by Michelle Lee
“Good bye.”
After he hangs up he punches out, his shift is over, and goes to the diner for breakfast. When he is finished it is 1am, he goes to the train station about an hour from where he is now and picks up a suitcase stuffed into a locker. He has his money. He gets in his car, and drives to his house. It is now 3:30 am, he walks into his house, flips the switch for the lights, and BAM… the house explodes. Michael walks into the front door retrieves his suitcase and leaves.
The investigation into the officer will show that in the riot at the prison, he was responsible for the death of a gang member. This particular gang likes to take care of people who mess with their family by blowing them up. The officer was messing in something he shouldn’t have been.
**********
Charlie sits in the dark. She finally stopped bleeding. The dark and the dry blood are attracting bugs and a couple of rats that don’t want to leave her alone. She is freaking out; she can’t wipe her hands over her skin to erase the spine-chilling feeling that something is on her. She is barely able to move her legs when she hears a rat scurry over.
“HELP, Michael please. I promise I will be good just get me out of here. Please. I think there is a rat in here with me. HEY!! Don’t ignore me. Whistling man, are you still there? Someone. HELP!!!” She is frantically yelling, making her already raw throat worse. She can’t stand the dark anymore.
No one is coming. I am going to die here. Alone. “Brody, Brody, Brody.” She is whispering his name over and over as she rocks herself and cries.
CHAPTER 68
Michael wakes up Tuesday around 8 o’clock. He got home really late, or early depending on how you want to look at it, after taking care of the situation with the corrections officer. He found his address on the internet. It is amazingly stupid how many people will list their actual address on social media sites. After he planted the money in the locker he had no trouble getting to his house and wiring a light switch with explosives. He got rid of the problem and kept his money; it was a win, win for him.
He feels pretty good today. He looks at the screen showing Charlie’s apartment, and see’s Brody lying on the floor in front of the computer. He is sleeping. “Wakey, wakey, Brody.” He laughs and checks out the other screens.
Charlie is a mess. She is dirty and covered in dried blood. She must have vomited at some point last night. She is sitting with her back to the stone wall and her eyes are darting all over the place. Well, her one good eye is.
He picks up his phone and dials Brody. He rouses and sits up with a jolt. “Yeah?”
“Brody, good morning. How did you sleep last night? I don’t think Charlie slept too well. She looks a little like she may be in shock. I hope she doesn’t have a concussion. She has been hit in the head an awful lot in the last couple days.”
“Charlie,” he whispers it like he has just realizes the state she is in. “Please, Michael, I will do whatever you want, just let her go. You can take me. Please?”
He is answered with menacing laughter. “I want you to watch the screen very carefully. I will tell you when it’s time, where to meet me. You will come alone. You won’t tell anyone where you are, or where you’re going. Do you understand? If you break these rules, I will kill her and you will never find the body.”
“I understand.”
“I knew you would.” He laughs and hangs up.
Michael feels really good now. He whistles a song and sets out for the mill, and Charlie. He is finally going to get what he has been waiting for. He can hardly wait. Brody is going to get a front row seat.
CHAPTER 69
Brody sits on the floor with his phone in his hand. He just got done talking to Michael. He looks at the screen and sees Charlie sitting with her back against the wall. The chains around her wrists have started to rub her raw and they are bleeding slightly. She looks so frightened. She keeps jerking her legs like she is trying to get something off of her.
Brody stands up and walks out the door. He reaches Mrs. Clinton’s apartment and knocks, loud.
She opens the door “Brody? How are you? What can I do for you sweetheart?”
“I’m sorry to bother you; do you have a piece of paper I can write on?”
“Yeah, of course I do, give me one second.” She closes the door, undoes the chain, and opens it all the way so she can talk while she searches. “It’s a shame about Charlie. Have the police gotten any clues?”
“What? How do you know anything is wrong with Charlie?”
“Oh, honey, it’s all over the news. Apparently, someone leaked some of the information over night, and the news has been playing the story over and over. They say we might have a serial killer running around?” She asks the last part like she doesn’t want to believe it and is looking for someone to say she is wrong.
“I haven’t seen the news.” I take the piece of paper she gives me. “Thank you for this. I will be back in awhile. I am going to need you to do something for me.”
“Sure. I will help anyway I can.”
“Good. I knew I could count on you. Now, when I come back, I am going to slip this paper under your door. You need to give it to the police as fast as you can.”
“Why can’t you?”
