He Strikes at the Hotel

Chapter Thirty Nine

I need to get out of this. This wasn't how it was meant to go. We had it planned. We had it planned...

My mind was still awake but my body was paralysed. I was trapped inside myself, hearing snippets of what was going on around me, feeling being pulled around and chucked about... But I couldn't open my eyes or speak. The scent of chloroform lingered on my nose, making my mind fuzzier with each breath and destroying the little hope I had left.

Who's voice am I hearing? I can't make it out... Why is nothing making sense... I need Zachery... Maybe Zachery needs me... Surely he must be safe if I'm the one here...

The fog which was suffocating my mind was slowly beginning to let go of me; I was feeling the strong pressure begin to fade as I could begin to think slightly clearer. I didn't know if this was a good or bad thing, as it meant I had to face whatever was coming to me, along with whoever was doing this to me.

Although I was able to think, my body was still blissfully a step behind with regaining consciousness, still ignorant of wakefulness and its surroundings. I heard someone breathing heavily as they carried my body down a long straight pathway. By the way I was being carried, it seemed effortless to them, with their large arms holding my weight like it was nothing more than a book. I could tell it was a man, which was no real surprise to me, but it made the realisation dawn on me that I was probably incapable of fighting off a fully grown man by myself, especially in this state. He smelt musky, with the scent of alcohol deeply embedded into his clothing like it had been soaked in it and hung out to dry, with a slight spritz of cologne thrown in to the mix.

I was beginning to feel the sensation some back to my arms and legs again, with a tingling feeling passing through them as if they had woken up from a deep sleep. I could now feel my chest moving from breathing, along with my heartbeat pounding against my ribcage. I had the option of jumping down and attacking him now, but my body was not entirely functional yet, so it would be more of a death wish on myself opposed to an attack upon him.

I decided to continue to lay there, motionless, lifeless in his arms until I could figure out what to do.

I felt one of his arms move from underneath me to latch onto a door handle, which opened slowly with a low creek. Was it the laundry room? Or has he taken me somewhere else to keep Zachery away? I couldn't determine the room we were in. It didn't smell like the laundry room, but I couldn't be sure. The amount of blood that was in there earlier would have most likely emanated a scent stronger than anything from the washing basket.

I felt myself being lowered slowly and much softer than I would have imagined a kidnapper would usually do. He placed me on a chair and moved the hair out of my face with one finger. I noticed he was lingering there for a while, as I felt his hot breath on my face for a while after my hair had been repositioned. There came a loud sigh as he pulled something out of his jacket and went behind me to hold my arms in place.

He began tying rope around my wrists, which I assumed was what he had gotten from his jacket, and began wrapping the rope over and over again, allowing there no possible way to escape it. The thickness of the rope outweighed the width of my two wrists combined, so I realised very quickly that I would not bother wasting my energy trying to break out of it.

I heard the man mumble under his breath to himself, or maybe it was to me? I still wasn't fully awake. But I swore I heard him say that we wouldn't be here for long. Where else would we go? Is this going to be a little trip for us both around the hotel to see how many rooms he could make bloody? Sadistic bastard.

I didn't want to open my eyes yet as he still thought I was out cold, which gave me a little more time to think of some sort of plan, anything, anything at all to get myself out of here without being killed. I allowed him to continue to tie my wrists together until he was satisfied with his work. He moved from behind me and stealthily came round to the side, where he paused momentarily, before sitting down with a large exhale. I refused to open my eyes and face this person, but I could feel his eyes on me, pushing me to wake up so that he could begin.

I began to will myself up to facing what I have gotten myself into, just as he began to take a deep breath in, about to speak.

"Why did you make me do this Audrey Rose... I didn't want to have to do this... But you gave me no choice..."

That voice. I know that voice.