A Little Ray of Sunshine_A Christian Romance Read online

  He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. What did this latest turn of events even mean? Had they brought the woman to the cell he’d been in with Tyler? Was that why they’d knocked him out? Or had he been moved again?

  Rather than chase the questions around in his head, Ryan decided to focus on what he did know and what he could glean from his situation. Almost immediately, he picked up on some key differences that he would have noticed sooner, had he not been distracted by the presence of someone else in the room.

  Whatever he was sitting on was thicker—although not by much—and a bit bigger. Not much softer though. So they’d moved him to better accommodations? Or was it just a different mattress. He shifted on it, pulling his leg in so he could feel the shackle around his ankle. It was on the same leg, but the weight felt different. If only he could see it. The dark was clearly the most effective weapon they could use against him.

  The room didn’t smell as bad as the last place he’d been in, so it did appear that his circumstances—such as they were—had improved. Even if just slightly. The biggest change, of course, was the new roommate.

  “Have you been here since you were taken?” Ryan asked.

  He heard an intake of breath before she replied. “No.”

  “How long have you been here?”

  “I’m not sure,” she said hesitantly. “Maybe seven or eight months?”

  So a good chunk of her time had been spent there, with whoever it was that now held them. Was it long enough to cultivate a relationship of some sort, that they would then exploit in order to try to get information from him? But what information? Ryan still hadn’t figured out what had gone wrong and why. It wasn’t like he was someone who had access to a lot of high-security information.

  “And how are you treated?”

  She gave a huff of laughter. “It could be worse, I suppose. I get a meal a day, water, and access to a bathroom. Once a week or so I’m given water to wash and sometimes a change of clothes.”

  “And you just spend the rest of your time in this room? In the dark?” Ryan couldn’t imagine so many months in darkness. He would lose his mind, no doubt. In some ways, it already felt like he was losing his mind, and it hadn’t been that long for him yet.

  “Most of it, yes. They usually take me out for the bathroom and washing in the evening, but occasionally they let me out for a bit during the day.”

  Ryan’s stomach rolled at the idea of being in the dark for the foreseeable future. He just couldn’t imagine that. He’d never considered a life without light. How had this woman been able to endure for so long? What did a person do when they couldn’t see anything or had no one to interact with?

  “Is it just you here? Or are there others?”

  He heard shifting before she answered. “I’m the only one that I know of. If they’ve had anyone else here, it hasn’t been where I’ve been.”

  “So did you hear them bring me in?” Ryan was figuring she’d clam up eventually, so he wanted to get as much information out of her while he could.

  “No, actually, but I think it must have been while I was washing.”

  Before Ryan could ask any more questions, there was a noise.

  “That’s them.”

  Ryan wasn’t sure if the whispered words were a warning or something else. Was this the only warning he’d get before being dragged out of the room for another beating? But it quickly became apparent that wasn’t what was going to happen.

  “Come.” The instruction was given in accented English with a rough voice.

  When Ryan realized that they were taking the woman, he wondered if he should intervene, but she didn’t protest at all, and her earlier warning hadn’t seemed to hold any fear. He also found it curious when it became apparent that she hadn’t been chained the way he was.

  The door shut again—surprisingly without making much noise—and he was on his own. Or at least he assumed he was. He didn’t hear anyone else breathing, but that could only mean they weren’t loud breathers.

  He curled up on the mattress, trying to fight the depressing feeling the darkness brought with it. Before these past few months, Ryan would never have believed how effective the darkness was in demoralizing someone. He couldn’t believe the darkness could fill him with such anxiety. Never one to be plagued with that emotion before, what he’d been dealing with since being plunged into darkness had caught him off-guard and shaken him.

  For the second time in his life, it felt like what he’d known about himself had been stripped away. The vulnerability that realization created within him was alarming and more than a little distressing. Puzzling out his current circumstances was the only thing that took his mind off the darkness, so he closed his eyes and pretended that the darkness was his choice.

  He wasn’t sure if he was truly tired or if there were still drugs lingering in his system, but Ryan found himself drifting off to sleep. He didn’t even bother fighting to stay awake. Sleep was the only escape he had from his situation. There would be time later to figure out what was going on.

  Hannah Walsh shuffled down the darkened hall to the door leading to the cell that had been her home for far too long. A home that she now shared with a stranger. A man. This new situation was totally unexpected, and she wasn’t sure what to think about it.

  She’d tried to ask Armeena—the woman she interacted with—about the man, but she either didn’t know or had been instructed not to tell Hannah anything. Though Armeena had been kind to her, Hannah knew that the woman’s first loyalty would be to the men that surrounded them.

  The last thing she’d been expecting had been to wake up to company. After returning to her cell when she was done washing, she’d gone right to sleep, unaware she had a cellmate. She’d woken, and still not realizing she wasn’t alone, had sung as she did each day. It was one of the things she did to keep from losing hope and her faith.

