Kidnapping | Four Characters | Adults | Quick Start | Strong Female Characters
Book Warnings- mental health, substance abuse, physical abuse, violence, drugs/alcohol.
Unedited First Draft Ch 1
Rosaline sat with her legs forced against the side of the examination table as the nurse swabbed her arm with an alcohol pad. She turned her head sharply towards Emily who gave her an awkward smile that said it was just a little tetanus shot. It didn’t make her feel any better.
“Just a little prick,” the nurse chirped, already pushing the syringe into her arm.
Rosaline hissed through her clenched teeth shooting Emily a pointed glare. “Thanks for dragging me here for this. It wasn’t even that bad. I doubt a chainlink fence even gives you tetanus.”
“It does when you have to pull it out with pliers.” Emily rolled her eyes, used to her friend’s dramatics. “Better safe than sorry.”
The nurse quickly stuck on a cotton ball with tape and left. She had given them both a look of curiosity and annoyance when they had begun bickering over how a needle wasn’t nearly as bad as having to pull out bits of metal with a tiny plier. They were left alone to walk down the hall to their exit.
The staff were all gone and the only person they met on their way to the elevators was a small woman dragging a housekeeping cart towards the bathrooms. It was nearing five in the afternoon and things had calmed down.
“Can’t we use the elevator this time? There’s like, nobody even on it now.” Rosaline picked at the edge of the medical tape standing near the call button but Emily raised her hands like she had pointed a loaded weapon.
“Absolutely not. I’m going down the stairs.”
“We’re literally in a hospital, Em. It’s the best place to almost die.”
“Excuse you but so many people die in hospitals. I don’t care if it’s not in there.” Emily opened the stairs and pushed it wide open waiting for Rosaline to follow her down. She did. Every few steps down Rosaline would give a loud sigh and look out the window at the grass.
As they pushed through the parking garage door it squeaked making a long lingering howl as it slammed shut. It echoed out and down to the bottom level and out onto the sidewalk. The underground garage was dank and had trash scraped up against the walls. There were oil spills soaked into the concrete and the overhead lights were busted all over.
The furthest corner of the garage was nearly dark since all the lights had blown and two were hanging dangerously from the ceiling. They had probably been ripped down by a truck too tall to park. Emily had seen the same thing happen to some of the underground tunnels downtown. She looked over at Rosaline but she didn’t notice. She was typing away on her phone to some number she hadn’t even added to her contacts yet.
Emily scanned the horizon for her busted-up Nissan. She spotted it a few cars down when she heard Rosaline drop her phone. It skitted across the pavement and she heard her give a little chase and curse. Emily could only imagine how she’d be walking up any second to show her how she cracked the screen and needed to ask her parents to replace it.
Emily stuck the key into the car door and then stopped to look behind her. Rosaline hadn’t caught up. Emily gasped, Rosaline wasn’t there at all. She left the key in the lock and walked back out turning around in a circle. She wasn’t anywhere. But there on the concrete was Rosaline’s pink fuzzy phone. The screen was still bright.
“Hey! Did you see that guy just grab that lady? Was she with you?” Someone shouted.
A man had come out from the far side behind a car and ran up to her. He was pointing towards the hospital door when Emily finally stopped calling out to Rosaline. Emily pulled up the call screen on her phone and turned to him just in time to feel a prick in her neck. She had only pressed ‘9’ when she fell to the ground.
“I guess you didn’t,” he murmured. In the last haze of consciousness, she saw an arm sticking out from a truck door. There was still a little cotton ball taped to it.
The two girls were thrown over each other in the back of a truck. Their limbs were dead weight as both of them were dead to the world. It was dark out now and the truck was driving down a gravel path towards a white house with its windows lit up. The wind was barely blowing and the air was cool. Crickets and toads were screeching and the radio was drizzling out the open windows.
Tom pulled up to the porch and got out. He was still dressed in scrubs and smelled like bleach and sanitizer. He climbed the stairs and knocked loudly on the living room door. A second later the door to the left slung open leaving Tom with a look of annoyance. Andy stood there, cigarette smoke blowing out of his mouth, and put his hand on his hip.
“I called you twice,” he said before stepping out onto the porch in heavy thick boots. They didn’t make a noise.
“There’s two girls in the back. Get them into the living room then lock everything down.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Andy smashed the butt against the wall and flicked it over the railing into the air. “Y’know I didn’t make enough dinner for four. Sounds like something you could’ve said over the phone.”
Tom wasn’t amused by the playful banter. All he could think about were the plans he had been making for nearly six months. He went down and grabbed a couple legs and hoisted a girl up and over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Her arms fell down and hung limp swaying side to side as Tom went inside. Andy grabbed the other one and scooped her up like a toddler. She was smaller than the first and he wrapped her legs around his waist and carried her inside. She smelled fresh and warm like vanilla and soap. He would’ve felt like a creep if it hadn’t been for a few pills and a bottle of vodka he had nursed all day.
He followed Tom through the kitchen and into the living room and dumped the girl onto the carpet. She hit with a thud and Tom stared.
