From the looks and smell of it, she was guessing it had once been some sort of utility closet where cleaning chemicals might have been stored. Who had put her here and why? She was trying to stay calm, but her heart was thudding against her chest. Someone had drugged her and brought her here. She had no idea who would have done that or why.
Reaching for the door, she quickly realized it was locked. She didn’t know why she had thought it might not be. People didn’t just toss you in a closet and then leave the door unlocked. Instead, she tried a different tactic, yelling for help. Perhaps whoever was outside were the people who put her here, or maybe they didn’t know she wasn’t here.
“Help! Somebody help me!”
She heard footsteps and then a man in a mask opened the door to look at her.
“Well, look who’s awake. Did you sleep well sleeping beauty?” he asked.
“No. Someone drugged me and crammed me into a closet,” she said.
“You’re lucky that’s all we did to you while you were out,” he laughed.
“Okay, enough. Get away from her, you fucking perv,” another man in a mask said from behind him.
The first guy grunted and moved away, while the first looked her up and down, but not in a pervy way. He seemed to be assessing her for any damage.
“Are you hungry? We can get you some food.”
“I don’t want any food! I want out of this closet. Why am I here?”
“Ah, I can’t really tell you that.”
“How long do you plan on keeping me here? Can you tell me that?”
“Nope. It’s not up to me. I’m just here to keep an eye on you until someone calls and says I can send you back home.”
Lucy felt at least a hint of relief that they seemed to be intending for her to go back home, though she had no doubt there was a catch and a chance that she wouldn’t go home if whatever they were planning failed. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
“What do you want? I don’t have any money. I’m nobody.”
“That’s not for you to worry about and that’s all you need to know. Now, how about that food? I don’t know how long you will be here, but I don’t intend for you to starve to death on my watch.”
She was hungry, but didn’t want to admit it. Instead, she tried to look around him to get a glimpse of where they were holding her. He immediately stepped closer to the door, blocking her view of anything behind him.
“Listen, Lucy. I don’t want to make this any harder for you than it has to be. None of this is your fault or within your control. What is within your control is staying alive. Okay? So, you need to be a good girl and not give us any trouble. If you don’t give us any reason to do harm to you, there won’t be any. If other people do the right thing, then you’ll be let go without a scratch on that pretty little head of yours. Now, last chance. Would you like something to eat?”
Lucy had never felt more terrified in her life. She couldn’t even speak. Instead she merely nodded her head up and down.
“Very good. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, closing the door.
She could hear the clicking of a locking mechanism that sounded much more industrial than just your average utility closet and then his steps walking across a hard floor outside. There were voices again, this time so low she couldn’t make out much more than unintelligible whispers. She sat down on the mattress and pulled the blanket around her, opening the bottle of water and sniffing it. It smelled like plain water, so she took a sip, letting the coolness ease the dry cotton of her mouth.
After what seemed like forever, she heard the clicking of the door again and the man opened the door, sitting a large paper bag inside and stepping back out. He added another bottle of water and a blister pack of aspirin.
“I know that shit they shot you up with gives you dry mouth and a helluva headache. Hydrate and take the aspirin as you need it. There’s a sandwich, some chips, and a brownie in the bag. Hopefully, you’re not a vegan or one of those people allergic to everything.”
“I’m not,” she croaked.
“Alright, I’ll be back in an hour to take away the garbage and we’ll take you up to the bathroom if you need to go.”
Lucy stiffened at this. The last thing she could think of that she wanted was to have to go pee in front of a bunch of a strange men. Abductors her mind corrected. She shivered and he didn’t miss it.