Sydney considered her options. He might be able to shoot her before she got back inside the cover of the cabin. But maybe not. Even if she did he could decide to cut his losses and throw the grenade anyway. Which would most likely kill her and her friends. She could call for help and end up having the same thing happen. “I don’t suppose I can get dressed first?” she asked him. She was only wearing one of Xander’s tee-shirts and underwear. She didn’t even have shoes on. I am an idiot, she berated herself.
“There’s no need. I have your old clothes.”
Sydney’s head jerked involuntarily. “My old clothes?”
“Yes. I still have your clothes.”
The composure that Sydney had found was sucked out of her again through her lungs. What the man said sounded too true. The clothes she had woken up on the beach in must not have been her own. Then whose were they? She didn’t have enough air to speak again so made herself take a step forward. She had no idea what kind of horrors awaited her in this man’s lab. But at least her friends would be safe. The rough wood of the porch was icy against her feet but it wasn’t possible for her to feel colder than she already was. She walked numbly towards the man and he smiled at her again before stepping to the side to let her pass.
“Walk in front of me,” he directed.
Hating to have him behind her, Sydney glanced back at him. “Where am I going?”
“Less than a quarter mile down the lane I have a van waiting.”
She stepped off the porch and into the wet grass. She had been wrong about how cold she could feel. The moisture seeped into the soles of her feet caused a painful ache to spread into her bones. Beyond the edge of the yard was a dirt and gravel path that lead to the main road. She winced as the first rock stabbed her bare foot but she was determined not to make a sound.
The walk seemed to take forever, but she knew it lasted only minutes. By the time she saw the large white van she was limping and shivering violently. She felt the weight of her situation pressing down on her like a wet blanket. She was confident that once she got into the van she would never see her friends again. Whatever the man had planned for her would surely, eventually, end her life. And there was no telling what kind of horrors she would experience before then. Every fiber of her body screamed for her to run, but she knew that wouldn’t help her. It would only make things worse. She decided she would have to ride this out until she found a chance to escape—because apparently I did once before—or, if she had to, she would kill herself to stop him from hurting her or others.
Sydney expected the man to lead her to the back of the van but instead he motioned her towards the driver’s side. “Open the door—it’s unlocked. Climb over to the passenger side.”
She opened the door open and climbed into the tall van. It was an industrial type—the kind plumbers and electricians drove. And kidnappers, she muttered silently. Clumsily, she crawled over the seats, regretting even more the fact she wasn’t wearing pants. Once she was in the passenger seat the man laid the gun on the dashboard and held up the grenade. In the glow of the van’s dome light she got a better look at it. It was the kind she had seen in movies and video games. It was dark green and had a silver lever that hung from the top. The man closed his fist around the lever and slowly eased a tiny ring and pin from the top and placed it in his pocket. Her eyes went wide and she leaned away from him.
“The only thing stopping this from going off is me holding the lever down. If anything happens to me and I let go—we all die.”
What does he mean “all?” “OK.” She held up her hands to remind him she had surrendered already.
The man climbed into the van with one hand. He was wearing dark khakis and a dark sweater. He looked like a suburban dad—not a kidnapper. She looked around and noted the missing door handle on her side. “So, I’m guessing we don’t have too long of a drive if you expect to be able to hold that the whole way.” He didn’t answer her but started the van and drove forward. She went back to examining the van for any sign of who this man was or what he wanted.
The van only had two bucket seats and when she paid more attention to the back part she realized it was sealed off with metal, making her wonder if this had actually been a prison transport van instead of a plumber’s at some point. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Where are we going?”
“Not too far.”
“Who are you?”
“You can call me...Doc.”
“What kind of doc?”
He chuckled ruefully as if there was an inside joke she wasn’t privy to. He glanced at her before shaking his head. “A doctor of nothing now,” he answered bitterly.
His tone didn’t inspire conversation so Sydney stopped asking questions. She didn’t want to piss him off and cause him to not pay attention to driving over the bumpy roads, she didn’t want to die unless she had to.
Soon, Doc eased the van onto the highway which was deserted this time of night and Sydney watched the road for any sign of where they were going.
“There is a mask in the glove box—put it on,” he ordered her.
“No!” The idea of being blind sent her heart racing again.
“I didn’t ask.”
“What does it matter if I see where we are going?”
“Just do it,” he told her firmly.
Hands sweating, she finally leaned forward and opened the glove box. Other than some papers and a booklet the sleep mask was the only item inside. She slid the blindfold over her eyes and leaned back into the seat with her hands clenched in her lap. A hopeful, barely noticeable voice in her heart wondered if this meant he planned to let her live. The silence and the darkness were too much and she found herself talking again.
“How did I lose my memory?”
“I’m not sure really. It didn’t happen to anyone else. That’s one of the things I want to test.”
“What happened to me? And the others?”
“Just stop with the questions right now. I’m trying to concentrate on driving. I’ll explain everything later.”
