Here With Me

by A. C. Marchman

  Now what?

  My only choice is to wait until someone either Claire unlocks it or someone comes to rescue me. My money isn’t on the latter of the two. I squat down, wrap my arms around my knees, and prepare to wait it out. After some time, I’ve decided that I will fight with everything I have in me to escape this room the very instant the door’s open. It’s obvious they want to kill me, so if they’re going to do that, they will have to catch me first. And I’m ready to go down fighting tooth and nail.

  Chapter 17

  Donovan

  The sun has gone down over the horizon, so I decide this is my chance. I steady myself, trying not to let my legs give out on me. My muscles feel weak, but I refuse to back down now. As quickly as I can, I stand on my chair and reach my hand for the light. I unscrew it, then put the bulb in my pocket. It’s pitch black. The moon isn’t even out from behind the clouds to give me any light, but this may be to my advantage. I hop off the chair, careful not to make a sound. My shoes have been taken from me, and I’m still in the clothes I was wearing the night we were abducted. I begin to walk towards the door, my heart pounding so loud that I swear anyone could hear.

  Then I hear someone talking in the hallway. I press my ear against the door, holding my breath., straining to hear what they are saying. Donna and Frankie are having a somewhat loud conversation.

  “But Frankie, dahling, I love you. Don’t do this to us.” Donna’s voice cracks, obviously trying to hold back tears. I can only imagine her plastic face, wet from crying. It makes me smile.

  “Look, babe, I told you this was temporary. Nothing more than just a physical thing.”

  “But why? Why do you want her so bad? I’ve invested so much time into us. Hell, I’ve told my husband that I’m going out of town all the time just so I can see you.”

  “Because that’s just the way it is. You should go back to your husband. Claire and I…well, let’s just say, our attraction is more than just physical. When I look at her, I know she wants to jump me. And once I finish Donovan off, there’s nothing standing in my way.” The cockiness of this prick pisses me off. There is no way he’s “finishing” me off. I ready myself for the door knob to turn.

  “Frankie, she doesn’t want you, can’t you see that? She wants that idiot stepson of mine, not you. You and I belong together.” I hear a palm slapping skin and Donna’s squeals. “You…you hit me!”

  “Because you wouldn’t shut the hell up! She does want me. She’s told me she wants me.” I hear Donna crying even louder. “Look, I’m sorry, but that’s the way it is. You and I? We’re nothing. Claire and I? That’s love right there.” God, this dude is so shallow.

  “I don’t want to lose you. I’m leaving Rob for you!” Her voice raises as she speaks my father’s name. Anger surges through me; it takes everything in me not to barrel through the door and choke her sorry ass.

  “Well, that’s on you. Do what you want, but it doesn’t change my decision.”

  I hear a bit of a scuffle, then a body slams against the wall. Then there’s nothing for a minute. All of a sudden I hear Frankie moan and the sound makes me want to vomit. “Oh shit, Donna, don’t do that. You’re making this decision even harder on yourself.”

  “That’s exactly what I want to do to you. Make you harder.” He moans again.

  “Fuck, just like that, baby.”

  Yep, I want to throw up.

  I step away from the door, not wanting to hear anymore of that disgusting sexual escapade. I actually feel queasy and I try not to puke my guts out. I don’t want to draw attention to myself. I certainly don’t want to make my escape right now, being that the two of them are doing who knows what in the hall. After a few minutes, I hear them talk again.

  “Don’t leave me. She can’t give you head like that.”

  “I gotta admit, you’re pretty damn good at that. Come on, let’s go to the back room so you can finish what you started.” Her squeaky giggle rings out as they head away from the door. As their footsteps fade, I reach for the doorknob. It opens! Guess they thought I wouldn’t get out. Slowly opening the door, not knowing what to expect, I peek into the dark hall. The place is some kind of huge factory building that was abandoned years ago. I can smell the mildew. With my heart threatening to come out my mouth, I step from behind the door. Quickly and quietly, I close it and pray that doesn’t bring anyone running.

