What Lies Beneath: An adrenaline-fuelled, high concept thriller by Stephen Edger

Author:Stephen Edger [Edger, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-06-05T23:00:00+00:00

Joe

If at first you don’t succeed …

That’s what they say, right? To try, try again?

In truth, I don’t think I’ll ever have what it takes to inflict the necessary damage to break David’s will. And he knows I don’t, which means he isn’t threatened by any of my attempted intimidation.

Standing at the basement door, I am greeted by the stale odour of sweat and flatulence drifting up to where the air is fresher. The downside of holding him in a windowless room beneath the ground was always going to be the smell. I can hear him whimpering at the bottom of the stairs, and given I can no longer see the back garden through the darkness beyond the kitchen window, I can only imagine how desperate for food and a proper drink David must be.

Maybe there is another way.

Extracting the loaf of bread from the box on the side, I snatch up a slice, and carry it down to the basement. The moment my feet hit the stairs, I hear David wincing and scurrying over the cold concrete floor, before the distinct popping sound of him clambering onto the inflated mattress against the far wall. I’m sure this feigned panic is all an act for my sake; to lull me into a false sense of security, but for once he’s the one wasting his time. There’s no way I’m going back into that cell; everything I need to say and do can be done out here.

I can barely see him, hidden in the shadows of the cell, but I know where he is, and stare off in that direction.

‘I’m not an unreasonable man,’ I say into the darkness. ‘Considering what you’ve put me through this last year, I’d say I’ve been more than accommodating to you. However, a man’s got to eat, am I right?’

I hold the slice of bread up to the light so he can see it.

‘I could easily leave you down here alone without provisions, and watch as your vital organs slowly shut down while you squirm in agony, but that doesn’t benefit either of us, now does it? So,’ I reach down and pull out one of the small bottles of water from the fridge, and quickly snap off the lid, ‘I’m going to show some faith, and let you have these.’

Avoiding looking at him, I place the bottle of water just inside the bars, balancing the single slice of bread beside it.

‘These are for you,’ I say, forcing eye contact. ‘You should take them.’

He doesn’t move, his mind working overtime as he tries to calculate what game I’m playing, or how the trap will spring.

I shuffle back to the chair, and drop into it, but David doesn’t budge.

‘You must be hungry by now. Even if you had a snack right before you left home to walk the dog, it’s at least sixteen hours since then. Go ahead and eat, and then we can talk.’

He remains still.

‘If you’d rather starve yourself to death, be my guest.’

The

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