Hannah & Gretchen

A Modern Crime-Thriller Retelling of Hansel & Gretel Hannah tossed another sweater into her travel bag. Gretchen immediately took it out. "You already packed three." "I might need four." "You absolutely will not." Hannah laughed. "You always do this." "And you're always overpacking." The two women sat on opposite ends of the couch. Or at least they started there. Within seconds Hannah had scooted closer. Then closer. Then she rested her head on Gretchen's shoulder. Gretchen sighed. "You are impossible." "You love me." "Unfortunately." Hannah grinned. "See? That's true love." The apartment was already their home. They had lived together for almost two years. The arrangement had started as roommates. Then friends. Then girlfriends. Now neither could imagine living apart. Gretchen zipped her travel bag. "Ready?" "Almost." Hannah hesitated. "Can I ask you something?" Gretchen immediately became suspicious. "That's usually dangerous." Hannah smiled. "My mother called yesterday." "Oh." Gretchen knew where this was going. "And?" "She asked when I was going to settle down." Gretchen rolled her eyes. "You already have." "That's what I told her." "And?" "Then she asked when I was going to find a husband." Gretchen groaned. Hannah laughed. "It wasn't funny." "It was a little funny." "No." "Maybe." Gretchen shook her head. "Your parents still don't get it." "They're trying." "Are they?" Hannah nodded. "Slowly." For a moment they sat quietly. Then Hannah smiled again. "What about your parents?" Gretchen groaned even louder. "Oh no." "What?" "My mother has moved beyond husbands." "That's progress." "Now she wants grandchildren." Hannah burst out laughing. Gretchen tried to look annoyed. Failed. And started laughing too. "You know," Hannah said, "there is one way to make both our mothers happy." Gretchen narrowed her eyes. "I don't trust that smile." "You should." "I absolutely should not." Hannah reached into her jacket pocket. "What are you doing?" Instead of answering, Hannah dropped to one knee. Right there in the living room. Gretchen stared. "Hannah." "Yes?" "Stand up." "No." "Hannah." "No." Several seconds passed. Then Gretchen started laughing. "You are ridiculous." "I know." Hannah opened her hand. Inside was a plastic bottle cap. Gretchen blinked. "A bottle cap?" "It was the best ring I could afford." "You have a job." "Details." Gretchen laughed so hard she nearly fell off the couch. "So?" Hannah asked. "So what?" "Will you marry me?" Gretchen smiled. Then she leaned down and kissed her. A long kiss. When it finally ended, Hannah looked hopeful. "Well?" Gretchen smiled. "Ask me with a real ring." Hannah grinned. "That's not a no." "No." "It isn't." An hour later they were on the road. The city slowly disappeared behind them. Trees replaced buildings. Fields replaced traffic. The weekend retreat looked perfect online. A luxury woodland escape. Quiet. Peaceful. Romantic. Exactly what they needed. Hannah stretched comfortably in her seat. "This is going to be amazing." Gretchen smiled. "It probably will." "You sound unconvinced." "I always sound unconvinced." "That's true." Hannah looked out the window. The forest grew thicker. Soon there were trees in every direction. No houses. No towns. No people. Just woods. Then the engine made a strange noise. Both women froze. The noise came again. Louder. Gretchen frowned. "I don't like that." Neither did the car. A moment later it stopped completely. Silence. The vehicle rolled to a halt on the side of the road. Hannah blinked. "Well." Gretchen sighed. "Please tell me this isn't the start of a horror movie." Hannah smiled. "It's broad daylight." "That doesn't answer the question." "It'll be fine." Gretchen looked out at the endless forest. For some reason, she wasn't so sure. Gretchen checked her phone. "No signal." Hannah checked hers. "Me neither." The road was empty. The forest was silent. And their car was not moving. "This is fine," Hannah said. "It is absolutely not fine." "We'll figure something out." Gretchen climbed out of the car. The afternoon sun filtered through the trees. For a few moments they simply stood there. Then Hannah pointed. "Look." Far ahead, between the trees, stood a building. A large one. Almost hidden by the forest. Gretchen narrowed her eyes. "Is that a house?" "Looks like it." "A hotel?" "Maybe." "Or a murder cabin." Hannah laughed. "You watch too many crime shows." "And you don't watch enough." Still, they had little choice. The women grabbed their bags and started walking. As they got