3743 words (14 minute read)

Chapter 06

Location Unkown

It was the sound that woke her; the soft click of a lock sliding home.

Beth didn’t want to open her eyes, still caught in the chaos of the last thing she’d seen. Her mind replayed the moments before the plane began to break apart.

Terror rippled throughout her body as the memory of tearing metal reverberated through her head. Beth remembered someone grabbing her around her waist, the horrible sound, and a cold rush of wind swirling around her as she fell. Beth also remembered someone speaking; someone was falling with her. Someone had told her it was going to be alright. Somewhere between the rush of the wind and the throbbing of her heart, Beth heard the word “safe”. She shuddered, wishing it were true.

The trembling of her body freed Beth from her memories, dragging her back to the present. Slowly, she opened her eyes and took in the scene around her. Though it was dark, a night-light plugged into the wall opposite the bed in which she lay cast a warm light onto the walls and ceiling. The dim glow revealed a small room, complete with a twin size bed, a lopsided table, a narrow dresser missing its bottom drawer which stood in a closet that didn’t have its doors attached, and a normal size window with thick curtains drawn over it. Where was she?

Beth sat up and checked herself for injuries; people didn’t survive a plane crash without any. Her arms and legs seemed fine. Wiggling her fingers and toes it felt like all twenty digits were there and intact. Beth sighed a little, relieved she was unharmed; that’s when she felt the pain around her middle where she’d been grabbed on the plane. She felt the bruise for anything that could indicate she was in worse shape, but she found nothing; no other pains at all.

Beth drew back the covers and went to the window to get a better sense of where she was. Pulling back the curtains, she was surprised to find the window was boarded up.

“What,” she breathed. Panic skittered down her back sending a wave of gooseflesh across Beth’s skin. She quietly hurried over to the door to try the handle. As she grasped the doorknob Beth tried to convince herself she had nothing to be afraid of. A sound on the other side of the door stayed her hand and she pressed an ear against the cool surface to listen closer. Muffled voices.

“Thank God!” A man’s voice. “Did you get her out?”

The response was too quiet for Beth to make out any words clearly.

“I wanna see her.” His voice sounded strained. “I need to see her.” He repeated more forcefully this time. Moments later, Beth felt and heard a door slam shut. So startled was she, that Beth lurched away from the door, nearly tripping over her own feet.

She waited, there in the dark, to discern if anything else was going to happen. Finally, Beth rallied her courage and returned to the door. She grabbed the knob once more and turned it with purpose; it jiggled and caught. Locked! Fearful tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes.

Clearing her throat, Beth jiggled the handle once more and called out, “Hello? Whoever is out there… please, let me out!” She continued like this for a few minutes before returning to the bed to wait in silence. She hadn’t really thought it would work, but she had to try.

Alone with her thoughts, plots of horror movies and urban legends ran through Beth’s mind on a loop. With no way of marking it, she was unsure how much time passed before she pushed herself off the bed and began pacing. Beth didn’t want to die a horrible death as the victim of some deep-woods cannibal.

She returned to the obstructed window and studied it a moment before she began pulling at the boards. Not one of them shifted under her attentions. Convinced the window was her best chance of escape, Beth focused all her effort on studying the slats. Before long, she realized the boards weren’t simply nailed to the wall, they were affixed with screws. Desperation overruled intelligence and Beth broke her left thumbnail off in an attempt to loosen one of the screws.

Swallowing the pained cry that tried to escape from her mouth, Beth went to the closet in search of something to help pry loose the boards or something to wrap her injured thumb. Finding nothing aside from clothing, she tore up a sock from the dresser to fit her purpose. After dressing the small but painful wound, Beth turned her attention on the empty hangers dangling from the rod in the closet. All plastic, just her luck.

It was while she was fidgeting in frustration that genius struck: the pendant on her necklace! Beth unclasped the chain and went to work using the edge of the pendant to twist out the first of the many screws. As she worked, Beth remembered how the necklace had come to her.

It was early morning the day of her flight. Beth paused from her packing to check her phone when it chimed a text message alert. The message was from Sarah and simply read, “knock, knock!”

Beth hurried up from the basement, through the house and quietly opened the front door. Though the porch light wasn’t on, by the light of the moon she saw something on the far edge of the welcome mat. She snatched up the mystery item and, crossing the threshold with a sigh of relief, shut the door behind her.

