After Dale’s disastrous attempt at a proposal, Deb returned to her room. She had made a huge mistake, she realized that much. But she couldn’t force herself to live a lie like that. She had to get out of this place, but now was not a good time.
Now, people were flocking the hallway, guarding her door at any waking moment. She had to wait for the night. The night would be her ally, in this, most likely to fail, escape plan.
Night came, rather soon than late, and Deb waited in her bed, eyes wide open, still wearing the blue gown. Even if she hadn’t had it in her mind to run from this forsaken place, she still would’ve worn the damn thing. All the nightgowns in her closet were quite short, and see-through. A small detail that was most certainly no accident.
She turned her head to the window. The sky looked pitch black, like the whole where Dale’s soul should’ve been.
She sat up, ready to make her move, when the door opened. Though dark as it was, she could still recognize his silhouette.
Dale closed the door, and locked it.
“Why?” he asked, slowly.
“What?” Deb replied, terrified, even though she knew what he meant.
“Why did you say no?”
“Because I don’t love you” Deb confessed, trembling.
“I don’t understand” Dale said, coming closer to the bed. “I would’ve given you the world. I let you drive a wedge between me and my sister”
“No, you let your obsession for me do that” Deb replied.
“I stabbed Agnes in the back, for you, because I love you” Dale spit. “But you don’t love me back, do you? Have you ever even loved me?”
Deb shook her head slowly. At least it was finally getting into his head. Dale nodded, in understanding.
“Is there someone else?” he asked, accusatory. “I’ve heard about this Mike person. Is he the one you want? Did you sleep with him?...Answer me!” he yelled, when Deb wouldn’t respond.
“Yes!” she screamed. “And you know what? It was the best sex I ever had” she added, provocative.
“You filthy whore!” Dale cursed furiously, and his hands clasped around her throat. “Do you like to tease men? Do you like to play with our hearts, to just rip them out, and crush them with your feet? Well, your games are over. I’ll make sure of that”
Slowly, but surely, Deb felt the air leave her lungs, when her fingers touched the cold metal of the scissors, underneath the sheets. How foolish had it been of Dale, to share such information with Deb as ‘there are scissors in that bag’
Dale tightened his grip, when he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He let go of Deb, and she stabbed him a second time, in his side. Shallow wounds, but enough to keep occupied for a few minutes.
Deb ran to the door, and tried to turn the key, but with hands shaking like hers, the job was easier said than done.
Behind her, Dale was gathering his strength, and he stood up. “Get back to bed, Debra. I wasn’t finished” he barked.
Finally, Deb managed to open the door, and get out of the room. She was smart enough to close the door, and lock Dale inside.
“Debra! Let me out!” Dale screamed, furious. “You will pay for this, you satanic whore!”
Deb ignored him, and ran as fast as she could through the hallways, holding the key in her hands. She dropped it, when she bumped into her mother.
Mrs. Parker grabbed her arm. “What are you doing outside your room?” she asked agitated. She looked at the key, and everything fell into place. “You’re trying to run. After everything we did to get you back. But I’m not going to let that happen. You’re going back there, now”
She tried to drag her back to her room, but Deb braced herself.
“No, he’s going to kill me” she explained, in panic.
“Not my problem” Mrs. Parker replied careless.
“Mom, let me go!” Deb shrieked, as Mrs. Parker dragged her along. “I’m sorry”
Mrs. Parker sighed, and turned around, only to be punched in the face. Her grip on Deb was gone, and Deb rubbed her knuckles. Dear God, she had just punched her mother…but damn, it felt good.
Several minutes later, or maybe they were just seconds, Mrs. Parker opened her eyes. With a shock she realized what had happened, and she looked around bewildered. When her gaze fell on the key, she grabbed it without hesitation, and ran to Deb’s room.
Deb ran towards the gate. She had tried the basement, and the door was gone. There was now a brick wall instead.
Fortunately they hadn’t replaced the gate, and so Deb could easily climb over it.
Just when she thought she was free, someone pushed her to the ground. She turned around on the pavers, and saw Agnes looking down at her.
“Goodnight, your majesty” Agnes spit, sarcastically. She picked Deb up from the ground. “Oh, how I have waited for this moment” she said, her voice full of malicious pleasure. She opened the gate, and pushed Deb inside. From a distance they could see Dale running towards them. “For the moment you would screw up, and my brother would see you for who you really are, and would treat you the way you deserve to be treated”
Dale finally caught up with them.
“I believe this one belongs to you” Agnes said, pleased with herself, and she pushed Deb in Dale’s direction.
“Agnes, I am so happy to see you. I was a fool for not listening to you”
“Yeah, yeah, can we do family reunion some other time?” Agnes required. “It feels weird, talking to you, with a bag of trash standing between us”
“You’re right” Dale agreed. “Would you be so kind to open the well for me”
As Deb’s eyes grew wide in fear, a big smile appeared on Agnes’ face. “I’m on my way”
Dale hit Deb to the ground, grabbed her hair, and dragged her towards the well.
Deb kicked, and screamed, and cried. She begged Dale to let her go. “Too bad, Deb” Dale said loud. “You know, those scissors? That was a test. Suffice to say you failed”
“Shouldn’t we tie her hands?” Agnes suggested, when Dale dropped Deb next to the well.
“No” he replied. “I want to see her try getting out of there”
Agnes smiled, devilish, and helped Dale get Deb up. They lifted her over the edge of the well, and let go of her. Deb grabbed the edge of the well, holding onto it as if it was life itself. Dale and Agnes exchanged a look, and Dale nodded.
