Chapter 21 Autumn
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AUTUMN
Consciousness came slowly. My first thought was how much my head ached and my shoulders throbbed. The second was that my hands were numb and I was cold.
So very cold.
I blinked as I looked down, the floor under my feet unfamiliar.
Dark. Dingy. I shut my eyes and, moving sluggishly so as to not cause even more pain, I lifted my head.
That brought on a wave of dizziness that made me want to throw up, but I breathed carefully, concentrating on pulling in the cold air that surrounded me through my nose and exhaling from my mouth.
Some of the nausea passed, and I opened my eyes, looking around a room I didn’t recognize.
Old wood paneling lined the walls, warped and showing signs of dampness.
The paneling ran around the bottom perimeter of the room and above it, faded striped wallpaper curled and hung in tatters in some places.
Parts of the ceiling were missing. A lone lightbulb hung from a long wire in the corner, flickering and dull.
An empty bed frame leaned against one wall.
A dresser, with only two drawers intact, sat across from me. The scent of mildew was thick.
I blinked and tried to pull my arms from behind me, panic setting in when I realized I was tied to the chair, the bonds so taut my hands were numb. My shoulders were pulled back so tightly, they strained and tugged, desperate for some relief.
Where was I?
Shutting my eyes, I searched my foggy brain, trying to remember what had happened. Getting a box ready for Gwen to pick up with the chair. A knock.
My eyes flew open.
It hadn’t been Davey on the other side of the door.
Alan was there, fury radiating from him.
Before I could yell or slam the door, he had grabbed me by the throat, pushing me inside and shutting the door behind him with his foot.
He threw me so hard, I hit the counter, knocking the glass and my phone off it.
I dove, desperate to get my phone, but he was on me, knocking it out of the way.
“No one is coming for you, bitch,” he snarled.
I surprised him by raising my head fast, hitting his nose, blood spurting. He grunted in pain and I scrambled away, but he recovered, grabbing my leg. I fell, striking my head. I gasped at the pain, sliding down to the floor, feeling the blood trickle between my fingers.
Alan’s face appeared before mine, his grin wide and scary.
“Get used to it,” he said in a singsong voice. “You’re all mine now.”
Then he frowned, grabbing at my necklace that peeked out between the zipper of Sully’s hoodie.
“What the fuck is this? A gift from your lover?” He twisted it, yanking hard.
“No!” I cried out, knowing I needed it to get help. I slapped at his hands, trying to reach the central knot in order to press it.
He pinned my hands down with one of his, then using the other, he tore the necklace away, not caring about my gasp of pain as the metal dug into my skin when he ripped it off and tossed it over my head. “Not anymore.”
Then a needle plunged into my neck, and as much as I tried to fight it, darkness descended.
And I woke up here.
Except I didn’t know where here was.
“Hello?” I called out, trying to stay calm. “Is anyone there?”
Heavy footsteps headed toward the door that was shut. It opened wide, Alan standing in the doorframe, a beer in one hand and a gun in the other.
Simply the sight of him made me shudder. The gun in his hand and the crazed look on his face turned my fear into pure terror.
“So you’re awake. Finally. You keep making me wait for you. I fucking hate being kept waiting.”
“A-Alan,” I sputtered. “What are you doing?”
“Taking what’s mine.”
I blinked at his words.
“We agreed to be friends,” I said, trying to think.
“No, you decided. After I picked you. Followed you for weeks. Made friends with the idiots at that bar so you’d think I was just a guy hanging with his pals. Normal. I acted exactly the way you wanted. I did everything right this time.”
I gaped at him, then swallowed heavily.
This time?
“I don’t understand.”
He began to pace, using the gun to scratch his head. He was erratic and upset, muttering to himself. His jerky movements made me even more anxious. Then he looked at me. “I heard you tell your friends you just wanted a nice, simple guy. Someone to spend time with. I did that.”
He stopped, staring at me, suddenly furious. “I made myself into that guy, and you still fucking rejected me!” he yelled.
“I’m—I’m sorry.”
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be.”
“Alan, please.”
“Don’t call me that. My name is Calvin.”