“I think I am being watched.”
“Oh, how will you know if someone won’t see you give me the paper?”
“I don’t. I’m hoping I can be quick enough not to get noticed.”
“Ok. Why can’t you tell the police yourself?”
“Same reason. Now as soon as you have this I need you to call this number” He writes down Patrick’s number “if no one answers leave him a message telling him to come to you immediately you know where Charlie is.”
“I don’t know where Charlie is though.”
“You will, as soon as I do.” I smile and wink at her trying to lighten the mood, I don’t want her scared.
“Alright, Brody, I will do what you need me to.”
I feel the familiar sting in my eyes as I put my arms around the frail brave old woman. “Thank you.” Then I walk back to Charlie’s I put the paper in my back pocket.
I walk into the living room area and sit back on the floor to watch Charlie. She looks like she isn’t going to make it out of this. Michael may have succeeded in breaking her this time. She is rocking and mumbling to herself. “Please, Charlie, hold on a little longer.”
**********
Brody is sitting in the waiting room when Charlie comes running down the hospital hallway. I stand up as I see her, and she is wrapped around me hugging me fiercely. Rubbing circles on my back and telling me everything will be ok just stay positive. Easy for her to say, she isn’t the one who found her mom on the floor again.
We sit down and I tell her what happened. “I came home from school today and I found her sitting on the floor. She was staring into space and rocking. I couldn’t even make out what she was saying. I couldn’t get her to look at me, talk to me, nothing.”
“What did the doctors say?”
“They are running tests.”
“Do you want me to call my mom? Sometimes adults can get more accomplished then we can.”
Shaking my head I say, “No, not yet.” She reaches over and takes my hand.
We sit and wait for hours finally the doctor comes out and tells us that my mom has had a mental break. She is getting worse, not better, and he recommends putting her in a facility that can take care of her. He goes over the details, cost and asks if there is anyone who he can call to help since I am just a minor.
“I can call my mom.” Charlie speaks to the doctor for a minute and disappears outside to call her mom.
I am left alone with the doctor. He looks at me and says, “Son, if you want I can call your dad.”
I snort a laugh, “Sorry, doc, that ship sailed years ago.”
“Well you are a minor; I have to call social services to let them know what’s going on.”
“Great.” I am going to be part of the system now
because my mom couldn’t wait three months to finally lose it. “I’ll be 18 in three months.”
“Does your mom have anyone listed as guardian in a living will?”
“I don’t know.”
Charlie walks back in and sits by me, “My mom will be here in 15 minutes, and she contacted your moms lawyer, apparently, my mom was named guardian of you should anything happen to your mom. They talked about it last year when you spent the summer with us.”
We sit and we wait. I can’t get the picture of my mom out of my head. She was acting like those people they show in movies; at the mental hospital, rocking, and talking incoherently.
When Charlie’s mom gets there we have a lot of paperwork to go over and sign. We don’t have a lot of money so unfortunately she will be going to the state facility. We all know what kind of care people get there.
Over the next few years I visit my mom every day that I can. I go to community college and a local tech school so I can be close. She never got better. She would recognize me sometimes; I knew that was a good day for her. Most days, she sat by the window rocking and staring outside. I just wanted to hear her voice, I wanted her to look at me and see me. I just needed something, anything that told me she was in there. I got nothing; year after year.
Finally, when Steph moved in with me I stopped going to see her. I went on holidays, sometimes. I selfishly couldn’t take it anymore. I tried to call her once but hearing her was worse than seeing her. She just wasn’t mom anymore. She was broken.
**********
I wipe the tears that fall from my eyes as I remember my mom. The suffering she went through is nothing like what Charlie is going through. How will she be when this is over? Will she be strong enough to come back or has Michael taken her from me forever?
I sit and watch the screen, waiting for Michael to tell me where to go. I know that once I get there, I will do anything to save Charlie; even if that means dying.
CHAPTER 70
I am sitting in the dark I think I hear the whistling again. Straining my ears I listen closely. Yes, I hear someone. I hear keys enter a lock and jingle. Then there is a shadow of a person enveloped in an intense bright light, directly in front of me. The light is so bright it hurts my eyes.
“Charlie, I came to rescue you.” He laughs and walks over to unlock her wrists. “We need to give you a shower and some food. You are going to need your strength.”
“M-Michael, h-h-how long?” My lips are quivering. I can’t finish my sentence. The relief of being out of the dark is overwhelming.