She sat on the couch and clicked on the lamp on the end table. On the front of the envelope, Beth saw her name in a messy scrawl she recognized as Sarah’s hurried handwriting. Beth opened it and extracted a Polaroid snapshot of Sarah pointing to a sun-shaped pendant hanging around her neck. Inside the envelope, was a similar necklace; it was a crescent moon and looked as though it connected with Sarah’s pendant. Looking closer, she saw her pendant had an engraving that read, “friends”. Beth smiled and examined the snap-shot more closely. Sure enough, Sarah’s pendant said, “Best”.

Beth choked out a pained chuckle. When she turned over the pendant the second time, she realized there was an engraving on the back. It read, “forever, no matter what.” This engraving wasn’t professional; Sarah’s dad must have done it for her. A tear escaped from the corner of Beth’s eye, and she let it fall onto the carpet. She donned the necklace and pulled out her phone. Beth took a photo with her pointing to the necklace and sent it to Sarah in a text. “No matter what.”

Beth set the fourth screw on the floor while holding the first board in place and laughed at the thought that Sarah could claim credit for her escape should it prove successful. She pulled the board towards her, away from the window, not wanting to make any sounds alerting her jailors to her work. She set it on the floor leaning against the wood-paneled wall. No light spilled through the window in the board’s absence, so Beth surmised it was dark out and continued her tedious task.

A long time later, she’d removed enough of the boards that she could fit through after opening the window. The night was dark, though the stars were out. No moon, tonight. Beth sent up a prayer that the window wouldn’t squeal and began inching it ajar. Her heart beat painfully as the motion caused a low rumbling sound. She hoped it was too quiet for anyone other than her to hear.

Window open as far as it could go, Beth leaned out to see how far the drop was, judging it to be five or six feet. She took one last glance around the room lit only by the night-light and mourned the absence of her shoes. However, shoes or no shoes, Beth needed to get as far away from her captors as she could manage. Using the boards she’d left in place, Beth hoisted herself up enough to sit in the window with both legs dangling out… and then she jumped.

She hit the cool grass and rolled to absorb the impact. Somewhere nearby, a wolf howled in the night. When she got to her feet, Beth felt a slight twinge in her right ankle and paused to determine which direction to run in. All around were lawns and flowerbeds and gardens and trees, though the night air brought with it the scent of sagebrush and juniper. She glanced back at the structure she’d just escaped and resolved to run directly away from it.

When Beth turned around to start off, she stumbled and her legs began to tremble. There, in the moonless night, blocking her path, was a tall figure.

“While I applaud your resourcefulness, Beth, I had you locked safely away for a reason.” Though his voice was like warm apple cider on an autumn night, it chilled Beth to the bone. He stepped towards her and she froze.

“You,” she’d meant to put accusation behind it, but her voice came out a whisper. “How. How do I know you?”

His dark brown eyes assessed her; the hairs on the back of Beth’s neck stood up. “The plane, Beth. I was there.”

She shook her head and swallowed thickly. “No. No, I know you. How do I know you?”

The man narrowed his eyes and cocked his head a little to his left. “Interesting.” He said more to himself than to her. Before she could ask what was interesting, he waved his hand in an odd gesture and the world faded away. A black void engulfed her and Beth sank into the nothingness.

***

Beth stared at the locked door, seething. She could hear Carter’s voice in her mind, berating Beth for letting her chance at escaping slip through her fingers because she looked back. How many times had he scolded her for looking back? “Your priority should be getting away from the danger, not checking to see if the threat is still on your tail,” he’d say. If he knew the situation she was now in, he might regret the hours he spent over the years training Beth in self-defense and survival.

Beth’s last escape attempt was two days ago, and the weakest by far. She’d attempted to slip the lock on the bedroom door using a metal clip she had pulled off the end of a pen from her suitcase. She had found the suitcase in the room with her the second time she came to after her mysterious blackout. It was missing a few items, items Beth might conceivably use to escape the ridiculous wood-paneled room or items that might aid her on the run if she were somehow able to break free.

