by Jon Athan
“Thanks.”
Emiko vacantly stared at the rain cascading on the windows. She thought about Ethan's bizarre actions while considering Burt's advice. The police wouldn't be able to protect her at all times, but contacting them would bring a sense of security to her life. She vowed to call the cops after work.
Chapter Ten
Dinner
Emiko hopped off of the bus. Hands stuffed in her coat pockets, she slowly walked down the sidewalk. After the confrontation at the diner, she was cautious of everyone and everything. She waited until the bus drove off, then she approached her apartment building. She stopped on the porch, then she glanced around the neighborhood.
Vehicles still trudged up-and-down the streets while pedestrians wandered the sidewalks. The sun was falling beyond the horizon and darkness would arrive within fifteen minutes. There were no suspicious characters in sight, though. She didn't see any men sitting in parked cars or hiding behind trees.
She nodded and whispered, “Everything's fine...”
Emiko sighed in relief, then she entered the building. She waved at the manager, who was heading up to the third floor, then she approached her door. As far as she was concerned, she reached the finish line – she was safe. She entered her apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her. She didn't forget the latch lock.
She planted her moist brow on the wall beside the door and sighed as she took off her shoes. She wiggled her toes and moaned as she massaged her feet. Serving customers for hours was a physically demanding job. She took off her coat, revealing the gray long-sleeve shirt she wore underneath.
As she went to hang her jacket on the neighboring coat tree, Emiko stopped moving. Wide-eyed, she vacantly stared at the wall in front of her. The coat slipped out of her fingers and fell to the floor. Tears materialized in her eyes, sweat glistened on her brow. She trembled uncontrollably as her breathing intensified.
A sizzling sound emerged from the kitchen – but she lived alone.
Emiko glanced over at the kitchen. She swallowed the lump clogging her throat and held her bag close to her chest, then she tiptoed forward. She walked around the sofa and leaned towards her right. She stopped and stared into the kitchen over the bar, shocked. She couldn't scream, she couldn't run. The young waitress was paralyzed by her fear.
Ethan stood near the stove, cooking fish in a pan. He wore a white button-up shirt, black trousers, and matching dress shoes. His hair was straightened and combed to the right. His cologne, a mossy aroma, could be smelled from the living room. He appeared relaxed, too. The confrontation at the diner didn't seem to bother him.
In fact, the disturbed author even set the table before Emiko arrived. The plates and eating utensils were neatly set at each side of the table. A candelabra with three lit candles sat at the center of the table. It was a romantic setting for an important night.
Surprised, Ethan hopped and gasped upon spotting Emiko in the living room. He indistinctly muttered and chuckled, humiliated by his melodramatic reaction. He lowered the heat on the stove, then he approached the bar. At that moment, Emiko wished she had quietly walked out of the apartment before he noticed her. She needed a new escape plan.
Ethan said, “Jeez, Emiko, you scared me. You should really try announcing yourself when you get home. Anyway... I thought you'd be home a little later. The food isn't ready, but I could fix up an appetizer or a–”
“What are you doing in my apartment?” Emiko asked.
She clenched her jaw as she tried to stop herself from sobbing. She tried to keep a semblance of control around the intruder. She couldn't allow him to exploit her fears.
In a stern tone, Emiko asked, “What the hell are you doing in my home?”
Ethan held his hands up in a peaceful gesture. He smiled and said, “I'm just making dinner, you silly goose. Things didn't go so well at the diner 'cause of your stupid boss, but that doesn't mean the day has to end on a bad note, right? We can still celebrate your birthday.”
“I'm calling the cops.”
With a concerned expression, Ethan walked to the archway and responded, “The cops? Why? What's the matter?” Emiko reached into her bag and stepped in reverse. As she searched for her cellphone, Ethan asked, “What's wrong? Did someone follow you home?”
Upon hearing the questions, Emiko stopped riffling through her bag. Eyes welling with tears, she glanced up at Ethan in utter awe. She could see he was sincere. She realized the man was truly deranged.