Michael puts his finger to my lips shushing me, “Shhh, Charlie, don’t try to speak until we get you feeling better.” He finishes with the locks and helps me to my feet. I can’t stand too well at first but quickly get my legs back as we exit the dark space.
“I hope you are ready to cooperate with me now?”
I try to answer but the pain is still extreme and I feel so weak, so I just shake my head.
“Good girl.” He holds me a little tighter and a little closer. “I knew you would see things my way.” He places a gentle kiss on the side of my head.
We walk out of the basement area through a door that looks like part of the wall. If you didn’t know it was there you never would’ve found it. When we enter the next room I see that it is the room I was hiding in when I ran out of the shower. I still see no stairs, not that I plan on running again.
My bedroom is directly in front of us. When we enter the room I immediately turn towards the bathroom. I want a shower so badly. Michael senses this and helps me there still supporting me around my waist. My nakedness means nothing to me now. All I care about is getting clean.
He takes me into the bathroom and gently places me on the toilet while he gets what I need out of the closet. Then, just like before, he adjusts the water temperature. He helps me into the stream of the shower. I start to cry it feels so good. It is washing the blood and dirt away, along with the feeling of bugs crawling on me.
Michael picks up the soap and washes me. I rinse and let him wash me again. Then he washes my hair. When it’s time for conditioner he gets a wide tooth comb and combs it through the ends of my hair. Finally, it’s time to rinse and I feel brand new.
Michael reaches over and turns the shower off, letting the water run still; he plugs the tub and adds some oatmeal. “Sit, relax, and let the water soothe the soreness in your body.”
“Thank you.” I sit down and relax.
Michael turns off the water and goes back to the bedroom. When he comes back in he has a basket. He hands me a bottle of water, “drink it slowly.” Then, he gives me a power bar, “this will get something in your stomach quickly, until I can make you a meal.”
While I eat Michael continues to pamper me. He trims and files my toe nails, he scrubs my feet with a pumice stone, and cleans under my fingernails. After I finish my water and power bar, he tells me to stand up and put my foot on the tub. I do as I’m told and he applies shaving cream and shaves my legs. After he rinses my legs he pulls the plug, drains the water, and turns the shower back on. Rinsed off and feeling pretty good he hands me a towel and I get out of the shower.
I dry off and head to the bedroom. I go to the closet and pick put pajamas. Cotton and soft, the shorts and tee shirt set are perfect.
“Before you dress I brought you some lotion for your legs and some ointment for your cuts and bruises.” He holds out his hand.
I take his hand and he leads me to the bed. He rubs lotion into the smooth skin of my legs and applies antibacterial ointment to my face. “Thank you.”
“I will be back in a little while. I will make you something to eat.”
“Ok. Please hurry,” I can’t make eye contact as I admit my weakness to him, “I don’t want to be alone.”
Michael smiles so big I can feel it, I don’t have to be looking at him. He walks over to me and lifts my face so I am looking into his eyes, “I won’t be gone long.” He lowers his mouth to mine and kisses my lips. I kiss him back. He closes his eyes and takes a breath against my mouth and rests his forehead against mine. “I will be quick, beautiful.” Then he leaves the room.
I get dressed and lie back in the bed and close my eyes. Sleep comes instantly.
CHAPTER 71
Brody watches the screen as Charlie sits up taller and listens to the door being unlocked. What song is he whistling, it is creepy. When he enters her little cell, Charlie looks relieved. She isn’t screaming. She is passive and accepting of his help. When he touches her she doesn’t shy away, she moves toward him.
As they exit the cell, she is holding on to him so tightly her knuckles are white. “Charlie, what are you doing? Please, baby, hold on a little longer.”
The camera goes dark for a second when it comes back on they are walking into a bedroom. It is the same room from the pictures I saw earlier, when she was wearing the black nightie. They walk toward a room off camera.
Just when I think I will lose my mind because I can’t see anything, the screen changes and I am in the bathroom with them. Charlie is still naked, not that she is thinking about that right now, she is sitting on the toilet while Michael gets her shower ready.
I hate watching this. Michael has his hands all over her. He washes her two times. He washes her hair. The whole time Charlie is smiling. She looks content. She is lying in the bath now while he massages her feet.
He says something to her that I can’t hear and she nods and stands up. Her wet skin is all pink and clean. She rests her foot on the edge of the tub and lets Michael shave her legs. I can’t take it anymore.