Agnes pulled out her gun, and hit both Deb’s hands with it, until she let go, and fell down the pit. The water was freezing, and Deb looked up, to see the well slowly closing, until she was surrounded by darkness…
Now, people were flocking the hallway, guarding her door at any waking moment. She had to wait for the night. The night would be her ally, in this, most likely to fail, escape plan.
Night came, rather soon than late, and Deb waited in her bed, eyes wide open, still wearing the blue gown. Even if she hadn’t had it in her mind to run from this forsaken place, she still would’ve worn the damn thing. All the nightgowns in her closet were quite short, and see-through. A small detail that was most certainly no accident.
She turned her head to the window. The sky looked pitch black, like the whole where Dale’s soul should’ve been.
She sat up, ready to make her move, when the door opened. Though dark as it was, she could still recognize his silhouette.
Dale closed the door, and locked it.
“Why?” he asked, slowly.
“What?” Deb replied, terrified, even though she knew what he meant.
“Why did you say no?”
“Because I don’t love you” Deb confessed, trembling.
“I don’t understand” Dale said, coming closer to the bed. “I would’ve given you the world. I let you drive a wedge between me and my sister”
“No, you let your obsession for me do that” Deb replied.
“I stabbed Agnes in the back, for you, because I love you” Dale spit. “But you don’t love me back, do you? Have you ever even loved me?”
Deb shook her head slowly. At least it was finally getting into his head. Dale nodded, in understanding.
“Is there someone else?” he asked, accusatory. “I’ve heard about this Mike person. Is he the one you want? Did you sleep with him?...Answer me!” he yelled, when Deb wouldn’t respond.
“Yes!” she screamed. “And you know what? It was the best sex I ever had” she added, provocative.
“You filthy whore!” Dale cursed furiously, and his hands clasped around her throat. “Do you like to tease men? Do you like to play with our hearts, to just rip them out, and crush them with your feet? Well, your games are over. I’ll make sure of that”
Slowly, but surely, Deb felt the air leave her lungs, when her fingers touched the cold metal of the scissors, underneath the sheets. How foolish had it been of Dale, to share such information with Deb as ‘there are scissors in that bag’
Dale tightened his grip, when he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He let go of Deb, and she stabbed him a second time, in his side. Shallow wounds, but enough to keep occupied for a few minutes.
Deb ran to the door, and tried to turn the key, but with hands shaking like hers, the job was easier said than done.
Behind her, Dale was gathering his strength, and he stood up. “Get back to bed, Debra. I wasn’t finished” he barked.
Finally, Deb managed to open the door, and get out of the room. She was smart enough to close the door, and lock Dale inside.
“Debra! Let me out!” Dale screamed, furious. “You will pay for this, you satanic whore!”
Deb ignored him, and ran as fast as she could through the hallways, holding the key in her hands. She dropped it, when she bumped into her mother.
Mrs. Parker grabbed her arm. “What are you doing outside your room?” she asked agitated. She looked at the key, and everything fell into place. “You’re trying to run. After everything we did to get you back. But I’m not going to let that happen. You’re going back there, now”
She tried to drag her back to her room, but Deb braced herself.
“No, he’s going to kill me” she explained, in panic.
“Not my problem” Mrs. Parker replied careless.
“Mom, let me go!” Deb shrieked, as Mrs. Parker dragged her along. “I’m sorry”
Mrs. Parker sighed, and turned around, only to be punched in the face. Her grip on Deb was gone, and Deb rubbed her knuckles. Dear God, she had just punched her mother…but damn, it felt good.
Several minutes later, or maybe they were just seconds, Mrs. Parker opened her eyes. With a shock she realized what had happened, and she looked around bewildered. When her gaze fell on the key, she grabbed it without hesitation, and ran to Deb’s room.
Deb ran towards the gate. She had tried the basement, and the door was gone. There was now a brick wall instead.
Fortunately they hadn’t replaced the gate, and so Deb could easily climb over it.
Just when she thought she was free, someone pushed her to the ground. She turned around on the pavers, and saw Agnes looking down at her.
“Goodnight, your majesty” Agnes spit, sarcastically. She picked Deb up from the ground. “Oh, how I have waited for this moment” she said, her voice full of malicious pleasure. She opened the gate, and pushed Deb inside. From a distance they could see Dale running towards them. “For the moment you would screw up, and my brother would see you for who you really are, and would treat you the way you deserve to be treated”
Dale finally caught up with them.
“I believe this one belongs to you” Agnes said, pleased with herself, and she pushed Deb in Dale’s direction.
“Agnes, I am so happy to see you. I was a fool for not listening to you”
“Yeah, yeah, can we do family reunion some other time?” Agnes required. “It feels weird, talking to you, with a bag of trash standing between us”
“You’re right” Dale agreed. “Would you be so kind to open the well for me”
As Deb’s eyes grew wide in fear, a big smile appeared on Agnes’ face. “I’m on my way”
Dale hit Deb to the ground, grabbed her hair, and dragged her towards the well.
Deb kicked, and screamed, and cried. She begged Dale to let her go. “Too bad, Deb” Dale said loud. “You know, those scissors? That was a test. Suffice to say you failed”
“Shouldn’t we tie her hands?” Agnes suggested, when Dale dropped Deb next to the well.
“No” he replied. “I want to see her try getting out of there”
Agnes smiled, devilish, and helped Dale get Deb up. They lifted her over the edge of the well, and let go of her. Deb grabbed the edge of the well, holding onto it as if it was life itself. Dale and Agnes exchanged a look, and Dale nodded.
Agnes pulled out her gun, and hit both Deb’s hands with it, until she let go, and fell down the pit. The water was freezing, and Deb looked up, to see the well slowly closing, until she was surrounded by darkness…