  After a couple of minutes, nothing happens, so I start my way down the pitch-black hallway. I run my fingers along the walls, trying to feel for some sort of door. I reach a larger room with large windows, just like the room I was trapped in. Using moonlight as my guide, I see old tables in rows. I think this was some sort of textile factory at one point. A broken sewing machine sits against the wall. Then I hear some movement. I look up to see a light flip on and I stop dead in my tracks. About twenty feet ahead, a dim glow pours into the hall from an open door. Like a deer in the headlights, I’m scared to move but I will myself to take cover. Hiding under one of the textile tables, my blood pounds in my ears. Sweat starts to bead on my forehead, both from the heat and my shot nerves.

  “I told you no one can love you like I can, baby,” Donna’s voice echoes through the room.

  “Yeah, I know.” Frankie’s tone is clipped. Even I can feel the chill coming from him. “I need you to run to the store for us. We need supplies.”

  “Sure, like what?”

  “Here’s a list.” I see him hand her a piece of paper. “The most important is bottled water and more rope, or even twine. Fucker is going to need more since his ties are a bit too loose. Also, we’re going to need a hunting knife.” A hunting knife? Oh shit. Oh shit.

  “Um, where do I get one of those?”

  “Damn it, there has to be a Walmart around this shitty town somewhere. I mean, I don’t know Lynchburg like the back of my hand or anything. Seems like the sidewalks roll up at seven.” We’re still in Lynchburg?

  “I guess I can Google map it,” she says, uncertainly.

  “Just go and get the stuff, will you? You’re wasting time.” He throw his hands in the air as he turns to walk back into the room. In the dim light, I can see her forlorn face. Then she turns to walk the other way. It looks like the way she’s going is the way out. I try to wait until I don’t hear any more footsteps. When I think the coast is clear, I slowly get out from under the table. As I stay crouched down, I see Frankie emerge from the room again. Let’s do this.

  He stands in the doorway, dressed in only his slacks and shoes. Trying to be stealthy like a ninja, I creep silently toward him under the cover of darkness. I’m not armed and I have no idea if he is, but I have to take my chances. If I’m going to die, I’m going to die fighting.

  He places his hands behind him, cracking his back. I decide to make my move. Like a linebacker, I rush him, tackling him onto the ground. He lands with a thud as I knock the wind out of him. I hear his head thump against the floor. As he tries to recover from my attack, I stand up on my knees and put my foot on his throat.

  “Where is she?” I grit my teeth as I push harder against him, making his face turn a deep shade of red. “What have you done with Allie?”

  “Ha, you think I’ll tell you, fucker?” His eyes start to budge as he tries to get some air into his lungs.

  “You’re pretty brave right now, talking to me like that. Our positions have changed, asshole.” I twisted my foot, making him gasp for air. “Tell me where she is, or you die here on the floor like the dog you are.”

  Apparently this scares the shit out of him. He shakes his head at me, indicating he’s ready to talk. Before I let him up, I grab both his hands so he can’t pull a fast one on me. Then I remove my foot and immediately the color returns to his face. I yank him up, nearly popping his shoulders out of joint. I grab a belt off the chair nearby, making ties for his hands.

  “If you fuck with me, Frankie, so help me God, you will die,” I whisper as we start our journey down the dark hallway. “You. Will. Die.” I hear him
swallow, and I know I have him scared shitless. We continue until we come upon a lone door, nestled in a dank, dark corner with nothing more than a nightlight to give off a faint glow.

  “She’s in there.” He nods towards the door.

  I keep a tight hold on him as I grip the doorknob. “Like I said.” I look him deadpan. His frightened eyes are apparent even in this low light.

  I slowly open the door. I whisper, “Allie?”

  “Donovan? Oh my God, Donovan?” A wave of relief floods over me as I hear her voice for the first time in days. She runs from the room, then stops short when she sees Frankie.

  “Don’t worry, babe.” I hold up his hands to show her he’s restrained. She smiles, making my heart stop. It seems like it’s been so long since I’ve seen her. While I keep a tight grip on my former best friend, I bring her in close to me, wrapping my arm around her waist. I know that we both stink, thanks to these jerks, but I don’t care. I press my lips to hers; all seems right with the world again. Knowing she’s alive makes me the happiest man on Earth.

