The bedroom door, hanging slightly off its rusted hinges, was pushed open. The metal scraped against the wood with a high-pitched squeal.
Kristopher's tall, broad silhouette filled the doorway, blocking the yellow light spilling from the hallway.
He stepped inside, his leather shoes making soft, deliberate sounds on the floorboards.
The air in the small room instantly grew heavy. The sharp, chemical scent of cheap cologne mixed with the dry smell of chalk dust drifted over the bed.
Alissa kept her breathing perfectly even, playing the role of the unconscious invalid.
She felt the mattress dip slightly as Kristopher leaned over her.
A large, warm hand, damp with sweat, pressed against her cheek.
His thumb stroked her skin. The movement was excruciatingly slow, heavy with a sickening kind of ownership.
The hand slid down her jawline, the rough calluses catching on her skin. His fingers wrapped loosely around her fragile neck.
Beneath the blanket, Alissa's hands clamped into tight fists. Her fingernails bit so deeply into her palms that she felt the skin threaten to break.
She calculated the distance. If she drove her fingers into his eyes right now, she could blind him. But she didn't have the stamina to finish the fight if he panicked and fought back.
From the dining room, Ainsley's voice rang out, sweet and demanding.
"Kris, honey! Dinner's getting cold!"
The hand on Alissa's neck went rigid.
Kristopher quickly pulled his hand back, as if he had touched a hot stove.
He leaned in closer, his lips hovering just inches from her ear.
"Get well soon, little bird," he whispered, his voice thick with a dark, suppressed hunger.
He straightened up, turned, and walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind him with a soft click.
Alissa opened her eyes. The darkness of the room mirrored the absolute, freezing void in her chest.
Her heart was beating a steady, rhythmic drum of pure, unadulterated murder.
She took three slow, deep breaths, forcing the icy air into her lungs to cool the burning rage in her blood.
She listened intently. The clinking of silverware against ceramic plates and the muffled sounds of Ainsley's fake, bubbly laughter drifted through the thin walls. They were eating. She had time.
Alissa pushed the blanket off and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
The moment her bare feet touched the cold wooden floor, her knees buckled. A wave of dizziness hit her, but she locked her jaw and grabbed the edge of the mattress, forcing herself to stay upright.
She dropped to her knees. The hard floor bruised her skin, but she ignored it.
Following the ghost of a memory, she reached her hand under the far corner of the sagging mattress.
Her fingers brushed against exposed, rusty springs and thick dust bunnies until they hit something hard and metallic.
She pulled it out. It was an old, faded tin candy box.
Alissa popped the lid off. Inside lay a small, pathetic roll of crumpled dollar bills.
Her fingers moved quickly, counting the cash. Seventeen dollars and twenty-five cents. It was the original Alissa's secret escape fund, saved over six agonizing months.
Beneath the money, folded into a neat, tight square, was a piece of white stationery.
Alissa unfolded it. The faint moonlight filtering through the dirty window illuminated the elegant, cursive handwriting.
You are meant to be mine, little bird. Don't tell Ainsley. This is our secret. - K
Alissa's stomach violently rolled. The physical revulsion was so strong she tasted bile in the back of her throat.
The suppressed memories of Kristopher's grooming-the lingering hugs, the whispered threats disguised as affection-crashed over her.
She gripped the note tightly. Her eyes narrowed into cold, calculating slits.
She took the seventeen dollars and shoved it into the lining of her worn bra. It was her only capital.
She placed the note back into the tin box, exactly how she found it, and shoved it deep under the mattress. She couldn't let him know she was aware. Not yet.
Alissa crawled back into bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin.
She crossed her hands over her stomach. Her brain shifted into combat mode, running through tactical scenarios like a supercomputer.
Kristopher was the immediate physical threat. He was a ticking time bomb of sexual violence. He had to be neutralized first.
She needed a weapon. Not a knife or a gun-those would land her in prison. She needed something that would destroy his life, his reputation, his absolute control.
An image flashed in her mind. Brenda McCoy's mother-in-law, Martha. The sweet old woman next door who loved her gadgets.
A cold, vicious plan began to take shape in the darkness.
Outside, the wind rustled through the dry cornstalks. Inside, Alissa smiled. It was a terrifying, bloodless smile. She closed her eyes and let her exhausted body slip into a light, watchful sleep.