  Hearing a man’s voice in the darkness speaking unaccented English had shocked her, but for the first time in ages, she had hope. Hope that whoever the man was, he would be missed enough that someone would rescue him—and hopefully her. It appeared that was the only way she was going to gain her freedom, because in the endless stretch of time since she’d been taken, there didn’t appear to have been any attempts made by the organization she’d been with to get her released.

  She sank down on the mattress, hating the weakness in her body. By now, she should have been used to the lack of food and water since it had been that way since the day she’d been kidnapped. She knew she’d lost a ton of weight since then, which some might have said was a good thing, but it wasn’t, in her mind.

  “Are you okay?” A rattle of chains accompanied the man’s question.

  And what a question it was. She figured that he probably imagined they’d beaten or tortured her in some way. “I’m okay.”

  “They didn’t hurt you?”

  Not in the way he was likely thinking. The physical hurt had come in the first few months. Ever since coming to this new place, the physical abuse had stopped. They probably thought that they were being kind in what they did for her, but their kindness was a double-edged sword. Spending a bit of time with Armeena was a harsh reminder of all she’d lost, and often despaired of ever having again.

  “They don’t hurt me.” Hannah shifted on the mattress, lowering herself to lay on her side. “Whoever these people are, they have never hurt me physically. I suppose keeping me here, in the dark, however, is a form of torture in itself.”

  “Yes. It is,” the man agreed.

  Though she was grateful that they left her unchained, she hoped that the man remained chained until she was a bit more certain that he wouldn’t hurt her. She had no strength to fight off anyone.

  Having someone in the cell with her was disconcerting because she wasn’t sure what to do. It had been a long time since she’d had someone to talk to. She had developed some coping mechanisms to help her pass the hours alone in the dark. Sleep had consumed
many hours, but a lot of her waking hours had been spent imagining a life beyond the four walls of the cell.

  Imagining a life different from the one she was living wasn’t anything new to her. As a child and a teenager, doing that had been her way to escape a reality that had brought more heartache than joy. Reverting back to it now felt familiar and yet, at the same time, as futile as it had been back then.

  “Where are you from?”

  Hannah found that her brain was slow to understand and respond. “Canada.”

  “Really?” The interest in the man’s voice registered with her, but she wasn’t sure why it was significant. “So am I, though I work in the US.”

  She wondered where in Canada he was from, but she didn’t have time to ask before he spoke again.

  “Wait a second. Hannah. Are you Hannah Walsh?”

  That question had her pushing back up to a sitting position. “Yes. Why?”

  “I remember hearing about you being kidnapped with two other aid workers.”

  Hannah wasn’t sure what to say next. She was afraid to ask about the fate of her two co-workers. If the news was that they’d been killed, she’d be devastated. And yet, at the same time, if the news was that they’d been rescued, she’d be devastated. Happy for them but devastated for herself. She’d known that the other aid workers had had family back in Canada.

  The two who had been kidnapped with her had been single, though the one woman had been engaged. Both had talked at length about their parents and siblings, so it came as no surprise to hear from the man sharing her cell that they had been released…within a month of being kidnapped.

  Hannah rubbed a hand against the ache in her chest. She pulled her legs up close and wrapped her arms around them. Resting her cheek against her knees, Hannah let the tears fall. It had been awhile since she’d allowed herself to cry because doing so drained her of what little energy she had, but this time she couldn’t hold the tears back. She wept in silence, not wanting the man to know the depth of sorrow she felt at the news.

  Did she have any chance at all of getting out of this dark cell? Would the people who came to rescue this man—RJ—rescue her too?

  “Do you have family?” RJ asked.

  The one question Hannah had always hated. For some reason, it felt like a failure to have to admit that she was completely alone in the world.

  “No.”

  A chain clanked, and she heard shuffling sounds. “No family? Like none at all?”

  “None.”

  There was silence for a few moments before he said, “I can’t imagine that. In addition to my parents, I have nine siblings plus several in-laws and nieces.”

  Hannah had often wondered what it would be like to have a large family. “That’s a lot of people.”

  “It is.”

  “They must be worried about you.”

  He sighed. “I’m sure they are. Even though we’re a large family, we’re close, and it’s been kind of a rough few years for our family.”

  “I’m sure they’re doing what they can to get you released.”

  “Hopefully. And the company I work for should be working for my release as well.” There were more sounds as he moved around. “But some days I wonder. It shouldn’t have taken them this long to find me.”

  “What sort of company do you work for?” Hannah asked.

  She still wasn’t sure what to think of the man sharing her cell, but his voice seemed to hold a note of kindness. Not that she was much of a judge of character, but he hadn’t sworn at all since waking up, which surprised her a bit. When he didn’t reply right away, Hannah figured he wasn’t going to, so she laid back down, cradling her head on her bent arms.

  “I work for a security company.”

