Page 60 of First Sight

My head is going to explode, I can hear my blood pumping, a rhythmic thumping in my ear. Where am I?

I don’t open my eyes, afraid to see what’s waiting for me. This sensation is eerily similar to the day I was attacked by Tony and Bub on the highway, except this time, I remember everything that happened instantly. Maybe, because this time I was expecting it, the initial stage of disbelief is unnecessary.

As soon as I had reversed out of my parking spot and put it in drive, a van pulled out in front of me, blocking me in. I immediately recognized it as the work van Tony and Bub drove. Before I could react properly, one of them busted out my window and knocked me out with something. A fist? A rock? I can’t quite recall that detail.

My stomach is rolling, like I might throw up, meaning I probably have a concussion. Ugh! Why am I so stupid? I should have known it was a setup, and now I let Nathan down… All I had to do was stay away and stay safe, but I fucked it up.

A shuffling sound from somewhere near me makes me squeeze my eyes shut. Too afraid to be caught looking, I focus on my other senses instead. The smell of burning wood has assaulted my nasal cavities since I woke up like there is fire nearby, but there’s also a mustiness in the air that reminds me of mildew. My fingers twitch slightly against the hard surface I’m lying on. It’s not cold metal like the van was, it feels hard, like wood, but dirty. The grittiness of it scrapes against my fingertips. More noise from nearby, makes my breath catch in my throat… A grunting sound comes from behind me making it obvious that I’m not alone.

This is it, this is when I’m going to die. My parents will be devastated… I want to scream imagining how brokenhearted they’ll be. And, Nathan… I’ll never get to see him again. The tears fall through the cracks of eyelids, not able to be contained. I try to steady my breathing but it’s no use, I feel like I’m starting to hyperventilate, my body is trembling from the effort to stay still.

When I can’t squeeze them together any longer, I finally creep my eyes open, slowly taking in the room bit by bit through my lashes. The low light is making it hard to focus on anything, and my tears already making my vision blurry.

Through the crack in my eyelids, I make out a pair of shoes a small distance in front of me. They move slightly, making me jump, the sudden movement startling me. After my very noticeable reaction, I hold my breath, waiting to be hit, kicked, or anything, but nothing happens.

Relieved that they haven’t noticed I’m awake, or that they don’t care, I continue focusing on the shoes. It takes me a moment to gather enough courage to direct my line of sight upwards, but when I do, I’m caught off guard. In front of me, about 10 feet away, is a woman. She’s sitting with her knees pulled up, leaning against a wall, her wrists and ankles tied, a cloth stuffed in her mouth.

I don’t recognize her, but a part deep in my brain is telling me that I know her. Everything is still kind of foggy though and I can’t access the information from my memory. My eyes trail across her form, desperate for a clue. When my focus lands on her eyes, I freeze. It’s pure terror looking back at me. Her eyes are open wide, blinking wildly. I can see where trails of tears have fallen down her cheeks, and her graying hair is sticking out all over her head like someone tried to pull it from her scalp.

Her nostrils flare with every breath, the darkest parts of her eyes ping back and forth between us, her toes bounce making my attention draw to her where her hands are resting on her knees. Her silent plea is loud and clear… She wants me to untie her. I’m still frozen in place, too afraid to move. I know I don’t have time to be scared, if I want to live I have to get out of here. I just wish I knew where “here” is. I also wish I knew where Tony and Bub are.

I pull in a lungful of air, exhaling shakily, trying to convince myself to be brave. It hardly works, but the thought in my mind that I’ll never see Nathan again, that I’ll die before I can live my life with him, has me raising myself onto my hands and knees. Another deep breath, and I swivel my head left and right, taking in my surroundings. It looks like an abandoned hunting cabin. I was right about the floors being covered in dirt, as well as almost every other surface. There is a small wood-burning stove in the corner of the room closest to the unknown woman. Behind me are an old card table and two mismatched chairs, sitting next to a poor excuse for a kitchen. Trash litters the surface of the tiny counter, dishes are piled in the single-tub sink, and the oven looks ancient and out of commission.

