I never imagine that a sudden gripping on the neck can cause a vital pain. My throat burns, I feel my body vibrating in reaction to what just happened to me. I close my eyes and gnaw my lips so hard, till I'm tasting the sour liquid called blood in my mouth. I haven't for once in my life, picture me ending like this. He just said he's going to kill me anywhere. Why? That's what I have zero knowledge about. Is it because I'm aware of his infidelity act in the closet?
I dig into the room, trying to scrutinize my surroundings. The only source of light is the open shade and it is directly at the maw of the sun. The window panel is made of glass, in order to enable raw air to infiltrate the room, the window has to be unlocked. I inhale as I think of how I've imagined this day. It's far different from what I'm experiencing. I'd imagine a blissful love filling day. I gaze down at my leg, he uses a metal solid chain to tie my legs, probably in fear that I may evade. I survey the room again, hoping to find a way out. The only way out is the only way in, the open entrance, matching the same level of flooring. This place must be really strong for the covert to incur as a floor. I nail a sight of Stella peeking at me, I revolve to confront her gaze but she fends off. I wish her mouth be unseal so I can get some sense-making words from her about what's transpiring. A gaping sound restores me to the real world. I brook the anger sizzling me to curb and fear promptly emerges.
He enters back, his black jacket has been replaced with a white tank top that shows off his ripping muscle. Also has his face clean. I remember the way he rushed my neck, my heart leaps and I try to suppress myself from trembling. He's dangerous. He throws me a fleeting look then proceeds to Stella, she didn't flinch the way I did, instead, she just stares, hence that's the only thing she's permitted to do.
"Hey, pretty." He strokes her hair with his left hand, she didn't budge.
"Do you know who just decided to check on us?" He pauses, "Huh! He's not really special, just a delivery boy." and advances, lowering the hand as his fingers caress her skin.
"I know you're angry with me because of...this." he direct at her legs which are harden by shackles, her hands truss behind her.
"Everything is gonna be okay– what? You wanna say something." I detect concern in his deep voice. Stella nods in approval, he withdraws his left hand.
He sighs and in slow-Mo, he pulls the scotch tape off her mouth. Her full lips plainly pale almost the same as the color of her skin. She pants briskly. He gives her some time to form her words. "I... I... I need water," she pants, "please."
He chuckles, his body-rear blind my vista to Stella.
"What now, Stella? Is this some kinda joke?" his head reverts and for some seconds he stares.
"You wanna imitate the little girl, huh? Now you've got the balls to think of spilling water on my face, huh!" Abruptly, he grabs her face closer to his.
"Tell me, Stella!"
"Water" she tinkles.
He drops his clutch making her cough, he gets up. Something falls from his pocket, it is a phone. He picks it up and lowers at me, the purple glittery pouch of my phone glowing candidly at me, he hijacks my phone.
"You were..." glancing at the cell phone, he holds like some hot pancake, "...charging it." he smirks down at me.
He has my phone in his custody, no one can contact me. Oh, Christ!
"Why are you doing this? For ransom? Look, my parents aren't rich, mortgage prodding on their head." I say, which is true. He is definitely doing this for money. I don't understand why someone will detain me illegal if not for money.
He laughs, ignoring me as he prosecutes his way down. I try to take a peep down by moving, still impossible.
If he slaughters me here, in this hell-cave, nobody will know– Tracy...Sofia. I told them I was going to Jeremy's uncle's place... But this is a different place, not Ralph's. Too swallow in my thoughts that I didn't notice him enters, till Stella calls his name.
Ralph,
She calls him Ralph, he is Jeremy's uncle and he has me in captive.
"You're... Ralph?" I inquest, giving him a puzzle look.
He smiles wickedly at me as he bends, "Yes, I'm Ralph."
I open my mouth to question him further, but it's not a good idea because he knows my name, that I am his nephew's girlfriend. I pray Jeremy knows nothing about this. What if he does? Or this is probably a weird nightmare Valentine surprise package that he plans.
"Does Jeremy knows about this?" I ask even though I really hope it isn't true. I trust him so much thus, this turns out bad...I will break down.
"You'll find out."
My heart sinks after he leaves. Did Jeremy know about this? My mom is going to murder him if she finds out. My dad... My poor hero, he shall be devastated when he notices, and Harley. I don't even want to imagine the pain it will drill my family. How can I be so stupid to walk right into danger myself? Dumpster.
My friends, Tracy and Sofia. What will they do? Tracy and I grew up together, a sister who makes everything of mine her priority, always there every time I fuck up. The thought of taking a secret about her to grave fills me with nothing but guilt. How she believes I'm a perfect figure, whereas I'm just a hypocrite.
