The Abduction of Stephanie

Chapter 6

“I fixed you a snack,” says Helen, hovering over Stephanie with a tray of cheese and crackers. Stephanie is relieved to see food placed on a tray and not a doggy dish and doesn’t mention that she may be the only girl in the world who doesn’t like cheese and crackers. Helen sets down the tray, removes the handcuffs from Stephanie’s wrists and helps her to sit up. “Don’t try anything” says Helen. Stephanie’s ankles remain chained to the bedpost and she wonders why Helen is being kind, “Maybe she is trying to poison me, thought Stephanie.

Helen places her hand on Stephanie’s shoulder and says “He’s not all bad you know, Ray, he’s a good man.” “A good man? This woman is crazy. He raped me. I can only imagine what he’s done to her. Why does she stay with him?” “Dearie, let me tell you something about Ray. Ray has stayed with me over all these years, all twenty-two of them. When I got sick he stood by my side. He could have left but he didn’t. My body is deteriorating and has been for a long time. Ray could have left me any time, left me for someone prettier, someone healthier but he hasn’t and I know he loves me and believe me Dearie when I tell you that love like that doesn’t come along everyday.” “This guy has her brainwashed. If you love someone you don’t rape someone else.”

Helen hands Stephanie the tray of cheese and crackers and Stephanie forces them down her throat, at least she was eating real food this time. Helen gives Stephanie a glass of water to wash down the crackers and brushes Stephanie’s blonde curls from her face. “Ray will be home from the market soon. This will be our little secret.” Helen then gently pushes Stephanie back down on the bed and reapplies the handcuffs to her wrists; she removes the food tray and leaves the room.

Alone for what seems like hours with nothing to do, Stephanie thinks this is what a convict must feel like. A little less hungry, Stephanie tries to scan the room again before the sun goes down on this particular Saturday. She looks over towards the video equipment and counts the tapes. There are seventeen of them but what could be on them besides the tormenting of his past victims. The workbench still contains the same items as it did the first night she arrived, a saw, scissors, a hammer and greasy rags and the pink dollhouse sits untouched. The drum set is covered with a dusty canvas next to the workbench and she can see a rusty pipe above her head, no longer dripping as days of rain has finally stopped.

The sun goes down and the items in the room are no longer as vivid. She sees what looks like a silhouette of a girl in the television. Freaked out, Stephanie begins to scream but no one can hear her and even if they did no one in that house going to help her.

Stephanie closes her eyes, clenches her jaw tight and awaits the worst. A few minutes go by and nothing has harmed her so she opens one eye and turns to the television again. The silhouette of the little girl is still there and Stephanie can see her more clearly now. She has brown hair and pigtails with pink bows holding them up but she doesn’t appear to be a little girl, she appears more like someone who is fourteen or fifteen though her facial features are difficult to make out. Stephanie opens up her other eye to get a better look and then hears an echo of a voice say “The key to survival lies within your heart”. Stephanie yells, “Who are you? What do you want from me? What does that mean?” but the girl fades into the television before giving Stephanie any answers.

Stephanie has never believed in ghosts and still doesn’t. She figures it is more likely that she is hallucinating from being locked up for days with no contact to the outside world. She needs to find a way out before she goes insane, but how? She is chained up to a bed in a dingy basement and no one knows where she is. Then a light bulb goes on inside of her, “Maybe I can convince the old woman to let me go” Stephanie and Helen didn’t start out on good terms but Helen was definitely the lesser of the two evils and Stephanie thought it might be easier to convince Helen to let her go, or maybe she could at least convince her to convince her husband to let Stephanie go.

Stephanie is about to fall into her slumber when Ray storms down the stairs, holding a pink iPhone that is currently ringing. “This damn thing won’t stop ringing. Who is this Billy person that keeps calling anyways? Is that your boyfriend? I’m going to put an end to this noise.” Ray grabs the hammer from the workbench and Stephanie watches in anger as Ray smashes the hammer into Billy’s picture, pieces shattering all over the concrete. Stephanie now fears that it is not just her life that is in danger but Billy’s too. “No phone calls!” shouts Ray. “And no boyfriends!”

Ray runs up the stairs and returns with a candle and two clothespins. He leans over Stephanie, puts the gag back into her mouth and places the clothespins on her nipples. He then lights the candle and proceeds to pour hot wax over her body. Stephanie writhes in agony every time the wax touches her pale skin and she can see Ray smile as she squirms. Stephanie wishes she were somewhere else, anywhere else but this cold damp basement that smells of dirty socks and death. She listens as the leaky pipe starts up again indicating it is raining outside and wonders when her prince charming is going to rescue her like he would in the fairy tales. Only this isn’t a fairy tale, it’s a life or death situation and Stephanie knows that in real life there are no happy endings.

Stephanie tries to scream again nearly choking on the gag as Ray rips the clothespins from her breasts like band-aids. The wax dries on her skin making her itch, she moves her arms trying to scrape it off but with her wrists bound her efforts are useless. Stephanie is relieved when Ray blows out the cinnamon scented candle, knowing the wax would no longer hit her skin and giving the room a much better aroma.          

   Ray sets down the candle down on the floor and lies on top of Stephanie, puts his right arm behind her back and pulls her close. She feels his warm breath against her neck as he slides his hand down her neck and onto her buttocks. She turns her head to the side, wincing as he gently kisses her neck leaving her with a sensation that is all new to her.     

  She doesn’t want to admit it, but if feels good when his lips touch her neck making her body all warm and tingly. He slides his left arm onto her firm breasts and she can feel his girth against her privates. That’s when he takes her again, but this time she doesn’t fight him, as he seems just a bit gentler and it’s at this point that she knows someone or something is protecting her. She looks over Ray’s shoulder and back towards the television. The girl with the pigtails is back and Stephanie can hear her say, “Don’t be scared Stephanie, in the battle between good and evil good always wins.”