The fact that he was mostly pleasant, besides his obvious irritation over his status as a doctor, made her feel even more uneasy. His self-control and normalcy made him seem more intelligent and dangerous than a psychopath. It made him less likely to make a mistake. But what kind of self-controlled, normal person, chops people’s heads off and kidnaps women?
Xander
When Xander woke up the first thing he was aware of was the cold empty space next to him. He jerked out of the comfort of sleep and sat up in bed expecting to see Sydney wandering around the room—maybe hallucinating again. But the room was empty. Bathroom, he told himself. But something about that seemed wrong. It wasn’t just the bed that was cold. The whole room was cold. Something was off. It was a primal instinct that urged him out of bed. He pulled a shirt over his head and tightened the drawstring of the sweatpants he had been sleeping in.
He walked softly towards the bedroom door. If it turned out that he was just being paranoid and Sydney was somewhere hallucinating again, he didn't want to freak her out. He opened the door, glad it didn’t creak. The hallway was deserted and the air was colder than it had been in the bedroom. His back stiffened in alarm. He could see the open door from here. He hurried into the living room and practically jumped in front of the open door, not caring about stealth any longer. Now he was just concerned about Sydney’s safety. If she was wandering the woods she was in danger from more than just a stalker.
“Sydney?” he yelled into the frosty early morning. Panic was overriding his sense of self-preservation. Right now it didn’t matter if there was a strange guy lurking in the woods. He would rip his head off if he came near Syd or Shay, or even Zak.
He stepped onto the porch and struggled to see into the trees. Which way could she have gone? She could have decided to go off on her own in some stupid sense of self-sacrifice. But why would she have left the door open? He ignored the traitorous voice of reason reminded him. “Sydney!” h
e yelled again, his voice sounding hoarse and panicked.
“What’s going on?” Shay called hurrying into the living room. Her curly hair was wild and she was awkwardly pulling on a sweater as she came.
“Sydney’s gone!”
“What?” Zak asked as he joined them.
“Syd’s gone,” Xander repeated. Terror was causing his heart to race and it was making it difficult to think straight.
“Are you sure?” Zak asked.
Shay was pulling at her hair and staring into the dark morning just as Xander had done.
“Yes!” he snapped.
“I just mean,” Zak reasoned, “have you checked all of the cabin?”
“The front door was standing open…”
“Is her stuff gone? Her coat? Or shoes?”
“I-I don’t know,” Xander admitted.
“Come on,” Zak turned and hurried toward Xander and Sydney’s room. “What was she wearing when you went to bed?”
“One of my shirts.”
Zak lifted a pair of jeans. “Wasn’t she wearing these before we went to bed?”
Xander shrugged helplessly. “Yeah,” Shay answered. “Those are the ones I patched for her. She was wearing them yesterday.”
“And here are her shoes. These are the only ones she has with her,” Xander was glad that he had paid attention to something. He picked up her bag, it was in the same place he had left it when they arrived. “I don’t think she got anything out of here.”
“OK, so did she wander off half naked?” Zak asked.
“It’s possible. If she was having a hallucination she could have.” They made their way back to the living room stunned with shock and fear.
“Oh, god,” Shay groaned and sank onto the couch.
“Let’s go look around outside,” Zak offered.
Xander resented the fact that Zak was so clear headed and he was on the verge of having a panic attack. But Zak had the advantage of not being emotionally involved with Sydney. He and Shay cared enough about her that they were both having a hard time remaining calm and rational. He pulled on his boots, not bothering with socks or even tying them. Zak and Xander were pulling on their coats when Shay hurried to join them. “You stay in here,” Xander told her.
“Fuck that! I’m helping find her too.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders. Enough reason was returning that he knew he didn’t want Shay wandering around outside. It was entirely possible the crazy, beheading guy was lurking about, or another Connor or Randall. “Shay! Please. Check the cabin and see if you can find any clues here.”
At first Shay looked like she was going to refuse. But then she nodded, realizing that there really could be something to find in the cabin. “Fine.”
Xander knew she was also cutting him some slack. If she came with them he would worry about her too and it wouldn’t help anything. He hurried out after Zak and they went in opposite directions off the porch looking for footprints or some other evidence of which direction she had headed. Xander really wasn’t even sure what he was looking for. He had never been a hunter but was relying on luck or some other kind of instinct suddenly manifesting.
“Xander!” Zak called. “Come look at this.”
With dread growing in his belly he hurried to Zak. “What?”
Zak was crouched at the edge of the yard where the gravel of the driveway and road began. “Does this look like a footprint to you?” He was pointing at a scuff mark in the gravel.
Xander looked further across the loose rocks. “Maybe.” He looked for more, similar disturbances and it the areas where the rocks were thicker and less ground in he could see what might be footprints. “Hey, look at this?” He had made his way about a hundred feet from the driveway before finding an obvious gouge in the rocks. He leaned over them and ran his fingers across several rocks. One in particular caught his attention. He pick it up and held it out to Zak.
