The Never List Read Online Free PDF Page A

only those bare-bones facilities.
    Christine was shackled to the wall on the right, about five feet from the steps. She lay on her side, asleep or dazed—it was hard to tell—her limbs contorted awkwardly, splayed across the floor. Her matted blond hair had been twisted tightly and draped over her shoulder. The combination of her position and the tiny, even features of her face gave her the appearance of a china doll that had been played with too roughly and then discarded.
    Each of us was tethered with one long, heavy length of chain—it would vary whether we were fastened by the wrist or ankle—and each link, one inch by two, was rusty enough for its coppery dust to rub onto our skin, leaving false scrapes all over our bodies as we hauled it around. The left wall was empty, but I saw a small metal circle jutting out, just so. Room for one more if he wanted.
    I knew it was morning only because of a small crease of light that crept between the slats of the single boarded-up window. I would have screamed, but I was too afraid. I couldn’t even get my first words out when Christine and Tracy finally woke up. I was obviously in shock, but even in my confused state, I was glad I was not alone.
    Tracy rubbed her face and turned to me sadly. Without a word, she crawled over to Christine and shook her awake. Christine turned the front of her body toward the wall, then buried her face back in her hands, mumbling.
    “Christine, come on, meet the new girl. She’s up now.” Tracy turned to me and gave me a half-smile. “I’m very sorry you’ve had to join us. You look like a nice kid. It’s a shame. The other girl—you know her?—has saved one of us from something we were very afraid of, and so, I must admit, for that we are very glad.”
    “Where is she?” was all I could muster, my voice choked off by fear.
    At that Christine sat up, her translucent blue eyes glittering as they slid nervously to the box. I followed her glance and started to cry.
    “Tell me. Tell me. Where is Jennifer? Is she in there ?” I was still whispering, afraid of what was lurking upstairs.
    Christine turned over to face the wall again. This time her shoulders were heaving, so I could tell she was crying. It was enough to bring tears to my own eyes, and I wondered if I would be able to hold back the sobs building up inside me. When she turned back to me again, though, she was smiling, even as the tears poured down her cheeks. It was then that I decided she was not crying over the horror of my condition and hers. These seemed more like tears of relief.
    Tracy adjusted her chain so she could get closer to Christine, carefully twisting and folding it over to make a solid loop on the floor. She knelt down beside her against the wall, maneuvered Christine into her arms, and shushed her quietly.
    “Relax, Christine,” Tracy said soothingly, as though she were her only child who’d just had a bad, but not dangerous, fall.
    Tracy gave Christine a small kiss on the cheek, then started in my direction, pulling her chain and recoiling it carefully at her feet in a slow, methodical rhythm, as though she were engaged in some kind of avant-garde dance. The chains clinked almost musically. Drag, lift, settle. Drag, lift, settle.
    She came close, very close, and I instinctively drew back as shecontinued. “I’m afraid your friend has not been lucky. But you are lucky. I mean, considering.”
    I started crying, wondering what kind of perverse world it was down here. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, willing it away.
    “Where is Jennifer? Where is my friend?” I had found my voice at last and was practically screaming now. “Jennifer? Are you in there? Are you okay?”
    Tracy ignored my question and went on, “You have one thing going for you. Christine and I are very experienced cellar residents. We’ll show you the ropes, as it were.” She laughed as though she’d made a joke. Christine also made a noise apparently intended to indicate amusement. I