The Cellar

EPILOGUE

“When will they take the chains off?”

“When they figure we won’t run away,” Donna said.

“I wouldn’t run away.”

Donna, squinting through dark, could see only a white blur where her daughter sat among the pillows. “I would. I’d run away in a second.”

“Why?”

“We’re prisoners.”

“Don’t you like it?” Sandy asked.

“No.”

“Don’t you like Rosy?”

“I do. Except she’s ugly like Axel.”

“They’re twins, she ought to be.”

“She’s a retard.”

“Yeah.”

“Who do you like better, Seth or Jason?”

“Neither.”

“I like Seth better,” Sandy said.

“Oh.”

“Aren’t you gonna ask me why?”

“No.”

“Come on, Mom. Just ’cause you’re mad they killed Jud. Besides, they didn’t even kill him, Maggie did. And he deserved it, too.”

“Sandy!”

“Look how many of them he murdered. Six! God, he deserved it. He deserved a lot worse.”

“Damn it, shut up!” And then she was ashamed for using such language on her daughter.

“At least he didn’t get Seth and Jason,” Sandy said.

“Too bad he didn’t.”

“You’re just saying that. You’re just saying that to spoil things. You like them. I know you do. I’m not deaf, you know.”

“Well, I don’t like being chained up in the dark. I don’t like that at all. And the food stinks.”

“Maggie might let you start cooking, if you ask her. Wick told me I can drive with him to Santa Rosa, one of these days, and pick up groceries. Once they trust us more, we can do all kinds of stuff.”

“I’d sure like to see the sun again.”

“Me too. Mom?”

“Yes?”

“Do you still think you’re pregnant?”

“I think so.”

“Who’s baby do you think it is? Jason’s, I bet.”

“I don’t know.”

“I’d like to have Seth’s baby.”

“Shhh. I think they’re coming.”