“Is that blood?” Zak asked.
Xander felt like throwing up. “I think so.”
Chapter Forty One
During the whole trip, Sydney tried to keep track of how long they had been driving and how many turns they took but it didn’t take long to lose count. Eventually, she gave up and tried to focus on keeping calm. The cloth of the seat had become itchy against her bare legs and her feet were blocks of ice.
“Do you think we could get some heat?” she asked, finally breaking the silence that had pervaded for the last thirty minutes or so. Being blind had left her feeling even more vulnerable and unwilling to chit chat.
Doc didn’t answer, but she heard him turning a dial and was relieved when warm air whooshed out against her feet. Time to think in silence was working against her attempts to remain calm. All the mistakes she had made were running through her head. She also worried that the man hadn’t kept his word and he had found a way to hurt her friends once they were gone. For all she knew he could have an army at his disposal. Once the van pulled away, the cabin could have been attacked and her friends murdered. She took a deep breath and told herself there wasn’t anything she could do about it now. She could only try to make the best of her current situation.
Regret inspired guilt and she began to feel nauseous. She had been in such a hurry to leave with Doc that she really didn’t think her actions through properly. Yes, she had been scared for her friends and had convinced herself that leaving with him was the easiest way to keep them safe, but she also realized her own need to solve the mystery of what had happened, and was happening, to her had drowned out common sense. She leaned back against the car seat angry at herself.
“You should try to relax. Getting worked up and over anxious isn’t good for you,” Doc advised her in an irritatingly calm voice.
“You mean for my condition?” She hoped to get him to give her more details about what was happening to her but he didn’t respond to her prompting.
She felt the van turning to the right and braced herself to stop from tilting towards the crazy man with the grenade. The road beneath the van changed. It sounded like gravel as rocks popped and rattled against the tires. The van drove slowly forward for a few more moments, turning sharply twice before coming to a stop.
“OK. You can take the mask off.”
Relieved and apprehensive all at once, Syd pulled the mask off and looked warily about her. It was still dark and they were in a wooded area, the same forest or a different one, she had no idea. “Where are we?” she asked even though she knew he wouldn’t answer her.
“We’re going to get out the way we got in—through the same door. Once I’m out, you slide over here.” Without waiting for a response, Doc opened his door and stepped out of the van, keeping an eye on her the whole time. He stepped back to give her space and she climbed over the driver’s seat and stumbled awkwardly to the ground.
She could see they were behind a small cabin not all that different from the one she had just left. Did that mean they were still in the Castle Rock Lake area? She couldn’t be sure how long they had driven but if she had to guess she would say it had been a few hours. That would put us in a different part of Wisconsin, wouldn’t it? Frustrated, she gave up trying to guess since she didn’t know the area and had no point of reference other than trees that pretty much all looked the same.
From the corner of her eye she noticed a shift in the way the van was settled. She turned her head slowly, holding her breath but when there was no other sound or movement she began to think she had imagined it. Until Doc spoke anyway.
“Inside. Now.” His normally calm voice was edged with alarm and she turned back to him quickly.
He was eyeing the van warily and she knew that she didn’t imagine the movement. “What’s in there?” She would have guessed that it was other people he had kidnapped. Maybe more people like her. But the look on his face hinted that wasn’t the case. He was worried about whoever, or whatever, was back there.
“Nothing to worry about,” he turned back to her forcing another calming smile to
his face. “Inside,” he motioned toward the cabin with the grenade.
Glancing back to the van, Sydney made her way unsteadily towards the back door. Her feet were bruised and most likely cut up too considering they felt sticky and dirt was adhering to the bottoms. The door was locked but Doc handed her a single key and she used it to open the door. One the other side was a black hole of unknown and she hesitated before going inside.
“Just step forward, you won’t trip over anything,” Doc encouraged her.
When she still hesitated, he leaned forward, his shoulder brushing hers. The physical contact between them caused her to jerk away from him in revulsion. He ignored her reaction and flipped a switch on the wall next to her and light revealed a kitchen. She was relieved, and creeped out, by the banality of the living space. They were walking into the kitchen and facing the living area. Two doors led off the main room on the right and another on the left side of the cabin.
“Go on,” he urged her. She stepped inside and he closed the door behind them, but he didn’t lock it, she noticed hopefully. “There is a bedroom to the right, just open the door.”
Oh, god. Of all the scenarios that had played out in her head—rape was not one of them. “Why?” she asked, her voice tight and worried.
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing like that!” She was surprised he sounded so offended. “That’s where you are going to stay.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat and moved forward slowly. At the bedroom door she hesitated again before reaching for the doorknob. She noticed, with dismay, that the door had a deadbolt that locked from the outside. And she could hear Doc fumbling with keys behind her. Shit. Knowing she didn’t have a lot of choices she opened the door and stepped inside the dark bedroom.
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