Shane

EPILOGUE

Shane strode through the woods on his land toward the tool shed. He offered to show it to Markayla when he’d first taken her on a walk around the grounds but assured her she’d find it both creepy and boring. Nothing but old shovels, rakes and spiders in it, he’d told her. Taking his word for it, not that it wasn’t true, they’d moved on without actually entering the shed. That morning, he told her he was going to head down the little hill to the shed and fix an old clock his mother had adored for many years, also true, and said to text him if she needed anything. “I know you worry about snakes and things like that, so just send a text, and I’ll be at your service in less than two minutes if you need me.” She’d smiled sweetly, a look of gratitude on her face, and kissed him on the lips. Oh, how he couldn’t wait to do more than just kiss, and he knew they eventually would. He would be patient, though. He wasn’t going anywhere and neither was she. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that there was something special about Markayla. Never had he met a woman who had captured his heart and mind as much as his manhood. He entered the shed and snapped on the light. He shut the doors behind him, even though the house wasn’t visible from the tiny building. He grabbed a box of food from a wooden cabinet and then yanked a heavy mat up off the floor, exposing a trapdoor. He pulled it open. It creaked in protest. He then dropped the food down, picked up a battery-operated halogen light, and climbed down the ladder. He dropped to his feet and let his eyes slowly sweep across the small, hidden underground room that stank of mold, urine and feces. Two pairs of terrified eyes stared back at him. “Good morning, ladies,” he said to the young women bound and chained to bare and heavily stained mattresses. Yes, Markayla was special. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t still have some fun on the side or that she had to know his deepest, darkest secrets.