I cry and struggle, struggle and cry, but nothing makes any difference. I really am trapped here. I don’t know how I can get out. I would have preferred to die when he strangled me, that was easier than being h
ere. God knows what will happen to me here. I’m at the mercy of this sick man.
“What the fuck, dude,” a voice calls out from the other side of the door, making my heart stop dead. I freeze, no longer struggling as if I’m trying to hide. It’s pointless because they obviously know that I’m here.
“What? It’s going to be fine. I don’t know what you’re worried about. I have it under control.”
“The boys from the Parcell gang are on our backs after we bumped off Barry. We don’t need this too.”
“The Parcell’s are fucked, we don’t need to worry about them anymore. They know where they stand now, they know that we’re tougher than they could ever imagine. They know not to fuck with us and our territory.”
“I know, I know, I feel ya. I just… I dunno. I don’t think this can end well…”
It isn’t just the killer. There are more of the gang members here, I could be fucked up by any of them. This is even more dangerous than before. I really need to get out. I’m far too freaking scared.
“Shut the fuck up, mate. I don’t know what ya going on about.”
“You don’t know what I’m on about? Are you for real? Fucking hell…”
I dart my eyes around the room, searching for an escape route, a window or anything. Not that I can get off this fucking pole, but if I do find a way, I need an out. Unfortunately, there’s nothing.
“This isn’t what you planned to do, is it, mate? I thought it was just going to be…”
“It doesn’t matter, why are you trying to make it complicated? It’s just fucking happened, hasn’t it? That’s what this life is, a bunch of surprises. We need to work out what the fuck we’re going to do. We need to prove that we can do this shit. If we fall apart at the seams already then what the fuck are we going to do?”
There’s a silence. And the silence makes me suck in a panicked breath. The silence isn’t good, there’s only one way that it can end and that’s me dying. Any minute now, this guy is going to come in here and kill me. I guess the only reason that he hasn’t killed me already is because he wants me to really feel it.
There’s no calm this time. It’s all just panic and sadness. I think about my mom, about how she will move on if I go. She has her friends around her, but no other family. I’m all that she has. If I die, that will leave a big empty hold in her heart. It will destroy her. I hate that, I don’t want it to destroy her.
Then there’s Abbi. I know that she has a new man in her life, but friendship is important too. It will kill her too. And that’s before I even think about Carter. How can I think about him right now? I love him, and I never got to tell him. I love him and I’m going to leave him. He will blame himself for this too.
I’m sorry, Carter, I call out in my mind. Don’t blame yourself for this.
The door swings open, completely shocking me. I wasn’t expecting that to happen. Not yet anyway. I blanche, expecting the worst. I suppose it’s lucky that it’s just him. The killer. Not so great, but his friend isn’t with him. I don’t know how I can fight just this one person off, but I can’t fight two.
“Well, well, well,” he says in a teasing tone. “Look who it is.”
I want to ask him what he’s doing, I do, but I’m far too scared to form even one word. I’m actually trembling. My whole body is shaking violently, so hard it’s making the chains rattle. He likes this, he laughs at it.
“We meet again, don’t we? We always seem to meet in these terrible situations.”
I can look at him better now, for the very first time. He’s actually quite young looking, and he has wild green eyes. His hair is cropped tight to his head and I can see a scar down the back of his head. I don’t know if that’s real, or if he wants to look dangerous. It does work. I am really scared as shit.
“It shouldn’t be this way, should it?” He shakes his head hard. “We could be mates.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I spit out, finally finding my voice. “We would never be friends.”
“Ooh, you’re spicy. I think I might like that in you. It’s fun. It makes this more fun.”
I narrow my eyes at him. He’s angering me, which makes me act out. That’s probably what he wants and I’m just playing right into his hands, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
“I don’t know what you think you’re coming across like, but I know that you’re scared. I heard you outside.”
He bristles, but only for a second. “You are chained to a post, bitch. You aren’t in a position to take the piss.”
“Why don’t you just tell me what you’re going to do to me?”
“Oh, you want to know, huh?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. “I bet you do. I’m sure you’re the sort of woman who would just love me to take advantage of you. You slut.”