The Variables

“Ainsley,” she whispered to the sleeping girl.

“Hmmmm,” Ainsley mumbled.

“Get up. Come on. We’re going.”

“What?” Ainsley pushed the rocking horse and then sat up quickly. “What?” She stared at Darla by the light of the lantern, her eyes wide with confusion and shock. “What?” she asked again.

The lock above the door rattled, the door creaked open, and Darla slid her body against the wall. Noticing the lamp above Darla’s shoulder for the first time, Ainsley jumped up and stood against the wall, out of sight. Her hair was a tangled mess. She clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes tight.

A triangular sliver of light appeared on the floor, and it crept wider and wider. Lindsey’s silhouette appeared and she took a tentative step forward.

“Darla?” she asked. “Ainsley?”

With a deep breath, Darla stepped out and swung, landing a blow across Lindsey’s upper arm. Shocked and surprised, Lindsey backed out into the hall, fumbling with the door, but Darla kicked it open and followed her. She pushed the base of the lamp against Lindsey’s chest and jammed her into the wallpapered wall opposite her prison. Lindsey grasped at the lamp leg and struggled to catch her breath. She started to call out, but Darla dropped the lamp and rushed forward. She placed her arm up against Lindsey’s throat and clasped her hand over her mouth. The woman’s eyes were wide and they filled with tears.

“Not a word,” Darla said. “Ainsley! Keys.” Ainsley emerged from the room blinking and looked at Darla and Lindsey and she grimaced. But she reached into Lindsey’s pocket without complaint and pulled out the bundle of keys for the basement doors.

“We’re leaving. Tonight. You hear me?” Darla asked.

Lindsey nodded. She blinked and the tears ran down Darla’s hand.

“I’m taking my hand away and don’t even think about calling for help,” Darla told her, and Lindsey nodded again. Darla turned to Ainsley, “Let Dean out.” Darla removed her hand and looked Lindsey in the eyes. “Where’s everyone else?”

“My-my-my,” Lindsey stammered. Darla shook her gently out of anxiousness and pity and Lindsey groaned and gasped. “My parents are upstairs in their room. My brother is in the main room, watching the basement...basement...door.”

“Where is my gun?” Darla asked.

Lindsey shook her head. “I don’t know what you wanted. I don’t know how you thought I could ever help you if you weren’t willing to cooperate a little. I told you I’d help when I could...I couldn’t. I couldn’t. You don’t understand.”

“Are you armed?”

“Are you Sweepers?” Lindsey asked, ignoring Darla’s question.

Darla leaned closer. “Are you armed?”

Lindsey nodded. “Back...pocket.” Darla spun Lindsey against the wall and patted Lindsey’s waist and her back pockets, and pulled out the small stun gun. She turned it on and jabbed it into Lindsey’s back, her finger hovered over the trigger.

“No...please...” Lindsey pleaded. “Not like this. I told you I was on your side.”

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Darla said. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

Ainsley successfully found the key to unlock Dean’s door and Dean stumbled outward and looked down the hall at Lindsey and Darla. He scratched his head and assessed the two women with perplexed curiosity.

“We have a plan?” he whispered to Darla.

Darla shook her head. “First step. Get out of our rooms.”

“Hey, we’re doing great then,” Dean replied.

“He’s so close to letting you go,” Lindsey said. She began to sob, heaving heavily and leaning forward to catch her breath. “The others…they said they wouldn’t work with kidnappers. He’s been feeling so conflicted. You don’t understand…he’s not evil.”

“Calm down,” Darla instructed in a fierce whisper. “Calm down. Now. Please. And thank you.” And Lindsey listened; she took a deep breath and waited, even though her bottom lip still quivered. “It’s too late. I don’t want to wait any longer for someone else to decide to show me benevolence.” She grabbed Lindsey’s arm harder. Darla held her arms tightly pi

“I’m helping you,” Lindsey said hoarsely. “I told you I’d help you...”

“You’re a little late on the offer,” Darla said. She loosened her grip. “Am I hurting you?”

Lindsey shook her head.

“Let me know if I pull too hard. I don’t want to hurt you,” Darla said.

She directed the woman up the steps, keeping the stun gun trained on her ribs. “Dean and Ainsley,” Darla called back down the stairs, “take the keys. Go the car and wait. I’ll get my gun and follow behind.”

“Darla—” Lindsey said weakly. “Car keys…are…upstairs.”

“Where’s my gun?” Darla whispered.

“I don’t know,” she whispered back.

Lyle called from the other room. “You do it?” he asked.

“Uh-huh,” Lindsey replied, unmoving from the top step.

“They’ll be out long?” he mumbled. “Maybe dad can whip up truth serum or something. End this whole thing.”

“Yeah,” Lindsey said, her voice catching. “Yeah,” she said again, stronger the second time.

“Ray and Jillian back tonight?” he asked. Darla froze. The visitors had names. Lindsey was slow to answer and Darla prodded her with a tap.

“I don’t…maybe…”

“Why are you hovering?” her brother asked and his voice was getting closer.

Darla’s heart pounded in her chest and she felt Dean’s steady hand against her back and then his lips near her ear. “Give me the stun gun,” he said and he slipped his hand next to Darla’s and took the gun. Then he counted slowly and as Lyle’s footsteps approached the door, Darla shoved Lindsey to the ground and Dean sprung, landing the stun gun against Lyle’s neck and jabbing him with a steady stream of voltage. Lyle’s muscles thrashed involuntarily and the lumbering man sunk to the ground.

“Tie him up! Tie him up!” Dean whispered loudly to Ainsley and Ainsley stumbled around the room looking for their own discarded ropes. She attempted to bind the man, but he was regaining his strength and he grabbed Ainsley around the wrist.

“Ouch! Ouch!” Ainsley simpered and she sunk to her knees. The stun gun was ready to go again and Dean leaned forward and zapped Lyle in the shoulder; he dropped his grip on Ainsley.

But then the electrodes stopped firing and the gun whined to stop. Breathing heavily, Lyle regained control of his body. He lifted his head and shifted his legs to stand, taking a swipe at Dean who fumbled with Ainsley to tie the rope around his legs. Working on the knots, Dean managed to pin Lyle’s arms to his body and keep his legs bound together.

When he realized he was incapacitated, Lyle stopped flailing on the ground. “Are you here to kill us?” Lyle asked, his voice raw.

Lindsey struggled in Darla’s arms and pulled against her, but Darla hugged her close. “I’m not going to hurt you,” she reiterated in a slow, steady tone. “Stop.”

“You hurt my brother,” Lindsey cried and she tried to yank away from Darla one more time.

“Shit,” Dean spat. “Lindsey?” he turned his attention to the daughter. “You said the car keys are upstairs?”

She nodded. “In my parent’s bedroom. Side table. They keep them there so Lyle and I wouldn’t be able to make a break for it during the night.” She sniffed.

“Is that a real concern?” Darla asked.

“Look, you don’t have to understand. They don’t want to lose us…we aren’t bad people,” Lindsey added weakly. “He’s not a bad person…”

“I’ll go,” Dean offered and he checked the stun gun and started up the stairs.

“I’ll stay right here,” Ainsley answered from the side of the room. She stood next to Lyle and watched him warily.

Darla looked at Dean squarely. The room was glowing with the dots of nearly fifty tea-light candles, and upstairs someone stirred. Everyone’s eyes traveled upward and waited to see if someone was about to make an appearance. The noises and creaking stopped; everyone sighed.