Page 48 of Balls to the Walls

The way he was watching me, it was like he was waiting for me to eat. Well, that made sense since he was going to kill me. I took my first bite and nearly sighed in relief. It was the most amazing food I’d ever tasted. I forgot all about him killing me or how I was going to get out of here. All I wanted was to fill my belly. Before I knew it, I was chugging whatever he poured into my glass, and within fifteen minutes, the massive amount of food on my plate was gone.

I rested back in my seat, closing my eyes in contentment.

“Is good?”

“Very good,” I answered without opening my eyes.

“Come, you sleep well now.”

I got up and walked over to the bed as he turned it down for me. It was almost as if he lived to make other people happy. Maybe he wasn’t trying to kill me. I got in and was asleep before he even left the room.

* * *

“Jesus Christ!”I shouted when I felt something touching my toes the next morning. I jerked my foot back, only to find Sasha at the foot of my bed. “What are you doing?”

“You sleep long time. I cut your nails.”

“You…what?”

The man sat up straighter and grinned at me. “I do not know when you will wake up. So, I cut your nails for you.”

“My nails?”

“Yes,” he nodded. “They are very long. You go back to sleep while I finish.”

His head disappeared at the foot of the bed and then I felt his hands on my feet again, but I couldn’t do it. The bath and the dinner were great, but there was no way I could allow him to trim my toenails. That was crossing some kind of line.

“You know what?” I said, tossing off the covers. “I think I’m ready to get up for the day.”

He rushed over to a wardrobe and pulled it open. “I have taken the liberty to wash your things. However, we have a few more suitable choices if you are interested.”

I grabbed the first thing I saw and yanked it from the wardrobe. Then Sasha walked over to a dresser and picked out a pair of underwear for me. This was by far the strangest experience of my life. Then again, I was standing in front of him naked and he didn’t seem to care.

I quickly dressed as he stood there waiting for me. By the time I was dressed, he was eagerly waiting by the door. He pointed at the floor where a pair of slippers waited for me. I put them on as he opened the door.

“Come, we go to breakfast.”

I followed him downstairs, surprised at how comfortable the slippers were. Still, I couldn’t get too used to this life. I could be dead at any second. I walked into the dining room where the man from last night was waiting. He stood as I entered, smiling as he motioned for me to sit down.

“Ah, you sleep well?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Is good. Is very good. Now, we eat.”

“You don’t drink at breakfast, do you?”

He burst out laughing, clapping his hands together once. “Oh, you are funny man. No, we drink juice this morning. Sit, sit. You tell me all about yourself.”

I was about to pull out the chair when Sasha rushed over and did it for me. I sat down and stared at the man who took me in. “Uh…well, I’m an American.”

“Yes, very good American. You fight in military.”

“How do you know that?”

He laughed again. “My dear Mr. Helmer, I already know everything about you.”

“How?”

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