“Stay here, and let me check it out.”
I know she wants to protest, but she stays put as I circle the cabin. It looks like someone’s summer cabin, but from the chill in the air, it’s no longer summer here. I peer in through several windows, and after not seeing any sign of anyone, I circle to the backdoor and kick it open.
I search through the dark but don’t find any signs of people currently living here. I walk to the front and open the door.
“It’s clear. Come in,” I say.
Liesel walks inside the cabin, and I shut the door behind her. The lights are still off, but I can t
ell she’s shivering. I want nothing more than to put my arms around her. The only problem is my hands are still cuffed.
“Is it safe to turn the lights on?” Liesel asks.
I nod. It would be best to keep the lights off, but right now, we need simple comforts like electricity.
Liesel finds the light switch, and the lights turn on, illuminating us both.
I look at Liesel. She’s drenched; goosebumps stand out through the sand and mud stuck to her legs. The leather jacket she kept on to keep her warm is dripping water everywhere, and her hair is a matted mess of water and seaweed.
She looks at me the same way, with disgusted disbelief. I’m just as soaked. My jeans are stuck to me, and the handcuffs dug ugly red marks around my wrists.
“We need to figure out a way to get those cuffs off you; then we can figure out the rest.”
“Let’s look for something to pick the lock.” I saw an ax to chop firewood in front of the shed out back, but I’d prefer to have the cuffs off, not just separated.
Liesel starts to head toward one of the bedrooms to look.
“Stay,” I say, unable to get my words out fast enough.
She turns and stares at me with her mouth open and eyes narrowed. “Why? I thought I was supposed to help you look for something to pick the lock with.”
“Yes, but don’t leave my sight. I don’t want to worry about you, and I’m the only one with a weapon.”
She keeps staring at me confusedly.
“Please,” I add.
She returns to my side, and we head to the kitchen first.
I find a knife. She finds a paperclip.
I hand the knife to her. “Keep this with you at all times.”
She takes it reluctantly, and I take the paperclip from her. It takes me a minute to get the first lock to come free on my left wrist, but then the second pops open easily, and the chains drop to the floor.
“Here,” Liesel says, putting a cool dish rag over my wrists to soothe the pain.
“Thank you.” I clear my throat. “You should shower and see if you can find any clothes to warm you up. I’ll keep look out here and see if I can find any food for us.”
She nods and then heads to the bathroom in back of the house; I follow at a distance to keep her somewhat near. I hate letting her out of my sight at all, but she needs to shower, and I will listen carefully for any intruders.
The fridge is practically empty besides some expired ketchup and dressing bottles. The pantries have a few cans of beans and vegetables. I pull those out and find some frozen pizzas in the deep freezer.
I pop the pizzas in the oven just as Liesel comes back into the kitchen.
“That wasn’t a very long shower,” I say.
“I didn’t want to be apart from you any longer than I had to.”