Ethan approached the windows in the living room. He glided his eyes across every inch of the street, searching for any potential stalkers.
He said, “This isn't a great neighborhood, sweetie. I mean, it's not the worst you can do, but... I don't know, I just don't like you living here by yourself. Perverts are everywhere these days. When the prisons get filled up, the government lets those psychos out first. They think that they'll actually follow directions – that they've been rehabilitated. They're not, though. They cut their bracelets as soon as they're free. You have to be careful around here, Emiko.”
Emiko sobbed and stuttered, “You–You're scaring me...”
“What? I'm on your side, remember? I'm–”
As he spoke, Emiko pulled the phone out of her bag. She swiped her finger across the screen as she ran around the coffee table. Her fingers trembled as she tried to dial 911 while lurching towards the front door.
Before she could reach the exit, Ethan tackled her and pinned her to the wall – pressing his body against hers. He plucked the phone out of her clammy palm while covering her mouth with his other hand.
“Stop it,” Ethan said, his face an inch away from hers. He said, “Don't scream, don't fight. If you do, the bad people will hear you. That man that was following you, he could be standing outside of your front door. He could be listening to everything. Don't worry, though. I'll protect you. You don't need the police, you only need me.”
Ethan grimaced and gasped as Emiko bit his hand. Emiko kicked his shin, but she couldn't hurt him because she wasn't wearing shoes. She lurched towards the front door, but to no avail. Ethan tackled her again, grabbing her legs and pulling her to the floor.
Emiko yelled, “Help! He–”
Ethan flipped her onto her back, then he straddled her stomach. He covered her mouth with his hand, then he leaned closer to her face. He could see the unadulterated fear in her eyes, but he didn't understand it. What is she afraid of?–he thought.
Teary-eyed, Ethan said, “I'm not trying to hurt you. I've... I've just been doing everything you told me to do. I did it because I... I love you. I love you, Emiko.” A tear dripped from Ethan's eye as he blinked, plunging onto Emiko's cheek. He said, “I'm going to move my hand now. Okay? Don't scream. Just... Just say: 'I love you, too, sweetie.' Okay?”
Ethan lifted his hand from Emiko's mouth. Emiko wheezed as she gazed into Ethan's eyes. Letting him off easy didn't seem to work, so the blunt truth was her only option.
She said, “I don't love you. I don't even remember your name. Please, just leave me alone. Don't hurt me.”
“Wha–What? N–No, you... you love me. You... You said so on the TV. You remember that, don't you? You said you loved me. It's supposed to be a secret, remember? I know you love me, Emiko. Just say it.”
“No... I don't love you. You're crazy, mister. You're fucking crazy...”
Stunned by the rejection, Ethan shook his head and stuttered, “B–But, I got your messages. Your messages, they were real...”
“Messages? I never sent you a thing...”
“Your messages,” Ethan repeated.
Emiko clawed his face, digging her nails deep into his skin. Ethan leaned back and placed his palm over the bloody cuts on his left cheek. Emiko raised her hips and tried to toss the intruder off of her, but to no avail. So, she tried to scratch his face again – she missed him by a fingernail.
As she slapped and scratched at his face, Emiko yelled, “Help! Please, help me! There's someone in my apartment! Help
!”
Infuriated, Ethan struck down at Emiko's brow with his elbow. His elbow hit the side of her forehead, which caused the back of her head to slam onto the floorboards. Dazed by the hit, her eyelids flickered and her head swayed. He hit her again with his elbow, trying his damnedest to hit the same place on her brow. The second blow knocked her unconscious.
He leaned back and dug his fingers into his hair as he stared at his loving girlfriend. He was bothered by her rejection and angered by her yelling. He glanced over at the door, then towards the ceiling – nothing. He didn't hear a single footstep in the building.
He whispered, “I have to get you out of here, princess. This place is... toxic. It's not good for you. That's why you're acting like this. You need to come home.” He leaned down and kissed her lips. He said, “Happy birthday, darling.”
