26
Samantha
Time moves strangely, I have no concept of the hours or minutes that pass. When I wake up, I am bound with zip ties and laying on the floor of a utility van. I smell grease and dirt over the sharp metallic odor of my blood that has pooled under my cheek.
Lifting my body, I turn, wincing from the pain at the base of my skull and the sticky blood that pulls on my skin, as I frown at my surroundings.
My right cheek is aflame. I was hit while unconscious or dropped carelessly, hitting my face. I taste blood at the corner of my lip, the sting I feel there is familiar.
The drone of an engine tells me we're on the move, but I have no idea to where or how long we've been moving. My only clue is the tacky blood, making me think only hours have past.
I keep my breaths even, hoping he doesn’t realize I’m awake. It doesn’t matter though. I’m still trapped.
Hours later, the van finally stops. I lay still, hoping for a chance to escape.
The utility door slides open, and my breath leaves me in a whoosh. Darryl is standing in the door frame. He stares down at me as the interior lights shine on his face.
The years fall away and I’m a young girl again, shaking and terrified of what he’s going to do next.
“Please,” I croak. “No.”
He reaches in, grabbing me by my upper arm. I scream, kicking at him, and he lets me drop to the hard ground. Jagged rocks dig into my side and back as I hit the dirt. A cloud surrounds me from the impact making me cough. Dirt and blood mix as I fight his hold.
He’s eerily silent as he hauls me up. I stumble, tears tracking down my face. He drags me through tall grass, over sandy red dirt. My body freezes up. I haven’t seen soil like that in seven years. He’s brought me home.
“No, no.” I howl, refusing to believe I’m so far away.
My throat is sore from my continued screams, and my eyes continue to scan my surroundings as he drags me up a gravel driveway to an old house. He throws me up a few steps and onto a sagging porch. I scramble up the remaining few, trying to regain my bearings. It’s unfamiliar. I’ve never been here before.
There’s nothing but an empty field and a dilapidated barn in the distance.
He pulls me forward as he crosses the threshold. I fight his grip on me. I know if I enter that house, I won’t be coming out. I twist myself, slamming my body against the door frame.
He lets me drop to the ground as he gets me inside. My head bounces off thin carpet. The sore spot at the back of my head gives a sharp ache. My vision fogs over briefly.
“Wake up!” Darryl barks. My eyes threatening to close, snap open. “I told you! I told you that I would find you.” He reaches forward, grabbing my face with his hand. He squeezes my cheeks, and I cry out in pain.
He shoves me away with a quick jerk.
“I can’t even look at you. You let him touch you. You fucking whore!” He screams bending down close to my face. I roll away, trying to escape his alcohol soaked breath.
“You’re mine!” He screams again.
I feel a burst of pain on my side.
I wake up alone in the room, my zip ties removed, but trapped.
A wide slot is cut in the bottom of the door. Small plates of food and drink pouches have been sent through regularly. With no windows and the sliver of light, I count the days by plates. Two come through with what feels like hours of time in between.
At first, I don’t eat, too afraid of what he might try to feed me, afraid he might drug me. I quickly grow weak. I decide if I have any chance at survival, I need some strength and my wits. I force down a few bites from each plate.
I spend hours feeling around my makeshift prison. There is a toilet against the wall and one small bed shoved into the corner.
I spend most of my time reliving each moment of my abduction and wishing I could have reacted differently. I can't believe how easily I let myself be taken in a room full of people. The thought sickens me. Darryl was indeed stalking me. His anger at me evident. I should have taken the flowers more seriously.
I haven’t seen him since the first day in this house. I know he’s watching me. There’s a camera set high in the corner of the room, its red light blinking down. The little light is easily spotted in the dim room.
Why didn’t I go to the police? Why did I think I was safe? I hope Brian and Beau can help the police find me now.
