Online Life

Chapter 18 - Hanging In

Bleep Bloop Bloop Bloop Bleep Bloop Bloop Bloop

Claire could faintly make out the familiar chime of an incoming Skype call.

Bleep Bloop Bloop Bloop Bleep Bloop Bloop Bloop

There it was again as a soft white light was filtering through the blackness.  An angel was appearing again.  Ashton's mother was coming closer.  She leaned up to Claire and whispered in her ear.  "Don't open your eyes.  He is watching.  Patience.  They are coming." Was all she said as she floated back into the darkness.  Claire was confused by her words.  What did she mean by He is watching?  Then her memory was slowly returning.  Tyson!  She instantly knew where she was and knew that it would be better not to open her eyes.  His laptop was most likely sitting on the table as it was in her dream.  The video light turned on watching her and waiting for her to wake up.  She kept her eyes closed and lay still, desperately trying to hear something, anything.  The beeping of the Skype call had ended.  Ashton or her family must be trying to contact her.  How long have I been laying here? Claire thought.  If her tablet was still receiving Skype calls, then the battery wasn't dead yet.  She remembered charging it the night before she left the hospital.  It would have kept its charge for three or four days depending on how many Skype calls they were sending through.  Claire assumed she was probably asleep between one to three days.  Claire despaired as she could only imagine how far Tyson could get with his boat given that amount of time.

Claire listened for anything else in the room.  It was quiet except for a faint humming.  It sounded like an engine.  She assumed it must be the motor to the boat.  That meant that Tyson must be driving the boat somewhere.  Claire thought that perhaps she had a window of opportunity to at least move a little or open her eyes, without being noticed.  Tyson surely wouldn't be watching her if he was driving the boat, Claire thought.  She needed to find out if she was bound like she was in her dream.  Claire decided to take the chance and flex her hand.  Damn!  She could feel the restraints around that wrist.  She tried the other and it was the same.  Next she tested her ankles by flexing her feet.  To her surprise, she could move them.  She moved them from one side of the bed to other, just to make sure.  She was right, her legs were free, but her wrists weren't.

Just then the humming noise disappeared.  The motor to the boat must have stopped.  Claire froze, hoping Tyson hadn't seen her moving.  She didn't want him to come down to the room.  She wanted to give Ashton as much time as possible to search for her.  She prayed that the officers figured out that Trojan was Tyson and not the middle aged man she gave as a description.  She hoped that Officer Sanders was as good as he boasted he was.  How long would it take for him to figure out it was Tyson.  Could he even figure it out.  All these questions were swarming in her mind when she heard the door slowly open.  She heard him walk up to the side of the bed and then pause.  Claire could hear his steady breathing as he stood next to her.

"I know that you're awake Claire.  I saw you moving over the camera." Claire's heart stopped.  She couldn't fake it any longer.  She couldn't hide any longer.  She needed to face Tyson.

"Why are you doing this to me?" Claire asked as she slowly opened her eyes and Tyson came into view.  She looked around and wasn't surprised at what she saw.  The walls were the same blood red.  There were pillar candles at the foot of the bed.  Hooks lined the wall with the same leather whip hanging from one.  The only thing that was different was there was another door.  It was just past the foot of the bed and before the door that exited the room.  Tyson had left the door open and Claire could see down the hallway.