The Grabber

Freedom

As Al started to stir from his alarm clock, he rubbed his face awake before slapping a hand to stop the alarm. He sighed as he sat up. He took a look at the clock to see what the time was. Nine o'clock. He happened to be off work today, but he knew he had other work to do. As he looked to the window to see the sky, he knew that today was the day he had worried about. He stood out of bed and grabbed his shirt he had taken off to sleep. As he slipped it on, he turned to his closet to look at its contents. He searched through the clothes to find the smallest ones he owned. Ones that didn't fit him anymore, but for some reason didn't get rid of.
Once he had found what he was looking for, he set the clothes aside and got dressed himself.

...

Al quietly opened the basement door that lead to the stairs. He could hear the music playing he had set up the night before. He made his way down the stairs, trying his best not to make any noise. As he reached the cassette player, he bent down to turn it off. He opened the metal door quietly to wake Andrea for the day. Upon first look, he didn't see her in the room. Panic began to set in. The door hadn't been shut throughout the night. He hadn't been standing guard.
Did she escape? Al worried. Shit, shit, shit. I knew I should have closed the door. If she escaped, then-
He was slightly startled to see her beside the door, fast asleep. He looked at her for a moment, finding a smile slowly spreading across his face as the panic drifted away. He quickly caught it and made it fade away. A somber feeling began to sink in instead. Although, he didn't quite understand why. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at her with a sigh. He finally knelt down and tried to wake her.
"Hey," he whispered as he hesitantly reached to touch her bandaged arm. He caressed it with his thumb as he looked at her. She began to stir. "You ready?"
"Ready for what?" She asked in a groggy voice. She turned to see Al, who didn't wear a mask. She could see a bit of worry and sadness in his eyes.
"You're leaving today," he responded. "But we've got some stuff to do first." He stood and reached a hand to offer to Andrea, who hesitated at first, but took it as he helped her to stand. "You feeling alright?" He asked as the two headed upstairs.
"Yeah, besides cramps."
"Lucky for you," he started as he grabbed something from the kitchen table. He turned to Andrea as she entered the room. "I went to the store this morning and got these." Andrea sighed with relief as Al handed the package to her.
"So much better than toilet paper," she chuckled. Al nodded towards the doorway that lead into the rest of the house.
"I'll show you the bathroom. You'll need a shower," he said as he picked up extra clothes on the table and headed towards the bathroom. Andrea took a look around the house as she followed.
"Gee, thanks," she joked. "I smell that bad?"
"You've been down there for a little over a week," Al shrugged as they reached the bathroom. "You look like a mess, no offense. You need to be all cleaned up so no one suspects anything. You need to look like you would on a normal day." Al sat the clothes on the sink countertop and prepared the shower for Andrea. She couldn't help but look at his face. She could still see Al, the part of him he claimed to be fake. He didn't seem so bad right now. Maybe he was real, but he didn't like for him to show. Al looked up as he noticed her gaze. Andrea looked away.
"I'll have to stay in here," he sighed as he stood. "Just to make sure you don't try anything." He noticed Andrea's expression. "I won't look," he shrugged as he headed to close the door. He leaned against the sink, facing away. "I found these clothes in my closet. They're too small for me now, but you can't go out looking bloody." Andrea stepped closer to the shower as she kept her gaze on Al. He looked away, just as he said.
"You better not look," she sighed as she removed her bloody shirt.
"I won't," he sighed. "Promise." Andrea kept her gaze on him as she removed the rest of her clothing and stepped into the shower. A smile stretched across her face as she felt the warmth trickle down her body. The sweat and grime washing away. Al tried his best not to turn around.
"Thanks for the music last night, by the way," Andrea finally spoke to break the silence besides rushing water.
"Music? I... don't know what you're talking about," he shook his head.
"The cassette player. On the stairs? You left the door opened enough for the sound to come through." Andrea noted Al's silence. She stood under the warm water, scrubbing the grime away. "I knew you had a soft side to you." Al tried to turn, but remembered he couldn't.
"Andrea, you're completely naked in the shower with nowhere to run. Do you really want to test me right now?" Andrea glanced up through the fogged curtain to make sure he was still turned around. He wasn't looking, just as he promised.
"It's not a bad thing," Andrea pushed. Al sighed as he tried to find his words. He shook his head as he tried to think. He looked beside him to see the clothes he had picked for Andrea.
"I'm not soft," he finally said.
"You're letting me leave," Andrea pointed out gently. "You left the music for me. You're letting me get cleaned up, get changed, and even gave me a wrap for my arm. You even went out of your way, and comfort zone, to get pads for me. You didn't have to." She noted Al's silence again. She took a careful breath as she stood, looking at his silhouette through the curtain. "And you haven't killed me." Al sighed as he looked up. He tapped the countertop with his finger as he stood in silence.
"Are you... finished yet?" He finally asked softly. Andrea rinsed the last bit of shampoo out of her hair with a sigh.
"Yeah. Just... rinsing this last little bit." Al walked over to the cupboard as he pulled out a towel for Andrea. Once she turned off the water, Al walked over to hand her the towel, being sure to keep his eyes covered. Andrea glanced at him as she pulled the curtain away just enough for her to see. She slowly grabbed the towel from him, finding it odd how he was behaving. As Al stepped back to where he was before, Andrea dried herself, then wrapped herself in the towel to step out of the shower onto the bath rug. "You easily could have looked if you wanted," Andrea said softly. "But you didn't."
"Are you covered?" He asked as he still faced away.
"In the towel, yes," she nodded. Al turned to grab the clothes he had picked out for her. He paused as he saw Andrea in only the towel. He tried to control his eyes. He cleared his throat as his gaze diverted to the clothes in his hands.
"These.. were mine. They don't fit, so I thought you could wear them. Um..." he held up a pair of black boxers. "I figured you might.. need these. Since you..." he couldn't seem to finish his sentence. He made a gesture to show what he meant. Andrea chuckled at his loss for words.
"Yeah, thanks."
"I don't have a.. top, though, so..."
"I'll just use what I had for now," she nodded. "Thanks..." Al nodded as he handed the clothes to Andrea.
"I'll let you get changed. I'll just... be turned around again."
