Chapter 25
I don’t like it when you cry.
Annie
I’m sick. Physically ill. My stomach is in knots, and I’m feverish from the inside out, yet I’m trembling so badly that the bed I’m tied to is rattling against the wall.
My joints ache from the strain; my palms are damp, my mouth is incredibly dry, and my tongue feels thick.
Any saliva I have pools at the back of my throat, slides down like it’s coated in Teflon, then surges back up, acidity burning through the nonstick layer and corroding my bones.
My vision is foggy and obscured by a blindfold, so I can only see as far as my eyes can take me through the slit, from this position. The severity of my captor’s disillusionment becomes more chilling as familiarity settles and understanding sinks in that I’m in a replica of my old room.
There’s the same white desk I did my homework on a thousand times, familiar books stacked neatly on the shelves, even an identical pink wall clock, which is currently stuck at 11:37.
The nightstand holds a word-of-the-day calendar with a date from almost six years ago: March 23.
Above me, a similar gold light fixture hangs from the ceiling, and the curtains are identical polka-dotted tan and pink.
I’m dressed in pink pajamas—thank God I used to wear a t-shirt set instead of a tank top back then. I shiver remembering the feel of this creep taking my clothes off and dressing me like I’m a baby, his hot breath against my skin.
I’ve already tugged on my bindings and am resigned to the fact that I’ll never be able to break free of them. There’s no point in wasting my energy trying. Plus, if I ever get the opportunity to fight back, I’ll need all my strength.
I drag my head across the bed, loosening the blindfold more, but when it falls off, I panic, afraid he’ll be mad.
But then there’s a noise. I hear it coming from the corner. Inside the closet…maybe. A secret door? I jump when I hear it again and feel my heart thump erratically. The door creaks open, and Tara is there…I can’t tell if he’s alive at first.
Her hands are tied above her, and she’s hanging from a hook, her mouth duct taped, face bloodied, body limp. Then her eyes open and she pleads with me. I can do nothing but stare at her and bite back a sob so I don’t draw any attention toward us. “Who is he?” I mouth.
She shakes her head and her body, telling me something I don’t understand, but she’s barely moving…
she’s too weak. And that’s when I start fighting, too.
I can’t begin to imagine what she’s been through.
I need to escape. I jolt, jerk, twist, and pull, but all it does is tear the skin against my bindings.
Tara sobs and tries to fight her way free, but she gives up. She destroyed everything I own, but she doesn’t deserve to be destroyed because of it. I want to help her, but I can’t. I can’t even move. “Ben will find us,” I mouth. “Just hold on. Hold on.”
My mind races, searching for anything that can be used as a weapon to fight him off.
The sound of footsteps in the hall freezes me in place, every muscle tenses in anticipation.
My breathing accelerates as the door slowly opens, and the shadow of a man emerges.
His voice is creepy, high-pitched, and eerily friendly. “Annie. You’re awake.”
He gets closer, and I brace, but he just stares down at me, and with a clearer head, I finally get a good look.
Poe? He has patches of trimmed facial hair in areas a beard should be, his eyes are green from fake contacts, his hair is dyed black and spiked with so much gel it doesn’t move when he tips his head.
“What the hell? Let me go! What are you doing?”
“You’re safe now, angel. You’re safe. I finally got you safe.”
“Is this a joke? I was safe. What did you do to Tara? Where’s my cat? Let me go!”
He squints and slowly turns his head. Tara is lifeless, and he jumps to the door and slams it shut. I see his back move up and down from a breath he takes, then he turns around with an eerie smile. “How are you feeling, Annie?”
“Where’s my cat?”
He tsks me. “She’s safe for now.”
“What did you do to Tara?”
“She hurt you. So she must die.”
I whimper and struggle, “Why?”
“I asked how you’re feeling, Annie.”
“You hurt my cat, kidnapped me, and tied to a bed. How do you think I feel, Poe?” I cough and tug my arms because my instincts make me.
He grins. “That’s not my name. You do know my name, don’t you?”
“It’s Poe.”
“That’s not my name!” he shrieks.
Shit, shit, shit. What is happening?
Think. He’s crazy. I knew something about him was a little bit off, but I never suspected this. What does he want? Why me? What did he bring me here for? Why recreate my old room? I glance at the day on the calendar again and rack my brain…that day is important, but why?
I need to pry some more information out of him, but I have to remain calm when I do. “Of course, I do. We’ve been friends for a long time, right?”
