Missing

Coming home

For the duration of the car ride home, Connie watched the world pass by through her window.
To the left, trees lined the road, just a blur of green as they sped by.
So many cars surrounded them, so many people in those cars, all going somewhere, everyone doing something.
Everything seemed to be thriving out there, and so full of life.

The trees began to be replaced by houses as they exited the motorway and journeyed along the main roads.

They reached a small settlement of houses, it looked like a nice little community, all of the houses rather smart looking.
Jacob soon took a left, taking them onto a narrower stretch of road.
Connie looked at the sign and a small smile formed on her lips. This was her street.

It was a nice sense of familiarity, to see the houses that lined either side of the street, still looking very much the same as they did.
Not much had changed here in five years, no obvious differences on the exterior.
But, she wondered if the neighbours she had been close to years ago still lived in these houses, or if they had been replaced by new residents.

Jacob pulled onto the drive. The car fell silent as the engine came to a stop.
He turned to Connie beside him and smiled. He couldn't believe it, this was finally happening. This was the day that they had spent the last five years waiting and hoping for. Connie was coming back home.

Connie looked through the front windscreen at the house standing before them.
It was a nice looking house. It wasn't anything extraordinary, it wasn't particularly big or fancy, but, it looked welcoming.

She nodded and gave him a tight smile as she pushed on the clip to release her seatbelt.
Home.
Although, she wasn't sure if she could call this her home now, rather just a house that she once used to live in, many years ago.

Connie followed Jacob and Grace up the drive towards the front door, the white stones that paved the way crunching beneath her feet.

They reached the front door, and Jacob paused before it, turning to Connie.
"Do you want to?"

Connie studied the keys that were being held out towards her by Jacob's hand.
Of course, keys to unlock the door.

She hesitantly took them from his hand and stepped closer to the door, so she could place the key in the space just below the handle.
But Connie's mind went blank, she forgot what to do. Which way should she turn it to grant her access to the house?

Grace watched her mum hesitate, obviously making no progress with the unlocking of the door.
"Left" She whispered from behind "Remember that rhyme you taught me when I was younger...Lefty loosey, righty tighty'"

Connie gave her a small smile.
"Thank you." She muttered quietly, slightly embarrassed that her daughter was having to remind her of things that she once been the one to teach her.

Connie pulled on the handle and pushed open the door. She slowly stepped into the small ball area immediately by the door.
Jacob had already turned the heating on this morning, in preparation for Connie returning, and the warmth that welcomed her was a nice contrast to the air outside.
It smelt nice, she remembered this smell; it was still the same scented air freshener that she used to buy all the time - the one that Jacob had continued to purchase even in her absence.

Connie hadn't seen anything more than the small area by the front door, but it was already very pleasant here. It was already a much better experience than the first impression she'd had of the house she had been kept in for the last five years...

The car finally stopped. It felt like it had been hours that Connie had been bundled up in the back of the car for. The blacked out windows hadn't allowed her to see anything throughout the journey here, she had no idea where they had travelled to.
She was scared.

He unlocked the door and forcefully pulled her from the back of the car.
Her hands were still held behind her back, secured by rope which was tightly bound around her wrists. Her mouth was still gagged, tape stuck firmly across her lips.
She gasped in pain as he pushed her forward with his strong hands on her back, forcing her to walk towards the house that stood in front of them.
This old, derelict house was the only building in the area. It looked like it had been abandoned for many years, it was eery and deserted.
It was situated in bleak surroundings; concrete and distant fields were the only thing to see.

The black paint that covered the front door was peeling, large parts of the wood underneath were now exposed completely. The letterbox opening hung from one hinge.

The four large windows on the front of the house were all boarded up and the glass smashed, while plant vines had begun to weave up the front of the brick.
It definitely wasn't somewhere anyone would want to live.

Connie reluctantly stepped through the front door, her legs trembling as fear consumed her body.
No longer had they stepped through the door before they reached another one, a door covered in chains and bolts.
He released her hands from the rope which left red marks on her wrists, then pulled the tape from her mouth.
He pulled the door open and pushed her forward, almost causing her to loose her footing as she realised they were at the top of a staircase.
She looked down the steps in front of her, it was dark, so only the top two were visible.
He nudged her forward with his knee into her back and she carefully made her way into the darkness. He didn't follow her in though, Connie heard the door shut firmly behind her, then the sound of the chains scraping across the door, the turn of various keys.
She was trapped....

"CONNIE." Jacob shouted, again, as he had already done numerous times to gain Connie's attention.
Connie was stood shaking, staring into space, tears streaming from her eyes.
Connie was brought back to reality, out of the memories of that house.

Jacob pulled her towards him and held her head tightly against his chest.
Connie's body was still tense, she didn't move, just let him hold her, telling her everything was going to be alright.