Ethan grabbed her ankles and dragged her to the front door. He ran back into the kitchen and turned off the stove, then he blew out the candles. He grabbed his coat and bag, too. He couldn't afford to leave any evidence of his presence in the apartment.
With all of his supplies, he returned to the front door and whispered, “We have to work fast and we have to make it look natural, okay? Let's just, um... act like you're drunk or something, okay? I know, I know, you're not that type of girl. We need to do this, though. Come on.”
Ethan lifted Emiko from the floor. Fortunately, the woman was small and slim so she was easy to carry. He lifted her from her waist and tossed her arm over his shoulder. He lugged her out of the apartment, her feet sliding across the floor. There was no one around in the building to see them, either. He safely absconded with her unconscious body.
Chapter Eleven
Welcome Home
Emiko awoke, cold and disoriented. The side of her head stung, bruised due to the beating. She lay on a white blanket, heartbeat thrumming in her ears. Her vision was blurred and the room was dark, but she knew she was staring at a ceiling. It wasn't the ceiling of her bedroom, though.
As she sat up, she whispered, “What happened?”
She glanced around the area, searching for something she could recognize – but to no avail. The young woman found herself in a small room – a five-by-eight-foot room. She sat on what appeared to be a designated sleeping area – the blanket on the floor.
To her right, water dripped on the floor from a shower head installed on the ceiling. On the wall to her left, a filthy toilet was anchored to the floor. The rest of the room was empty.
Emiko crawled forward, then she stopped. When she moved, the sound of a chain rattling emerged in the room. Wide-eyed, she glanced down at her feet. Her right ankle was shackled. A heavy chain connected to the shackle led to the wall behind her. She glided her fingertips across the chain, as if she were checking if it were real.
To her utter dismay, the chains were not a figment of her imagination. Her arms trembling uncontrollably, she tugged on the chain with all of her might. She leaned back and tried to use all of her body weight against the chains, but to no avail. The chains clicked and clanked, but she couldn't break free. The wall mount was as durable as the steel chains, too.
Emiko stammered, “N–N–No... Th–This... This can't be happening.”
She glanced at the makeshift shower, then at the toilet. She couldn't find any tools to help her escape. As her vision adjusted to the darkness, she noticed a door on the parallel wall from her bed. The door appeared to offer the only possible escape route from the room. She crawled forward, then she gasped as she fell to the floor. The chain was short so she couldn't reach the door. It was out of her grasps.
At the top of her lungs, Emiko screamed, “No! God, no! Somebody help me! Please, help!” She wheezed and sobbed as she planted her nose and lips on the concrete floor. Her voice cracking, she stuttered, “H–Help me. Please... Please, don't hurt me. I don't want to... to be here anymore. I'm sorry if... if I did anything wrong. Just let me go.”
She stopped crying and sniffled as she glanced up at the door. The sound of footsteps seeped into the small room – heavy, creaky steps, like those of someone walking down a flight of stairs. The footsteps stopped, then a click sound followed. Light poured through the gap under the door, partially illuminating the small room.
Emiko whispered, “Is... Is someone there?”
She crawled in reverse as the door swung open, slipping and sliding until her back hit the wall behind her. She held her hands over her face and closed her eyes. The light temporarily blinded her – and she was scared of meeting her captor.
“Hey, Emiko,” a man's voice said, soft and caring. “You can open your eyes, princess. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe now.”
Emiko opened her eyes to a squint as she slowly lowered her arms. She grimaced and whimpered, awed by the revelation. She could only hope she was dreaming.
Ethan stood in the doorway, a light shining behind him. He still wore the same clothing from the failed birthday dinner, albeit with a few more wrinkles. Judging from the grin plastered on his face, he didn't seem bothered by the situation. He had a young woman chained up in his basement, but he acted as if everything were normal.
Emiko leaned to her left and stared past Ethan's figure, searching for an exit. She could see a washing machine hugging the wall behind him. Women's clothing dangled out of the washing machine. She recognized a shirt – the shirt she was wearing when she was kidnapped, but she didn't recognize the bra. A few cardboard boxes were stacked beside the machinery, too. The boxes appeared to be stained with a dark liquid – blood.
