Chapter 5

Night fell over the Ohio farmland like a heavy, suffocating blanket.

Inside the bedroom, the old wall clock ticked with a hollow, rhythmic sound. It was nine-thirty.

Alissa sat on the edge of her bed in complete darkness. She wore her oversized gray sweater and dark jeans.

She reached into her pocket, her fingers brushing against the cold, hard plastic of the cassette recorder. She had checked the tape tension three times. It was flawless.

Earlier that afternoon, when Kristopher had stepped out onto the back porch to smoke a cigarette, Alissa had slipped into the hallway. She had dropped the folded note directly into the pocket of his wool coat hanging on the rack.

It was a calculated risk, but a necessary one.

Alissa stood up. She didn't bother with the door. The floorboards in the hallway were too loud.

She slid the bedroom window up. The rusted tracks groaned softly, but the wind howling outside masked the noise.

She swung her legs over the sill and dropped to the ground. Her knees bent deeply, absorbing the impact silently.

The autumn wind carried the bitter smell of rotting leaves and damp earth.

Alissa moved toward the dense woods behind the property. She didn't walk like a frightened girl. She moved like a ghost, her footsteps light, avoiding the dry twigs and stepping only on the soft, damp moss.

Ten minutes later, she reached the rendezvous point.

It was a massive, ancient oak tree. Its thick trunk was wide enough to hide a car, and its sprawling canopy completely blocked out the faint moonlight. It was a natural black box.

Alissa pressed her back against the rough bark. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. In through the nose, out through the mouth. She manually lowered her heart rate, conserving every ounce of energy.

At exactly nine fifty-five, the silence of the woods was broken.

Heavy, careless footsteps crunched over the dead leaves.

A bright beam from a flashlight sliced through the darkness, bouncing erratically off the tree trunks.

Kristopher pushed his way through a thick patch of bushes. He was wearing a nice flannel shirt, his hair combed back. He looked eager, his breathing slightly elevated.

He clicked the flashlight off as he stepped into the clearing under the oak tree.

His eyes adjusted to the dark. He saw Alissa standing against the trunk.

Kristopher's Adam's apple bobbed hard. He let out a low, breathless chuckle.

Alissa instantly shrank into herself. She pulled her arms tightly across her chest, her shoulders trembling. She looked exactly like a terrified prey animal cornered by a wolf.

"I knew you were a smart girl, little bird," Kristopher said, his voice dripping with a sickening, condescending warmth.

He took a step forward. The dead leaves crunched under his boots.

Inside her sweater pocket, Alissa's thumb found the red record button. She pressed it down until it clicked.

The tiny mechanical whir of the tape spinning was completely swallowed by the sound of the wind rustling the branches above.

"If I... if I give you what you want," Alissa stammered, injecting a pathetic, desperate crack into her voice. "Will you leave me alone after this?"

Kristopher stopped less than two feet away from her. He looked down at her, his eyes slowly raking over her body in the darkness.

He opened his arms in a gesture of fake comfort.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, taking another step closer. "Ainsley doesn't know how to take care of you. She's too selfish. Only I can give you what you really need. Only I can make you feel good."

Alissa's stomach churned violently. She pressed her spine harder against the tree bark, pretending to cower.

"Do you swear?" she whispered, keeping him talking. "What if Ainsley finds out? What if she catches us?"

Kristopher scoffed, a cruel, arrogant sound.

"That stupid woman only cares about the money I give her for her dresses," he sneered. "As long as you keep your mouth shut and do exactly what I say, she will never know a thing."

He dropped the gentle act. His face hardened with raw lust and dominance.

He lunged forward. Both of his large hands clamped down hard on Alissa's frail shoulders, pinning her against the tree.

He leaned his face in. His hot breath, reeking of stale coffee and sharp tobacco, hit Alissa's cheek.

The tape recorder had captured every single word. The threat. The coercion. The intent.

The trap had snapped shut.

The trembling in Alissa's shoulders instantly stopped. The fake fear vanished from her eyes, replaced by a terrifying, absolute calm.

Kristopher didn't notice the shift. He puckered his lips, leaning in to claim his prize.

He had no idea he was about to step into a meat grinder.