"Devils hide behind redemption

Honesty is a one-way gate to hell." Sub-Urban

Jon reached the door to the farm house, already breathless from exertion and expectation.

They're here. They were right below us the whole time.

He picked up the edges of the threadbare carpet he had walked across not so long ago, and threw them, folding it in half. He dropped to his knees on the rough wood and felt along the floor, looking for a crease, a handle, anything.

Coming up empty, he continued to push the carpet further along the hall, searching desperately for some sort of trap door. He was just about to give up hope when thankfully, mercifully, his fingers grazed cold metal. He moved the carpet completely, his heart soaring with relief when he saw a brass handle fitted to the floor.

He slipped his finger through the ring and yanked hard, the wood groaning as it gave way and moved upwards. "Thank fuck."

Peering down into darkness, Jon could just make out a set of stairs. He knew they led to the kids, but there was always the possibility that they also led to a trap. Anna's benefactor, who Jon had momentarily forgotten, could be down there with a gun, and Jon had left his back in the shed with Isaiah.

Not wanting to waste the time going to get it when every second was crucial, Jon pulled out his phone and turned on the flashlight, using it to light his way down the stairs. He proceeded slowly, his heart hammering, his feet desperate to move faster and get to the kids. But he knew rushing in could be a mistake. If the benefactor was down there and armed, Jon's only chance of survival and helping those kids was the element of surprise.

The old wooden stairs creaked with every step, and Jon cursed under his breath, sure that if someone was down there, they already knew Jon was on his way. But when he reached the bottom and looked around, he was alone in a cold dark basement. The only thing in sight was a heavy metal door.

Jon knew in his heart that the kids were behind that door. That one push of a button on the remote in his hand would mean saving their lives.

But the sight of the dead boy plagued him. He had been too late for one of them, what if he was too late for all of them? Could he handle the failure? Opening that door would release the kids, but it would also force him to confront the fact that he couldn't save all of them.

The more time you waste, the worse it could be.

Jon cursed, again, angry at himself for the moment of weakness. Every second of this case had been a race to find these kids. And now that he was sure he had, he paused at the threshold, like a scared child.

He swallowed his fear and pressed the button on the remote, the metal door in front of him swung open slowly, revealing a room that nightmares are made of.

Aaron glanced up as the door opened, his hands dropping from Ryder's shoulders.

He stepped back, ready to face Anna head on and get them the hell out of there, even if he had to knock her unconscious. Only, instead of the crazy bitch stepping through the open doorway, it was a man, who walked in with his arms raised.

The man looked around the room, at Savannah who had paused from trying to get Kayla to respond. At Ryder, who was still trying to piece Noah's head back together. Back to Kayla who hadn't moved since she had fallen to her knees and was staring lifelessly at the wall. Finally, his eyes met Aaron's, who had lifted both his fists up, ready for a fight.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the man said, taking a careful step towards Aaron. "I'm here to help you."

Aaron glanced at the remote in the man's hand, wondering how he could get it. The man was much bigger than him, and even through his blood covered shirt, Aaron could see the muscles that rippled through his body. It wouldn't be easy, but Aaron knew that after all he had seen in this room, he would get the remote, or die trying.

"What happened?" The man asked, looking at Noah's body and Ryder who hadn't even noticed the door opening, let alone the stranger that had entered the room.

No one answered him. Aaron exchanged a look with Savannah, wondering if they should trust the newcomer or not. Savannah shook her head, so slightly that Aaron wondered if he had imagined it. The fact that the man was covered in blood was very suspicious to Aaron. Was it his own? Or someone else's?

"Who are you?" Aaron asked instead. "Are you with her?" he couldn't even bring himself to say the psycho's name.

"My name is Detective Cartwright." The name of the man finally caused Ryder to look up, he dropped the remains of Noah's head back to the ground and turned around, getting to his feet.

"It's you." Ryder's voice was hoarse and shaky and Aaron realised that he had heard that name before.

There was a little girl on the road.

She didn't make it.

Poppy Cartwright.

The man who had come to save them was the same man whose daughter Ryder had killed. The irony of it was not lost on Aaron.

Judging by Ryder's face, he knew this already. He took a step backwards and tripped over Noah's corpse, hitting the ground hard. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

The Detective looked at the body on the floor, "there's an ambulance on the way, kids. You're all getting out of here. Is anyone else hurt?"

Again, no one answered him, too stunned by the scene that was unfolding before them. Aaron finally lowered his fists and let his arms hang at his sides, glancing at Savannah to see how she reacted to the Detective that had come to their rescue.

Savannah's arms were folded across her chest, her eyes wide with fear. She repeatedly shook her head, as if Detective Cartwright was another vision she could rid herself of.

"It's okay, kids. I'm here to help you. We need to get you out of here." He glanced down at Noah's corpse again, seemingly unable to stop himself. "We'll get Noah out as well."

Aaron bristled, his suspicions rising again. "How do you know his name?"

"I know all of your names, Aaron. Your parents came to me, they showed me photos of you. I've been looking for you for almost two days."

Have we only been in here for two days?

To Aaron, it felt like an entire lifetime had passed since he opened his eyes and found himself tied to the chair. In truth, it had. Noah's life had ended in here, and the rest of theirs had altered. The room had changed them all in irreparable ways.

"He's dead." Aaron stated the obvious. He was sure that the Detective could tell this already; that he had known it from the moment he walked in the door. But he felt the need to say it anyway, because in Aaron's own mind, he was still questioning whether it was really true.

"It was me," Ryder finally spoke up again. "I did it, I killed him. But I didn't mean to! It was a hallucination. I thought he was-," he stopped short, seeming to remember who it was that he was talking to.

"That's okay son," the detective walked over and crouched down in front of him. "We'll get you all the help you need."

"I was also the-,"

"Ryder," Savannah hissed, interrupting his confession. "Not now!"

"-driver who hit your daughter."

Aaron had no idea why Ryder had chosen this exact moment to confess. Perhaps it was because he realised that his secret had already caused enough damage. But what he did know, was that it was the wrong moment, with the detective their only saving grace and the remote held firmly in his hand. What would stop him from turning around and leaving them all in here?

The Detectives face dropped, and Aaron saw the realisation hit him like a two tonne truck. Anger filled his features and he reared back away from Ryder, getting to his feet and stalking over to the wall by the door.

"Fuck!" His voice was so loud in the small room that it seemed to rattle Aaron's teeth. Detective Cartwright slammed his palm against the wall several times, cursing with each hit, before suddenly, he went still. He turned around to look at the kids, his face a picture of eerie calmness.

"Let's get you out of here. We'll deal with everything else later."