I had cried myself to sleep when the sound of the door unlocking awakens me. My heart begins to race as I look toward the window and see complete darkness.
"Come down for dinner!" My kidnapper yells as he walks back down the hall.
The door is left wide open, and I search for my memories. This wasn't a horrible nightmare-the gala, my kidnapping, being trapped in this room by the creepy guy from the party.
I am terrified to leave the bedroom. Why on earth does he think I'll follow him?
Then again, I am hungry. Maybe I should just go downstairs. I will be able to look for an escape. If not for today, then for tomorrow.
Reluctantly, I make my way into the hallway, peeking around the corner. I am terrified that he is standing there; I breathe a sigh of relief when I look to my left and right. He's not there!
I look around as I cautiously begin to walk down the hallway. There is nothing but black marble flooring and white walls. This place looks and feels like a museum.
Cold and empty.
I have no clue where I'm going either. I just keep walking until I find the staircase.
As I continue forward, I remember that maniac saying he wasn't after my money. Was else was there? I have no enemies. My parents don't have any. Well, come to think of it, my mother's mouth is pretty sharp. Who knows who she angered. Was it severe enough to kidnap me?
Lost in my thoughts, I make it to a landing- a double staircase, and Freddie is at the bottom.
"Come on, slowpoke! Food's getting cold!" Freddie yells happily. His voice causes an echo all around me. He turns, walks between the staircases, and disappears towards the back.
I walk carefully down the stairs. Once I get to the bottom, I hear Freddie and know I have to make a left when I get close to the arch.
Black furniture, white walls are a theme in this home. The walls are bare, black wooden flooring. Empty and shallow. This is my kidnapper's home for sure!
I cautiously walk into the dining room and look around. It's as cold as the other parts of the house. However, this room only contains black marble and glass everywhere—a parent's worst nightmare.
"Come on, sit down," Freddie says as he smiles warmly. He pulls out a chair for me and waits patiently for me to sit. It's on the other end of the table.
Away from that animal, my kidnapper, which brings me no comfort at all, who isn't paying me any attention at all. Instead, he's texting.
The glass dining room table has a beautiful but odd shape centerpiece in the middle. It looks like a colossal gun but one that's been taken apart. The entire thing is covered in red spikes.
I sit carefully as my kidnapper places his phone on the table and is now staring at me. Freddie bends over and uncovers my plate. I hold my breath as the smell smacks me hard on the face, making me drool. It's steak, mashed potatoes, and broccoli, one of my favorite dishes!
"Enjoy!" Freddie beams at us both and walks out of the room. I follow him with my eyes and see that he exits into the kitchen through a swinging door, catching a brief glimpse of the stainless steel stove.
I look back at my ungracious host and close my eyes. I am so terrified to be alone with this guy that I'm honestly scared to make any type of movement. He will prance on me and kill me.
"Eat!" He barks from across the table, causing me to jump.
"I'm not hungry," I lie. The food looks and smells delicious. It makes my stomach yearn for what sits right in front of me.
We both stare at each other for a couple of seconds. My kidnapper loves having this power over me. What kind of sick individual preys on a defenseless woman?
A coward, I think to myself.
I break eye contact and look down at my plate. His calm demeanor freaks me out.
My kidnapper shrugs his shoulder. "Suit yourself." He takes his fork and knife, cutting into the steak.
I start to get angry. Why am I sitting at dinner with him, anyway? Like everything is alright. Isn't he going to kill me? I want to be anywhere else, away from here.
"Why am I here?" I ask agitatedly.
"Because it's dinner time," he says, never looking up at me. He takes a fork full of potatoes into his mouth and begins to chew. I look at him in disbelief. Is he trying to be funny?
"That's not what I meant!" I yell, surprising us both. He stops chewing and glares at me. I look away nervously.
He takes a sip of wine and then starts cutting into his steak again. "I told you to eat," he says without looking at me.
"Answer my question."
"I was hired," my kidnapper says as he looks up at me, unamused. "To kill you. Which seems like a pretty good idea since you won't let me eat in peace." He looks back down and starts cutting his broccoli. His calm demeanor makes me angry. I want to ram my steak knife through his mouth.
Then it hits me. The man sitting in front of me was hired?! Someone wants me dead? I feel the blood start to drain from my face. What?! Why?!
"Please," I whisper. "I am rich. I will give you whatever you want, right now, if you let me go. I promise I won't say a word. I don't even know where I am," I beg. Tears start to pool in my eyes.
My kidnapper wipes his mouth with his napkin and places it gently on the table. He grabs his cup of wine and looks at me. "How much are you worth?" He asks, taking a sip, sitting back comfortably.
"Four billion. And it's yours!" I have to calm myself, or I will sob. I'm scared to death, but he needs to see how serious I am. I'll gladly give him every cent I have to walk away unharmed.
"Sounds good," my kidnapper says, exhaling and finishing his drink.