"I'm not gonna do anything," she assured him as she sat the clothes to the side and opened the package of pads.
"I can't take any chances," he sighed.
"What's the plan after this?" She asked as she got dressed. Al rubbed the back of his neck.
"I guess we just walk into town, stay around for a while so we kind of get lost in the day to day scene, then I take you home."
"Will I... ever see you again?" She asked as she slipped on the shirt. Al lowered his hand as he spoke.
"Not as long as you don't say a word to anyone about anything." Andrea tried on the pants he had given her. They were still quite big for her, mostly in length. She tried to roll them up at the bottom.
"Oh..." she softly said. As she finished dressing, she gave her hair a bit of a fluff after drying it with the towel. Al turned as he noticed she was finished.
"What?" He asked to her reply as he took her towel to throw in the hamper. Andrea collected her dirty clothes to take with her as they left the bathroom and into the living room. "You don't want me to just dissappear?" Al handed Andrea her backpack to put her clothes in. She took it as she filled her bag and sat on the couch to put on her shoes.
"I don't know.." she sighed. "I guess... I just... can't imagine not seeing Al," she said as she looked up at him. Al sighed a bit as he slowly sat beside her. He shook his head.
"Al... wasn't real, Andrea. I told you. He was just a cover for who I really am."
"I don't think that's true," she spoke up. Al looked at her. "When you're not hurting others, you're actually a sweet person."
"What makes you think that?" He scoffed with a smirk. "Did you forget who you're talking to?"
"Did you forget who you really are?" She challenged. Al slowly looked away in silence. "Look what you're doing for me. You could have just killed me and staged something to cover it. You could have just dropped me off somewhere the way I was. You're smart. I know you could have done anything besides this if you truly were despicable." She shook her head. "But I don't think you are. You're just... angry at the world for what happened to you. Angry at the people who thought they could take advantage of you. Who thought you were too weak to stand on your own." Al shook his head as he tried to stand. Andrea stopped him as she laid a hand on his arm. He looked at her hand, then to her. "You say Al wasn't real, but... I think he is. I see him whe I look at you. You just don't want to be vulnerable again. You're afraid of what might happen if you are. You're afraid those moments will happen again. You don't have to be like this."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't," she said sternly. She removed her hand from him. "You said it brings you satisfaction, but this kind of satisfaction is only temporary. What happens if it doesn't bring enough? What if you only crave more? You're digging yourself into an even deeper hole. If you stop digging now, there's still a way out." Al looked down as he listened. Andrea hoped she could get through to him. She truly believed he wasn't a bad person. He just did bad things. Perhaps it was cliché, but she believed it. After a moment, Al finally spoke.
"Let's... let's go," he said softly as he stood. Andrea watched as he went to the kitchen. She stood and put on her bag as she saw him re-enter the room with his jacket and sunglasses. He must have fished them out of her bag when he read her notebook. She followed behind him silently as he opened the door. As she left the house, she breathed in the fresh, autumn air. The sun felt nice on her face. It had only been a little over a week, but in all the stress and chaos, she had forgotten how beautiful the world can be. Al closed the door behind them and walked to Andrea's side.
"You ready?" He asked. Andrea nodded as she looked to the house. She could see a piece of paper moving up and down. She assumed it to be the past victims waving goodbye.
"Ready as I'll ever be." As the started down the sidewalk, Al seemed a bit troubled. Andrea noticed this rather quickly. "You okay?" She asked. Al didn't look at her as he shook his head.
"I don't know," he sighed. "This just doesn't feel right."
"Letting me leave?" She carefully asked.
"Letting you leave and never seeing you again." Andrea looked back to the sidewalk.
"We could always go back to how it was before. When we would visit at the baseball cage and just talk. I always looked forward to seeing you, you know." She noted Al's silence. As she stuffed her hands in the pockets of the jeans Al had given her, she took another breath of fresh air.
"Maybe.." Al responded finally. Andrea smiled a bit at this. She noticed Al shook his head again.
"Andrea, are you not..." he looked around to make sure they were alone as they walked. "Scared of me anymore?" His gaze turned to her for the first time since they had left the house. Andrea thought for a moment. She took a breath as she wasn't quite sure herself.
"I'm... afraid of the Grabber. Not Al." Andrea noted his silence as he looked away. She turned her gaze to his blank expression. "Is Al your full name?" She asked carefully. He hesitated before responding.
"It's.. short for Albert," he said.
"I like it," Andrea nodded. "Do you prefer Al?" He looked over at Andrea as they stopped to let a car pass the street.
"I guess... only if you say it," he said softly. Andrea smiled a bit. He smiled a bit as well, but caught himself quickly as he noticed the path was clear. "Come on," he nodded. Andrea followed as they came closer to the baseball cage. She paused as they came to the entrance. Al noticed and came back to meet her. "What? What's wrong?" He asked. Andrea didn't shift her gaze.
"Do you think we could... maybe just hang out here for a bit? Like we used to?" Al slowly glanced from Andrea to the bleachers. He was still confused as to how Andrea seemed to feel comfortable with him again.
"Um.. sure," he shrugged. The two walked inside and seated themselves in the bleachers, just as they used to. Andrea fiddled with her hands, nervously as Al sat close to her. "Any particular reason why you wanted to stop here?" He asked gently. Andrea took a breath of air as she didn't move her gaze. She took in Al's closeness; remembering back to how things used to be before she knew what hid behind his tanned sunglasses.
"I just...wanted to stay with you for a little longer."
"Why?" Al asked. Andrea shook her head.
"I guess I'm just gonna miss you when you leave."
"Miss me?" Al echoed. Andrea looked up at him. "Even after everything I've done to you? Everything that happened?"
"It sounds insane, I know," she sighed as she looked back down. "You're... him. But, as scary as it was.. it's like the whole time I knew it wasn't you. It was your anger." She looked back to Al who had looked down a bit. "This is the real you," she said as Al met her gaze again. "The you I've known all along. The you I've grown fond of." Al scoffed with a shake of his head.
"I.. can't lie. I've grown rather fond of you, too. Having you around is just... different. Knowing that you try to understand me and my actions. You don't judge me blindly based off of them. It's... kind of nice, I guess." Andrea smiled a bit.

