Livia Lone

9-THEN

Sometime later, Livia was awakened by the sound of the bolts scraping back. She sat up instantly, her heart pounding. Nason, obviously still on edge, sat up with her, gripping Livia’s arm.

The door opened and the men strode in. This time, they didn’t point their flashlights at the top of the box. They swept them back and forth, shining them straight into the children’s terrified faces. Livia held up a hand to shield her eyes as the lights flashed on her and Nason. She squinted to try to see, and saw a pair of legs approaching. She scrambled to position herself in front of Nason, but something must have happened because suddenly she was on her back, her head throbbing, her ears ringing, and Nason was screaming from all the way at the front of the box, and Livia tried to stand but a wave of dizziness and nausea coursed through her and she fell. “Nason!” she cried out. “Nason!”

And then the door closed, and the bolts scraped into place, and Nason was gone. Livia drew in a long, hitching breath and shrieked into the darkness.