I breathe a huge sigh of relief. Is he going to let me go? Is this nightmare finally over?
"There's just one problem." He pushes his plate aside and puts his elbows on the table. Folding his hands together, he rests his cheek on it. "I've killed people worth far more. So your price means nothing to me." He smiles at me, stands, and walks out.
Tears start pouring out. I can't move or think. Money always solves any issue.
That's what I was taught, even though I hate the fact that I had tons of it. If I ever needed something or something went wrong, my solution was always to throw money at it. Thankfully I've never had to do that.
Am I missing something? Am I that naive?
Oh no! Is he going to kill me now? He's probably looking for a weapon. My last supper!
I look around, terrified. Once he comes in with his weapon of choice, I have to defend myself. But how?
I am bracing myself. I quickly stand! Maybe if I hide behind the door frame, I can jump out and stab my assassin with the steak knife.
No! I can't kill him! I've never killed anyone in my life. How will I even attempt to hurt him?
I give up and sit back down, waiting to meet my maker.
Some time goes by, and no one comes back in. It then dawns on me that there should be a back door in the kitchen, and it's probably my only chance. I remember Freddie exited the dining room into the kitchen.
I slowly get up, walk to the swinging door, and put my ear to it.
I don't hear any noise.
Slowly opening the door, I peek in. There is no one in the kitchen. I see my exit and run towards it. I don't even bother looking around.
Once I'm there, I reach for the handle. I can taste sweet freedom. There is just one problem.
There is no door handle!
"What?!"
There's nothing where the doorknob should have been. Instead, I see a black handprint scanner next to the door frame. My mouth drops as I look around and back at the scanner.
The screen is neon blue, with a hand shape in the middle. Does your handprint unlock the door?! Are you kidding me?!
I panic when I suddenly hear people talking and make my way back to the dining room. I take my seat and wait for someone to walk in.
The minutes tick by, again, and not a soul comes to check up on me. Have they all gone? I start to get antsy and pass my hands through my hair.
Is this a joke? Did they forget about me?
The front door, I tell myself! Why didn't I think of that earlier? I can exit through the front door!
I stand and tiptoe to the door frame. I slowly poke my head into the hallway.
Not a person in sight!
I run as quietly as I can to the staircases and check around. I even look up and make sure no one is standing at the landing. Breathing a sigh of relief, I don't see a soul. My adrenaline starts to kick in, telling me to hurry up! The moment I am out of this prison, I have to run like there's no tomorrow.
I am making it to the door when again, i see no door handle—just another hand scanner. I shake my head in horror.
"Where the hell am I?" I ask myself as I back away slowly.
"You didn't think we'd leave you unattended if we thought you could escape?"
I freeze. I'm so scared to turn around. My kidnapper's voice sends chills up my spine, but I slowly turn. My head is racing a mile a minute. The animal is standing a foot away from me with his hands behind his back.
I never heard him creeping up behind me. He still wears no emotion but looks rather bored.
"Please, please, let me go?!" I beg, putting my hands together. I know begging won't help any, but this is desperation. I don't want to be locked in here anymore.
"No," my kidnapper says matter of fact and walks away, making me furious. I grow tired of seeing his back! He always says something and walks off. He is rude, arrogant, and a monster!
"You are a coward and an animal! Is this how you get your kicks!? Kidnapping women!?" I yell. My voice echoes back at me.
He stops and turns around. The seriousness he now wears scares me. I prefer him calm.
"You should be dead by now! Do you understand me?" He starts to look angry.
"But I'm not! So why am I here?" I ask, growing a little confident. We are both scowling at each other at this point.
And this is true! If someone hired him to kill me, there is a reason for the delay. And if it isn't about the money, the least he can do is tell the truth!
"Because I like to play with my food before I devour it. Learn your place here, little mouse," my kidnapper says as he slowly walks towards me.
I look down at the floor. Panic fills me as I wrap my arms around myself. Why did I decide to act brave?
"Don't find courage overnight and think you are smarter than me. Because you're not." My kidnapper takes a big step towards me, suddenly grabbing me by my face and forces me to look at him. I want to push him off, but I am terrified to touch him. Our mouths were inches apart.
"I've killed so many people in my line of work. Once you're dead, you'll just be a distant memory, just like the other lives I've taken! And let me tell you, I never think about any of them."
His words cut like a jagged knife, making me feel and look defeated.
My kidnapper then searches my face for something. He starts to look less angry. I guess he doesn't find it because he lets me go gently.
Tears start pooling in my eyes. If I blink, he will see how easy it is to weaken me, which I fail miserably.
I wipe my tears with the back of my hand and look away from him.
He points between the staircases. "Now be a good girl and return to the dining room. We haven't finished our dinner."
With my head down, I step around him. I continue to wipe my tears as I slowly walk back to the dining room. My tormentor follows close behind me.
I don't dare say anything back to him. I've done enough for one day.
My assassin is going to kill me.
It isn't a matter of if, but when.