And Sofia, adorable curly-Q always taking life at ease. Over-caring Miss Preceptor, who took it as her paramount right to tutor my life ever since we met in ladies' restroom where she was crying her soul out due to the fact that she just loses her Mom. She will presumably cry out when she discovers I'm missing or—dead.
"Ralph,"
That voice invigorates me, it's a habitual voice. The velvet entrapping voice which always sounds like tempting music to my ears. Now, it sound-less like that. Instead, tension and anguish justify it.
"Hey, nephew." Ralph's husky voice echoes and easily, I can hear what they are communicating.
A smile creeps to my lips, it is Jeremy. A smack of ease hooks up my heart, a discernment that help has arrived. But a twitch of anger break in me, Jeremy's the reason why I'm stuck here and for further information, he may have a knowledge of what's happening.
"Where's she?" His voice's gentle as usual, unceasingly trying to keep his cool.
"Heh, Where's who?" what an asshole and pretender, he's fully aware that Jeremy is talking about me.
"Don't pretend to me, Ralph!" Now he's losing his cool. Jeremy isn't a hot-headed person, but the story will be different if presses too hard.
"I don't know what you're talking about, nephew."
Stella shows some interest in the conversion, I apprehend she's paying attention.
"Ralph...God, my girlfriend has been fuckin' missing for four hours and her friends said something like she was going to my uncle's house to look for me. Quit the joke."
Four hours.
I've been here for vigorous four hours. Omg, everyone knows I'm missing now. I'm kidnap, fuckin' kidnap- impound in a cubbyhole. Tears lapse my face without warning. The effect of the closing door notifies my brain that Jeremy is dumping me and I will be stuck here with no chance of seeing outside ever or I will see the afterlife instead. I panic at the thought and glance through the window. He brushes his black hair in frustration with his phone clinching his ear as he paces erratically.
I take my shot.
"Jeremy!" I bellow on the top of my throat. He didn't turn back, instead, he walks to his black Jeep.
"Jeremy!" I scream aloud, hoping he will turn and hear me.
He rests on his car, weighing down in quandary. His girlfriend's missing and there are likely hoods the criticism accidentally all fingers are pointed at him.
Not giving up, I holler again, not caring about the soreness blenching through the pipe of my lungs.
"Jeremy!" He whirls back, definitely, he heard my cry. I break into a short laugh.
"Over here, I'm-" Still shrilling, with a defined assurance that he hears me until Ralph cut in.
"He can't hear you, Haley."
I glare at him and ignore him.
"Jeremy!"
Jeremy licks his lips as his eyes prowl bashfully. He isn't looking at me, he's lost in thought.
"This cubbyhole is soundproofed." he informs me. I flinch when I feel his breath and touch next to my ear.
Immediately, his statement hit me I almost lost confidence in myself but my rigid sixth sense unwilling to believe him continues to scream till Jeremy enters his Jeep and drives away.
I cry.
***
EIGHT
RALPH leans on the wooden pole, I don't know for how long but I regard his presence. Notwithstanding, my eyes are murky due to the fact I cried, yet I'm mindful of the vicinity. I know every time he transposes one of his legs to poise on the other leg, he puffs sigh and hums a fluky song.
I snoop from beneath, he has a parcel in his hands. I furrow my brows at the recognition of the red package bag. He feeds on my cakes. The red velvet cupcakes I baked for Jeremy with Mom's exclusive collaboration. I cast a pierce at him, he winks at me and continues munching. "Do you know what I said the moment Jeremy sighted the package, huh?"
I look crosswise, keeping my eye on the casement. Two teenagers are passing by, both in uniform. They probably skip school to enjoy their day together, the boy who looks like he's sixteen has his hand round her waist.
They look so in love and happy. This reminds me of my very first boyfriend, Thomas. We dated in sophomore and it didn't end well, Thomas was kidnapped on a random and when his father refuses to believe... his dead body was sent home. At the thought of Thomas, tears escape from my eyes, he must have gone through all this too.
"Uh, why are you crying...? I really don't like it." I discern his warm thumb on my cheek, quickly, I toss my face aside in an attempt to ensnare his thumb between my teeth. However, he detects my motive, his hand end up striking my face. It is like the time still. I didn't feel anything especially my cheek, it's numb. Inch by inch, it attains pounding as the blood later circulate the area.
"You'll pay for this!" That's the first thing that spill out of my mouth when I regain myself.
He smiles and folds his arm. "Do you know what's gonna happen to you, piece of shit? When every single soul I know finds out about this!" I bark at him.
"... you're gonna rot in jail!"
"No, no, sweetheart this is where you got it wrong... I'm not gonna rot in jail. Imma rot in hell." he smiles menacingly.
I stare shockingly at him, amaze at the kind of being he is. There is no way he is normal.
"What're you up to? Huh! What're you gonna do with me? Kill me?" I question, yelling after him as he walks away. He stops, shutting off the sound of his boots.