The first time Beth awoke from that strange blackout, everything in the room looked the same as when she’d woken up after the plane crash; boarded up window and all. She smirked and went to work unscrewing the boards with her pendant. By the time the second board was removed, Beth noticed something was off. She slid open the window and went to reach outside, only to touch more slats of wood. Her captor had boarded the window up from both sides! The next time Beth woke, her necklace was gone.

By her estimation, five days had passed since she woke up in this place the first time. Beth still hadn’t sussed out how her captors manage to knock her out whenever they need to bring her food or move her to the restroom. She was starting to suspect some form of hypnotism. From time to time, Beth could hear her captors arguing, but she never could manage to make out enough of their words to tip her off as to what they’re planning. Their conversations always ended with a door being slammed.

Five days. Tapped out on ideas for escape. Beth wasn’t sure how they knew the boredom was getting to her, but on her second day, just after she’d had the thought that she should try prying the offensive wood-paneling off the walls, the black void swallowed her up. When Beth regained consciousness, there was a small stack of well-worn books and a lightbulb sitting on the lopsided table. She quickly installed the bulb in its socket and illuminated the small space. She’d been working her way through the books ever since.

Beth no longer distrusted the food her captors brought her. They left it in the same manner as they left the books. Her attempt at refusing to eat what they brought her lasted most of the first day before she gave in and fell upon the tray like a ravenous wolf. Though cold, the meal was delicious and she suffered no ill-effects afterward. She supposed they wouldn’t kill her by poisoning, anyhow.

Five days without actual human interaction. She may not be the most gregarious gal out there, but even Beth couldn’t enjoy this level of isolation. It was these desperate thoughts that led her to defile a book. She tore one of the blank pages out from the back and wrote a brief note on it with her eyeliner. When she was through, Beth knelt by the ever-locked door and slid the purloined page underneath to the other side. Before she’d lifted her finger from the edge, someone on the other side pulled the page the rest of the way through.

Her heart lurched. She hadn’t heard anyone approach the door. Retreating from where she’d knelt, Beth let out a slow breath and thanked whatever God was listening that she hadn’t squeaked in surprise when the page vanished. A moment later, she thought she heard one of her captors chuckle. Then came a light knock on the door.

After an incredulous pause, Beth called out calmly, “I’d let you in, but that door doesn’t seem to open from this side.”

Another soft chuckle, then the sound of a lock sliding and a latch opening. Beth tried to keep her breathing even in an effort to reign in her pounding heart. Adrenaline pulsed through her and her knees shook more than she’d care to admit. The door opened and in stepped the familiar stranger. He closed the door behind him and stood to lean against it, the expression on his face one of tempered amusement.

He lifted her note before him, pointedly made eye contact, and then read it aloud. “Boredom is killing me quicker than you are. Some conversation wouldn’t go amiss. Write me back? Ps: sorry for the damage to East of Eden.” His smiling eyes fell to the floor where she’d left the book in question. He knelt and opened it to the back and fit the torn page against its remnant like a puzzle piece. “Clever,” he remarked. He folded the page and slipped it into his back pocket as he stood.

His dark brown eyes met Beth’s. “Why would I bring you a pen? The last time you had access to a pen-”

“I tried to pick the lock. It didn’t work, though. So, what’s the harm?” Her stomach sank. Had she really just talked back to this man? Beth hurried to correct herself. “It doesn’t have to be a pen. I’ll be good with a pencil, marker… I’d even settle for a crayon.”

He was chuckling again. Beth waited to see if he’d let her in on the joke.

“A crayon? Lord, I haven’t seen one of those since you were thirteen. A crayon.” While he cleared his throat and reigned in his laughter, Beth was fighting to resist the chill that ran down her spine. Finally, he sobered. “Am I to understand that you want access to paper and a writing implement for the purpose of… what? Passing notes under the door?”

Beth swallowed thickly and hoped her voice would come out steady. “Yes. Though I’d probably also use them to journal while I’m here.”

The man returned to his post at the door. “And what is it you hope to accomplish by passing notes with me, Beth?”

He thought she was angling for another escape attempt. He wasn’t entirely wrong, but Beth wasn’t about to admit that. “I’m only trying to find ways to stay sane. Being abducted and held captive isn’t exactly easy on the psyche, dude.” Inwardly, she cringed at the form of address. She needed something to call this psycho.

“Abduction?” He tilted his head a bit to his left.

