Dumping Grounds (Joshua Stokes Mysteries Book 1) by Lila Beckham Read Free Book Online

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6
Expectation
    Emma opened her eyes to complete darkness. Briefly, she wondered where she was, before she remembered her captors and the stinky rag they placed over her mouth and nose before she lost conscious.
    As she lay there, she could hear music coming from up above her. It was a song called, 'When I Was Young,' by Eric Burdon and The Animals.
    The psychedelic sounding yells and echoes of the singer, sent chills down her spine. She could hear people moving around overhead and other weird noises besides the music and people.
    Her brain felt heavy and dull. She wondered if she were awake or if she was dreaming.
    If they’re getting wasted, I might have a chance to get out of here, Emma thought, before realizing that she was still strapped to the contraption upon which she lay .
    “If you are out there Goyaa łé, please help me,” she whispered, falling back on her grandfather’s tales of Geronimo; refusing to lose faith in her upbringing.
    A while later, she opened her eyes again and felt even groggier, if that was possible. She thought she might have dozed off for a minute, but it could have been five minutes, five hours, or five days. Emma was not sure, but the next time she opened her eyes, echoes from the music were still coming from overhead. It was one of those long, deeply obsessive songs. 'Kashmir,' she thought was the name of it, by the band Led Zeppelin. Emma was familiar with their music and she liked them.
    At home, all they ever listened to was country or gospel music, but Emma had heard many of these songs at several parties she had attended in high school.
    One such party was actually a frat party, held off campus by some students who attended the University of South Alabama. She had gone there with her friend and neighbor Rhonda Kay Hamilton.
    Rhonda had a knack for getting them into some strange situations, such as the frat party.
    At that party, was the first time Emma had ever drank, or been wasted as they called it, and it was the first time she had ever been exposed to illegal drugs.
    She and Rhonda both smoked pot at the party and drank beer. It was quite an eye-opened for Emma. Those college kids were a different breed than she was use to.
    In her mind, Emma pictured her captors on the floor above her. She wondered if that was what was going on. Were they getting high on pot and listening to music to get in the mood for whatever they had in mind to do to her. She tried sniffing the air for the aroma of tobacco, but all she could smell was some sort of disinfectant. Maybe they’re simply relaxing to the music… What did they have planned for her, she suddenly wondered. She would get her answer shortly, because she heard the door opening and then a light was switched on.
    It was not a bright light; it was one of those florescent black lights. The kind that caused everything white, to glow in the dark.
    Emma noticed the window again, the one where she had seen the mimosa tree. In the black light, the lightest colors glowed brilliantly, oddly bluish in color, causing her to wonder if the window were real…
    When Emma heard their footsteps on the stairs, she pried her eyes from the window and closed them tightly. Her disappointment was immediate.
    She wondered if it were even a real window. It was possible the scene on the window was painted on.
    Someone had probably painted a picture onto an old window and then hung it on the wall just to give the illusion that it was a bright and cheerful room. She now feared she was in a dungeon like cellar with no windows or other means of escape.
    Emma peeked through her lashes. She saw two men coming down the stairs. They were leading a young black-headed woman down the stairs.
    The girl was staggering badly. Several times, she slumped forward and almost fell, causing the men to grab her around her naked waist and tote her down the remaining steps. At the bottom she still could not stand.
    Emma knew she should pretend to be asleep, but her curiosity