“Okay,” I replied, dazed.
“How did you know about my aunt? Where she lived?” I asked, curious and trying to stall—to think of a plan.
“Because I fucking listened. I heard you talk to your friends. I listened when you were on the phone with her on your lunch.” He shook his head. “You are so fucking stupid, you never even noticed me until I wanted you to. I knew all about you.”
My heart sank. Sully had been right. Alan was more devious than I had given him credit for.
Alan glared at me. “Then you fucking disappeared, and I had to wait. But I heard them discussing you at lunch. Saying you’d be back. So I waited again. I saw you with that pompous English ass, you know. Watched you in the hospital. At the home.”
“How?” I gasped.
“People don’t look for something different from what they’re told to look for. I changed my hair. Grew a beard. Wore the same uniforms as everyone else and blended in.”
He was starting to look even angrier, then became triumphant.
“But the ass left you, didn’t he? Gave you an inept guard to soothe his guilt and returned to his life.
Poor baby,” he mocked. “And now you’ve disappeared on him.
” He waved his gun. “Only this time, he’ll never find you, even if he came looking. ”
I wasn’t going to argue with him. He was already on the edge. My mind raced. I needed to calm him down. I remembered how often he’d told me he liked to help people. He’d bragged about it a lot. I needed him to want to help me. I needed to remind him he wanted me. Even if it made me ill.
“Um, Calvin, I really need to use the toilet.”
“What?”
“I have to use the toilet. Please. Could you help me? Please?”
He cursed and went behind me, yanking on the tight ropes. “You try anything, I will shoot you. I have nothing to lose,” he warned me.
Tears sprang to my eyes as the feeling returned to my hands, the pins and needles intense and painful.
My shoulders sagged in relief as the tautness released.
He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet.
I gasped in pain, but he ignored me, half dragging me to a door beside the room I had been locked in.
I barely had time to look at the rest of the cabin, the image of one room, mostly empty, flying past me.
He pushed me into the vanity. “Go, then.”
I stared at him. “I can’t go with you watching.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You have five minutes.”
He pulled the door, leaving it partially open.
I heard him stomp away, and I quickly used the toilet.
I scanned the room for a weapon, but I found nothing.
Not even toilet paper or a towel rod. As I stood, the hoodie I was wearing slid back into place over my legs, and I felt the small item in the pocket bump my thigh.
It hit me. Lynn’s alert watch. As quietly as possible, I pulled it from my pocket and pushed the buttons, not recalling which one did what. But I was sure the side button was the key. I pressed it repeatedly.
I had no idea if it was working. I needed to figure it out, but I heard Calvin or Alan or whatever the fuck his name was coming back, so I slid it into the folds of the sleeve on the hoodie, determined to try.
The door opened fast, slamming against the wall.
“What the fuck are you up to?”
“Waiting,” I replied. “You told me to wait.”
He frowned, trying to determine whether he had indeed told me to wait.
“Good,” he huffed. He grabbed my arm again, dragging me back to the room. He pushed me into the seat, yanking one arm behind me and tying it to the chair.
“Please, Calvin,” I pleaded, making my voice soft. “Not so tight. It hurts.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? Like you won’t try to escape?” he roared.
“I won’t. I don’t know where I am. It’s so quiet, it’s like we’re in the forest.”
“We are.”
“So where would I go? It’s not like I can call someone to help me.”
He held up his phone, as if to torment me. “Nope. Your phone is useless to you where it is. I have service. You, bitch, have nothing.” Then he slid it back into his pocket.
Before he could grab my other arm, I took a deep breath for courage and leaned into him, the simple act of touching him making me want to vomit.
“I’m so thirsty, Calvin. Please could I have some water?”
He froze, and I forced myself to relax into him. He smelled of unwashed skin and unclean clothing. I nestled closer. “It’s so cold.”
He stood so abruptly, I almost fell. He spun around and headed out the door.
I grappled with the roll of the sleeve, praying I didn’t drop the device, then transferred it to the hand that was already tied up.
I pressed the side button again. I pressed every button I could feel under my fingers.