  I pull away from our kiss, realizing dear ol’ Frankie is still standing there. “Well, now that you two lovebirds have each other, can you let me go now?”

  Oh, yeah right.

  Without a word spoken, I grab him up by his neck and toss him in the room. I almost laugh when I notice the lock is on the outside of the door. How clever, but now it sucks for him.

  “Let me out of here!” he screams as he kicks the door. Aware this may bring either Claire of Donna running, I take Allie’s hand and take off down the hall.

  “Stay close, baby.” I scan the hallway, looking for a way out of here. It’s like we’re a couple of rats in a maze, desperately trying to escape.

  “Donovan, over there!” Allie points to another door that I somehow missed. Busting through it, a sense of victory goes through me as the door opens to a set of stairs. I have no idea what floor we’re on, so we race down.

  After five flights of stairs, we come to another door. “Stay behind me.” I want so bad to protect her now, since I couldn’t before. Slowly pushing the door, I prepare myself for the worst. “Allie, I love you.”

  “I love you, too.” Her hands rest on my back as the door creaks open. It’s the loading docks. Oh shit, we’re almost home free!

  It’s still dark outside, and I really have no idea what time it is. As my eyes adjust to the blackness of the place, I can tell there are three docks where trucks can pull in. There are still a lot of old boxes piled up high. Beside the highest pile is a door. A door to our freedom. We waste no time rushing to get to it. I jiggle the knob, having a hard time believing it’s not locked. The nighttime air hits us like a sauna. I welcome it, like a prisoner who’s been locked up finally being released from jail. Wait…that would be us.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here, quick!” We both hop down the stairs, running smack into Donna and managing to knock both of us on our butts.

  Chapter 18

  Allie

  “What the hell? How did you two get out?” she screams as she struggles to get up. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Even though I feel completely drained and positively weak, I bounce up from the pavement just as Donovan does. Without thinking about it, I kick her right in her stomach, making her yelp in pain. Then I ram my foot into her ribs, hoping that I crack at least one. She shrieks as she tries to claw at my ankle. Donna manages to get her nails into my skin, cutting my flesh open and drawing blood.

  “Allie, baby, let’s go!” Donovan grabs my hand as we leave the wicked stepmother right where she lies.

  “Do you know where we are?” he asks as we run blindly down a dark street. I squint my eyes, trying to make out any clue of where we are. Then I see something I recognize; it’s an old shoe company that’s been long abandoned.

  “We’re in downtown Lynchburg, in the industrial part of town.” The James River is to the right of us and more old buildings stand to the left. I know that one of those psychos will be on our trail soon, so we have to decide which route to take. I look over my shoulder, making sure they haven’t caught up to us. “We need to figure out a plan, like now. There’s nothing open down here, except the Holiday Inn down the road a couple of miles.”

  He stops me, brings his mouth to mine, and kisses me with a force I’ve never felt before. There’s such intensity, such passion behind it. I put my hands on his face, trying to make him see just how much I love him. I kiss him back with the same fierceness. Then I remember we are running from his ex, so I pull away. “We need to move, now.”

  “Just so you know, I love you. I’ve loved you since I first saw you. You’ve made me want more out of life, and every time I touch or kiss you, I feel just a little bit more alive each time.” He pours his heart out to me, and even though we’re in extreme danger, my world stops and it’s just us for a second.

  “I love you, too. You have no idea how much and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to convey to you just how much. I’ll stay by your side, regardless of the circumstances. But right now, we need to get to that hotel before Claire decides to end it for both of us.”

  We’re on the move again, pacing ourselves so we don’t get worn out. We’re both still weak from lack of…well, everything since Claire got out of prison. But we have to keep moving. Then my heart stops when I hear the roar of an engine coming up fast behind us. We both turned at the same time, watching in horror as a speeding black Hummer comes racing down the street.

