Chapter 3
Simon was a round man of average height with a round belly hanging over his pants and not fully covered by his shirt. He quickly closed the door behind him, meticulously setting both locks. He whirled around to the sofa where she was propped and the teeth barring smile quickly left his face, “Awake already!” He said in an accusatory tone, obviously quite displeased with her roused state.
“Where am I?” She demanded, annoyed that he acted annoyed that she was awake.
“Your home,” he pronounced.
“Home? Home! I live here?” She asked disgust and confusion.
“Yes” and added, “my wife” deciding to push his luck.
“We’re married?” She asked in shock. She sensed his ire building and knew that she needed to tread carefully until she could figure out what was going on.
“I’m so sorry,” she quickly amended, “my mind is a bit fuzzy…I…I have a terrible headache. Of course we’re married.”
There was no way she was married to this slob and lived in this dump. Something was not right. She’d play along until she could find a way out. She wasn’t sure what he had done, but her foggy brain and pounding headache had most likely been caused by him. He probably drugged her. That would explain her nausea.
She noticed that he was staring at her like she was a lamb and he was a wolf and her skin began to crawl.
“Well I better get cleaning. It appears I’ve fallen behind.” She said reminding herself to act casual and stay calm. He didn’t look very smart; she could find an escape.
“No cleaning. It is time for bed,” he sneered.
She noticed that it was still daylight outside, but felt that it was best to not challenge him on this point.
He reached a grubby hand flanked with fat stubby fingers sporting black under every nail and grabbed her upper arm, leading her into the an adjoining room where the filth continued on a grander scale.
Trying not to gag, she began to climb onto the dingy bed, pretending she hadn’t noticed the garbage, dirty clothes, and strong urine smell. “Ewww! Don’t think about it. Just try not to think about it. I’ll find a way out,” she told herself.
“Oh no Sweetie. Remember you always sleep in the nude.” The stranger informed her.
“How could I forget.” Jane said, rising from the musty bed. She had no intention of removing any of her clothes in front of this man.
“Bathroom!” She almost yelled. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
He directed her to the bathroom and once inside, she quickly shut the door and locked it.
“I’ll just be a minute!” She yelled as calmly as she could as her eyes scanned the room for a window. Seeing one, she immediately ran to it. Working frantically, she rammed the window open and scrambled onto a rusty fire escape.
As she glanced down to the ground a few floors below, vertigo started to overtake her. She paused a moment to clear her head and felt the pain intensify. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to run down the creaky fire escape.
Close to the bottom, she slipped off the ladder that extended the last few feet to the ground. It slid back up into place with a loud clink. Her free fall brought her swiftly to the ground…
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Memory Lost
Mystère / ThrillerSimon didn’t realize that he hadn’t hit the curb until he climbed out of his vehicle and discovered the young woman sprawled in front of his car. The woman was lying on the ground with blood seeping from a gash in her forehead, not responsive but de...
