“That’s what I’ve been saying,” said Tara. “We have to keep trying and not just give up.”
Marie, Tara, and I tried pushing and even kicking at the door several times, but just like Anna had said, the door appeared to be impenetrable.
Marie turned around and stared up by the loft. “Hey, there’s an open window up there.” She started walking towards the ladder.
“No!” I yelled, grabbing her arm. “There’s something up there. It’s too dangerous.”
Marie looked at me like I was nuts. “What are you talking about?”
“Haven’t you been paying attention?” asked Tara incredulously. “There’s a dead body up there. Why do you think it smells so bad in here? Nobody living can produce that kind of stench.”
“A dead body?” she asked, backing up. She stood up on her tiptoes. “Where? I don’t see anything.”
I backed up too and noticed in shock that the body had indeed disappeared.
“Seriously. Did anyone notice that Gloria’s body was missing?” asked Tara.
Nobody answered.
“Dead body or not, I need to get out of this place,” said Marie, pacing. “My dad’s going to ground me for a month if he notices that I never made it home last night.”
“Marie, if you make it out of here, you’re going to embrace being grounded,” said Anna, smiling grimly. “And I’m sure your dad will understand when he finds out that you were kidnapped.”
“I doubt it. He’s always yelling and screaming at me,” she muttered, kicking at some dirt with her high-tops. “Hell, he’ll probably tell me that I deserved it since I was out last night and should have been home doing homework.”
“Nobody deserves this,” I said, trying to see if I could catch a glimpse of Gloria’s body above. The sun was shining down into the cracks of the barn and it no longer seemed as ominous. I wondered if the thing had left.
“Still, I’ve got to get out of here. Has anyone seen a pitchfork lying around? The barns in the movies all have pitchforks lying around somewhere.”
“Jesus, girl, this isn’t a damn movie,” huffed Tara, leaning back against the barn door. She folded her arms under her chest. “Obviously, they didn’t leave us with anything we could use against them.”
Marie bit her lower lip and began moving towards the ladder once more. “Still, we have to try the loft window. It’s our only chance of escaping.”
“Don’t, Marie. There’s some kind of animal up there. It killed Gloria,” said Amy, her eyes wide. “If you go up there, you’re going to get hurt.”
Marie began climbing the ladder. “Seriously, though, I don’t see or hear anything. Whatever was up there is long gone.”
I grabbed her ankle. “Please, listen to us. Even our kidnappers told us not to go up there.”
She tilted her head. “Well, duh… that’s because they don’t want any of us to escape,” she said, looking down at me. “Just chill out, you guys. I’ll be fine. I’m really good with animals, anyway. My Uncle Tom used to raise dogs that were interbred with wolves.” She smiled. “He called me the dog whisperer.”
“I don’t think there’s a dog up there. Now, just come back down here before you get hurt,” I pleaded.
Before she could answer, there was a noise outside of the barn door and then two men wearing overalls and holding shotguns entered.
“What the hell you doing, girl?” asked the older man with a scowl on his face. He was short, with long stringy white hair and neglected brownish-yellow teeth. He spit out a wad of chew. “Didn’t they warn ya to stay away from the loft?”
Marie jumped off the ladder. “Uh, sorry.”
The younger man had a receding hairline and appeared to be in his forties with gaunt cheeks and red-rimmed eyes. He looked like he either had a bad hangover or was sickly. “Come on now,” he muttered in a gruff voice. “You’re all supposed to follow us into the house.”
“Why?” asked Tara, glaring at the men.
“You want to eat, don’t ’cha?” he snapped impatiently. “Now don’t ask questions and do what you’re told. We ain’t going to hurt you unless you give us a reason to. Got it?”
“Okay,” said Anna. “We’ll do what you want. Please, just don’t shoot anyone.”
“Listen,” said Marie. “I really have to get home. My dad is gonna freak out when he realizes I’m not there.”
The older man raised his gun. “Our orders are to feed you and nothing else.”