"Give you what you deserve." he whispers, slowly descending.
What I deserve?
"Come back here, you son of a bitch! What'd I deserve? Come set me free!" I grapple against the strong chain all in vain, I pause to breathe. He refuses to come back.
"Motherfucker"
I close my eyes and relax my body.
"I've been here for days." a small voice murmurs.
It's from Stella. She finally talks, perhaps my head create words for her.
I turn to her finally getting an indulgent appearance of her. Her clothes are totally ripped off. Howbeit, it's unkempt and maybe... foul-smelling. Her top is wet, sweat dripping down her neck to the top.
"Did you... just uttered something?" I quietly ask, unsure of what I heard.
"He took me away from home months ago, I've even lost count." she laughs weakly showing her pearl teeth, her cheeks poke in, drilling holes, dimples.
"Weeks?" My eyes widen almost popping out in shock.
"He wouldn't lemme go," she cries, trembling.
"Why? Why is he doing this?"
Her eyes scan my body, a sad smile appears.
"You're Jeremy's girlfriend?"
I eye her, unsure if I'm on a safe side. The blonde lady with two-side dimple and little scars on her exposed body is asking for my identity which I really un-appreciate.
"Obviously" I reply, rudely.
She let out a brief non-comical laugh, showing her pearl teeth once again, then I notice some stains. She bite her lips together like she's concealing something from rushing out of her mouth. She throws her head back against the wall.
I forsake her act and dip at the window since that's the only thing I'm allow to do. The neighborhood is empty and silent, I wonder if the people living here care about each other or they're just busy working their asses off.
"Does he still drink directly from the bottle?"
I become stunned by her question. I continue looking at the window, people just bring up random things to pretend they know who you are. Yes, Jeremy drinks directly from the bottle, it's a bad habit I still find cool. Who knows, it may not be Jeremy she's referring to.
"He always thought it was odd anytime I tryna meddle in his love life...he hates it."
I bore at her from the corner of my eye, her long eyelashes cover her eyes, narrowing down some dry tears.
He always thought it was odd anytime I tryna meddle in his love life.
Jeremy once told me how his mom liked to meddle in his relationship and he hated it, he was practicing his drunk babbles on his mother's issue. I observe her wanting to clear my doubt.
"She left me, Haley"
"Sometimes, I wonder if I had become a burden on her"
Jeremy told me he didn't believe that his mother went missing. He thinks she left because she was tired of raising him alone. He never liked to talk about her because he despite her for leaving him. He believes the letter, partially
"How did you know all of ...this?"
"Doesn't anyone knows you more than your birth mother?" She raises her brow in question. Oh my God!
"She has golden locks, I wonder why I didn't have blond"
"Sapphire super clear eyes, she's a goddess"
"And dimples like yours"
Jeremy told me about his Mom, her golden hair always bouncing, the clear blue eyes, her narrowed nose almost too sharp and the dimples. He told me.
Stella Olsen
"Y...you're Stella Olsen, Jeremy's mom?" My voice stammers while I speak.
"Good thing you figure out."
I make a loud whimpering noise with my mouth, too daze. I can't believe I'm with his Mom and I never notice it. Okay, he never shown me her picture, he hates the fact that she evaporated without a notice-a dumb letter, she left.
"But... Jeremy said you left him, you ran away with an unknown lover."
"Is that what it appears to you now?"
"I would never leave my boy,"
She looks down at her feet, "he kidnapped me, Haley,"
I gasp.
"I was in the hospital for eight weeks," she laughs.
Hospital?
What the hell was she doing there? And Jeremy never knew.
"He's a monster, Ralph is nothing but a monster." she laments.
"He kidnapped you and-" I shut my mouth when I spot Ralph's figure. He just forges out of the blues.
"What's going on here?" He demands.
I make eye contact with Stella, her eyes are telling me her pain, the pain this motherfucker causes her. I really hope I will get to punch his nose at the end of this.
"Do you have something in mind to tell me?" his strong voice hold a berserk authority that makes me quiver. I look down not wanting to meet his gaze.
"Look at me," he pushes my head up with his fingers on my chin, his nails digging sharply into my skin, I'm force to bole into his green eyes that somehow reminds me of Matt's emerald green eyes.
"If you tryna prove feisty. I'm gonna break down your wings."
After some seconds of staring, his fingers depart my chin allowing the newly fire up injury to show it sensation and it's not nice.
"I need to use the toilet, Ralph." I heard
Stella's voice, pleading.
He surprisingly listens to her by losing the chain. All of a sudden, he stops walk and reels to me with the White tape.
"You're like a wounded dog, I ain't gonna let you ruin my plan."
Before I can ask what he is talking about, he seals my mouth with the tape.
I grouse.
He goes over to Stella and leads her down the ceiling, she glances at me before stepping down.
He's a monster.