closer, the building came into view. It was beautiful. A large lodge built from stone and timber. Flower gardens surrounded it. A wooden sign stood near the entrance. PINE HAVEN RETREAT "Well," Hannah said. "Not a murder cabin." Gretchen wasn't entirely convinced. The front door opened before they even knocked. A woman stepped outside. She looked to be in her early fifties. Dark hair. Elegant posture. Perfect smile. The kind of woman who seemed comfortable anywhere. "Oh my." She looked pleasantly surprised. "You two look exhausted." Hannah smiled immediately. "Our car broke down." "Of course it did." The woman descended the steps. "I'm Evelyn." Her voice was smooth and reassuring. "I own Pine Haven." Hannah introduced herself. Then Gretchen. Evelyn shook both their hands warmly. "You poor things." "Of course," Evelyn replied. "Come in." "We don't actually have landlines out here," Evelyn said. "Too remote." She opened a drawer and produced a satellite phone. "Will this work?" Gretchen nodded. "It's better than nothing." A few minutes later, Gretchen stood beside a desk and called the towing company. Hannah wandered through the room, admiring the decor. Warm fireplaces. Comfortable furniture. Bookshelves. Fresh flowers. Everything looked perfect. "So?" Hannah asked. Gretchen held up a finger. The woman on the other end of the line was still talking. "I understand." A pause. "No, we'll be fine." Another pause. "Tomorrow morning?" Gretchen sighed. "All right." She hung up. Hannah immediately looked concerned. "Bad news?" "The tow truck is coming." "That's good." "Tomorrow." Hannah blinked. "Oh." "The nearest mechanic is nearly forty miles away." "And?" "And nobody can get here before morning." Hannah grimaced. "Well, that could be worse." Gretchen stared at her. "How?" Before Hannah could answer, Evelyn appeared. "The tow company?" Gretchen nodded. "They can't get here until tomorrow." Evelyn smiled sympathetically. "I'm afraid that's quite common out here." She glanced toward the windows. The sun was already beginning to sink behind the trees. "You certainly can't spend the night in your car." Hannah immediately agreed. "We definitely aren't doing that." Gretchen looked less enthusiastic. Evelyn continued. "I have several guest rooms available." "Are you sure?" Hannah asked. "Of course." "That would help a lot." Evelyn smiled warmly. "Then it's settled." Gretchen opened her mouth. Then looked outside. Then looked at Hannah. Then back at Evelyn. Reluctantly, she nodded. "Just for one night." Evelyn's smile widened slightly. "Wonderful." Evelyn served tea. Then dinner. Then dessert. By evening, they still had not discussed payment. Or reservations. Or anything else that made the place feel like a business. Hannah didn't seem concerned. Gretchen did. "This retreat is beautiful," Hannah said. "Thank you." "You must get a lot of guests." Evelyn smiled. "Sometimes." "Do you run it alone?" "Mostly." "That sounds difficult." "It has its challenges." Evelyn's eyes rested briefly on Hannah. Just a little too long. Then she smiled again. "But I manage." Later, while Hannah admired a painting near the fireplace, Gretchen noticed something strange. A hallway. A locked door. Another locked door. And a third. All along the same corridor. She frowned. Why would a retreat lock so many rooms? Evelyn noticed her looking. "Storage." The answer came immediately. Almost too quickly. "Oh." Gretchen smiled politely. But she wasn't convinced. The evening continued. Stories. Tea. Laughter. The perfect host. The perfect retreat. The perfect evening. Yet something felt wrong. Not to Hannah. She was having a wonderful time. But Gretchen noticed little things. The absence of other guests. The lack of employees. The security cameras hidden in corners. And every time she looked up, she found Evelyn watching them. Especially Hannah. Much later, after Evelyn showed them to a guest room, Hannah flopped onto the bed. "This place is amazing." Gretchen sat beside her. "You trust her too easily." "Evelyn?" "Yes." "She seems nice." "That's what worries me." Hannah smiled. "You worry about everything." "Somebody has to." Hannah reached over and took her hand. For a moment Gretchen relaxed. A little. Then Hannah yawned. "We should get some sleep." Gretchen nodded. Outside, the forest was dark. Inside, Pine Haven was silent. And somewhere else in the lodge, Evelyn sat alone. Looking at a photograph. A photograph of Hannah and Gretchen. One she had secretly taken earlier that evening. A slow smile crossed her