There Is No Light in Darkness Read Free Page A

her. He was wiping his face when he walked back in and turned to me saying, “Close your eyes, baby girl.”
    I saw another man walk in—a dark man. He looked around the kitchen, and I noticed his eyes widen when he saw my mother. He looked scared, which made me feel even more scared. This man was a grown up. How could he be scared, too?
    I did as I was told, and Blue Eyes pinched me with something before lifting me in his arms. I tried to open my eyes again, but I couldn’t. Suddenly, I felt very tired.
    I crinkled my nose at the foul odor around me; it smelled like a mix of blood and gasoline station. I wanted to look around, but my eyes didn’t want to open, even though I was begging them to. I needed to see Mommy. I needed to see Daddy. I needed to see Nathan. I needed to wake up from the terrible nightmare. I had something in my dry mouth that was keeping it open yet closed. I stuck my tongue out and tasted it. It was hard and stiff; it was fabric. When my eyes finally cooperated, I saw the black floor before I was jerked abruptly against a hard wall. I whimpered at the impact.
    “Shit. Slow the fuck down. You’re going to get them hurt,” a man yelled. I recognized his voice as Blue Eyes.
    “What does it matter? We’re going to kill them anyway,” the other man replied.
    “Fine. Pull over right up there,” the young man said.
    We’re in a car? I’m in a car? I started breathing heavily as I looked around. It was dark, but as the car slowed, we passed a street light, so I could make things out. I was in a van, like the one Daddy used to move boxes in. I twisted my body so I wasn’t facing the wall, but my sticky clothes didn’t let me move much. When I turned, I saw Nathan facing me. He was wrapped up in rope and had fabric in his mouth, too. His green eyes were wide, and he looked as scared as I felt. He had tears running down his face, and I heard myself sniffle back my own. My heart started beating faster when I heard the men step out of the car and slam their doors. I couldn’t see anything beyond Nathan. I didn’t want to see anything beyond Nathan. I heard the men screaming outside, the doors open again, and then I felt the van sink when they got into their seats and slammed the doors.
    “Okay, so where are you taking them?” one man asked.
    “Don’t worry about it. I told you—you don’t need to know.”
    “Like hell, what if Jamie asks me? I can’t lie,” he replied, sounding desperate.
    “You will, though. Remember, I’m getting you that plane ticket tonight. You’ll leave with your family. Just stay the fuck away. I’ll have people watching you. If you step near Jamie or any of his guys, I’ll start stripping off your family one by one.”
    “I didn’t want to get involved in this shit anyway. Glass took it too far. Nobody was supposed to die—least of all her. What was he thinking? How could he do that?” I could hear sniffling coming from their direction, and one of them kept apologizing to the other. What is he sorry for?
    The car stopped, and I instinctively scooted as fast as I could toward Nathan. We huddled together until the door in the back opened, and we were met by a pair of sky-blue eyes. I wasn’t sure why, but he made me feel somewhat safe. I was glad it wasn’t anybody else. Maybe it was because I could see the sadness in his eyes. Still, the longer he stood there, the worse the feeling in the pit of my stomach got. I moved as close as I could to Nathan, and he did the same until we were shoulder to shoulder.
    “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Blue Eyes whispered. “I have to separate you. You’ll both be safer this way. Everything is okay now.”
    He leaned in and grabbed Nathan, who let out a muffled scream, mimicking my own. Blue Eyes put Nathan over his shoulder and turned around. Nathan stopped screaming and turned up his head so that I could see him. I knew he was trying to be brave. My brave friend. My chest was heaving in sobs as I watched him get