In The Dark

Chapter 11

The week before Halloween passed by with no problems. I'd been interning with Mason, but today we decided to stay home just to be safe. It was now nighttime and I'm terrified, but Mason is calm. We've been playing board games and cards to distract me.

"Since we've played all of these about a hundred times I'm gonna go to the attic and see if I can scrounge up something else," he says kissing my forehead before walking up stairs.

I'm playing solitaire when the lights go off. Every muscle in my body freezes.

"Mason!" I yell upstairs, "I know it's Halloween but now is not the time to try scaring the crap out of me!"

I hear a creak behind me and start trembling, realizing it's not Mason. I decide to scoot forward, off the couch slowly, knowing he'll be more likely to find me if I'm in the same spot I yelled from. Just as I start to move I feel warm breath on my neck.

"I told you I'd see you," he whispers in my ear and I scream.

"MASON!" My shrill scream echoes before his hand covers my mouth silencing me. He drags me off the couch backwards kicking and scratching but I don't make contact with skin. I hear the thuds of Mason steps running from upstairs but it's too late because soon I'm outside thrown into the trunk of a car.

When the car jerks forward I roll, my head hitting something hard and knocking me out.

I wake up tied to a bed. I'm relieved it's not dark but even more afraid of what he plans to do. My head aches but I decide to look around hoping to find something to cut myself loose. The only thing in the room is the metal bed I'm tied to.

As the time goes by I close my eyes and start talking to myself.

"Mason is gonna find me. He's gonna find me and I'm gonna be okay. Mason's going to find me." When no one comes for a long time I relax a bit, emotionally exhausted, and fall asleep.

"Hello baby," Mason say lying next to me. He reaches over and puts my hair behind my ear. Soon he's leaning forward to kiss me and I kiss him back. Suddenly I feel rope tied to my hands and feet and I'm in the room again with Mason in front of me. Joseph is behind him and they're both laughing while I cry.

My eyes jolt open to darkness, someone turned the light off. It's so quiet that I can hear my breathing as well as someone else's.

"Please let me go, why are you doing this?!" I plead but nothing happens. Before long the door is cracked open letting a little bit of light in. I see a silhouette but it's vague and shadowy. Then there's nothing again.

I wake up again and the light is back on. I'm no longer tied to the bed but my feet are cuffed together. There's food in front of me and I don't bother trying to figure out what it is before digging in. I'm happy he didn't decide to starve me again but I wish I wasn't even in this situation. Just as I think this the lights go out.

I'm getting real sick of waking up to scary situations. My first thought when I wake up and notice I'm in a different place.

The light is on, there's no bed this time and I'm not cuffed or tied up. I walk around grateful to be able to stretch my legs. I try the door for my own sanity even knowing it won't open. Just as I stop jiggling the nob, something is slid underneath the door.

I look down and pick up a folder. On the front there's a sticky note.

I told you I'd see you dear
I've been nothing but honest here
Be careful who you trust though
You might not like what I know

When I open the folder there's a picture of Joseph walking into Mason's office building. Flipping through the papers shows pictures of Mason, me and even Detective Sparks. Confused I decide to lay them all out on the floor.

I read a piece of paper with my name on it. It's an essay I wrote in 12th grade about myself. Behind it is a blurry picture of a man standing in my old high school, talking to the secretary. There's another paper, it's a sign out sheet for school property with Mason's signature. Acting as a receipt it lists the things they gave him, all with my name. The thing that shocks me is the date, September 22, 2017. I put it down with shaky fingers. I pick up a picture of Detective Sparks speaking to my mother, the time stamp is two days ago. Not understanding why it would be shocking, I set that down and continue. I find more terrifying and confusing thing on me connected to Mason. I see a printout of emails between Joseph and someone. A closer look reveals that he thought I was cheating on him. Theres a picture of me at the library that looks like it was taken from far away. There's a picture of the my mother when she was younger with an attractive man. I see a yellowing letter written in my mother's handwriting.

There can be nothing between us anymore, Johnathon. You care more about your job than me, and I cannot live like that. I deserve someone who is devoted to me, and you just weren't. If you ever truly loved me, never contact me again.

Sincerely,
Hannah

Hours of reading and rereading and looking through pictures have me at one conclusion; I can't trust anyone. I knew I couldn't trust Joseph, and I hardly know the Detective, and the stuff including the Detective really confused me, but it really hurts not being able to trust Mason. It terrifies me on what it could mean. Why was he looking into me before I even knew him.

I gather everything back into the folder and lay down, using it as a pillow. I curl up into a shivering ball and fall asleep.