face. "Perfect." She carefully placed the photograph inside a folder. A folder that already contained many others. Dinner ended late. The food had been excellent. The conversation had been pleasant. And Gretchen still didn't trust Evelyn. Not even a little. Back in their room, Hannah sat cross-legged on the bed. "You know, I think you're wrong about her." Gretchen looked up from her book. "About Evelyn?" "Yes." "Why?" "Because she's nice." Gretchen laughed. "That's your evidence?" "It's very good evidence." "No, it isn't." Hannah grinned. "You're suspicious of everyone." "I'm not suspicious of everyone." "You were suspicious of the barista near our apartment." "He spelled my name wrong." "Once." "Twice." Hannah laughed. Then she yawned. A few minutes later, Gretchen was reading quietly. Hannah was supposed to be sleeping. Instead she sat up. "I wonder what's behind those locked doors." Gretchen didn't even look up. "Nothing we need to know about." "Maybe." "Hannah." "What?" "Don't." "I'm just curious." "That's what worries me." Hannah smiled. Then kissed Gretchen on the cheek. "Good night." "Good night." Several minutes passed. The room became quiet. Then Gretchen heard a sound. The door opening. She looked up. Hannah was gone. "Hannah?" No answer. Gretchen sighed. "Of course." Hannah moved quietly through the lodge. The hallways were dark. Only a few lamps remained lit. The locked doors were exactly where she remembered them. One. Two. Three. She walked past them. Then stopped. One of the doors was slightly open. That definitely had not been the case earlier. Curiosity immediately defeated common sense. Hannah pushed the door open. Inside was a small office. Nothing unusual at first. Desk. Computer. Bookshelves. File cabinets. Then she noticed a photograph. A photograph of a young woman. Another. And another. Dozens of them. Some smiling. Some looked frightened. Many had dates written beneath them. Hannah frowned. "What is this?" Then she saw a newspaper clipping. MISSING WOMAN STILL NOT FOUND A cold feeling settled in her stomach. More clippings covered the desk. More missing women. More photographs. More names. Suddenly this didn't feel like a retreat anymore. It felt like evidence. Hannah reached for her phone. A voice spoke behind her. "Curious people often find disappointing answers." Hannah froze. Slowly she turned around. Evelyn stood in the doorway. Still smiling. But the smile looked very different now. "Evelyn." Hannah tried to sound calm. Failed. Evelyn closed the office door. "I'm disappointed." Hannah stepped backward. "What is all this?" The older woman glanced toward the photographs. "My business." "Those women are missing." "Yes." Hannah's pulse raced. "You hurt them." Evelyn smiled softly. "No." The answer somehow sounded worse. "What did you do?" "I sold them." The room suddenly felt smaller. Hannah stared. Certain she had misunderstood. "You what?" Evelyn sighed. "You really should have stayed in bed." Hannah turned toward the door. Evelyn was already there. Blocking it. "Move." "No." "Move." "No." For the first time all evening, Evelyn stopped pretending to be kind. The smile vanished. Completely. "You should have listened to your girlfriend." Gretchen woke just before sunrise. Something felt wrong. For several seconds she couldn't identify it. Then she reached across the bed. Empty. She sat up immediately. "Hannah?" Silence. The bathroom was empty. The hallway was empty. The dining room was empty. No sign of Hannah anywhere. Finally she found Evelyn in the kitchen. The older woman calmly poured coffee. "Good morning." "Where's Hannah?" Evelyn looked up. "Your girlfriend?" "Yes." Evelyn smiled. "She made a mistake." A chill ran through Gretchen. "What does that mean?" "It means she went somewhere she shouldn't have." Gretchen's heart began pounding. "Where is she?" Evelyn set down her cup. Then she smiled. The same warm smile. Only now it looked terrifying. "Safe." Gretchen knew instantly that was a lie. "I want to see her." "In time." "No." Gretchen stepped forward. "Now." For a moment neither woman spoke. Then Evelyn laughed softly. "You are braver than most." "Where is Hannah?" "Working." "Working?" Evelyn nodded. Then she pointed toward a bucket and cleaning supplies near the door. "And now, so are you." Gretchen stared at her. "What?" Evelyn's expression hardened. Just slightly. Enough. "You'll clean the guest rooms." "I'm not cleaning anything." "You will if you want to see Hannah again." Silence. The threat hung in the air. Clear. Simple. Terrifying. For