Carl entered the room once more. Without saying a word, he put a single bottle of water on the floor beside her, then he closed and locked the door behind him when he left.<br/><br/>He stayed away for a very long time. It would be impossible to tell how long with no door, or window to judge the passage of time by the change of the sun. No noise would be heard from within the room. All was silent and still.<br/><br/>He did this on purpose. He wanted her to feel alone, vulnerable. Hungry, thirsty, and abandoned. He wanted her to feel the emptiness that he felt. So he remained away for three days. During this time, he quietly locked her room, then closed the security doors over the windows so that they would not be breakable. Finally, he closed and locked the front door, and hiked back to his truck to drive to the nearest town. Using cash so that his card would not be traced to this area, he bought food and water and other things he would need in order to teach her the lesson she needed to be taught.<br/><br/>When at last he returned, he drove the truck deeper into the woods, as deep as he could go, then filled the pack he'd carried, as well as the duffel that would strap across his body, and began the long hike carrying the items he'd purchased. It was the evening of the third day when he finally arrived and entered the cabin as quietly as possible. His first glance went to the