The Beast Within (Book One of the Changes Series)
The Grotto (Part 14.1)

-Porsha’s POV-

Never in a million years would I have guessed I would starve to death. Honestly, I thought I would go an old woman, warm in my bed with my favorite cat by my side. Depressing but way less painful. But no, my version of death wasn’t drastic enough. Now I was slowly rotting away with nothing to show for my life other than financial stability. At this point, that added up to jack-fucking-shit. I would sell all my businesses on the spot for a burger and some fries.

Danielle was lucky. At least she could get lost in memories of her children, husband, and “normal life” before dying. I knew the thought of never seeing them again must hurt like hell, but I would trade my thoughts for hers in a heartbeat. There was a real possibility that no one had even noticed I was missing. Nathan probably had the whole state looking for Danni while Stan crossed his fingers, hoping that I just never came back. Again, if he even knew I was gone.

The sad truth was that Stan was the closest I had ever come to having a functional family. I knew my dad had no idea I was missing, and evil incarnate, aka Mom, was probably just as clueless. I wasn’t sure she even remembered she had a daughter. The only person that would’ve noticed was the same person I shared a cell with, fucking perfect.

I looked across the cell at Danielle, seeing she was still sitting on the cold cement floor, staring blankly into the void. I hated to admit it, but she has been scaring the hell out of me lately. It seemed like she was trying to stay as far away from me as possible, but that started before us being locked away. Who the hell knows? Maybe this was her new normal. I no longer had the strength to press the issue. If she needed her space, I’d leave it to her.

There were times I caught her looking at me, and all I saw was concern and worry in her expression. If I didn’t know better, it was as if she was afraid of hurting me, the way she stayed away. But why would she want to hurt me?

I refused to stop talking to her altogether. Really, it was the only way I’d been able to keep my sanity. I noticed when I let the silence linger, my mind wandered on thoughts of werewolves and death. There had even been times that I thought I heard Danielle growl. The recollection of the menacing sound sent a shiver up my back.

I swallowed hard, trying to remedy my dry throat, “How are you doing over there?”

Danni didn’t answer.

The few times I did get her to talk today only amounted to a few words. She went on about the guard not bringing water. I wasn’t shocked; they were undoubtedly ready for us to die. The sick bastards probably sold the live feed to other rich, sick bastards, setting wagers on who would die first.

My stomach gurgled, twisting in pain. The hunger was all-encompassing.

“I don’t think the guard is coming, Danielle.”

Danni stood up and started pacing the small area, never veering her sight from the entrance. Did she just bare her teeth?

“He’s on his way now, but not alone.” She sniffed the air. “There are three on their way right now.”

I frowned, “How do you know that?”

Now my eyes were glued to the entry. I felt paralyzed until the P.A. system I swore Danni had made up crackled to life and nearly gave me a heart attack.

“Hello Danni, how’s your stay with us so far?” an unknown woman asked.

The sound of another person, friend or foe, excited me.

“Oh my God! Who the hell are you?”

“Danielle, you didn’t tell her about me? I’m hurt.”

“Cut the shit, Lu Ann!” Danni shouted.

My heart felt as if it had dropped to my feet. This was the woman Danni had told me about. I had started to think she was a figment of Danni’s imagination.

“What do you want from us? Why are you doing this?” I excitedly questioned.

I knew we wouldn’t get any of our questions answered, but I couldn’t help asking them anyway.

“Didn’t Danni tell you why you’re here? Because she knows. She didn’t tell you, did she? Tsk, tsk, where is the honesty?”

“You better hope I don’t get my hands on you,” Danielle seethed.

My gaze went frantically from Danni to the barred entryway. I was now able to hear a barrage of footsteps coming our way too.

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter now, does it?”

The three men Danni had predicted turned the corner and stopped in front of our cage. They all looked like regular guys in their early twenties. Though, the one farthest to the left seemed the most misplaced. His long, straight, sun-bleached hair and scruffy facial fuzz looked as if he would be in a pair of board shorts on a surfboard instead of in wrinkled fatigues standing in a dank concealed prison. The other men gave the impression of G.I. Joe militant wannabes with their buzz cuts and clean-shaven faces, right down to their polished boots. All except that they weren’t the good guys.

My breath kept catching in my throat at the thought of what might be next.

Before I knew what to say, the surfer imposter walked over to the entrance as the bars slid open, rushing towards me, pulling me into a firm hold. I could feel my back against his chest as he slowly delivered pressure to his forearm, cradling my neck. I tried to scream, but the best I could manage was a whimper.