“She’s fucking drugged, man. Its not like she’s going to notice a little headache.”
They grabbed Rosaline and Tom quickly ripped off her shoes and tossed them. They each took a leg and began dragging her down the hallway. Her shirt slid up around her chest and her arms dinged the doorway as they disappeared from view. A lock jingled and they pushed the door open.
The room was small and only held a small full sized bed, bedside table, and a dresser against the far wall. The bed was made and tucked in tightly with an old quilt on top. They didn’t bother lifting the girl up onto the bed at all and instead left her on the carpet. Her limbs hit the floor like bricks.
“Drag the other one to her room and start dinner.” Tom immediately left and Andy brought a fresh cigarette to his lips and fumbled for his lighter deep in his pocket. He didn’t even bother to lock the door as he left. The girl wouldn’t be waking up for hours.
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Emily awoke to a pounding headache, her vision blurry and disoriented. She felt an unfamiliar roughness against her cheek as she realized she was lying on a carpet. Panic surged through her, making her heart race and her breath catch in her throat. She tried to sit up but the room spun violently, forcing her back down. Her body felt sluggish, her limbs heavy and unresponsive. She groaned, slowly pulling herself to the edge of the couch, her body trembling with effort.
Desperately trying to steady herself, Emily threw her weight against a nearby table, knocking everything down with a loud crash. She gripped the edge, her knuckles turning white as she fought to regain her balance. The room swayed around her and she blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision.
Suddenly a dark silhouette filled her view. Andy stood there, leaning casually against the doorway, a smug grin plastered across his face. He chuckled softly, clearly amused by her struggle.
“Look at you,” he sneered, taking a few steps closer. “Barely able to stand and yet you think you can fight back. It’s almost… cute.”
Emily’s heart raced, fear and anger rolling in her stomach. She hadn’t even noticed she had grabbed a glass vase and gripped it with such ferocity that it threatened to shatter. She tried to back away but her legs felt like jelly, betraying her determination. She wanted to scream, lash out with the vase, but her voice and strength failed her.
Andy reached out and tipped the table back with a casual flick of his wrist sending Emily flying back. She crashed to the floor and the vase in her grip slid across the room and shattered against the wall. The force sent the large shards around in a semi circle.
“What’s the matter? Feeling a bit under the weather?” He laughed, the sound cold and mocking. His image circled around her in doubles and triples. She could only zone in on the dark emptiness of his pupils that were overtaking his irises. He looked wicked like a beast hunting in the wild.
“Where’s Rosaline!” Finally, Emily managed to push something out. If she was out here under the eyes of a predator where was Rosaline? What hell had she found herself in when she woke up?
“Oh she’s around. But you should really worry more about yourself right now,” he was closer now.
Emily’s heart raced faster. Was she alive? She had to stay strong, had to fight if he attacked, but her body felt like lead. Her vision blurred as she tried to focus on Andy’s face again, her mind desperately searching for a way out.
In the background, she heard muffled sounds, someone yelling. It was Rosaline. She couldn’t understand the words, but the tone was clear— she was terrified. Emily’s instinct was to run to her, but her legs crumbled under her weight. She took a step towards the sound but Andy blocked her path.
“Where do you think you’re going?” He reached out for her and snatched her arm before she could slip past him. “You’re not going anywhere.”
She yanked her arm back but his grip tightened, pain shooting through her arm. “Let me go!” she cried, panic giving her a surge of strength.
Andy laughed again, the sound heartless and bitter. “And miss all the fun? I don’t think so.”
From down the hall, the muffled screams of Rosaline grew louder, sending a fresh wave of adrenaline through Emily. She struggled harder, but Andy’s vice was like iron. He leaned in close, his breath hot against her ear.
“Just imagine what he’s doing to her,” he whispered, his voice dripping with sadistic pleasure. “All alone in that dark room. She’s probably begging for it to stop, just like you will.”
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision further. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t let Rosaline go through that when she was just down the hall.
Andy suddenly yanked her by the hair, dragging her towards the hallway. Emily screamed, grabbing at anything she could to slow him down. Her fingers found edge of a side table, knocking it over in her desperate struggle. Andy kicked her hard in the side, and the pain forced her to let go. He dragged her down the dark hallway, her nails scraping against the floor as she tried to resist.
When they reached the door to her room, Emily grabbed onto the door frame, refusing to be pulled inside. Andy let go of her feet and grabbed her by the hair, hauling her into the room with a brutal jerk. She cried out as he threw her onto the bed with such a force that it rattled the window in the wall. The frame slammed hard against the wall and Emily scrambled to move away from him. The room was pitch black, swallowing her whole.
Andy stood in the doorway, the outline of his figure barely visible in the darkness.
“You’re not supposed to be alone with them, remember?” Tom’s voice echoed from down the hall, but it was too late. Andy slammed the door shut, plunging Emily into complete darkness. She lay on the bed, her body trembling with fear and pain, as Andy’s sadistic laughter echoed in her ears.
She had to stay strong. She had to survive. For herself and for Rosaline.