the first time since arriving at Pine Haven, Gretchen understood exactly how much danger they were in. And for the first time, she realized they weren't guests anymore. They were prisoners. Gretchen spent the morning cleaning. Or pretending to. Evelyn remained nearby most of the time. Watching. Listening. Smiling. Whenever Gretchen looked up, she found the older woman observing her. It was exhausting. By noon, Evelyn finally left the lodge. "I have errands." Gretchen didn't respond. Evelyn smiled. "I'll be back shortly." The front door closed. Moments later an SUV disappeared down the forest road. Gretchen waited. Five minutes. Ten. Fifteen. Then she moved. Fast. The office door was locked. Fortunately, Gretchen had discovered the key earlier. Inside, she immediately began searching. The photographs were still there. So were the newspaper articles. But this time she opened the filing cabinets. Her blood ran cold. Passports. Driver's licenses. Phones. Purses. Dozens of them. All belonging to women. Some of the names matched the missing-person articles. Others didn't. Then she found financial records. Large payments. Dates. Names. Destinations. The evidence was overwhelming. This wasn't kidnapping. This wasn't extortion. This was trafficking. For a moment Gretchen simply stared. The scale of it was horrifying. Then she noticed a map. Several locations were marked. And one location was circled repeatedly. A building beneath the lodge. A basement. The basement door was concealed behind a storage room. Without the map, Gretchen never would have found it. She descended carefully. One step at a time. The air grew colder. The hallway stretched ahead. Concrete walls. Metal doors. Security cameras. Her stomach twisted. Then she heard a voice. Very faint. "Gretchen?" She froze. "Hannah?" Silence. Then again. "Gretchen!" She ran toward the sound. "Hannah!" Gretchen dropped to her knees beside the locked door. A small window allowed them to see each other. Hannah looked exhausted. But unharmed. The moment she saw Gretchen, she smiled. "You came." "Of course I came." Hannah laughed nervously. "I was starting to think Evelyn liked me more than you." "Not funny." "Maybe a little." Gretchen felt tears forming. Relief. Anger. Fear. All at once. "I am so sorry." "For what?" "I should have listened." Gretchen smiled despite everything. "Yes." Hannah nodded. "Definitely." They both laughed. Then Hannah's expression grew serious. "Gretchen, we need to get out." "I know." "It gets worse." Gretchen frowned. "Worse?" "There are others." "What?" "Other women." The smile vanished. "I've heard them." Gretchen's heart sank. "There are more prisoners?" Hannah nodded. "At least three." "We need a plan," Hannah said. "I have one." "You do?" "Sort of." "That's not reassuring." Gretchen sat beside the door. "Evelyn left." Hannah blinked. "She left?" "For now." "Then call the police." "I tried." "No signal?" "No signal." Hannah sighed. "Of course." Then Gretchen smiled. "What?" "I found something." "What?" "A satellite phone." Hannah's eyes widened. "You found a satellite phone?" "It was in the office." "Then why haven't you called already?" "Because I don't know where it is now." Hannah stared. "Oh." "But Evelyn must keep it somewhere." "And?" "And we're going to find it." Late that afternoon, Evelyn returned. Her mood seemed unusually cheerful. That worried Gretchen. A lot. During dinner, Evelyn sat across from her. Calm. Relaxed. Almost pleased. Finally Gretchen asked. "What happened today?" Evelyn smiled. "Business." The answer sent a chill through her. Then Evelyn added: "We'll have visitors tomorrow." Gretchen kept her face neutral. Inside, panic exploded. Visitors. The buyers. The deadline Hannah had warned her about. The clock was running out. And for the first time since arriving at Pine Haven, Gretchen realized they might not have another chance. Tomorrow could be too late. That night Gretchen barely slept. Every hour mattered now. Tomorrow the buyers would arrive. Tomorrow Hannah and the other women could disappear forever. Just after midnight, she heard movement downstairs. A door opening. Then closing. Gretchen carefully left her room. The hallway was empty. She moved quietly toward Evelyn's office. The door stood slightly open. Inside, a desk lamp still glowed. Papers covered the desk. A laptop remained open. And beside it sat a black satellite phone. Gretchen smiled. "Found you." She grabbed the phone. Then froze. Footsteps. Someone was coming. Quickly she slipped behind a bookshelf. Seconds