Danni closed the distance between us, not showing a stitch of fear in her expression. I felt the pressure around my neck increase. What was she doing other than succeeding in getting both of us killed? I didn’t know if it was the pressure around my neck or the lack of food that had me lightheaded, but if he continued pressing the way he was, I knew I was as good as dead. It seemed as if Danielle came to the same conclusion. She stopped, retracing her steps.

“That-a-girl. We wouldn’t want to see your friend get roughed up any more than necessary,” Lu Ann teased.

The man’s grip lessened, but only marginally. Danielle swung her head towards the camera, still showing no signs of fear. I only sensed anger that seemed to come off of her in waves. At that moment, I wasn’t sure if I was more frightened by her or the man that had me in his vice grip.

“Are you going to keep talking, or does any of this have a point?” Danielle spitted out through clenched teeth.

Danni’s demeanor seemed to place more than just me on edge as Lu Ann barked out orders. The other two men quickly but cautiously came towards Danni.

Danielle didn’t put up a fight as the two guards zip-corded her hands behind her. They acted as if she was a bomb that might explode even after she was secured. One kept a tight hold of her as the other swiftly placed a cable ring around her neck. None of the men, including the hippie holding me, seemed to relax until Lu Ann confirmed she had a link, whatever that was supposed to mean. Afterward, the man let me go, and I could finally take in a full breath. The three men filed out of the cell, waiting outside of it.

What the hell was that all about? Were we being tortured? If so, doesn’t most torture have a rhyme or reason behind it?

I kept my sight on the men that stayed right outside our prison. Only breaking the terrifying view to check on Danielle. Her arms were pinned back so tightly I thought they just might be ripped out of their sockets, and the ring around her neck appeared to weigh her down. That on its own was scary, but what really petrified me was the fire that raged in her eyes. There was something off about her. I didn’t want to admit it out loud, but I think it had something to with why she was bound and I wasn’t, and maybe it was for the best.

The shiver that had been with me since this started electrified my spine. I looked back over at Danielle. If I had let her leave at the restaurant, none of this would be happening to me. Better yet, if I had never taken her call, this wouldn’t be happening to either of us. A sudden feeling of resentment flowed through me, causing me to harvest anger of my own. I knew this wasn’t Danielle’s fault, but I needed someone to blame.

There was Danielle, seemingly able to keep a tight hold of herself and her emotions at a time like this. I wasn’t even aware that she possessed this type of strength in her. I wished she had shared the secret because I had enough of being terrified.

The sound of the P.A. system broke through my thoughts, “Follow the gentlemen to your destination,” Lu Ann stoically said.

My eyes widened as I felt my heart skip a beat. I noticed Danni was now staring at me, and it was the first time she showed any emotion other than rage since the voice started over the speaker.

“Get the lead out of your asses, and let’s move,” the hippie snapped.

I let out a long breath, breaking our eye contact, and started out of the cell. I stopped in front of the first of the men. A gasp escaped me as he roughly pushed me towards the other two. My body involuntarily jumped, hearing the cell door slam shut.

Danni? I fought the urge to look behind me.

“I’m right behind you,” Danielle reassured. Relief washed over me. At least I wasn’t alone.

My bare feet seemed to catch every jagged pebble as we walked past the entrance that brought me to Danni. It only got worse the farther down through the tunnels we traveled. I wrinkled my nose at the cold fetid water that soaked into my soles, splashing over my legs.

My leg muscles began to burn and ache the longer we walked until we finally reached a steel-reinforced entrance. I watched as the guard unlocked the door, stepping to its side. He motioned for me to walk into the darkened space. I couldn’t see anything. My fear spiked to new heights. I knew I didn’t have a choice, but my legs wouldn’t budge.

“Come on, Malibu Barbie, we don’t have all night,” the hippie chided.

I hadn’t realized that I had lost track of night and day until he had said that. Any place had to be better than that cell, right?

I closed my eyes and made the initial step into the unknown. After a few steps, I opened my eyes. The only light came from the open door I had just gone through, which only made the room scarier, casting eerie shadows all over. My eyes didn’t have enough time to adjust before the men pushed Danni in, slamming the door behind us.

“I can’t see. Danni, I can’t see anything! What is this place?” I asked no one in particular.

“Porsha, we’re fine. We’re just in a room. There’s nothing in here other than us, okay?”

“How do you know? It’s dark as hell in here. I can’t even see you.”

I stood still and tried to concentrate on one spot, hoping to help my eyes adjust to the darkness faster. It was apparent Danni was already acclimated as I listened to her walk freely around the area, kicking on the surrounding walls.

