Plain Jane (Preview)

Chapter 9

Once the night was beginning to wrap up, Jane found herself passed out in her bed. The wind had picked up and brought their night at the pool to a close, leaving them with no choice but to part ways with Jenna. With their goodbyes said Sarah and Jane returned to their apartment to retire for the night. They were both drained and Sarah clearly just wanted to sleep since she had recently had a near-death experience. She likely hoped that sleep would be enough to remove those thoughts from her reality. With that said, it meant Jane was left alone with her thoughts as she lay motionless in her bed. Her hair was sprawled out on her pillow, and her eyes stayed focused on her laptop. The nightmare of whatever possessed it earlier was still occupying space in her mind. Even if it was closed, Jane was still worried that it might find a way to open itself.

Her brain teased her with those thoughts into the late hours of the night until fear was enough to put her to sleep. However, the nightmare was only beginning. Laying there in her dream state, the nightmare continued its attack at full force. It was taunting her, replaying the same scene repeatedly in her head. Jane's brain now had the time to manifest a world where she was dying while facing the vigilante. Their sword stabbed through her mother's chest and lifted her up as Jane was forced to watch her body start to split around the blade. It continuously replayed, and Jane wanted to wake up, but her brain; It held her in its horror. Is this my conscience trying to speak to me? Was this actually what I feared? Should I step away and give in to the orders of this mysterious individual? The thoughts kept coming as Jane slowly started to get ahold of herself. Then like a jolt of electricity racing through her body, every limb of hers shook, and her eyes fired open. Only Jane wasn't in her bed anymore.

The world around her was dark, or so she thought. As she turned her head, Jane could feel the knot tied on the back and concluded that she was blindfolded. She attempted to move her arms, but they were tied down to what she guessed was a chair. When she rotated her wrists, a shock of cold pain rushed through her nerves. She was tied down to a steel chair which meant it was probably also bolted to the floor. Her legs were in the same situation as her arms, and she found herself securely bound in place. Jane didn't know who could've done this. That's when she heard the footsteps of an individual behind the blindfold.

"You awake yet, or do you need another shock?" The unfamiliar male voice asked as Jane continued to assess her situation by moving her body as much as possible.

"Who are you, people? What do you want from me?" Jane asked the darkness only to hear the footsteps get closer, then the sound of electricity arcing.

"Oh, I think you know what we want." The man growled, and Jane still couldn't identify the voice.

"No, I swear I don't-"

A mild shock travelled through her body before she could finish her sentence, but surprisingly, it wasn't enough to hurt.

"Really well, then maybe you'll want a stronger voltage, or maybe we'll douse you in water." The man said as his voice cracked while describing the extent of Jane's coming torture, but something seemed off.

"Do what you want, but at least let me see my killer before I die." Jane insisted since it would give her a chance to observe her surroundings.

"Really, you want to actually watch your own torture? I mean, it's your funeral." The voice went from unthreatening to one with a child-like curiosity to attempting to be intimidating again. From that alone, Jane knew something was definitely wrong.

Sitting there and waiting, she listened as the man's footsteps approached her. His arms then wrapped around her head to undo the blindfold. In seconds, Jane felt the fabric pass around her head, and the lights in the room blinded her with their sudden burst of colour. Blinking a few times to adjust, and while doing so, the man who restrained her stepped into Jane's line of sight. The mere visual of them was almost enough to give Jane a heart attack. At first glance, Jane could have sworn it was the kingpin she had killed only days earlier. He was bald with what appeared to be a burn on the side of his face. If it wasn't for the fact she saw the prosthetic makeup peeling away, she might have actually believed that this was actually him. Yet, he clearly didn't seem to be aware his disguise was compromised. Jane suddenly had the advantage as she started to manipulate him and, without missing a beat, began laughing to herself.