Chapter 128

Willow was dragged into a storage room on the basement floor. It was pitch-black inside. Dale flicked a switch, and the light came on with a sharp pop. The room was a total mess, but in the middle of the floor, a large sheet of brown packing paper covered a single mattress, just large enough for one person. The rest of the floor was strewn with discarded cardboard crates and linen sacks. Surveying the room, Willow realized that Dale had planned and set this all up, ahead of time. Heart hammering in her chest in a frightened panic, she fought and struggled to get free of him. But Dale was much too strong for her. With one hand, he pinned both her wrists behind her back; with the other, he began forcefully choking the strength out of her body. Like a kitten, she was lifted off her feet by the grip on her neck, completely helpless to save herself. As he hauled her into the room, he picked up a coil of rope he’d already had waiting, and used it to tie her hands behind her bac