Page 21 of A Second Dawn

“Only way off ship without seeing,” he says.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself. I don’t know if I can do this, but Mario is right. There seems to be no other way out.

My arms go around Claudette’s shoulders, hugging her to me.

“Be careful,” I whisper into her ear.

“You too, darling. This is quite the adventure,” she says, though her smile seems forced. “See you on the other side.”

Mario lifts me into the grate. “Do not make sound. Mr. Aiden get you out other side.”

There’s a relatively clean blanket covering half the bottom, and I lay on it on my side, tugging my legs close to my body. He lowers the lid and darkness surrounds me.

Oh my god! I can’t breathe.

I realize it’s my panic talking, but still… all I want to do is bash my hands against the false bottom, begging Mario to let me out.

Deep breaths, deep breaths, I remind myself.

But that only highlights the putrid smell that makes my eyes water.

God, I’m going to be sick.

What if I throw up in here?

I notice a few holes drilled into the metal floor and manage to turn my body to get closer to them. The sliver of light is reassuring, and I place my hand over a couple of holes and focus my mind on the air on my skin to combat my rising anxiety.

I hear the rustling of bags and then the cart shakes as Mario loads it with bags of rubbish.

Help.I’m being buried.

What if Aiden isn’t there to get me out?

My heart is pounding so hard in my chest, it feels like it’s going to burst. My breathing becomes more and more rapid, the tightness in my chest growing stronger.

I have to fight the urge to gasp for air.

The darkness seems to close in on me. I feel like I’m suffocating.

Every second feels like an eternity, and I can’t stop the flood of terrifying thoughts that rush through my mind.

What if something has happened to Aiden? What if Tiero caught him? Am I going to die in here?

I’m going to be okay.

I AM going to be okay.

Remembering the breathing exercises Aiden taught me, I try to focus on inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth.

I repeat the process over and over until the tightness in my chest eases. My heart rate slows, and the sinking feeling in my gut subsides.

“Time to get off ship.” Mario says through the metal. He must be bending down because his voice is right next to my ear. “Hold tight. Remember, no sound.”

No sound.Easier said than done. Especially when my body protests the awful smell, and I have to fight the urge to retch.

Then the cart is on the move. There’s a clinking of chains and a sudden jolting forward.

The sound of metal grinding against metal fills my ears, and my heart rate rises again. Are we on a conveyor belt?