Secrets, Lies, and Captivity

CHAPTER TWO

Both my father and Katherine carelessly dragged us down to the basement. This certainly did help me stay conscious, but it felt like we developed more injuries in the process. I was crying the whole way down, and I saw Katherine rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"We should really duct tape their mouths. Her constant crying and whining are really aggravating me, and I seriously feel like it's my turn to throw her towards the wall."

"Just ignore her for now; when we bring them down to the basement, we can duct tape them then." My father said.

They finally dragged us down to the basement and leaned us against the wall. The room was dimly lit, casting eerie shadows on the cold concrete walls. I was still so confused; half dazed in disbelief and denial. Why was my family doing this? Memories of happier times flashed through my mind, a stark contrast to the current predicament. I could still remember the laughter, the love, and the bond we once shared. But now, it seemed like a distant memory, overshadowed by this inexplicable betrayal.

As I looked around at the faces of my father and sister, I tried searching for any sign of remorse or guilt. But all I saw was unconcerned and uninterested expressions as if they were strangers to me now. Questions continued to swirl in my mind, remaining unanswered and unresolved.

I tried to adjust my myself against the wall to help me feel more comfortable, well as comfortable as you can when slumped against a concrete wall, which led me to move the back of my head against the wall. I groaned out of pain from brushing against the wound on the back of my head. As I looked around the basement, I realized that Katherine and my father were whispering amongst themselves at the other side of the room.

I quickly scanned the room to find George. I saw him leaned against the wall at the opposite side of the room, still unconscious and his head still bleeding. It was still quite dark even though a light was on in the middle of the room, so I couldn't see him as clearly as I'd have liked.

"Katherine...please let us go...why are you doing this? Why are you doing this to your own sister!", I asked while starting to cry again. "Just let us go please, and-and we can talk about this. Whatever I did wrong, whatever is going on, we can fix it together. But first, please, let us go", I said with a low pleading voice, trying to sound calmer and more persuasive.

"Oh my gosh! Please be quiet!" she walked towards me and roughly put duct tape on my mouth. "Thankfully I found tape; just in time too," she said while giving me a smirk with cold eyes. I started pulling on the tape, but before I could successfully take it off, Katherine quickly grabbed my hands, brought them towards my back, and wrapped the duct tape around them and my feet. "No, no, no, sweet sis. We can't have that."

"I don't know what you think this whole situation is, but as we keep on saying..." she stood up, "why we are doing this is none of your concern right now... you'll find out in time. But for now, you need to stay quiet and stop asking so many questions. It's smarter that way," she suddenly did a loud giggle. "Look at me, ordering you to stop talking...like you even have an option to talk right now."

She then walked over to George and wrapped duct tape around him as well. This still feels like a dream, no, more like a nightmare. I keep thinking that at any moment I will wake up and tell my family all about it and we could have a great big laugh. But the more time passes by, the more real it all felt.

When they finished wrapping the tape around him, they went back upstairs and walked out of the basement. As they left and locked the door the light from outside the room was no longer available. The basement grew darker, and it took a while for my eyes to adjust. I tried yelling with the tape on my mouth, making muffled noises, trying my best to wake George. I tried scooting closer to him; it felt like forever, but I finally was in closer reach to be able to tap my foot against his leg. As I did that, I saw him move a little, that gave me hope so I tapped him again. He finally opened his eyes a little. As he fully woke, he frantically looked around trying to take in his new surroundings; his breathing increased and was heard throughout the quite room. After moments passed, it looked like he finally processed his surroundings and realized that he had duct tape on his mouth, feet, and hands. His breathing further increased.