Page 41 of Oblivion

“Your word means nothing to me,” I spat, rushing for the bathroom as if he was hunting me down.

A chuckle accompanied his voice from behind the firmly closed door. “Toilet seat goes down when you’re done.”

I slid to the floor, tucked my knees to my chest and pressed my back against the white-painted door. The guy was messing with my head. No doubt to lure me into a false sense of ease before turning into the monster I suspected he was.

“Let me know if you’re going to sleep in there and I’ll toss you in a pillow.”

“Fuck off, creep!” I held my breath, expecting an angered reply that never came.

After finally peeling myself off the floor and using the toilet, I cracked the door open and peeked through.

“Yes, I’m still awake,” came his cheerier voice. “Can’t get back to sleep once I’ve had a wakeup call like that. Want an early breakfast?”

I frowned and fought against the budding urge to trust. I squashed it and replaced it with renewed scepticism.

“Why don’t you just drop the act and admit you’re playing some kind of sick game?”

“Don’t play games,” he stated. “Just doin’ my job. No more, no less. If he wanted you dead, he wouldn’t have hired me.”

“Who?” I asked, hoping he’d slip up.

All I received was a shrug.

Cautiously slipping from the bathroom and sticking to the wall, I glanced longingly at the door that led to freedom. My eyes then cut to the stranger sitting on the couch with one ankle propped on the opposite knee.

His eyes didn’t waver from the early morning news on the TV as he deadpanned, “Don’t even think about it.” He then pointed the remote at the bedroom. “Room.”

I kept my eyes trained on him while inching my way along the wall, heading for the “safety” of the room I woke in.

“Bacon?”

I froze and pressed my hands harder against the surface behind me. “What?”

Eyes surprisingly sincere glanced my way. “Do you want bacon? I’m craving the works. Eggs. Bacon. Toast. Coffee?” he asked with a brow raise.

“I’d rather starve,” I snapped and rushed for the bedroom.

The door closed with force, and I leaned against it to catch my breath. Lock. I spun and searched for a lock. Of course he had taken it off. Why make it easy for me?

All I could do was wait. Wait until Vivi realized I wasn’t home. Wait until she raised concerns about my whereabouts. Then, surely my father would get involved.

I just hoped I was found before it was too late.

A fresh wave of frantic panic hit. My flight reflex roared to life, rendering me unable to keep a cool head. I rushed for the window, fingers clawing at the glass pane, pointlessly seeking an exit route.

The manic searching lasted until I’d exhausted all options and was left panting and lightheaded. Nothing in the wardrobe. Nothing aside from the bed in the room. Nothing to break the window, and even if I did, it was too high to jump.

I laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling with tears forming in my eyes. Now that the adrenaline had faded, I was scared. Really fucking scared.

A rapid knock on the bedroom door jolted me upright.

“Breakfast is ready. No eating in the bedroom, though. It’ll be waiting on the table for you.”

“I’d rather starve!”

“Suit yourself,” he muttered.

Sounds of cutlery scraping on dinnerware gave life to my hunger pangs. When the smell of freshly brewed coffee reached me, the gnawing emptiness in the pit of my stomach got the better of me.

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