“We have, but since I’m protecting you, we can’t be friends anymore. We have to maintain a professional relationship. Remember what happened last time?” He lifts his shirt, and I wince at the infected wound in his shoulder. “I got shot for you.”
He thinks he’s Ben. No way. No fucking way am I going to call him Ben.
“I took a bullet for you, and you don’t even remember my name, Annie? Or are you going to leave me like you did your ex-boyfriend?”
“What ex-boyfriend?”
“The one who came after you left with the flowers. He was going to corrupt you with his body again, but I know he had the wrong Annie because he said you were Annabell. But that’s not you, right? You’re my Annie?”
What is he talking about? I think hard, and remember Ben telling me about Parker provoking him. Shit! “I am Annie.”
“And who am I?”
He’s still waiting for me to acknowledge that I know him as something else, so I fall back on the training I have for dealing with dementia patients. I feed into his illusion, knowing he’s a psychopath, and I have to do this to survive. “Do you still go by Ben, or do you prefer your full name?”
He narrows his eyes, and I hold my breath. “I’m older now, so I prefer Benjamin.”
His name is Bennett, you fucking lunatic! “Okay, Benjamin.” I’m not sure if I’m only smiling in my mind, but I hope it comes through on my face so he believes I’m buying into his psychosis. “Do you think you can untie me now that I’m awake?”
“Oh, yes, I’m sorry, Annie.” He removes a long knife from a sheath clipped to his belt, and when I see dried blood on it, I can’t help the whimper that escapes. “I won’t hurt you, Annie. That’s the last thing I want to do. I want to protect you.”
He’s humming what I think is “I Will Always Love You” as he slices through the ropes on my wrists, but unfortunately, he stops there.
My ankles are still tied, but at least I can move my arms again.
I swallow bile as he puts his hand on my back and helps me sit up.
He massages my arms one at a time. I manage to get through it without vomiting and thank him when he’s done.
“You’re welcome. Are you hungry? Thirsty? ”
I’m the opposite of hungry, but I am parched. While I don’t trust him not to put something in anything I ingest, I have to play along. “I am a little. Can I go to the kitchen to see what we have?”
“No!” He clears his throat and smooths out his hair on either side.
“No. You have to stay here where it’s safe.
” He goes to the window and pulls the curtain open an inch.
It’s darkish. But I can’t tell if the sun is rising or if I’ve been here that long that it was setting.
“It’s clear, so I’ll be right back with something to eat. ”
“Can I just have a bottle of water? I’m really not hungry.”
He starts walking toward the door. “No, you have to eat. I made your favorite chocolate chip cookies. I’ll be right back.” He looks over his shoulder. “Annie. Don’t try anything stupid. I can’t protect you if you run away again.”
I gulp as he closes the door behind him, and I try not to cry. “Hurry up, Benny.” I pray and beg to whoever will listen, my dad, my mom, God. “Please let him find me…please.”
Poe returns with a cookie and a glass of water.
He’s kind enough to readjust my ankle bindings so I can lean against the headboard.
I’d have kicked him and fought, but he tied my hands behind my back when he did it.
And then he keeps them there as he feeds me the disgusting stale trash cookie like I’m a fucking toddler.
The level of repulsion is indescribable, but somehow, I manage to get through it without puking or passing out. I want to ask him questions, but at this point, I figure pushing might backfire. Better to let him keep talking and hopefully bide time for Ben to get here…if he can find me.
“Are you tired, Annie?”
Please go away…please leave me alone. “Yeah.”
“Me too.” He leans me forward and messes with the rope again.
My arms are released from their confines, and I roll my shoulders.
I hear the click of metal, then feel it against my skin.
Glancing down, I wheeze when I see him attach the other handcuff to his own wrist. “Only to keep you safe,” he says with a yawn.
“I always have to keep you safe. Safe and happy. That’s my job, that’s what I told him, too. ”
“Told who?”
“Your father, of course. He hired me because he knew I’d protect you, and I did. I am going to until the Lord calls me home.”
Tears immediately burn the back of my eyes as his words penetrate. “Oh my God! What did you do? You hurt my dad?”
“Shh.” He pinches my cheeks so hard they dig into my teeth, and I taste blood. “It’s his fault he wasn’t strong enough to defend you, and he was making you cry,” he growls. “I don’t like it when you cry, Annie.”
I can’t not cry, but when he slaps me, I force myself to stop. He killed my dad, and he’s probably going to kill me too. Is he going to kill Ben, too?