  Hannah didn’t bother to sit up again as she said, “And yet you managed to get kidnapped?”

  “Tell me about it. Though to be fair, I did have a lot of concerns over this trip. I told them I thought something was off.”

  “Not really the type of thing you want to be right about, eh?”

  “No, not really.”

  They lapsed into silence again, and this time Hannah closed her eyes and prayed for sleep to overtake her. She wondered if there might come a time when she just didn’t wake up again. She wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing that most likely she could last indefinitely, even with only one meal and one glass of water a day.

  CHAPTER THREE

  When she woke next, Hannah lay in silence for a few minutes, not wanting to use up any energy to move around. Instead, she spent some time reciting Bible verses in her mind. Given how alone she was in the world, she’d been drawn to verses that assured her of God’s presence long before being kidnapped and placed in a dark cell with minimal contact with people. She was grateful she’d memorized so many because there were days when all she did was recite them over and over again. Sometimes she’d set them to music. Other times she’d sing worship songs or hymns.

  What else was there to do when she was on her own, day in and day out?

  Since being kidnapped, her favorite verse of all that she’d memorized was Joshua 1:9. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. It was a reminder that brought her peace. That even though she had no idea where she was, God knew, and He was there with her too.

  Mindful that she wasn’t alone any longer, Hannah hesitated to sing the way she usually did, but the man’s presence hadn’t brought her comfort the way her songs had. Surely he wouldn’t get upset with her for singing.

  Keeping her voice low, she began to sing another of the hymns that had become a favorite over the years. It had been while in a foster home in her teens for six months that she’d been introduced to hymns and a faith that she’d eagerly embraced. Even after being sent back to her mom, she’d tried to continue to learn about God and what being a Christian had meant.

  So while it wasn’t as popular to sing hymns anymore, it was something she did because of the connection she felt with the words and the experiences of the hymn writers. She’d forever be grateful for that foster family and the long-lasting positive impact they’d had on her life. That hadn’t been the case for any of the other foster homes she’d been in. Some had been fine—nothing more than a safe place to sleep and regular meals to eat. Unfortunately, others had had long-lasting effects on her, but not for anything positive.

  God will take care of you

  Through ev’ry day,

  O’er all the way;

  He will take care of you,

  God will take care of you.

  And so far, He had. Hannah might not have been in a place where she was comfortable, but she was still alive, and the people holding her now were so much better than the ones who’d originally taken her.

  “Do you know a lot of hymns?” The man’s voice was soft in the darkness.

  How did he know about hymns? A lot of younger Christians wouldn’t recognize them, let alone non-Christians. “Yes. They’re my favorite songs to sing.”

  “What’s your favorite one of all?”

  “It has changed since being here.” Hannah slowly pushed to a sitting position, once again wrapping her arms around her knees in a way she wouldn’t have been able to do a year ago. “I would have to say that now it’s Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”

  “Can you sing it?”

  Though it was an odd request from a stranger, Hannah had no reason to refuse him. Maybe the hymns would bring him comfort in the same way they did her.

  O soul, are you weary and troubled?

  No light in the darkness you see?

  There’s light for a look at the Savior,

  And life more abundant and free.

  Turn your eyes upon Jesus,

  Look full in His wonderful face,

  And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,

  In the light of His glory and grace.

  Though there were other verses, it
was the first verse and chorus that brought her the most encouragement. When RJ didn’t say anything after singing that, Hannah moved on to a worship song that she loved and then back to another hymn. It was how she spent the beginning of each of her days.

  “This reminds me of the story of Paul and Silas in the book of Acts,” RJ said after she’d sung several songs. “The one where they were in prison but spent time praying and singing praises to God.”

  Hannah remembered reading that, and she’d often prayed to God, reminding Him of how He had freed the two men. For some reason, however, God seemed to need her to still be in her prison. She refused to allow herself to think that it was because she was unimportant to God and that He’d forgotten her. While she might feel that she was unimportant to people and that they had forgotten her, she wouldn’t believe the same of God.

  “Are you a Christian?” Hannah finally asked. Though it seemed pretty clear that he had some religious knowledge, it didn’t necessarily mean he was a practicing Christian.

  “Yes. I was raised in a Christian home, and I’m active in my church. Or I was up until I was kidnapped.” He hesitated then said, “Have you spoken to whoever is holding us about God?”

  “I’ve tried, but the language is a bit of a barrier.” She was actually fairly fluent in Arabic and could understand a little bit of Farsi, which was the language Armeena—and presumably the other kidnappers—spoke.

  Figuring that being able to understand without them realizing it would be beneficial, initially, Hannah hadn’t spoken to them in either language. However, she’d pretended to pick up a few words while dealing with Armeena, and she’d taught her some English words as well, but she’d still sought to protect her linguistic abilities. Now all these months later, she spoke more fluently with Armeena, and though she tried to share a bit of the gospel as best she could, language was still a hurdle.