As I turned around, clutching the gifts in my hands, I froze in my tracks. Standing there, illuminated by the faint porch light, was someone I never thought I'd see again.
"Oh, baby, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?" he said with a devilish smirk, sending a chill down my spine.
"I-I thought you were dead?" I stuttered, my voice barely a whisper as fear gripped me.
"No, I'm not... but you're about to be," he replied, his smirk widening into a sinister grin.
Before I could react, he lunged at me. The gifts tumbled from my hands as I tried to fend him off, but his strength was overwhelming. He was much bigger than me, and my efforts to push him away were futile.
Just as I opened my mouth to scream for help, he pressed a white cloth over my mouth and nose. A strong chemical scent filled my nostrils, and I realized with horror that it was chloroform. I struggled, trying to fight him off, but the fumes quickly began to take effect.
My vision blurred, and my limbs grew heavy. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, the world around me fading to black despite my desperate attempts to stay awake. The last thing I heard was the sound of the crickets fading.
Back inside the house, the joyful atmosphere continued as my family and friends chatted and laughed, unaware of the sudden turmoil outside. A few minutes had gone by since I had gone out to the car, and Victoria began to grow curious and concerned.
"Why is it taking her so long to get the gifts out of the car?" Victoria asked, her brow furrowing with worry.
My mom, who was checking on the pound cake, looked up and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she needs help with the gifts. I'll go see what's taking so long."
Victoria nodded, unable to shake the uneasy feeling. "Actually, I'll go check on her," she said, her concern deepening as she headed for the front door.
Victoria stepped outside into the cool night air and made her way to the car. As she approached, her heart sank. The gifts were scattered on the ground, and the car keys lay beside them. But I was nowhere to be seen.
Initially thinking it might be a prank, she let out a sarcastic laugh. "Hahaha, very funny. You can come out now," she called out, looking around expectantly.
A minute passed, and there was still no sign of me. Her amusement quickly turned to irritation and worry. "Okay, come on. This is really lame," she said, her voice growing more agitated as she scanned the area. "You know what I'm not finna play these nut-ass games with you."
She pulled out her phone, which was already in her hand, and dialed my number, hoping to hear my phone ringing nearby to see where I was hiding. Her heart pounded as she listened to it ring, but there was no sound of my phone ringing in the vicinity. Instead, she was met with my voicemail greeting.
"Leave a message," my recorded voice instructed.
Victoria's anxiety spiked. She left a hurried message. "Hey, where are you? This isn't funny. Call me back right away."
She hung up, her hands trembling as she looked around once more, her mind racing with possibilities. Panic began to set in, and she rushed back inside the house to find my mom and Devanie.
"Something's wrong," she said, her voice shaky. "She's not out there. The gifts and keys are on the ground, but She's gone."
My mom's face paled, and Devanie's eyes widened in alarm. The festive mood instantly shifted to one of dread as they all realized something was terribly wrong.
Victoria gripped the steering wheel tightly as she drove through the darkened streets, her mind racing with fear and anxiety. Her girlfriend was missing, and she had no clue where she could be. The sense of helplessness gnawed at her, and she fought to keep herself together.
