It was the middle of the night and Mike lay fast asleep in Deb’s bed. He was snoring loudly, even drowning out the sound of footsteps coming closer with every second.
However fast asleep Mike was, he was wide awake when a bucket of ice cold water poured down on his face like a brick.
He sat up bolt right, shouting and sputtering. He looked up and his eyes widened.
“Deb” he swallowed. He looked at the soaked sheets. “I promise I can explain” he laughed nervously.
Deb quickly walked towards him and before he knew it she slapped him hard across the face.
“Aaahh!” Mike yelled offended....

Beth’s eyes widened in fear. If Dale would find her here with a bag of 음식 the consequences would be dramatic. She didn’t know what the punishment was for stealing, but it had to be something terrible.
She tightened her grip on the bag and turned around. Simon had found a way out, she would do, too. Agnes ran off the stairs and chased Beth. “If you’re looking for your friend, don’t bother, 당신 won’t find him” she said mischievous. “I took care of him”
There was a small window at the left side of the basement. Beth ran towards it and opened it. She pushed the bag through it...

Deb was walking down an aisle. She looked around terrified. She knew this place. She had ran away from it. How had she gotten back here?
Automatically her legs moved to the door at the end of the aisle. She turned her head, seeking help. Her mother stood against the wall, smiling encouraging.
“Go on, Debra” she said. “Go inside and make us proud”
Upstairs Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were getting ready for bed. As Mrs. Jackson put on her dressing 겉옷, 가운 she said: “I hate to leave her there alone”
“If it makes 당신 feel better I’ll go check up on her, every now and then” Mr. Jackson offered....

Her courage sinking with every step she took Agnes walked towards Dale’s room. He had given her the specific order of finding Debra and bringing her back home. She had failed in that task and now her fear of how Dale would react was making her sick to the stomach.
She swallowed and knocked.
“Get the door, will you” she heard him command his servant. Several 초 later the door opened and Beth’s dirty face was seen. “Who is it?”
“It’s Agnes, sir” Beth replied. Unlike Deb, she hadn’t been given the privilege of calling Dale 의해 his first name. Probably because she hadn’t...

“How are 당신 feeling?” Mike asked softly. The medical staff had taken care of Simon, and now they were left alone for a moment.
“Physically? Like my insides are on fire” Deb groaned.
“Must be the medication wearing off” Mike said concerned. “You want me to go get someone”
Deb shook her head and tried to grab his hand to stop him. “I want my head to be clear” she explained. “What happened? The last thing I remember is standing in front of Joe and then he stabbed me”
Mike frowned, confused and frustrated. “You don’t remember being in the elevator with me?”
“I was in...

Ryan sat in his car, unsure what to do. If his partner was a two-faced liar, he couldn’t involve her any further into the case. But if she wasn’t, he wouldn’t only have to make things right with her, he would also have to apologize to Mike.
“Damn it!” he cursed and bashed the steering wheel. He stared through the windshield for a couple 분 and then produced his phone from his inside pocket. He pressed speed dial and waited.
“Ryan? Where are you? They say Joe’s dead. It’s all over the news” Claire ranted.
“I’m at the John Hopkins Hospital” Ryan answered Claire’s first...

Joe’s followers were sitting on the floor. Emma and Molly had told them what happened to Joe.
“I can’t believe he’s gone” Lea whispered unbelieving. She looked up. “What are we going to do now?”
“For now it’s really important that we keep a low profile” Emma said. “Now with Joe…dead…the FBI will think us weak, vulnerable. Let’s show them their wrong”
Alex stood and crossed his arms.
“We need someone to take control over things” Emma continued. “I know you’re thinking you’re all worthy of being the 다음 Joe Carroll, but let’s not forget I was closest to...

“It all started after Bethany was born” Mrs. Parker began. “Before that Debra was a dream child. She was a little shy, but really sweet. She never disobeyed us” She glanced at Mr. Parker, who took over.
“That all changed when Beth was born” Mr. Parker continued. “Deb would cry all the time, especially when Beth cried. When Beth was hungry, she was hungry. When Beth was hurting, she was hurting. Sometimes she even came to us with cuts and bruises and when we asked how she got them, she would say Beth had done it”
“Of course we thought it was just a scream for attention. Sister...

“Hey, open the door!” Mike shouted, bashing the elevator doors. Debra clung onto his neck tightly. She kept her eyes on Mike’s chest, trying to remain calm. She closed them and buried her head in Mike’s neck. Suddenly she started to cry.
“Deb?”
“I’m sorry, daddy” Deb sobbed. “I didn’t mean to. I was just so hungry”
“Deb, what are 당신 talking about?” Mike asked confused.
“Please, don’t put me back, mommy” Deb continued, like a scared little girl. “I’ll be a good girl, I promise”
“Deb, your parents aren’t here. It’s me, Mike” Mike said sharp. He felt...

Though scared to death Abigail tried to stick to the maximum speed as she drove the highway. She didn’t say a word and Debra was smart enough not to speak, either.
She stopped behind a car, waiting for the red traffic light to jump on green. She checked her rear view mirror and recognized the police car a few meters behind her.
Just stay calm. Don’t give them any reason to stop you, Abigail thought to herself.
The light turned green and the car before her moved forward. Abigail clenched the steering wheel and held her feet right above the accelerator pedal, ready to push it all the way...

