If It's With You

032- Footsteps

Muna

Four days ago

I woke up to a brain-crushing headache and blinking severally to clear my vision, the memory of what happened before I blacked up, slowly flooded into my head.

I couldn’t see a thing, it was midnight dark in here and even though the material against my skin was soft, the air smelt like vomit and shit. I tried to struggle my arms free but they were tightly tied with a slim scratchy rope, which was not letting blood flow through the veins running down my wrist.

I was not able to see Carl’s face before the lights went off in the parking lot, and the last thing I remembered was a clothing material being pressed against my nose and mouth. It cut off the scream that left me and pushed me into an unconscious state.

It was then that it dawned on me, that I had gone to the parking lot without thinking, and Carl had kidnapped me. He lied to me.

Fear invaded my chest, and as tears stung in my eyes, I struggled to break free but then, my legs were tied too.

I wanted to scream for help, but my mouth couldn’t open because it was covered with sticky tape. I swallowed my words back with a hard lump.

I was still struggling to break free when I heard footsteps approach me, and the nearer it came, the louder my heartbeat echoed in my ears. Fear was growing even more aggressively in me. I contemplated closing my eyes and pretending to be asleep. But before I could make up my mind, the door swung open and the light came on at the sound of a finger pressing on the switch.

I winced, closing my eyes tightly and when the footsteps halted beside me, I slowly opened my eyes.

The first thing I noticed was the dirty sheet with holes covering the mattress, which caused a sudden crawling sensation on my skin. I looked around the space, the room was shabby and unkempt with a stained worn-out curtain on the only window frame in the bedroom. Cobwebs were hanging in the corners and dust was coating every surface.

There was a wooden chair and a worn-out dresser with chipped paint. Surrounding us was a cold and horrific atmosphere which suffocated me with fear and despair at the realization of my being trapped in a place I didn’t know.

Was I still in New York? Was Nicklaus aware I was missing? Where was I? I wouldn’t want my mom to worry about this. I needed as many answers as I could get.

My gaze fell on the black pants standing in front of me, and his voice filled my ears as he squatted to my level. “Welcome home, baby.” His eyes were cold as they locked onto mine.

Baby?

Why the fuck does he sound like Tim, and what did he mean by home? No, this wasn’t my home. I wanted to go home to Nicklaus, Mom and Maya.

The smile on his face was beyond creepy and my heart shattered at the confirmation that it was really Tim. His curls were no longer there, leaving him with a buzz cut and it seemed like there were more freckles on his face than I could remember. It was Tim.

He traced his finger along my face, taking my hair out of the way. I hated the creepy smile on his face and at the realization of what was really going on, tears started rolling down my cheeks.

I had never been kidnapped ever before, I had never been lost. I had always been safe. I didn’t know what I was going to do.

What on earth did Tim want?

How did I even end up with him, I mean it was Carl who texted me. It was Carl who was supposed to be here and not him.

I needed answers so I started forcing words out of my mouth. I was panic-talking while also struggling to pass a message across. The creepy smile on his face quickly disappeared and he stared at me blankly.