  “Oh, shit!” Donovan screams as we haul ass up the street. Our feet pound the pavement as the truck comes closer. We both know that we can’t outrun it, so we have to outsmart the driver. But how? My mind starts racing just as fast we are. Then out of the corner of my eye to my right, I spot a tight alley in between two buildings. With no other options, I jerk Donovan down the small backstreet just in the nick of time. The Hummer comes zooming by, then screeches to a halt.

  I don’t waste any time as I pull him behind me. The alley leads to one of the main streets and I know we can get to the hotel faster this way. My lungs are constricting, my mind is reeling, and my legs are hurting, but I can’t stop now. We’ve come too far. There’s no way I’m giving up without a fight.

  I stop short just as the alley ends, checking around the corners to see if anyone’s there. Donovan takes the lead now as we slowly walk out into the open. The street is lined with shops and cafes that are closed up, only the streetlamps lighting our way. My heart wants to pop out of my chest because I’m so terrified. He grips my hand tighter as we jog down the sidewalk. There’s not a lot of people that live around here, only in the lofts above the stores, but there isn’t a single light on. Looking at the night sky with no sunrise in sight, I can only pray the darkness will work for us and not against us.

  I hear a car door slam, then my heart almost pounds out of my chest. I know it’s them, we haven’t seen another car at all.

  “Don’t slow down, baby. Keep going,” Donovan urges us on. Our jog turns into a full on run. In the distance I can see the hotel, the first glimmer of hope we will escape this madwoman and her two sidekicks. It’s about a half mile down the road.

  “We can make it,” I say. “We can get there. Let’s book it!” Donovan and I pick up our pace even faster. The sweat is pouring down my forehead and the sweltering summer heat is suffocating me, but I’m determined to make it. Just as we get ready to cross the street, those headlights show up and it’s coming right towards us.

  “Shit! Run faster!” he screams. The Hummer’s engine roars as the driver steps on the gas. Oh my God, she’s going to run us over. There’s nowhere to run.

  It comes barreling right at us. Donovan grabs my hand, he knows there’s nothing more we can do. We’re going to die right here on this street. I close my eyes, but I keep running. My only thoughts are of Jackson and my family. I’m going to miss them so much. I prepare for the impact of the front bumper.

  Just as I thought the tires of that truck w
ould be the last thing I ever saw, it whips around in front of us, blocking our path to the hotel. We stop dead in our tracks, almost plowing right into the truck. The driver’s side door opens and out steps Claire, her face red with fury.

  “You two think you can just run away like that and get away with it? Oh hell no, not on my watch.” Her voice is laced with anger. I can almost see the smoke coming out of her ears. Donovan’s hand grips mine even tighter, letting me know he won’t leave my side. Regardless of what happens, we will do this together.

  The crazy bitch steps closer to us, her high heels clicking on the pavement. “If you think for one second that I’m letting you go, you got another think coming.” I’m not sure if she’s talking to me, or Donovan, or both. We stay silent. Then the passenger door opens and out steps Frankie and Donna. Oh shit. This is not good.

  I hear a click. Immediately, I realize it’s the cocking of a gun. I can’t breathe, I can’t blink. I can’t see where it’s coming from. Then it occurs to me. That’s my gun, the one I took with me the night we were abducted. She’s going to kill me with my father’s gun. Oh dear God.

  Chapter 19

  Donovan

  We’re like statues, unable to move because of our fear. The gun cocks and I see it in Frankie’s hand. He’s pointing it right at me. If this is the end for me, I want my last words to be to Allie and not any of these psychos.

  I try to take the focus off the danger and keep it on my girl. I bend down so I can whisper in her ear. “Allie, I want you to know that I love you. I wanted to start a family with you. I wanted to make you my wife. If this goes down bad for me, you take off. You got it? You run like crazy away from here.”

  I hear her gasp, then a sob breaks loose from her throat. I rub my thumb over the tops of her knuckles to let her know everything will be all right, somehow. After I say my piece, I look at Frankie. Donna stands beside him with a cocky ass grin on her face. She can’t wait to see me drop dead. Claire whips her head around to her stepson.