In the Shadow of Eight

Collin recalls a turning point: At age 11, he realized that his isolation in a basement room, under constant camera surveillance, had become unbearable, and his survival depended on escape. He waited for an afternoon when his mother was gone and the household staff, Mrs. Johnson and Jill, were distracted. Using his air mattress as a makeshift ladder, he climbed out of a small basement window. After running down the road, Collin stopped, overwhelmed by the realization that he had no plan, no money, and no way to contact his father, who he had been told no longer wanted him. Fearing that any adult he asked for help would simply recognize his last name and return him to his mother, he felt trapped. Defeated, he walked back to the house.

Upon his return, Mrs. Johnson and Jill were waiting outside; Jill was on the phone reporting his return to his mother. When his mother got home, she was furious. She screamed at Collin, removed all his books from his room, and then returned with zip ties. She tightly bound his wrists and ankles, threw him to the floor, and called him a “burden,” “crazy,” and “dangerous.” She tossed him long-sleeved clothes—sweatpants and a long-sleeve shirt, despite it being May—and then left him tied up alone in the dark.