111 Crossbow Lane

Time and place.

I feel lost. I sit in the dark, not sure where I am, or who that man was. What time or what day it is. No one will even look for me, no one will even know where to look for me.

I hear faint footsteps, it's getting closer. It stops, the trap door opens and I see faint light coming in from upstairs. I immediately tense up and hold my breath. I see boots climbing down the ladder and a big figure, I can't make out any details.

"It's time for you to help me get back home." He whispers in my ears. I tense even more and goosebumps appear  all over my body. I shudder.

"I don't even know where your house is." I squeak.

"You're already in my house darlin. It's just a matter of the wrong place and time."

What the hell does that mean? My mind can't make sense of what he's trying to tell me.

"What...do you mean it's the wrong place and time?" I swallow hard.

He grabs me by my throat and squeezes. He's so close to me I can feel his lips graze against my lips. I smell alcohol on his breath. I look up and see his eyes. They seem to glow in the dark. Bright red.

"Who are you? What are you?" I ask, but not really wanting to know the answer to my last question. I think it's more the curiosity of the inner writer that made me ask.

"I'm Gideon. Gideon Marshall. How do you not know who I am darlin? You bought my house I'm assuming?"

"I don't know. I just bought a house."

"Well, its mine. And I want it back."

"You can have it. I'll move out as soon as we return there. I promise."

"Oh, no no no darlin. You will be escorting me back home, but you won't be leaving." He laughs, I swear it sounds like a devil. My heart skipped a beat, maybe more. Maybe it even stopped momentarily. I will be going home, but I will still be his prisoner.

"No please, let me go," I whisper, as my voice seems to be failing me. Fear has gripped me. I normally don't scare easily, but this is beyond anything that I could've ever imagined happening to me.

"No! You're taking me home and staying with me. You're mine!" I shudder to think what this man...this devil might be capable of. Tears start rolling down my face, I cry silently.

He turns around and heads up the ladder again. The trapdoor slamming shut again. I struggle and pull at the restraints. It's of no use.

After a while I hear the footsteps coming closer again. The trapdoor opens again and he climbs down the ladder again. He switches on the light again and I wince instinctively. He throws a bag in front of me. He takes a big knife from a sheath on his side. I start squirming in the chair.

"Stop that! Sit still. I'm not gonna cut you darlin. You're my ticket home. But we do need a sacrifice."

What does he mean by that? I swear if he's got some poor defenseless animal in that bag...

He cuts the rope from the bag and opens it to reveal the contents...