Hours later-Deb had fallen asleep again-she opened her eyes. She lifted her head and smiled faint when she saw Mike was sleeping. His head rested on his arms, on the bed.
“I was wondering when 당신 were going to give in” she mumbled. She carefully swung her legs over the edge and stepped out of bed. She took her dressing-gown and made her way to the door.
At the door she turned her head. She hoped Mike would stay asleep long enough for her to make a little walk and come back without him knowing about it. He would probably tie her to the bed, if he knew where she was going.
She left the room,...

“Tell Beth I 사랑 her” Debra begged of Simon.
“I promise” Simon quickly replied as he pushed her outside. As soon as she had walked out of the door he shut it and leaned against, allowing no one to pass.
“Move, 당신 foolish boy!” Agnes ordered when standing in front of him. Simon looked up at her challengingly. Agnes grabbed his 셔츠 and pulled him away from the door. “Put him in the cage” she barked. Ross and another man each grabbed one of Simon’s arms and dragged him to the cage where Debra had been captivated in the past week.
Agnes turned to a ten 년 old boy, who did...

Molly supported her head with her hands and groaned.
“Are 당신 okay?” Ryan asked concerned and compassionate.
“Yeah, my head just feels like it’s going to explode” Molly replied faint.
“That’s not what I mean” Ryan said. “How did he get in here? Don’t 당신 lock your doors?”
“I was going to” Molly defended herself. She stood and walked to the closet. She opened it and took out some Ibuprofen. While she swallowed a couple Turned ran off the stairs. He walked towards Ryan.
“Can I talk to 당신 for a moment?” he demanded. “Yeah” Ryan frowned and he followed Turner away...

What the hell was taking them so long?, Mike thought while he feverishly tried to loosen the topes his hands were tied with. What if they…?...No. No, Mike would’ve heard noises.
So far she hadn’t screamed 또는 cried, so that was a good thing…Unless she was dead…But then what was keeping that creep inside with her so long? Why didn’t he just get out of there and kill him, too? Not that Mike wanted to die; it just seemed the most obvious conclusion.
Finally the door opened.
“Let me talk to him” he heard Debra softy say to Simon. Apparently Simon was looking at her suspiciously,...

Ryan had taken Claire 집 with him. With Joe and most of his followers still on the loose, he thought it better to keep her close to him.
“Are 당신 hungry?” Ryan asked. It was a simple question, but Claire had to let it run through her mind a couple of times, before she could answer.
“I can order something” Ryan added.
After everything that happened that night and the last few weeks, was she capable of getting anything down her throat. She decided that she could.
“Yeah” she nodded finally. “Yeah, I am actually”
“Okay” Ryan took his phone and dialed a number. A few 분 later...

The 다음 morning.
A buzzing sound woke Mike up, way too early. His eyes still closed, he searched for his phone, and when he found it, he threw it away.
There was absolutely no way he was getting out of 침대 today.
Irritated, Ryan tried to call Mike again, but again no answer. He decided to leave a message. “Mike, can 당신 just answer your phone, please? I think something’s wrong, and we should talk…Oh, and 의해 the way, thanks for last night. Claire hasn’t been talking to me ever since, so thanks”
“Deb kissed me” Ryan confessed, reluctantly. Claire nodded slowly, tears forming in her...

She slammed the door of her room, and went through her hair with her fingers. What did Deb have, that she didn’t have?
Furiously, she walked to her dresser, and opened the first drawer. She took out the letter Deb had written for Dale, a blank piece of paper, and a pencil.
She started 글쓰기 on the blank page, trying to mimic Deb’s handwriting as good as possible.
In the meantime, the community was gathered outside. Dale wasn’t among them. He wanted to be left alone, with his sorrow as his sole companion.
The community was gathered around the well. Three men walked towards it, and lifted...

Shuffling, Agnes entered Dale’s room. He was 읽기 a book. “Get your feet off the ground, Agnes” he snapped, as he turned the page. “It’s very rude of you, to shuffle like that”
Agnes walked inside the room, and towards the couch, where Dale was sitting on.
He closed the book, and put it on the table. “I take it 당신 have news from Debra?” he said, expectantly. “Or better yet, 당신 brought her home”
“I did find her”, was what Agnes started with. “I had to work tooth and nail to get her address, but I did it…for you”
If Dale heard Agnes soft addition, he definitely...

Agnes folded the letter, and put it away. Then, she stood. “Well, let’s hope we’ll never see each other again, and let’s hope that, 의해 the time you’re out of here, Dale has gotten over you, and moved on to 더 많이 fitting candidates” she said. She looked around to see where Simon was, and found him at the door.
He waved sadly at Deb. He realized he would probably never see her again, but if letting her go, meant that she would be free of her parents, and most of all, Dale, it was a sacrifice Simon was willing to make.
At the same time, Deb was fearing for Simon’s well-being. He shouldn’t...

“…and then my mom died, and my stepdad could have his way with us”
Group session, and Deb, very unwillingly, had to be a part of it.
“Thank you, Stephenie” the leader said. “It was very 메리다와 마법의 숲 of you, to share that with us. Who wants to go next?”
Every word of it, went over Debra’s head. She was sitting on her chair, her knees up, as a support for her sketchbook. She had required one, the moment she had the opportunity, and surprisingly enough, they had given her one.
Deb heard some distinct voices-some dude talking about his dad, shooting himself in the head-whilst she drew, feverishly....