across crumbling walls. The warehouse loomed ahead, a hulking silhouette against the moonlit sky. Its broken windows glinted like jagged teeth.
“This is it?” the driver asked, glancing at her through the rearview mirror with concern.
Emily nodded stiffly. “Yes. Thank you.”
He hesitated. “You sure you are safe here, miss?”
Her throat worked. She forced a thin smile. “I will be fine.”
She was not fine. But she could not let anyone else in not if Sarah’s life depended on it.
Emily climbed out, the night air sharp against her skin. The driver lingered as if debating whether to wait, but she waved him off quickly. She could not risk him being seen.
The car rolled away, leaving Emily standing alone on the cracked asphalt. The silence pressed in, broken only by the distant creak of metal and the whisper of the wind.
She walked toward the warehouse, each step heavy, her shoes crunching against scattered gravel. The building loomed taller with every pace, swallowing the moonlight, radiating menace.
Emily’s chest tightened as she reached the massive door. Rust streaked the metal, the padlock broken long ago. She hesitated, her hand trembling as she pushed against it. The hinges groaned like a dying animal, echoing through the cavernous space within.
Darkness greeted her. Thick and suffocating, broken only by faint shafts of moonlight filtering through shattered windows.
Her breaths came quick and shallow. “Sarah?” she whispered into the emptiness. Her voice bounced back at her, mocking.
The smell hit her then dust, mildew, and something else, faint but metallic.
Her grip tightened on the knife hidden in her coat. She took a step forward. Then another. Her ears strained for sound, for movement, for anything. The silence was unbearable, louder than any scream.
“Sarah?” she tried again, louder this time. Her voice cracked on the second syllable.
Nothing.
She forced her feet to move, each step crunching against broken glass and debris. Her eyes darted across the vast shadows, every shape a potential threat. Her pulse hammered, sweat prickling down her spine.
And then...
The door behind her slammed shut.
The sound exploded through the warehouse, reverberating off the steel walls. Emily spun, her heart leaping into her throat. The heavy metal door clanged into place, sealing off the moonlight, plunging her into near-total darkness.
Emily’s scream caught in her throat as she bolted to the door, slamming her palms against the cold metal.
“Wait!... No! Open the door!” she cried, her fists pounding until her knuckles throbbed.
The sound echoed back at her. The door did not budge.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. Slowly, dread coursing through her, Emily pulled it out.
A new message from the unknown number flashed on the screen.
~ Welcome, Emily. I have been waiting.
Her knees buckled. The knife felt useless in her shaking hand. The warehouse seemed to close in around her, the shadows shifting like predators circling.
Sarah was somewhere in this nightmare.
Emily swallowed hard, clutching the phone with one hand and the knife with the other. Her breath shook as the weight of the trap sank in.
The bargain had begun.