I felt weak and useless. Slowly, I backed into a wall and made that my post. Danni came to the wall I was petrified against, testing it with a kick. I was surprised to hear the sound of a metal grate knocking against what sounded like another metal grate.

“Did you find a way out?” I implored.

“I don’t know.”

Danielle started to bang on the same spot and stopped, then she repeated the same pattern for a minute or two. I sat on the floor and closed my eyes, finding that was better than the darkness I experienced with my eyes open.

“Did you hear that?” Danni asked.

My heart almost stopped beating as my eyes shot open to see nothing.

“Hear what?”

“Someone is on the other side of this wall.”

Before Danni could finish her sentence, I heard a succession of knocks. Danni was right. It was coming from the other side of the divider. Fear of the unknown seized me. Jumping to my feet, I blindly got as far away from the wall as possible.

First, I heard gears grinding before a very dim light shone into the darkness. Oh god, I could see again.

I didn’t have time to celebrate as I cautiously watched as the wall opened upwards. The light and air from the night sky flooded the area. It felt like ages since I had felt fresh air. I was close to tears. I was so happy, but Danni didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm.

From the corner of my eye, I caught the reason for her concern. There was someone there. Wait, I think I knew who it was.

“Josie, is that you?”

She didn’t look up from the dirt she was now aimlessly shifting through.

“Josie, it’s me, Porsha. What are you doing out here?”

A troubled whine escaped her, “He didn’t stop them this time. Johnny just sat and watched them take me. Why would he do that?”

I knew this conversation wasn’t going anywhere, so I didn’t bother answering her. Danielle still hadn’t said a word. I turned to see Danni’s reaction to Josie, but she seemed more interested in staring intently into our new surroundings. I put my attention back on Josie, watching her keep to the dirt around her.

“We have to move. It’s not safe here.” Danni informed as she kept her gaze outward.

“Josie, are there other people like us that are out here?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“So you were sent out here by yourself?”

“No.”

“I thought you said you were the only one here, so which is it?”

I felt myself getting agitated at her. Was I the only one left with any sense here? I had the fearless psychic at the back of me and an idiot savant in front. Neither was helping with the already beyond fucked-up situation.

“Hello? Josie, answer my question.” I waited to see if she would speak up, but nothing came as she continued to play with her dirt. “Damn it!”

I heard a snap and saw Danni bring her arms from behind her back. She began to rub her wrists where they used to be bound. As she stepped away from where she was standing, I could see a jagged part of the rolling door frame that she must have used to free herself.

“Josie did answer your questions. She came out with another person, and now that person is dead, leaving her here alone,” Danni flatly said.

I felt my jaw drop. I couldn’t wrap my mind around anything Danielle just said. Did she say a person just died? How would she know that?

I turned my back to the both of them and began to walk into the new landscape, needing space away from the two nutters.

“Where are you going, Porsha? I told you already it’s not safe. Get over here, now!”

I ignored Danni and continued to investigate the area, stopping in the center of what I could only describe as a cavern. My head went upward. The moonlight illuminated most of the sizable area from a few large holes in the rocky ceiling at least three stories above us.

“Porsha, listen to me. We need to stick together. Please come back,” Danni begged, coming to meet me.

I wasn’t really sure why, but I started to back away from her. There was no doubt that I was being childish, but I couldn’t stop. If I did, I would be solidifying the horrors that Josie and Danielle claimed to be true.

“Stop, don’t go any farther. Please, Porsha, stay where you are.”

I kept backing up, disregarding Danni’s pleas.

“No, I want this whole nightmare to go away. I want you to go away!” I hollered.

“SHH. Wait, stop Por—”

My right foot stumbled over something hard that somehow gave way. Before I could catch my balance, I slipped, hitting my head on the cave’s floor. Danni ran over, pulling me up as the pain manifested.

She cradled my face in the palms of her hands. “Are you okay?”

I felt something wet at the back of my head. My hand reached around to investigate as panic took over. My fingers were covered in a thick liquid that the back of my head was drenched in.

“Shhh. It’s not your blood. You’re fine. We need to go.” Danni tried hard to keep my gaze trained on her. “We need to go back to where Josie is, okay?” Her eyes bore into mine, waiting for my response.

I nodded my head, feeling the blood ooze down the clumped strands of my hair. Tears washed over my face. I was moments away from losing it. If it wasn’t my blood, then whose blood was it?

Danni let go of my face and took my hand, leading me back to where we left Josie.

“Hold on to my hand as tight as you need. Just pay attention to the back of my head while we walk, okay?”

I trailed behind her. Every fiber of my being screamed for me not to look behind me, but I had to know. As if it would help, I closed my eyes and turned my head towards the unknown.

“Porsha, no!”

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