33. Ryker
33
RYKER
W hen I regain consciousness, my head is ringing as if someone knocked me over the skull with something very hard and heavy. Twice.
I try to touch the pounding spot but my hands get stopped by the restraints around my wrists. The memory of an airport interrogation room shoots through my throbbing brain, giving me an even bigger headache.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
Did I actually get kidnapped?
The blindfold covering my eyes makes it even harder to make sense of my predicament.
‘You should be careful, people who go so far as to maintain an entire journal dedicated to examining you and your entire life might eventually go even further than this.’
It would appear that she actually did. And she even warned me beforehand.
“Sienna?” I ask into the seemingly empty room. My voice echoes in what I assume to be some sort of abandoned basement. The air feels wet in here and from what I can tell, there’s not much light coming in.
“Robyn?” I try when there is no response.
It’s not entirely unheard of that rich people are abducted to get money out of them. Maybe I accidentally stumbled into my very own kidnapping?
In the darkness, my senses sharpen. I hear the faint drip of water accompanied by an uncomfortable coldness.
I hold in and listen for a sound, any sound. The rope that ties my hands is tight, but probably my best chance at an escape, so I loosen it by flexing against it as stealthily as possible. To my surprise, I get the rope off a minute later. It will probably leave a nice friction burn, but not more than that. I remove the blindfold and look around. No one is with me, just the gloominess of an old basement. An old couch sits against the wall, a few crates are stacked in one corner, a few casks in the other and in-between there is a table with what appears to be some kind of chemistry equipment.
Did I get myself abducted by drug dealers?
I loosen the ties around my feet when I hear a door opening up the stairs to my left. Someone is coming. Quickly, I put the blindfold over my eyes again, slip back into the restraints behind my back, and pretend to be out cold.
I peek under the blindfold but can’t see much in the dark. After a lot of scurrying, I feel someone gently poke against my chest with something solid. Might be a gun , it shoots through my head. Better not take any chances here.
I pretend to regain consciousness and grunt at the pain that I am feigning to still feel. “Listen,” I say and grumble some more, “this is all quite fun. I admire the attention to detail: the blindfold, the rope around my wrists, you even got the unmistakable aroma of damp basement for that extra bit of authenticity, and if it wasn’t for the blindfold, I’d probably admire the rustic décor too… but I’m afraid this has gone far enough.”
After a few seconds, and some rustling noises, I finally get a response. “Do you know why you are here?” A robotic voice asks.
I hesitate. This is weird. Whoever is speaking seems to be using some kind of voice alternator.
“Let me guess: you’re a big fan and wanted an autograph?”
There’s more rustling, more scurrying, but no answer. It seems like there is an entire group of people here with me.
I start again. “Listen, we don’t have to do it this way?—”
“Shut up,” another artificial voice cuts me off. “You know exactly what you did, and now you will have to pay for it.”
More rustling ensues. I move my head from side to side attempting to grasp what is happening. It almost seems like the people are fighting between themselves. There are hushed voices, something knocking on wood.
When I tilt my head slightly forward, the blindfold slides off my face, giving me a clear view of my abductors. There’s five of them and I recognize them immediately. I am staring at Paige, Robyn, Guy, and Earnest. To my surprise, the last person is not Sienna, but someone else. All of them are wearing masks, if you can call it that. Guy opted for one of Paige’s nylon pantyhose that distort his face and makes him look like he had one plastic surgery too many, Earnest is wearing a surprisingly authentic-looking Spiderman mask, Paige looks like she just came from a mask ball in Venice, while Robyn’s eyes peek out of a ski mask. She is dressed in all black, making her look like a professional burglar.
On closer inspection, I determine person number five to be Paul Bearer who works the reception desk at Haven. His usually shaven face is covered by what I assume to be a beard from a Santa Claus costume, and above it, he’s wearing sunglasses with a fake nose attached to them.
For a second I don’t know what to say or do, and apparently neither do they. We are just staring at each other until Robyn seizes the initiative. She takes Paul’s cane, lets it hover over my crotch, and lifts a small device to her lips.
“Like I said, you know exactly what you did and now you will have to pay for it.” The cane slowly moves down and stops just short of my private parts. “Unless…”
Alright, that’s enough.
I slide my hands out of the restraints, grab the cane, and push it away. “I know it’s you, Robyn. No need for that thing.” I get up, take the voice alternator, and throw it away.
“Hey,” a muffled complaint echoes from Spiderearnest.
Without much hassle, I loosen the rope around my legs and step to the side. “Seriously guys? What the hell is this? What are you doing? I thought we were friends.”
No one moves an inch until I decide to get out of here. This is utterly ridiculous.
“I will now leave. You should be happy that I am not calling the cops on you.” I shake my head, turn around and head for the stairs.
I’m aware I haven’t known them for very long, but their betrayal stings nonetheless. This seems to be a common theme, and I probably shouldn’t be surprised that they are in cahoots with Sienna. They are friends, after all. Family .
The emptiness that I have been feeling all day hollows out my insides even more. Bit by bit, it gnaws away at what little feelings I had left. Not that there were that many to begin with. At least not until I met her.
I shake my head once more in disbelieve, reach for the door handle, and?—