The Beast Within (Book One of the Changes Series)

-Porsha’s POV-

I thought maybe there was a chance all those shows Danielle watched on Investigation Discovery would give her some helpful information on surviving this nightmare. I got what I deserved for thinking a housewife would know anything about escaping situations like this.

First, Danni and I were separated. Second, the sack was taken off my head before even reaching the cell. Last, we were fucked!

The memory of the never-ending labyrinth of tunnels caused goosebumps to form over my body.

Even with the bag off, I had a rough time adjusting to the lighting, and the farther in I went, the dimmer and more odorous it became. Even now, the sickening stench of ammonia, musk, and crap haunted me. Walking past the gauntlet of tiny cells was surreal. I wondered how many had people locked inside of them. I thought some of the cells were empty, but most held at least one person. It was impossible to make out any of the people’s faces, but I swore the prisoners purposely kept their distance from the bars as the guard and I walked by.

Right before they placed me in a cell of my own, I saw a disheveled young woman pressed against the bars of her prison, watching my every move. I nearly ran into the back of the kidnapper before I realized he had stopped to open the adjacent cell. I remembered quickly entering it to escape her deadened stare.

Now, for all I knew, they could just leave me here to die of dehydration.

I started to pace my tiny area as the dirty half-starved girl in the cell across from me came to the forefront of my mind. How many others had come before me?

“Okay, don’t panic, just figure out another plan,” I whispered to myself.

Harsh, raspy laughter lightly echoed into my cell. The girl’s eerie fits of giggling chilled me to my core. After she started mumbling, I did my best to ignore her.

I got this. I always found a way to succeed in all things but my marriage. Business, production ventures, and fashion, amongst other things. I had done it all except make a plan that would literally save my life.

I felt the burn of fresh tears.

“You can’t escape from here unless you’re Van Helsing or Johnny. I’ve only met one of the two. Guess which one.”

She was completely out of her mind, but I doubted me snubbing her would shut her up. I knew Van Helsing was a famous character in a book. The Johnny she was talking about could’ve been Johnny Depp for all I knew.

“Van Helsing.”

“Ha, you got it wrong, and I thought you would know that one. You’re not that smart, are you? Why would Van Helsing be here? This operation is small potatoes when you compare it to what he usually goes against. Did you know he fought Dracula and other fiends of the night?”

“You’re not that sane, are you?”

She ignored me, “My mom used to make me read all the classics. I was reading the original Dracula before I ran away with Phillip. She wanted to make sure I had an appreciation for great books.”

I didn’t see anyone in her cell with her or next to her. “What happened to Phillip? Did he bring you here?”

“Wrong again, you’re a terrible guesser. Phillip and I took the bus from Chicago and ended up out here. We would’ve been okay if he didn’t start doing drugs. He even made me do them with him.”

Coming from Los Angeles, I knew this story. A lot of people there shared the same fate.

“So, he picked up and left you.”

“Yup. I guess you had to get something right eventually. One morning I woke up, and everything was gone. Our money, his things, my things, and even my book. I couldn’t make enough money to stay in hotels any longer, so I moved around, sleeping on the beach or a park, and that’s where I was taken.”

“You were taken from a park bench?”

“Yup, or a beach.”

God, I hoped it was the drugs and not the stay here that fried her.

“How long have you been down here?”

“For a month or two.”

That was terrifying, but it appeared like the people down here were fed if she remembered the time of her captivity right.

“What’s your name, and how old are you?” I asked

It became deafeningly quiet.

“Josie, and I’m eighteen,” she sullenly said.

“Hello Josie, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Porsha.

“But I’m about to get out of here when Johnny is ready. We’re going to call our parents and go home for a long-overdue visit,” excitedly said.

It was hard for me to keep up. One minute she had a somber tone, then returning to her twisted sunny deposition the next.

I continued to try, “Were you and Johnny brought here at the same time?”

