Chapter 4: A brand new cage

Hannah was a prisoner. It’s all she’s ever remembered being. First she was a prisoner to Theodore and now she was trapped in a secluded cabin, a captive of a strange man’s desperation.

The room she was placed in resembled what she would envision as a peaceful retreat but all it was in this moment was a cold, confining space. Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of leaves outside, every sound sent a shiver down her spine.

She wondered if Theodore would be looking for her. She hoped he never found her and it came as no surprise that she was willing to pick this prison over his.

Ultimately, she knew that she had to escape one way or another. Her plan was freedom and that had not changed.

Ramon, though a kind man had come to realize his darker side. His desperation to save his sister had clouded his judgment, leading him to make a decision that his parents would not approve of.

He had kidnapped Hannah, a woman he barely knew, and held her hostage. He hated waking every morning knowing a strange woman was held against her will under the same roof as Theresa.

He had hoped for things to be over within a few days but the days had turned into two weeks and she wasn’t interested in releasing her husband’s number. He didn’t want to hurt her, he didn’t even want her around anymore but she was not budging and he was growing impatient.

At first, Hannah had tried to reason with him, to appeal to his humanity. She pleaded that she could not return home and he needed to please let her go but he was too consumed by his own problems to listen.

She was the only one who could save Theresa and as far as he was concerned, nothing else mattered.

One morning, Ramon brought her breakfast, his face etched with frustration as he saw the untouched food he had left for her the previous evening.

“Why didn't you eat the dinner I left for you last night?" he demanded, “Not that I expect someone like you to understand but food isn’t so easy to come by these days!”

Hannah shrugged and remained silent, her gaze fixed on the window. She refused to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. He didn’t listen to her when she pleaded with him so why listen to him complain.

"Answer me!" he shouted, his voice rising. "You think I need some spoiled girl in my house wasting my food?!”

“Apparently so,” Hannah responded with no emotion in her voice. She felt exhausted mentally, “You wouldn’t keep me here otherwise”

“I told you that I need your husband's number. We need to negotiate a ransom."

“And I told you that I can’t” She wanted to yell at him, to cry but all she could do was sigh and shut her eyes.

This had to be a horrible dream.

“Do you think this is a game lady?” He placed the food down on the table and glared at her, “what the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

He was never going to kill her but he needed to shake her up a bit but Hannah continued to ignore him. She knew that giving him her husband's number would only put her in greater danger.

Theodore would kill her right after he killed her captor. She briefly thought of the guards, it must really suck to be them.

Enraged, Ramon grabbed her arm. "Don't test me, woman!" he threatened. "Tell me what I want to know, or I'll make you regret it."

Hannah's heart pounded as she looked into his eyes. There was nothing but anger and she immediately thought of Theodore. He usually had the same look in his eyes.

She forced herself not to cry. She was done crying.

“Go ahead and hit me! You wouldn’t be the first!” She yelled despite the fear she could feel creeping into her, but she refused to give in.

She would not be broken. She would not be a victim. Especially to a man like this.

Her words hit Ramon in a way he had not seen coming. He loved his mother and his baby sister, never in his life did he think he would be placed in the same category as women beaters.

He was almost tempted to ask if that’s why she didn’t want to go back home but chose to release her arm instead. He wondered if his shame was evident on his face.

"I won't tell you anything," she said, her voice steady. "You'll have to find your own way out of this dumb mess that you’ve made ."

Ramon clenched his fists until he felt his knuckles hurt. "You're playing a dangerous game with me lady,”he warned. "Don't force my hand."

Hannah met his gaze, her eyes unwavering. She knew she was in danger, but when was she ever not in danger?

Nothing and nobody would make her go back to Theodore. She would much rather take her own life but till then, she was also determined to survive. She would not let this evil man before her break her spirit.

As the days passed, Ramon's desperation grew. He realized that he couldn't keep Hannah captive forever.

As if that was no bad enough,she had stopped eating. He didn’t know what her intentions were but he needed to find a way to use her to his advantage.

She was the only one that could help secure his sister's future. Threats did not seem to do any good but he needed her healthy enough to send back to her people.

Why she was hellbent on not returning to her spouse was a mystery to him. But he could not concern himself with such.

He just needed money and her out of the house. It was already getting hard to explain what kept making noises upstairs to his sister.

His excuses were getting less and less believable.

Hannah, meanwhile, was growing confident in her escape plan. She was learning to adapt to her captivity, to find ways to resist her kidnapper’s control.

She was becoming more aware of his desperation; she was the one in charge and she was going to find her way out.

One night, when she was certain that he was asleep, Hannah slipped out of her room through the open window. She knew it was a risky move, but she had to try. She needed to find a way to escape, to break free from her captor’s clutches.

She tried to balance herself , her heart pounding in her chest as she prepared her mind for a jump. She knew that if Ramon caught her, he would punish her severely.

He’d never punished her before but she had become accustomed to it that she expected it from every man. But she was determined to take her chances.

The cold air hit her face, and she shivered. She was free, but she was also alone and vulnerable. She didn't know where to go or what to do. She just knew that she had to jump, and so she jumped.

Finally, she collapsed to the ground and her ankle gave way. Her scream was the last thing she heard before exhaustion took over.

She could hardly breathe and She closed her eyes, and for a moment, she thought of death. Perhaps that was the only way she could truly be free.

The last thing she heard before the darkness took over was the door of the cabin being flung open.

A tall, blurry figure running toward her was what she saw last before she passed out on the grass.

It was Ramon.