I stepped back and looked. Sure enough, someone’s hand appeared to be reaching for the edge, as if she’d been crawling away from something. I couldn’t really see her shoulder, however.
“Did you ever see what attacked her?” I asked.
“Nope,” replied Amy. “Thank God.”
I squinted, trying to see the woman above better, but it was hard since it was still dark outside, and there were only a couple of lit lanterns in the barn. “Do you think it’s still up there?”
“I don’t know and I’m not about to look,” said Amy. “Whatever was up there hasn’t made any noise for the last few hours.”
“I think it might be sleeping,” said the woman with the bruise. “We’ve got to find a way out before it wakes up again.”
Just then, the barn door was opened.
Tara jumped up and we all moved closer together.
Chapter Three
“Ladies,” smiled the man who’d assaulted me earlier. “We have a new addition to your group.”
Standing next to him was another guy with long blond hair, which was pulled into a ponytail, and pale skin. In his burly arms he carried a sleeping girl with short, spiky pink hair. He moved forward and set her down on the floor of the barn.
“Excuse me, guys,” said Tara, folding her arms under her chest. “I have to ask –
what in the hell are we doing here?”
The blond guy smiled a big, toothy grin. “Oh, you’ll find out soon enough. For now, relax and get some rest. You’re going to need it tonight.”
Her dark eyes narrowed. “Is this some kind of freaky sex thing that you’re into? ‘Cause there’s no way in hell I’m going to let anyone put their hands on me. Not without a fight, you know what I’m saying?”
The dark-haired man threw his head back and laughed. “Sex? No. You’d never survive that, I assure you.”
“Please let us go, Martin,” begged the woman with the bruise. “We won’t tell anyone. I swear. Just let us go.”
Martin, my abductor, smiled brightly and I was stunned of how white his teeth were. “Anna, don’t worry, dear, we’ll let you out of here soon enough. By the way, are any of you ladies hungry?”
None of us answered.
“Well, if you’re not now, you will be later and you’ll definitely need your strength. We’ll be back for you later,” said Martin. He motioned to the other man. “Come on, Brandon, it’s almost dawn.”
“Wait,” said Amy, taking a step towards them. “Gloria… um, something killed her. Something in the loft.”
Brandon smiled coldly. “She should have stayed below. I advise all of you to stay away from the loft.”
“Why, what’s up there?” I asked.
“You really don’t want to know,” said Martin, his eyes twinkling. “But rest assured, it won’t harm you unless you venture up there.”
“This is insane!” hollered Anna, raising her hands in exasperation. “Why are you doing this to us? Our families must be worried sick.”
Martin sneered. “Really? You think your husband, the one who gave you a black eye, is worried about where you are at the moment? Or Tara, do you really think anyone is missing you? Face it, nobody even knows you’re missing, and if they do, they’re not going to be searching for you in the next couple of days.”
“My parents will be worried,” I protested, wondering how he knew so much about our personal lives. “They’re definitely going to know that something is very wrong.”
“Well, maybe your ‘boyfriend’ can tell them you’ve been kidnapped. Hmm?” said Martin.
I glared at him. “What in the heck is wrong with you? Don’t you realize what you’re doing is illegal? You’re going to go to jail unless you let us go!”
Brandon chuckled. “The little one amuses me. That’s the one who almost got the best of you?” he asked.
“She fights dirty,” replied Martin.
“I fight dirty?” I snapped, clenching my jaw. “You’re the one who kidnapped all of us. You can’t get much dirtier than that.”
He grinned. “You have a point.”
I stared at him incredulously. “You act like this is some kind of game. A woman has died and you are acting like it’s no big deal. You’ve got some serious issues.”
The smile fell from his face. “Behave and we’ll let you out of the barn tonight. You can leave here and never look back. If you try and escape beforehand, however, you’ll fail,” his eyes narrowed, “and die quite painfully.”