“No, nope, no. Johnny was already here. He was the only person that could stop me from crying and never got angry with me like Phillip used to. Johnny also told cool stories so I could go to sleep. He even took my spot in line so I wouldn’t have to be scared, and he promised to come back for me.”

My heart skipped a beat. “What makes being next in line so scary; what happens?”

“Well, before Johnny, everybody that went never came back, but Johnny won’t tell me what happened to him. He just said I should be happy he came back, which I am. I had almost given up when he didn’t come back after the third night, but he kept his promise, and I woke up to his beautiful smiling face across the hall. After he feels stronger, we’re out of here; you can come with us if you’d like.”

Her story had holes all through it, but I didn’t want to shatter her already fragile mind, so I tried to tread carefully.

“So, where is Johnny?”

I listened to the riping of fabric as she started mumbling excessively.

I didn’t know if I could talk her down, but I had to try.

“Josie, I just want to help. Wouldn’t you two rather be home with your families? Maybe if he shares his plan, we could possibly help.”

I heard a long exaggerated huff.

“Whatever lady, you talk to him yourself then. I bet you a million dollars. He won’t even talk to you at all. I can tell by the look on his face, he doesn’t like you.”

“Is he in your cell?”

“No dummy, he’s in your cell. Don’t you see him sticking his tongue out at you?” Josie said, beginning to laugh.

Even though I knew I was alone, I canvassed my prison. Who knows if Johnny had ever existed? He most likely wasn’t any more real than her fictional hero, Van Helsing.

I left the barred area, walking towards the bed. I hesitated, looking at the stains on it before sitting down. Josie started loudly talking to her imaginary friend.

“Look at what you did, Johnny; now she doesn’t want to talk to me anymore. If you don’t tell her something, I’ll tell her the little I do know. Okay, I’m telling, and I don’t care how mad you get. Porsha, Porsha. Porsha!”

I tried to tune out the crazy girl’s rant, but she seemed to get louder by the second. I was afraid she would cause the kidnappers to come back.

“What, Josie?” I curtly said.

“I’ve seen what comes to get you when you’re next in line. You want to know what it is?”

I rolled my eyes, “What is it?”

“I’ll give you three clues, and then you have to guess. Big teeth, huge claws, and they howl at the moon.”

My chest tightened as I recalled the growls I heard in my backyard and in the van. I was stuck while listening as Josie repeated her clues in a sing-song voice.

“Stop talking like that. You’re getting on my nerves,” I snapped.

Josie had gotten on my nerves, but she had scared me even more. She continued to mock me, repeating the clues once again. I never thought of myself as a violent person, but if she didn’t shut the hell up…

Shit Porsha, think. I still needed to find a way to keep her quiet.

“Alright, you win; I’ll play your game. Is it a wolf?” A shudder went throughout my body.

“Ooh, you were so close. Shut up Johnny; she didn’t guess right! There is a huge difference between a wolf to a werewolf. Shoot! See what you made me do. The whole game is ruined because of you.”

Josie continued her conversation with Johnny as I stared at the ceiling, trying to decide if she had made that last statement up like she had made up Johnny. There was no way of knowing the horrors Josie bore witness to. Still, it was ludicrous to believe our kidnappers were werewolves. Things that went bump in the night didn’t actually exist. This was just the crazy talk of a traumatized teenaged girl.

In truth, I wasn’t trying to throw stones because right at this moment, she and I lived in the same glass house. Fear coursed through me as I felt the heat of my tears falling over my cheeks. I didn’t want to end up like Josie. Even if I died, I would like it to be with my mind intact.

Will alone kept a fresh batch of tears at bay. Instead, I went over the night in my yard again. The growl and mysterious wind burned doubts into my mind.

A newfound quiet caught my attention. Josie had finally stopped ranting. Maybe it was time for her and Johnny’s bedtime story.

If someone had asked me yesterday about my religious beliefs, I would’ve found the thought of there being a God just as absurd as the existence of werewolves. But God seemed like the better option. I kept my eyes shut and started praying for a miracle.