Mind Games

Chapter 5

After awhile I lost count of the days. They blurred into each other. Could have only been hours, but there was no way to tell. Only Margo, the girl I met on the first day, kept up with it, and I was too depressed to ask how long we've been in this hellhole. The only thing that etched in my mind, my nightmares, my thoughts, was the constant decrease of girls.

Every time you turned around it seemed like another empty spot was up for grabs at the cafeteria.

I had no idea where they went, but every time we lost a girl we would have to go into Zanderz Box.

Zanderz box was a heat cube. We would sit in there for days, all of us together. Some would fight, like that would help anything. I realized that they were all worried about what happened to the girls that didn't meet requirements. I figured they were brutality killed but others felt they became a personal servant to whoever had taken us.
Some would try to eat each other. Which was disgusting but when your deprived of food, anyone can start to look appetizing.
Some even tried to break another's fingers, rip hair, bust lips, or knock a tooth out. They were trying to get rid of each other, nervous that if they didn't limit the competition they would be next.
I never had a problem. They figured I was going to be tortured the worst because my eyes were so blue. Almost too blue. I never told them about what happened during my inspection. Nobody asks, and no one wants to know.

We head back to our rooms and I give a small smile and a head nod to my two friends. Makenzie smiles and Lillith gives me a small wave. As the door closes behind me I lay down on the cold, hard floor. I hated being here, I was tired, hungry, annoyed. This was ridiculous! There is no way any of us will ever look like his precious Sarah.

A voice from behind me whispered "I used to be his Sarah but since I was blind, he punished me."

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"We have lost too many girls, four already, if you don't give me something"-"we are trying! Nothing seems to add up! We spoke to all of the girls parents but we have nothing! We have cameras on every block for Christ sake! We have no more clues. "

Blake Bishop and Richard Marks, stared at their boss, Ramóne palo, as he angrily begins to pound his desk. "I just don't understand why we can't catch this Bas-" look we are running out of time, more girls are dying." Bishop mutters, slamming down a folder. Photographs of the murdered victims spew out.

"Guys you gotta give me something...we have no suspects, none...no one knows what happened...all the girls were kidnapped when they were alone."

"And somewhere they shouldn't have been."
Bishop comments.

"That's why they didn't tell anyone where they were going...they didn't want anyone to know." Marks adds, staring at the picture of Mallory and her sister, Mackenzie.

"We might have to hand this case over to the FBI." Ramóne whispers, bracing himself for the shock.

"Are you serious!??" Bishop barks, crossing her arms and staring hard at him.

"You've got to be kidding, surely your not considering it...? Christ!" He rakes his hand, angrily over his thick hair.
"I can't believe I didn't realize it." He mutters.

"What?" Both Ramóne and Bishop say simultaneously.

"All the other victims had no siblings. Except one, Mallory Mathews."
"So?" Bishop snaps, "what does that have to do with anything?"

"Where is Mackenzie Mathews?" He probes further, waiting for her to catch on.

"I checked in with her alcoholic mother. Her mom says the sister is at, he uses air quotes as he says; "some acting camp for two weeks or something like that"." Ramóne glances at the report and confirms it. "So?".

"When did the camp start?" Marks asks, getting excited.

"On the 8th of May." Bishop says, checking her notes.

"And what is today?" He stares at the college of pictures they took from the dorm room.

"It's the 23rd."

"So surely Mackenzie would be back by now right? So why isn't she? I think that the camp ended on the 21st, the night of the college campus party." He was building up enthusiasm.

"So?" Ramóne interjects. "This is all theory based, we have no actual evidence she even made it to the party."

"Oh yes we do." Marks whispers, staring at the picture of the two sisters, laughing, in tight black dresses, soaked in alcohol. "She made it to the party all right, she just didn't make it back home."

"And neither did Mallory." Bishop finishes.