I pushed it.

The hinges creaked softly, and a cold draft brushed against my face. The air smelled damp… and something else. Something metallic.

“Dorothy?” I called out.

No answer.

Only the faint knocking again.

Knock. Knock.

I stepped onto the first stair. Then another. Each step groaned under my weight, echoing into the darkness below.

“Hello?” My voice sounded smaller now.

Halfway down, I saw a dim light flickering at the bottom. Not a normal light—more like a single bulb, swinging slightly.

Then I heard it again.

Knock.

But this time… it wasn’t random.

It was rhythmic.

Like someone trying to send a message.

My chest tightened.

“Dorothy, is that you?!”

A pause.

Then—

Knock. Knock… knock.

My stomach dropped.

Someone was answering me.

I rushed the rest of the way down.

The basement was not what I remembered.

There were no boxes. No clutter.

Instead, the entire space had been cleared out.

In the center of the room… was a large wooden structure.

A makeshift wall.

No—closer.

It wasn’t just a wall.

It was a sealed enclosure.

Thick planks nailed together. Reinforced.

And from inside it…

Knock.

I ran to it, my hands shaking as I pressed my ear against the wood.

“I’m here!” I shouted. “Hold on!”

A weak voice came through.

“…help…”

It was Dorothy.

My heart slammed against my ribs.

“Oh my God.”

I started pulling at the boards, but they were tightly nailed. Whoever built this didn’t want it opened.

I looked around frantically until I spotted a rusted crowbar leaning against the far wall.

I grabbed it and rushed back.

“Dorothy, I’m going to get you out!”

I wedged the crowbar between two planks and pushed.

The wood groaned.

“Come on… come on…”

With a sharp crack, one board split open.

A foul smell burst out, making me gag.

But I didn’t stop.

I pried off another board. Then another.

Finally, there was enough space to see inside.

And what I saw…

Made my knees almost give out.

Dorothy was curled up on the floor.

Her hands were bound.

Her face pale.

Her eyes barely open.

“Oh my God, Dorothy…”

She looked up at me weakly, tears forming.

“…you came…”

I dropped the crowbar and tore the rest of the boards apart with my hands.

Within seconds, I was inside, cutting the ropes with a small knife I carried.

“What happened? Who did this?!”

She tried to speak, but her voice cracked.

“…Alex…”

Rage flooded through me.

That kid.

That “delivery driver.”

I helped her stand, but she nearly collapsed. She hadn’t eaten properly in days—maybe longer.

“We have to get you out of here.”

As I supported her toward the stairs, she gripped my arm tightly.

“He… he took everything…”

“What?”

“My bank… my savings… he made me sign…”

My blood boiled.

That wasn’t love.

That was a scam.

No.

Worse.

That was kidnapping.

We reached the top of the stairs just as a sound froze us both.

The front door.