Then I waited. He came back into the room, handing me an old cup that had seen better days.
I took it, trying to look grateful. I pretended to sip at the water, purposely taking my time.
As I expected, he grew impatient and grabbed the cup away. “Enough.”
He bent over me once again, surrounding me in his putrid stench. I said nothing but started pressing the button on the side of the device again, praying it worked. Praying Evan would see it. Praying they knew I was missing by now.
Except my hand went numb, and the alert device slipped from my fingers, falling to the floor. I shut my eyes, knowing what was about to happen.
“What the fuck?” Calvin growled, standing. “What the hell is this?” He held up the small device.
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know? You don’t know?” he screamed in my face. “Where were you hiding it?”
“I-I forgot. It was in my pocket—it must have slipped out. It’s a lifeline button for my aunt. It’s harmless.”
He stared at it then me. “What have you done, bitch?”
“Nothing,” I lied. “It’s useless.”
He bent down, his unpleasant breath hitting my face. “It is now.” He dropped it on the carpet, grinding it under his heel. I watched, feeling my one shred of hope fade. I had no idea if it had worked. If I was as alone as I felt, stuck here with a madman. But I refused to let him see me cower.
He leaned down, his face level with mine. “Tell me what you did.”
I snapped. “I called the cavalry,” I sneered at him, then in a move I didn’t plan and he didn’t expect, I lifted my leg and kneed him in the crotch.
He was bent at the right angle, and I was angry enough to make the kick count.
He shouted, falling over, rolling on the dirty carpet.
I jumped to my feet, still attached to the chair, and tried to run.
He grabbed my leg, and I went down, my shoulder absorbing the brunt of the impact.
He stood over me, screaming, yelling, hurling obscenities, clutching his balls.
“I hope it hurts, you motherfucker!” I screamed back.
The last thing I saw was his foot as it flew toward my face. I turned away, feeling the force of his boot glance off my head.
And then blackness set in again.
I woke up, the pain levels in my head and body warring with each other.
I was so cold the shivers were constant and painful.
The simple movement of the tremors caused agony to ripple over my body.
My shoulder where I’d fallen was on fire.
My hands were tied tighter again, and now my legs were strapped to the chair legs.
I opened my eyes to see Calvin watching me, an evil smile on his face.
“Wakey wakey,” he said snidely. “I’d say your cavalry isn’t coming. And I won that round.”
“Fuck you,” I muttered, suddenly not caring. Furious at him. At everything. “Wanker.”
“Is that what your English boyfriend has been teaching you?”
“God, you’re stupid,” I mocked. “He’s Irish.”
“He’s history, that’s what he is. I am the only man in your life.”
I hung my head, the pain too bad to hold it up. “Whatever. He is not going to be happy with you when he finds me,” I mumbled.
“He can’t find you. This place isn’t on a map. And I checked the little watch thing. It’s just a knock-off of some kind, like a Fitbit. So trying to scare me with your cavalry thing isn’t going to work.”
“Uh-huh.” Evan had added to its capabilities, and there was no brand name on the device. But it was way more than a Fitbit.
“But I don’t like this attitude of yours. So if you think you’re cold and uncomfortable now, just wait.”
I frowned, not understanding. I was having trouble following his thoughts. I was even more confused when he undid the ropes that tied me to the chair and yanked me out of it.
“Get up.”
I was barely able to stand upright. He hauled me down the short hall to the main room of the cabin. A rug was rolled up, and he let me go long enough to lift a trapdoor.
“The root cellar,” he announced. “Your home away from home until I decide otherwise. You earned it with that stunt of yours.”
I stared down in horror at the earthen floor and cement walls. I could feel the icy air that drifted up, its tentacles wrapping around my already chilled feet and legs. I watched a spider scurry across the floor and began to shake with untapped terror as well as cold. I hated spiders.
“I’ll—I’ll die down there.”
“Then you’d better learn some respect fast.” He grinned at me, his eyes wild and expression mad. “And if you do die, you won’t be the first—and probably not the last.”
He grabbed my arm. “Now get in.”
That was when all hell broke loose.