Chapter Text
It was quick and effortless. It had taken all the strength from Carla but she had succeeded. Becky was laying unconscious on the floor and Carla was free, almost.
It was a race against time, a race against Becky waking up. Carla was exhausted after cutting through her binds, not having slept properly in two weeks, not having eaten or drank in few days, and neither had she had her medication. All of those had a physical toll on her.
With adrenaline running through her body, she wasn’t thinking straight, she needed her meds, she needed her phone. With those she’d make it out, she’d live.
With her medication in her hand and phone in her pocket, Carla started to move towards the door, not looking back. As she was about to twist the doorknob, she heard a grunt, close by.
Darkness.
—
It was already dark when Carla woke up. Adjusting her eyes, trying to make out her surroundings.
Dark.
Cold.
Quiet.
Then the bounding in her head started. Trying to lift her hand to rub her temple, she noticed her hands being tied together by the wrists. This time with rope. Tighter than before. That’s when it hit her, Becky had moved her. Legs and wrists still tied together, but Becky hadn’t put the gag on.
No need to stop Carla from yelling?
Location far away from people?
As she tried to move more upright, cold metal hit her back with uneven surface. She wasn’t in a building, it was a shipping container. A shipping container most likely in the middle of nowhere.
Remembering that she’d slipped her phone in her pocket, she felt for it and let out a sigh of relief when she felt it, she still had her phone with her.
Carla managed to get her phone out of her pocket but after powering it on, it was clear that she had no service. Even when trying to call the emergency services, the call wouldn't connect.
Her phone still had about 80 % of battery. Becky had clearly been charging it. Switching the flashlight on, Carla looked around where she was kept, carefully noting the way out and possible signs if someone would be coming inside. There seemed to be no way out from the inside.
Letting out a loud sob, Carla knew that this could be her end. Becky was leaving for Spain. She'd be forgotten. No one knew where to find her.
Turning her phone screen back on, she stared at the photo on it: her and Lisa, a selfie taken on their first trip to see Michelle in Ireland. They'd been so happy then. Lisa and Michelle had gotten along so well, even Betsy had liked it there. Three of the most important people in her world. Now Carla just hoped one of them would be concerned and looking for her. She was due to come back from Lanzarote few days ago.
With tears stinging in her eyes, her eyes lulled closed, sleep taking over her exhausted body.
—
What could have been minutes or hours later, Carla woke up. The bounding feeling in her head still very present, but bearable.
She looked back at her phone, the screen lighting up the dark place, back at herself and Lisa.
Becky had been using her phone. She'd been constantly reminded of how happy Lisa looked with Carla, something that Becky clearly didn't want for Lisa, to be happy with anyone else.
With fury, Carla opened her phone with the mission to look at old photos and messages. Something to keep her mind off of the inevident death, death alone, cold, somewhere that she wouldn’t be found.
Opening the messages app, she noticed that there'd been constant messages from Lisa. Multiple messages and voice notes daily, varying from trying to open up a conversation to confessing her love for Carla. All left on read.
“Could you call me? I think we should talk. I love you.”
“I hope you're enjoying Lanzarote.”
“I'm so sorry for everything I've done, for hurting you, for not seeing you, I hope we can keep in contact. I love you.”
But what hit Carla the most were the voice notes and voicemails.
Friday 12th
“Hi, Carla. I’ve just been to the factory and it’s all locked up. So, well, I’m guessing you’re on your way to the airport, then. Look, please. Don’t go on that plane. The thought of spending Christmas without you here, I just… I just can’t leave things the way we did. I love you. And I can’t bear the thought of not having you in my life. Please… Call me back.”
Carla had listened to it before Becky had taken her. It was that voicemail that made Carla decide against leaving for Lanzarote but to stay and keep investigating.
After that voicemail, there'd been a pause of some days but then there'd been multiple.
Tuesday 23rd
“I'm sorry Carla. I'm sorry for everything. I hope you are one day able to forgive me for how I behaved. I love you. I miss you.”
Lisa sounded like she'd been drinking. Whisky.
Then there was another one.
“I'm sorry. You probably hear it from my voice that I've been drinking…. I'm sorry. I love you.”
Wednesday 24th
“Hey, Carla, it’s me. So, it’s Christmas Eve, babe… and I can’t stop thinking about you. I want you. I want you back in my life. And I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get you back. It’s you. And it’ll only ever be you. I love you.”
This one Carla had heard too. Becky had listened to it and Carla had overheard it. Becky hearing it led to a kick in her stomach but now hearing it again made her smile.
Sunday 28th
“I know you've not answered any of my calls or messages, but I hope you've enjoyed your time in Lanzarote. I heard you changed hotels but I assume you're still returning back tomorrow? I hope we can talk when you come back?”
She hadn't heard this before. Lisa sounded so small, so broken, so fragile. She hadn't heard Lisa like this ever before and it concerned her, how she'd be able to manage if she'd die here and was never found?
Tuesday 30th
“Hi Carla. You were due back yesterday but no one's heard from you. I'm starting to get really worried. Could you please call me?”
Lisa's voice was full of concern. She was afraid.
Then there was the most recent one. Sent mere hours before Carla had been taken to the new location. Sent at the early hours of the morning.
Wednesday 31st
“Hi love. I understand if you don’t want to hear from me again. I can’t believe we’ve come to this. You’re the love of my life and I really thought that we would be together till death do us part. I still love you Carla. And despite everything we’ve been through, I love you, I’ll always love you… Take care of yourself.”
It was furthest from the truth.
Carla wanted to hear from Lisa.
She wanted to hear her voice.
She wanted to hear her laugh.
She wanted to hold her.
She wanted to brush her hair behind her ear.
She wanted to touch her. She wanted to love her.
She never wanted to live without her.
She couldn’t bear the thought of not having Lisa in her life.
She couldn’t bear the thought of Lisa broken.
She couldn’t bear the thought of… of not being with the love of her life.
“You’re the love of my life”
That quiet but so significant line kept repeating in Carla’s mind. She was the love of Lisa’s life. Lisa was the love of Carla’s life.
She glanced at some of the photos of her and her family: Lisa, Betsy and Ryan.
She missed them. She was not going to leave without a fight. She’d see them again.
With new determination she changed her position closer to a corner. The corner post provided a surface to try and cut through the binds in Carla’s hands. It would be slow, but it would be better than dying alone.
Carla’s attempts turned out to be effective and soon she’d cut through enough of the rope to untangle it from her wrists.
Then came untying the binds on her feet, which turned out to be rather difficult with the dim light of her phone’s flashlight, but in the end she was free.
With the light on, Carla was able to navigate to the door. She listened carefully if there was anybody outside and when she heard nothing, she tried to push the door open.
To her surprise, it moved.
It moved.
The door opened!
Opening the door just enough, Carla squeezed through the opening and closed it behind her.
Stupid Becky didn’t even close the door properly.
To Carla’s surprise, as she was walking through the bushes, she saw Kit arrive at the scene.
She was going to be okay. She was going to be safe.
Now she just needed to get to Lisa and Betsy, before it was too late.