My gaze lands on the front door to my right, and the hallway to my left. I don’t know where our captors are, but for now, it’s just me and this woman alone in what I guess is the living room, except there’s no furniture to suggest that. No couch, no chairs, just empty space aside from the flaming heat source in the corner.

On my hands and knees, I slowly drag myself across the floor. I don’t know why they didn’t tie me up, but I’m thankful for their mishap. The floorboards creak as my weight shifts over them, making me cringe with every sound. Coming closer to her now, her face is so familiar, but I still can’t place how I know her. She looks like she’s been through hell, the tears she shed are still stuck in her lashes, and her nose is running from the excess moisture. She’s older, dirt is caked across her cheeks, built up in the creases of her skin, defining her wrinkles.

My fingers shake as I try to undo the knot at her wrists. Her mouth is gagged, and the fabric wraps around the back of her head. If I can get her hands free, she can work on that knot while I work on her ankles. My nerves are too out of control and I can hardly function, my dexterity is almost nonexistent, making me fumble with the ties. It looks like they used a torn bed sheet, the material is too smooth and I can’t get a grip on it with how tight it is.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” I mumble under my breath, knowing I’m our only hope and I’m failing miserably. I’m not making any progress, I’m not going to be able to loosen any of these knots. I probably need a knife, but I try the ties at her ankles anyway. If I can at least get her feet loose then we can make a run for it, and worry about her wrists later.

Her ankle ties are easier, the space between her legs giving me more room to work at the fabric. I pull the knot loose, finally releasing the breath I was holding. Thank God, one thing is going right. I hear her muffling something through her gag, trying to grab my attention, making me glance up into her frightened face. Simultaneously, as I see the panic widening her eyes, the hair at the back of my head is grabbed in a vice grip.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The slimy voice skates down my spine, racking my stomach with a wave of nausea. Tony.

He drags me backward by my hair, the pain hardly registering because of my shock. That’s when I see his face, the man from my nightmares. He’s so close, his face inches from mine. “Did you miss me, you little bitch?” He sneers at me. His breath would knock me on my ass if he weren’t holding me upright. His teeth are crooked and gray, the ones that are left anyway, reminding me of every meth addiction advertisement I’ve ever seen.

I don’t respond, I can’t, and I think it pisses him off because next thing I know I’m being tossed across the room, and slamming into the wall. The impact rattles my teeth, making me see strobe lights behind my eyes, my head pounding in succession. The nausea finally takes over and I heave the contents of my stomach right onto the floor. Trembling, I pull myself up to my hands and knees so I don’t faceplant in my vomit.

“You dumb, bitch!” Tony yells, making me cower against the wall. It doesn’t matter, he stomps over to me and I catch his boot to my stomach. His kick knocks the wind out of me, making me slump to the floor again, barely missing my puke. I stay down this time, not daring to move, not wanting to entice him further. He starts pacing the floor, each step making me flinch. He shouts suddenly, making me jump. “Bub! Come on out here. It’s time to play.”

I look at him and regret it immediately. The expression on his face terrifies me, a mixture of rage and perversion making him look so twisted and ugly, that it disturbs me to my core. I think I might prefer the demonic version from my nightmares.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Nathan

Three hours.

I’ve been out of my mind for three hours. Not knowing what horrible things Callie could be going through. My mind has gone to its darkest depths, imagining the hell they might be putting her through. The hell that I know depraved men are capable of inflicting. My thoughts keep drifting back to that night at the farm in South America, to the girl I couldn’t save. She could have been someone’s Callie.

* * *

Six years ago…

Classified location, South America

“Brandt, get these kids out of here, take them back through the cornfield, and wait for us. Let’s move.” The response to my command is instant, and the remaining five members of my team head in the direction of the old farmhouse. Using the darkness of the night to cover our movement, we draw closer to the old two-story building and hunker down. Jesse kneels behind me, both of us assessing our surroundings.

---