Chapter 1: Chapter One
I woke up to seeing darkness around me. I was sitting on a soiled and wet floor. I wasn't in my room, I can't tell where I was or how I got here.
My head aches. Did I trip and fall? I can't seem to recall anything. I tried getting up and I realized my ankles were chained. I started to panic. Was I kidnapped?
I tried to scream, hoping that someone would hear me. I pinched myself, thinking it was all a bad dream.
I heard footsteps. I stood up from where I was sitted. Was someone on their way to save me? Or it could be my abductor. The footsteps grew louder and the door swung open.
I saw a silhouette of a man. Because the room was dark, I couldn't see his face. I estimated him to be 6'1" tall.
"You're awake," he said as he closed the door behind him.
"Who are you?" I asked as I curled up at the far end of the room. I was terrified to death.
He kept moving until he reached me.
"I apologize for the poor hospitality," he said, touching my cheek. I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off.
"Save your strength," he said as his hands moved over my body. I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I'm not sure why I didn't cry. He stood up and made his way to the door.
"Who are you, and what do you want from me?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"You'd find out soon enough." And then the door closed behind him. I screamed until I could only cry. I was heartbroken and lonely. Nobody knew where I was, and I had no idea. "Am I going to perish?" I've asked myself this question countless times. I cried myself to sleep because I didn't want to die. Maybe I was dreaming, and I'd wake up in my bed. Perhaps I won't.
I lay motionless on the wet floor. I didn't hear any footsteps or the door opening. I was deep in thought. Why me? He entered with a bag and a lamp. I looked up, hoping to see my captor's face, but the lamp was too dim to see his full features.
"Please let me out," I begged, half-crying.
He took the lamp and walked to the far corner of the room. He turns and returns to where I was lying. He served a plate of microwaved pasta and a glass of juice.
"Eat," he suggested. I pushed the plate of pasta away and averted my gaze. I couldn't eat it. He exhaled deeply. "Eat," he snarled. "I can't eat that; I'm not sure what you served on the side." "And why do you think I drugged your food?" he smirked.
"I wouldn't be surprised, you kidnapped me," I bit my nails. He stood up and made his way to the door. "I'm not touching this food!" I yelled. He laughed and slammed the door shut. I had to leave this place, I was in tears. I remembered my home and my mother.
My stomach grumbled. I couldn't recall the last time I ate anything. I decided to gamble and eat. I require food in order to escape.
I didn't realize how hungry I was. The pasta tasted like Big Joe's Pasta. That is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. How did he know that? Was he stalking me before this, or was it just a coincidence? I started feeling dizzy about halfway through the meal. What was going on? My bones were brittle. After all, the food was tainted. I was foolish to believe otherwise. I tried hard to stay awake, but I couldn't. I fell into a deep slumber. That was the last straw for me.
******
She tried her friend's number for the 100th time, still no connection. It's been four days since She last heard from her. There was no reason to be concerned because this was a routine situation for her friend.
She usually takes time off and disconnects from the outside world, but why was she feeling as if something bad had happened?
She considered calling the cops, but she doesn't want to cause a false alarm. She had no one she could talk to or call. They have only each other.
She dialed the number again before leaving the house. She had other things to do, but her friend's disappearance was still on her mind. Her friend was a loner, but she should have left a message; no response.
She exited the house and made her way to her car. She had a long day planned.
She got into her car and drove over to Ricky's Mart. She needed chocolate for the child she was babysitting. Charlie appreciates it when she brings him chocolate.
She parked her car and walked into Paulo's Mart fifteen minutes later.
"Hello Paulo, how are you today?" she inquired of the Mart's proprietor. He was someone she had known since she was a child.
"No problem, Olivia. "You're here for Charlie's favorite," he replied, "Sure Paulo." She smiled and handed him the cash in exchange for chocolates.
"Have a nice day, Paulo," she said as she walked away.
When she was about to open her car door, she noticed one of her tires was flat.
"Holy shit, what am I supposed to do now?" she exclaimed, frustrated.
She had no intention of starting her day by changing tires. She took off her jacket and went to get her tools for the car's trunk. She jerked up when she felt a touch on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry if I startled you." She turned around to see a man. She appeared irritated. "I noticed you looked distressed; do you require assistance?" "Not really," she replied, uninterested. "Can you fix that yourself?" he asked while she picked up her tools and closed the trunk of the car. "I would have been delighted to assist," he said. After giving it some thought and deciding she didn't want to soil her dress, she decided to let him assist "here" handing him the tool box.
She took a step back and watched him change her tyre. He was done in five minutes. He stood up and handed her the tool box. He carried the flat tire to the trunk of the car. "Thank you, I really appreciate it, but I really need to go now," she said as she got into her car. "At least, tell me your name" he inquired. "Olivia," she replied as she drove away.