“Yes. Abduction.” Beth shot back, losing her patience. “Do you have a name or something I can call you?” She reviewed the short list of names she’d already referred to him by in her head: stranger, thing one, brown eyes, psycho, chuckles. Not exactly flattering.

He fought a smile. “My name is Damien, and you may call me Damien. While I know this situation isn’t precisely ideal, I need to set something straight. I did not abduct you, Beth. I rescued you.”

His words drew Beth back into the original mindbender of this mess: the plane crash. What happened between the terrifying fall and when she woke in this place? “Um… Okay, Damien. Point of fact: snatching someone up from the scene of an accident and whisking them off to hold them captive for a week qualifies as an abduction.” Beth’s words didn’t hold the fire they would have if she weren’t so unsure of her safety, but there was definitely some snark in the mix.

Damien started shaking his head. “No, that isn’t what happened. The plane- None of this was part of the plan. I’m just trying to figure this out.” While he was trying to decide what to say, Beth started eying the door. She wondered how strong this guy was. Maybe if she caught him off guard… “Really, Beth?”

“What?” She asked, dumbly.

“If you try for the door, I’ll simply put you to sleep again.” He sounded exhausted.

Beth narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, that’s a neat trick. How does it work? Fast-working drugs?” She racked her brain for more to say. If she could keep him talking, perhaps she could distract him…

“Seriously, Beth?” His eyes lit with frustration. “You’re going to talk me out of your way?” His voice turned quiet like he was at the end of his rope.

Beth’s heart missed a beat. Coincidence. That’s all this was. A coincidence. He’d guessed what her plan was, he couldn’t have known that…

“That you were actually thinking that, exactly? Coincidence?” Damien took a seemingly absent-minded step into the room, away from the door. “How shall I prove it to you. Should I prove it to you at all?” Another tiny step as he continued his crazy, one-sided conversation. “That’s the whole problem, Beth. I don’t know what to do, here. This wasn’t part of the plan.” Another small step, this time Beth mirrored him and stepped towards the door as he stepped away from it, circling.

“Plan? What are you talking about?” She asked, quietly. Beth kept her eyes locked with his and fought the compulsion to steal a glance at the door. He moved again. This time she shot for the door. The few seconds it took to cross the small space lasted hours. WIth her hand inches from the doorknob, Beth found herself stuck. Her whole self. All of her. From her toes to the tips of her outstretched fingers, Beth was frozen in place. What the hell? She tried to say, but she could only hear the words in her mind.

Damien moved into Beth’s line of sight. He wore a sad look on his face. “I make you sleep when I need you restrained. That, however, is not the only thing I can compel you to do.” Against her will, Beth’s limbs began stiltedly walking her backward further into the room. “Still think I used drugs to put you to sleep?” Internally, Beth screamed her rage at yet another escape foiled. Carter would be ashamed. Damien winced. “That’s louder in my head than it is in yours.”

Beth’s body stopped moving, and she stood near the side of the bed still unable to speak. He couldn’t have heard me scream. She thought frantically.

“Oh, I heard it,” Damien replied. Her mind blanked out for a moment, then Beth intentionally sent him a thought. Give my body back to me. He shook his head.

“Not yet.” That answer could have been to many questions. He could be playing her. Beth tried a different tack. How do I know you?

Damien’s head slowly lifted and he looked into her eyes once more. “That is… complicated. Technically, you and I have never met. That you know me… Well, I always thought you suspected I was there. They said it wasn’t possible and I believed them.”

Beth gasped and crumpled, barely catching herself on the bed. Beth’s body was her own once more. Her limbs continued to spasm and her neck became slick with sweat. “What’s…” She couldn’t finish voicing her query. Beth felt weak and shaky.

“Wrong with you? Nothing. Recovery can take ten minutes. Being controlled like that, used like a puppet… it takes its toll.” Damien turned and opened the door. With his back still to Beth, he said, “I’m… sorry. Excuse me.” And he left, closing the door behind him. She heard him do up the locks and then muffled voices through the wall.

When Beth woke up to the smell of stew, she found some new books had been added to her collection. Additionally, on the table next to the books, was a pad of paper and a ballpoint pen. Beth ate the provided meal and smiled a little at the small concession Damien had given her.