Chapter 18 (Jasper)

Fuck.

I struggled to open my eyes. They were heavy, and my temples kept throbbing like someone had taken a baseball bat to the side of my head. My stomach churched as soon as I sat up.

This was not my bed. This was not my home.

Cold concrete lay underneath me.

Where was I?

Finally, I managed to open my eyes. A bright light made it impossible to see for the first few moments but eventually, they began to adjust.

This was strange. Very strange.

Slowly, I got to my feet, steadying myself despite the dizziness that I felt. The whole world looked like it was spinning around me, faster and faster every time I blinked.

What happened?

I tried to remember. The last thing I could recall was falling asleep on the couch while watching the Notebook. At one point, I woke up and carried Mandy to bed. I joined her shortly after. From there, I could remember nothing else.

Maybe this was just a dream.

the pain coursing through my skull was too real to be fake.

Someone had done this to me.  that’s not what I cared about. The only thing that mattered to me at that moment was Mandy. If they had taken me to this strange place, then I could only imagine what they had done to her. Just thinking about it caused a fury to run through my soul.

I needed to find her.

Now.

The room I was in was bare. The walls were made of stone. There were no windows. The only way out seemed to be the large metal door located on the back wall.

I ran my hands along the frame, but this was one heavy-duty door. Whoever had put me here, didn’t want me to leave.

Think, Jasper. Who would want to do this to you? Of course, as a once-wealthy businessman, I had my fair share of enemies, but I had a hunch that all this was related to Mandy. Perhaps it was the man who had threatened her.  how had I been so careless as to let him break into my home?

It became hard for me to focus on these thoughts running through my head, so I took a deep breath.

This wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. I had served as a Navy SEAL and survived everything the enemy threw my way. I had made my way up the corporate ladder and still managed to make a success of myself. This was just another challenge I was bound to overcome.

“Okay… let’s see. No windows. Steal door.  this must be a safe room of sorts. And, every safe room usually has a secondary entrance…” I spoke to myself, trying to think through the situation.

I narrowed my eyes and scanned the room, looking for clues. Usually, the trap door was well-hidden but everything that was once hidden could certainly be found.

Carefully, I shuffled my feet against the ground, trying to pick up on anything unusual. When I reached the middle of the room, my steps suddenly sounded hollow.

Bingo.

I smirked.

This had to be it.

I kneeled on the ground and started to scrape away at the dirt floor. Eventually, I encountered something wooden. “Gotcha!” My smirk deepened when I saw the circular handle.

Thinking I was as good as free, I wrapped my fingers around the cold metal and gave it a firm tug.

It did not budge.

I pulled once more, rattling the wooden door.

Locked.

“Fuck!”

I ran my fingers through my hair, growing frustrated. The more time I spent locked up in this room, then the less time I had to find Mandy before something terrible happened. A growing sense of anxiety was already building in the pit of my stomach. I knew I had to save her. I had to make sure she was okay. She was counting on me and I couldn’t let her down. I didn’t care what it took, I would protect her.

With this newfound ambition, I got up and slammed my heel against the door. The wood cracked and splintered but it did not budge. I kicked it again and again and again until my whole leg became numb.

And then, finally, it gave way. I nearly lost my balance, stumbling forward and crashing into the wall. My already aching head throbbed with a jolt of pain upon impact. I blinked, seeing stars.

“Ugh.” I steadied myself.

I couldn’t let a little headache stop me from saving her.

I pushed aside the pain and returned to the door, swinging it back. Underneath me was a dark shaft that led to god knows where.

For all I knew, this could be a trap. This tunnel could lead me straight to the enemy and I’d be defenseless to stop them. Still, it was my only way out of this room and it was worth a shot.

I had to find Mandy.

Driven by this need to protect her, I jumped down.

The ground was muddy underneath my feet. The gloom was so thick that I could barely see even as I waited for my vision to adjust.

With no other choice, I placed my hands on the wall and started forward, taking each step with caution.

Hang on, Mandy. I’m going to get you.