Free Only the Strongest Survive by Ian Fox Page B

manage.
    She turned to
the sides. Instead of trying to push, she
began to pull the planks toward her. There must be a way of getting out.
    Her chest was
beginning to feel tight , but still she
did not give up. “I can do it …”
    And then
suddenly all her suffering was over.
Instead of the darkness around her, a wonderful light appeared. She
could no longer feel her body; it did not belong to her anymore.
She felt like a bud of cotton wool carried by the wind. She looked
around and saw a pleasant white light everywhere. There was a
particularly warm glow in front of her and she was slowly being
carried toward it. It was like approaching a large light bulb,
which was not hot or menacing, but attractive and
calming.
     
    *
     
    Two hours
later John went back to her. “Just to make things clear. My beloved
brother has no idea that you’re still alive. I’ll prepare a room
for you in the basement, where you’ll be safe. Sooner or later,
he’ll be back and the more noise you make, the greater the chance
of him coming to visit you. Understand?”
    “Yes.”
    “ You’re in an
isolated house, no neighbors anywher e
near. It’s in the middle of woods, so even if you did manage to
escape, you’d have little chance of finding your way
out.”
    He unfastened her right hand and stroked her
hair. She moved her head.
    He said, “All
I expect from you is reasonable behavior.”
    Emely nodded.
    He
adjus ted the collar on his shirt, which
was bothering him.
    “And when will you let me go?”
    “I suggest we go to the dining room. I’ve
made us a wonderful dinner and it’s getting cold.”
    “So?”
    “Let’s take things one at a time. I’ll tell
you about my plans for you.”
    He gave her the clothes she had been wearing when
she was kidnapped, all freshly washed. Only now did Emely become
aware that she was almost naked.
    “Get dressed. I’ll wait outside the
door.”
    After they
sat down at a huge wooden table, she was surprised at all the
food. From the covered ceramic dishes
wafted the smell of roasted meat and cooked vegetables. Two places
were set with expensive plates and silver cutlery. John uncovered
one of the dishes and a cloud of steam rose from it, drops of
condensation gathering on the edges of the lid.
    “Vegetable soup. It’ll do you good.”
    Even though
the food smelled wonderful and she was hungry, she
didn ’t feel like eating. All she wanted
was to find out what his intentions were. The smell of dust and
dirt that had not been cleaned for a long time was irritating her
nostrils.
    “ Come on, get
some soup.” He watched the light from the
candles reflecting in her eyes.
    They ate in silence. Using a large spoon she ate the
soup with bits of vegetables and chicken floating on top. It was
tasty, but Emely’s thoughts were elsewhere. She looked at John with
anger as he passed her a plate with a large veal cutlet and
potatoes. She wanted to grab the plate and throw it against the
wall. But she controlled her impulse and cut into the meat with her
silver knife. To her surprise, the meat was tender and delicious,
interestingly spiced.
    John added
salad, with a yoghurt dressing. For
dessert, he served a Napoleon pastry with caramel sauce.
    “ This was
very good,” she said without feeling, hoping that
he ’d finally begin talking.
    “ Thank
you . Cooking is one of the things I’m
good at,” he said, lifting his head in pride and unbuttoning his
shirt collar. “I’ll make us some coffee.” He went to the
kitchen.
    Emely looked
around the huge room which was obviously intended only for dining. There were stuffed boar and
stag heads on the walls. There was even a bear’s head. Clearly there’s no shortage of
wildlife in these woods, she thought. The
tall windows were draped in blue velvet curtains. She wondered what
it was like outside.
    From the
kitchen, John said, “My dad was a great
hunter. We often used to come here.”
    She could not care less who his father was.
She just wanted to get