The pieces were difficult to connect for a sheltered woman. She knew she was being held captive – that much was certain. She appeared to be trapped in a makeshift bathroom built in a basement, too. She couldn't figure out Ethan's goals, though. She thought: is he going to rape me? Is he going to kill me? Has he killed before?
Emiko stared down at herself, disappointed and frightened. She furrowed her brow and tilted her head upon noticing her outfit. She was wearing her blue nightgown. The fact sent her into a tailspin of confusion. She was knocked unconscious, stripped down to her birthday suit, and dressed again – what else could have happened?
Upon spotting the doubt on her face, Ethan entered the room and crouched in front of Emiko. He said, “I went back to your apartment and got you something cozy to wear. I didn't... I didn't do anything else to you, I promise. I just wanted to make you feel comfortable.”
“Will you let me go?”
“Wha–What?”
Emiko gazed at her captor with tearful eyes. She repeated, “Will you let me go?”
“No... No, I can't do that. Not now, at least. You know, it's not part of the plan...”
“What are your plans? What are you going to do to me?”
Ethan sighed as he stared down at the floor. He ran his fingers across the frigid concrete as he thought about his response. He didn't want to appear too 'clingy' around Emiko, but he wanted to show his love. Honesty, balance, and cooperation were integral to all relationships – he knew that very well.
Ethan explained, “This is your room, Emiko. I made it a long time ago, but, believe me, you're the first to ever sleep here. It's a special place – a place for people I trust. I want you to stay here until... until you can openly admit that you love me. No more secret messages, no more public rejections. Okay? I just want to believe that you love me.”
“B–But, I don't love you. How... How could I love you if I don't even know you? I'm sorry, but... that's impossible. It's... It's crazy. No, I don't love you.”
“You see, that's what I'm talking about, Emiko. I know you love me, but you're just bottling it inside for some reason. I need you to let it go. You need to understand that love is natural, no matter what your family thinks. I don't want you to be embarrassed anymore.”
“Embarrassed?”
Ethan sighed in disappointment. He was hoping for the easy way: Emiko would realize her love for him, he'd unchain her, then they'd start their life
together – a fairy tale. Unfortunately, Emiko opted for the hard way. It was going to be a challenge, but he was willing to accept it – for true love.
As he stared at the floor, Ethan said, “I've spent a lot of time thinking about our future together, princess. The past few weeks... They've been a roller coaster for me, but I've enjoyed the ride. I think we'll both enjoy where this roller coaster takes us. We're going to have a big house with one of those huge backyards. We'll start off slow and 'practice' by getting a dog. We can get, um, one of those Shiba Inus from Japan. You know, it'll help with your homesickness, right? Then, we take the big step: we'll have mixed kids. These kids, they'll lead the world away from the darkness. Yeah, they'll get rid of racism and all of that bullshit... It's a beautiful vision of the future, isn't it?”
Ethan paused for a moment, lost in thoughts of the future. Emiko shuddered and panted, terrified by her captor's erratic behavior.
Ethan swallowed loudly, then he said, “In order to create that future, I have to break down the barriers blocking our love. You understand me? I have to find a way to... to... to let our love flourish. That means we have to get past your fear and hesitation. You have to love me so I can love you.”
Emiko asked, “Are you ever going to let me go?”
Ethan chuckled, then he responded, “You won't have to go anywhere if you don't want to, sweetie. We'll have maids and nannies to take care of everything. That's part of the future, too. Maids and nannies... They'll take care of everything for you.”
“You... You won't let me go now? Not even to look around the house?”
Ethan sighed and shook his head – nope.
Emiko said, “My family... I have a family. My father, my mother, my brother... They'll be looking for me. They're going to miss me. My brother is twelve years old. If you hurt me, he–he won't understand why I never came home. It'll break their hearts. You... You can't do this. It's crazy.”