Dark Star

3. Nightmare

                                                              Chapter 2: Nightmare

Vesper had, had a lot of time to think. She was sitting in the back of a van, the same van she had been forced into when she left the bank with the thieves. She had tried to make herself regret her decision. She tried, but to no avail. No matter what she told herself, she just couldn't bring herself to feel remorse. She just kept picturing that woman in the bank. She just knew she wouldn't have changed her mind.

The man in charge, the one whose name she had heard was Josef had handed her over to one of the other thieves once they had left the bank. This thief was a tall, muscular man; who towered over Vesper by quite a few inches. He had quickly made her sit down in the back of the van. He didn't threaten or force her, but she could tell he would if she didn't obey. Then he had tied her hands and feet together with duct tape, as well as blindfolding her. He told her if she was difficult and made any noise, he'd gag her, as well.

Fortunately, Vesper hadn't made a sound. She'd sat quietly, the reality of what she'd just done finally sinking in. She was in shock. She couldn't believe what she'd just done. It was an absolutely insane thing to do. She could die. Although she knew she'd probably lost it completely, if given the chance, she knew she'd do it all over again.

Eventually, she came back to the present. Having been lost in thought for awhile, she didn't know how long they had been driving. Just that it felt like it had been for forever. After only a few more minutes, though, she felt the van stop and heard the engine turn off. They must have reached their destination, wherever that was.

Vesper gasped when she suddenly felt someone grab her, cut the tape off her feet, and pull her into a standing position. She hated being touched, and especially hated it now since she didn't know who it was, and what their intentions were. She was forced out of the van, and led into a building. It had been a warm summer day outside, but Vesper noticed the moment they went inside, because it cooled down dramatically.

Once inside, Vesper was lead around a corner, and into what appeared to be another room. Then, whoever was holding her stopped. Abruptly she felt her blindfold being taken off, and Vesper looked around. She was in a small, square room. The only thing in it was a small bed, and it had one window. That was boarded up from the outside, unfortunately, so she wasn't able to see where she was.

Remembering she wasn't alone, she turned to see who had brought her into the room. It was the muscular thief who had put her in the van. He left the room quickly, and Vesper heard him lock the door afterwards. Dread filled her heart at the sound of it; memories, like candlelight, flickered in the back of her mind.

Even though she knew it was pointless, she walked to the door and tried the handle. It didn't budge. She hated feeling trapped, so she went over to the lonely, singular window. Not only was it boarded up from the outside, but it had a metal grating over the glass. It would be pointless to try to break it. She wouldn't be leaving this room, unless someone allowed her to.

Giving up on trying to find a way out, Vesper sat down on the bed. She felt as if she was waiting for something, but she didn't know what. She heard muffled sounds coming from outside of the room, but nothing that was distinct. They were just noises of people talking to each other, and walking around. Vesper wished something—anything—would happen, she just couldn't stand this feeling of dreading the unknown.

She didn't have to wait long. After a few more minutes, she heard the door to the room being unlocked. She stood up quickly, not knowing what to expect. Apprehension and expectancy battling inside her. She watched as the door knob turned, and saw as the door opened to reveal Josef.

This was the first time Vesper had a chance to really look at him, and to take note of his features. He was tall, at least six feet, but probably a little taller. He was in good shape, but not overtly muscular. Vesper could tell, though, that he'd have no problem handling himself in a fight. His hair was a dark color, somewhere between dark brown and black, and it was medium in length. His most outstanding features were his piercing eyes. They were blue, and bright with intelligence and mischievousness. In whole, she found him quite handsome.

He walked into the room, studying her as he did so. He shut the door behind himself, never taking his eyes off of Vesper. He didn't say anything for a while, and Vesper wondered what he was thinking. He looked at her, as if contemplating what his next decision should be. Finally, he spoke.

“What is your name?” He asked, in that strange accent of his.

“Why do you want to know?” Vesper asked in return, defensive.

“Well, for one, it is a customary question to ask when you meet someone you don't know,” Josef started, in a mocking tone. “But, we might also be spending quite some time together, so if you don't tell me your name I will be forced to make one up for you.”

“It's Vesper,” she said, extremely serious. She didn't like how he seemed to be thinking this was just some kind of game. “Vesper Hale.”

“Of course,” he replied, sarcastic.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“An unusual name, for an unusual girl,” he said, as if that answered everything.

“And your name is Josef?” She said, it was more of a statement than a question. She was just trying to break the uncomfortable silence that followed his statement.

“How do you know that?” He asked, turning serious and looking quite shocked.

“I heard one of your men call you that,” she told him. “When you were robbing the bank.”

“I guess it's good that I took you, instead of the other woman,” Josef said, more to himself than to Vesper. He seemed lost in thought for a moment. Then, looking at her, he addressed her again. “For now, though, I’m going to let you know how things are going to work while you are with us.”

With that, he grabbed an object from his belt, and pressed it against Vesper’s throat. Catching a glimpse of the object, she went numb. It was a sharp, shiny knife. Memories flooded in, of dark rooms and despair, and another knife that had looked similar to this one. The pain of being cut, one she knew all too well. It was a feeling that had become as usual to her as breathing.

She could see that Josef noticed the change in her immediately. She was trying to hide the fear that threatened to suffocate her, but knew she was failing miserably. All she could seem to focus on was the knife, and the deafening ringing in her ears. Through the roar, she tried to pay attention to what he was now saying to her.

“Vesper,” Josef said, enunciating her name acutely, his voice threateningly quiet. “You will do exactly as you are told. You will not try to escape. If you resist us in any way, or you if you try to escape, the consequences will be severe. These next few days do not have to be unpleasant, but I will see to it that they are if you give me a reason to. Do you understand me?”

Her head was spinning. She was trying to concentrate on what he just said, to understand everything he just told her. But the cold metal pressed against her neck what making it next to impossible. She fought down the panic, so she would be able to give him an answer. She knew if she didn't it'd only enrage him.

“Yes,” Vesper answered, her voice barely a whisper.

Content that he'd gotten his point across, he turned away from her and left the room. She heard the lock click a moment after. She suddenly had no energy to stand, and dropped onto the bed. Her hand brushed against her throat where the knife had been. Vesper could have almost sworn she could still feel the cold metal on her skin, even though she knew it was gone. She stared up at the ceiling, wishing for unconsciousness to take this nightmare away.

What had she gotten herself into?