"That's why you didn't kill me."
"And why I just couldn't do anything to you. Seeing you scared just felt... wrong. I didn't like seeing you that way. It's weird. I've never felt this with anyone else." His eyes met Andrea's as he began to unfold to her. However, he knew this wouldn't uncover everything.
"Neither have I," she responded. She began to lose her smile as another thought came to mind. "You're not gonna keep doing this are you?" Al shrugged as his smile faded as well.
"I don't know. It's the bloodlust, you know? The satisfaction. I'm... addicted at this point." Andrea placed a gentle hand on his arm as he looked away.
"Please try not to cave," she asked of him softly. He shook his head.
"I can't promise that. I can't promise my anger won't get to me," he sighed. "Just seeing anyone who reminds me of my younger self or the kids who hurt me when I was younger just... boils my blood. And the Grabber just takes over at that point."
"You can't control it?" Al shook his head as he held his hands together. Andrea removed her hand as he did so.
"No. I've tried. Once he's triggered there's no going back until it's all over." Andrea felt sympathy for Al. While it didn't make his actions any better, she knew he couldn't help what his anger did. What he needed was help. A friend. Not death or imprisonment for the rest of his life. She sighed slowly as she knew the town would not give any mercy for the Grabber.
"Can you try?" She asked gently. Al glanced up at her. "For me?" He slowly looked away as he tried to consider her request. He knew he wouldn't be able to, but he wanted to try. Even if it was just for one person who cared. He finally sighed with his decision.
"Fine. I'll try," he softly smiled at Andrea. She smiled as well.
"Thank you," she responded. "I know it won't be easy, but if you ever need anyone, you know I'm here. Even the Grabber needs a friend." Al softly chuckled at this.
"You are so different from any other person I've ever met. You're crazy, but.. I appreciate you. A lot." Andrea smiled and leaned to give Al one last hug. He hugged her back, tightly. He knew he would miss Andrea just as much as she would miss him. "I think you have Stockholm Syndrome," he finally chuckled.
"What's that?" Andrea asked as they slowly pulled away from each other.
"It's a new term. Pretty much means you've fallen your captor, or in this case, you fully trust them." Andrea looked away with a shrug as she thought about this. She chuckled a bit at herself.
"I guess I do. I really am fucked up, aren't I?"
"Maybe in other people's eyes," Al smiled. "But if they believed things the same way you do, I think they would understand."