Page 117 of Behind the Shadows

The light from above barely reached the bottom of the staircase. Just enough to show the old chains on the wall. The drain in the center of the floor. The shelf of rusted tools still lined up like trophies.

My mouth went dry.

I felt Holland behind me—her presence like a tether. But I couldn’t move.

“You don’t have to do this,” she whispered.

“No. I do. He can’t control me anymore. He can’t use me to hurt the people I love. If we don’t break the bond, I’ll never be free. Neither will you.”

My chest ached as my lungs forgot how to breathe.

It hit me all at once.

Flash.

Leather.

Flash.

Scripture.

Flash.

Mother—her words dripped with venom: “Repent, and the Lord shall forgive you.”

My knees buckled. I collapsed hard on the concrete, pain shooting through my legs.

“Kip!” Holland’s voice cut through, but I couldn’t find her. I was falling deeper.

My skin crawled. My ears rang, and my fingers twitched as if I could find something to hold onto and stop my descent to hell.

I wasn’t present. Not really.

“Hey.” Her hands cupped my cheeks. Her touch was gentle, but her next words were firm and calculated.

“Look at me. Kip. I need you to listen. I need you to trust me.”

My lips moved without sound.

“I’m going to hypnotize you and take you under. Exactly like I’ve done for patients before. You’re safe with me. Do you understand?”

I nodded—barely.

“Okay,” she said softly, brushing my hair off my forehead before she set her purse on the floor next to us. “Focus on the sound of me speaking to you. Nothing else matters. Not the cold. Not the chains. Not the pain. Just me.”

Her words slipped under my skin like warmth. My heartbeat pounded against my ribs and my gaze lost focus.

“You’re safe. You’re safe. You’re safe,” she repeated, like a spell. “Now close your eyes.”

Darkness met me like an old friend.

“Tell me where you are,” she asked.

I was breathing shallowly. “Basement. Pipe on the wall. Cold. It’s cold.”

“What do you see?”

“Rusted tools. A worn Bible. Leather strap.”