later Evelyn entered. The beautiful woman looked tired. But satisfied. She glanced toward the desk. Then frowned. The satellite phone was gone. Slowly she looked around the room. The smile disappeared. "Gretchen." The voice was calm. Dangerously calm. Gretchen stepped from behind the bookshelf. The satellite phone remained hidden behind her back. For several seconds neither woman spoke. Then Evelyn sighed. "I had hoped you were smarter than this." "I could say the same thing." Evelyn laughed softly. "You think you've won." "No." Gretchen shook her head. "I think you're going to prison." The older woman's expression hardened. "You have no idea how much influence I have." "Maybe." Gretchen slowly raised the satellite phone. "But I have this." For the first time, Evelyn looked genuinely worried. Gretchen pressed the emergency number. The phone connected. Immediately. "Emergency services." Relief flooded through her. Then Evelyn moved. Fast. Much faster than Gretchen expected. The phone slipped from her hand. Both women lunged for it. The satellite phone slid across the floor. Neither reached it. The device disappeared beneath a cabinet. For one terrible moment everything stopped. Then Evelyn smiled. "You almost had me." Almost. But not quite. Gretchen ran. Evelyn chased her. Down the hallway. Down the stairs. Toward the basement. The older woman followed without hesitation. "Gretchen!" No answer. "Gretchen!" Still nothing. Then Evelyn saw her. Standing beside a heavy steel storage room. A secure room used to store valuables. At least that was what Evelyn told guests. In reality it was much stronger than that. The door could only be opened from outside. Evelyn smiled. Finally. A mistake. "You've run out of places to hide." Gretchen looked frightened. At least she pretended to. "Please." Evelyn stepped forward. "Too late." One more step. Then another. Then Gretchen pointed behind her. Evelyn turned instinctively. Only for a second. But a second was enough. Gretchen shoved her. Hard. Evelyn stumbled into the room. The steel door slammed shut. Then locked. The silence lasted several seconds. Then Evelyn pounded on the door. "Gretchen!" The steel echoed through the basement. "Let me out." "No." "You don't understand." "I understand perfectly." Another bang. Harder this time. "You need me." "No." Gretchen smiled for the first time in days. "We're done listening to you." The pounding continued. Then came threats. Then promises. Then bargaining. Gretchen ignored all of it. Instead she ran. Toward Hannah. The authorities arrived less than an hour later. The emergency call had connected after all. The satellite phone had automatically transmitted its location before the struggle. Police vehicles filled the driveway. Officers entered the retreat. The remaining victims were rescued. Evidence was collected. And Evelyn's operation finally ended. The beautiful owner of Pine Haven left the property in handcuffs. Still furious. Still promising revenge. Nobody listened. Several weeks later, Hannah and Gretchen sat together in a small café. A newspaper rested on the table. TRAFFICKING RING DISMANTLED MULTIPLE WOMEN RESCUED Hannah smiled. "We did it." "We survived it." "Same thing." Gretchen laughed. "No." "Close enough." For a while they simply enjoyed the quiet. No forests. No criminals. No locked doors. Just coffee. And each other. Then Hannah reached into her purse. Gretchen immediately narrowed her eyes. "Oh no." "Oh yes." "Hannah." Hannah pulled out a small box. A real ring this time. Not a bottle cap. Not a joke. A ring. "Hannah." The younger woman smiled nervously. "You once told me to ask again with a real ring." Gretchen stared. "Hannah..." "So I'm asking again." The café suddenly seemed very quiet. "Hannah." "Will you marry me?" Tears immediately appeared in Gretchen's eyes. Which was annoying. Because she had planned to look cool. Instead she laughed. Then cried. Then laughed again. And finally kissed Hannah. A long kiss. The kind that made nearby strangers smile. When it finally ended, Hannah grinned. "Is that a yes?" Gretchen rolled her eyes. "Obviously." Hannah smiled. The biggest smile Gretchen had ever seen. Outside, the afternoon sun shone brightly. Inside, the future finally looked exactly the way they wanted. The End. A Story by Gerda Conrad - Click here for links to all Gerda Conrad Stories! Quick 👏 Guide: 0 = I got lost! - 1-4 = Nice font... nice images. - 5-9=Read a bit. Nice try!, 10-14=Okay... Pretty good!, 15-19=I actually enjoyed this! - 20=Absolutely legendary!