"My daughter's become somebody important now."
"And you, you little bastard—pretty soon you'll be nothing but a pile of rotting meat, dumped in a septic tank."
His excitement was building:
"I never expected it! Your parents treat my daughter so well! Just because my girl said she was scared, they packed everyone up and left in the middle of the night! That's what gave me my chance!"
"You're their flesh and blood, but they couldn't care less whether you live or die!"
I struggled to speak:
"So you and Adela... you planned this together..."
He sneered:
"So what if we did? Blame your parents. If they'd given a damn about you, you never would've ended up in my hands."
Blood soaked through everything. The pain had drained me of the strength to fight back. All I could manage were faint whimpers, begging him to let me go.
He tossed a phone in front of me, grinning:
"Tell you what—I'll help you call your parents. Get them to come rescue you."
"If they actually believe you, I'll let you live."
The phone rang once. Twice. It kept ringing until it was about to go to voicemail—then someone picked up.
My voice came out raw and broken:
"Dad..."
What answered me was the sound of celebration, and Luke Lawrence's voice.
"Gertrude? Looking for your father? He's busy right now! The killer didn't show up tonight—your sister's safe. The poor thing got so excited she twisted her ankle, and your parents are worried sick over her."
Numb with despair, I forced the words out:
"Help me... the killer took me to Southside..."
Luke hesitated.
"But your father said you've been making false reports all day. Lying for attention."
"He told us not to put through any of your calls, no matter what you say. We're not supposed to help you."
"Although... your voice sounds awful. Did something actually happen to you?"
Before I could say more, Dad snatched the phone away. His voice was cold:
"Gertrude, it's almost dawn. Haven't you caused enough trouble?"
"Your sister's fine, thankfully. She says she forgives you and won't hold it against you. Now apologize to her properly."
Luke chimed in:
"Gertrude, you kept calling the hotline yesterday and got your parents in trouble with their superiors. You need to grow up. Just apologize and stop making scenes, okay?"
I laughed bitterly through my tears:
"Just believe me this once..."
"Mom, Dad, please come to Southside?"
"I've really been kidnapped. If you don't believe me, at least go home and check..."
"Go home?! Go HOME?! Your sister sprained her ankle! She can barely walk, and you still want us to drop everything for YOU!"
Mom exploded, grabbing the phone and screaming at me:
"Southside is miles away! You're a cripple with no money, and we're not looking after you—how could you possibly get that far!"
"Even now you're lying, trying to trick us into dragging everyone to Southside for your little attention-seeking games!"
"Do you want to humiliate your father and me completely?! Is that what makes you happy?!"
Adela's voice came through, dripping with concern as she played peacemaker:
"That's enough, Gertrude. Please stop talking. Don't you know reporters are livestreaming this right now? Everything you're saying is being broadcast!"
"All this drama, wasting police resources—you're going to ruin Mom and Dad's reputation!"
"Just apologize to everyone!"
"Adela! Don't waste your breath on her!"
Dad's voice returned, heavy with finality:
