The girls watched him, but said nothing. They waited quietly for him to leave. He didn’t. He stared at that spot until his knees collapsed, dropping him hard, next to the broken glass. Not thinking, he reached across the floor with his bare hand until a sliver penetrated his skin.
He felt nothing as it pushed in further and further. He stared, trancelike, until Alyson’s cough broke the spell. He pulled the glass out, carefully picked up the remaining pieces, stood, and left the room. The girls were confused, but thankful he left without noticing them.
“What do you think that was about?” Cassie asked, still trying desperately to free her hands.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad he’s gone.”
“I think he’s seriously losing it.”
“Losing it? Losing it?” Alyson said incredulously. “He lost it the day he kidnapped us and strapped us to these beds.”
“You know what I mean. He’s acting odd even for him. I think killing Leonard was his final break from reality.”
“You may be right,” Alyson said, unsuccessfully trying to pull her hands free.
“He’s never come into the room without doing something to us. What’s going to happen now?” Cassie said.
“I don’t know. At least in the beginning we could have tried reasoning with him. I’m scared. Really scared. What do you think he’s planning?”
“I don’t even want to think about it, Alyson.”
Chapter Fourteen
For the next week, Mr. Parker performed increasingly more invasive tests on Cassie and Alyson. Each time weakening their bodies a little more. Their spirit remained strong as they struggled to survive, constantly trying to free their hands. Each time he left them alone, another opportunity, another chance for freedom.
Jake worked diligently, following his father’s orders, trying to gain his trust. His hard work was just about to pay off.
“I’ve got a new assignment for you, Jake. Since you’ve been doing so well preparing the slides, I thought you might like to try something more challenging.”
“Like what?”
“Meet me here tomorrow after school. You won’t be disappointed.”
“I can hardly wait. Thanks, Dad.”
Jake hugged his father, feeling a sense of relief knowing he would be able to save Alyson soon. All the long hours. All the endless slide preparations. They were about to pay off. His father was finally trusting him enough to go on to the next step.
He left the building, tired, but filled with anticipation. That night, his mind raced, keeping him from falling asleep. All he could think of was rescuing Alyson and Cassie. He had no master plan, but felt confident he could make it up as he went along. The main thing was to ascertain their location.
The next day in school, his eyes kept shutting as his mind drifted. He was exhausted, but eager to meet with his father. The hands of the clock seemed to be frozen in place. Time dragged like a young child getting ready for school. Finally, the last bell sounded and Jake raced out of the building, pushing one or two students along the way. He drove to meet his father, almost running two red lights. His brakes screeched as he approached the intersection.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” an old woman shouted, her groceries falling out of her hands. “You nearly ran me down,” she said as she picked up her apples and continued crossing the street.
“Sorry!” Jake shouted out his half-opened window.
When the light changed, he slowed his pace, slightly, trying to stay aware of his surroundings. He reached Genesis Biotech, pulled in to the parking lot, and exhaled slowly.
“Just a little longer,” he said as he entered the building.
Inside, Alyson and Cassie were making very little progress, but they continued trying.
“Keep working those straps. We’ve got to get out of here.”
Alyson and Cassie ferociously rubbed their wrists back and forth, loosening the leather a little each time.
“It’s starting to open!” Cassie said, still trying to stretch it further.
“Keep working it, Cassie. Bring your fingers in tight. See if you can squeeze out.”
“Not yet, but it’s getting closer. I think I’m almost there.”
“Keep trying. This is the first time I’ve felt hopeful since we got trapped here. We can do this. We can get away from this maniac.”
“I won’t give up, Alyson. Not when we’re so close to freedom. We’re going to get out of here.”
Cassie stopped moving when she heard the tumbler of the lock click.
“He’s coming back! We were so close,” Alyson said in hushed tones.
“Just stay quiet. Don’t move. We’ll try again after he leaves. I’m really close to getting my left hand free. It shouldn’t take too much longer.”
Mr. Parker entered the room, but this time he wasn’t alone. There, standing next to him, was his son, Jake. Alyson’s mouth dropped open and her eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the slender figure in a lab coat who stood before her. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Jake. With the man who was keeping her prisoner.
She wanted to say something, but words wouldn’t form. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She felt like a complete fool for ever trusting him. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes, but welled up without falling. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
Jake saw her stretched out on the bed, leather straps binding her to metal guard rails. He caught a glimpse of her face, pale and strained, then quickly turned away. He could see the bruises on her body. Half-healed scabs from multiple bed sores.
He wanted to scream at his father. He wanted to rip off the restraints, take her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to do so many things, but did nothing. He didn’t want to jeopardize Alyson or Cassie’s safety. Especially when he was so close to being able to help them.
Jake noticed little droplets of blood dripping from the abrasions on Alyson’s wrists, but kept quiet. He looked over at Cassie and winked. He knew Alyson wouldn’t trust him, so he tried letting Cassie know he was on their side. He wasn’t sure if she understood, but he couldn’t say anything aloud. His father would destroy them all if he knew of Jake’s deception.
“So, Jake. What do you think of my surprise?”
Jake knew what he wanted to say, but that would be certain suicide. He looked over at Alyson, then stared his father straight in the eyes.
“I’m speechless. What do you want me to do?” Jake asked, hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking.
“I’m going to teach you how to obtain tissue samples. You’ve earned it after all your hard work in the laboratory.”
Alyson bit her lip to keep from saying anything.
I can’t believe he’s working with his father. Was he just using me the entire time? Was I just a pawn in hisweb of lies and deception? All those times we were together. Did they mean nothing to him? Two years. Two years we shared. How could he betray me like this?
A lump formed in her throat, tears stinging her eyes.
No! He’s not worth it. He’s not worth my tears.
Alyson’s eyes turned dark, her jaw clenched. She shot Jake an icy stare that bore through him like a stake in the heart. He knew she didn’t understand, but she would soon.
Jake’s father handed him a tweezer and a plastic bag.
“What’s this for?” Jake asked, carefully taking the tweezer from his father.
“I need new hair samples. The hair follicle must be intact so be sure to pluck it from the root.”
“How many strands do you need?”
“About ten should do it. Start with your old girlfriend, then do the other clone.”
Jake cringed. He wanted to say they’re more than clones, but he didn’t dare. Jake walked over to Alyson’s bed, his back to his father, and mouthed the words “I’m sorry” before she shut her eyes tight.
Jake placed the points of the tweezer close to Alyson’s scalp, sharply grasping a few strands as c
lose to the roots as possible. With a quick yank, he tore several strands as Alyson winced in pain. He carefully dropped them in the bag, sealed it shut, and placed it in his father’s waiting hand.
“Good job, Jake. I knew you could do it. Now do the other one. We need a comparison.”
Jake, still clutching the tweezers in his hand, took another sample bag and with light steps, approached Cassie’s bed. She stared at him, pupils dilated, her body trembling as the tweezer came closer and closer. When the strands were ripped from her scalp, she clenched her fingers tightly, digging her nails hard into the mattress. Silent screams resonated in her head as she refused to show any fear. Seconds later, the deed was done. A burst of air escaped from her chapped lips. He sealed the bag, handed it to his father, and threw up in the corner.
“Don’t quite have the stomach for this yet, huh? You’ll get there.”
Jake didn’t want to tell his father he was sick to his stomach because of him. He was used to taking a back seat to his research, but this was different. He was different. He was no longer just a man driven by science. He had become something much worse -- an unrecognizable, unstoppable, amoral monster devoid of humanity.
“Clean up this mess and I’ll be back in a little while for you. I’ll prepare these samples for analysis and then we can grab something to eat. We’ll talk while we munch.”
“Okay, Dad,” he said, swallowing a little vomit.
He popped a mint in his mouth to kill the taste and sat on the chair for a moment.
“How can he be so casual?” Jake muttered to himself as the door closed behind his father.
Jake grabbed some towels and mopped up the mess. He could feel the glower of anger and disappointment on the back of his neck. He was afraid to turn around, but knew he had to face them. They didn’t understand. Not yet anyway. Now was his chance to explain, but before he could get a word out, Alyson tore into him.
“How could you? How could you betray me like that? How? I don’t understand! I thought we had something real between us.”
Alyson paused for a moment.
“I thought you loved me,” she said, her voice softening.
Jake grasped her bloodied hand.
“I do love you. I’m sorry I took so long to realize that nothing matters except being with you. I never should have questioned what we had. What we have. I don’t care if you’re a clone. I wouldn’t care if you were a two-headed mutant. I love you, Alyson. I’m going to get you out of here.”
Jake looked over at Cassie who was being remarkably quiet.
“I’m going to get both of you out of here.”
Cassie smiled weakly. Alyson, still distrustful, looked into Jake’s eyes, searching for some sign of familiarity. She wanted to believe him. Believe that he was her savior. Her knight in shining armor. She wanted to forget that it was his father keeping her there, torturing her. Forget that he stood next to his father, then ripped the hairs out of her head. She wanted to. More than anything, she needed to.
“I know you need time, but we don’t have any right now. I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“How can I ever trust you again? How can I believe what you’re saying is the truth? How do I know you’re not working with your father? This could just be a trick. A way to get us to talk. I can’t believe you, Jake. I want to, but I can’t,” Alyson said, pulling her hand away.
She turned her face from his as her eyes welled up with tears. Jake didn’t realize till that moment how much he had hurt her. How deeply he cut and wounded the woman he loved. Even if she never forgave him, he still had to save her. Even if it meant risking his own life. Even if he had to destroy his father in the process.
Chapter Fifteen
“Well, well, well. Isn’t this a cozy sight?” Jake’s father said as he entered the room.
“I was just...”
“You were just what, Jake? What were you doing? Tending to their needs?”
“Exactly! They haven’t bathed in a while and I was just washing them down with a damp rag. Good hygiene is very important. You always taught me that.”
Under an oversized lab coat, Jake’s shirt clung uncomfortably, sticking to the hairs on his back. His weight shifted side-to-side as he struggled to maintain eye contact with the man he believed to be a monster, the man with whom he shared DNA. His father remained silent. Jake held his breath, praying that the pounding of his heart wouldn’t give him away as he waited for a response. After rubbing his chin a few times, his father finally spoke.
“I suppose I did.”
Jake let out a long breath, hoping his father didn’t notice.
“We don’t want them getting sick. Think what that would do to your research. To our research.”
“You’re always thinking, Jake my boy. I guess I’ve been a little single-minded lately. I didn’t realize the impact of a compromised immune system on my results. Good thinking! Keep it up!”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Let’s go have lunch. My treat. They have some killer meatloaf in the cafeteria.”
“Sounds great, Dad. Let’s go.”
Jake gave a longing look to Alyson as he followed his father out, the door locking behind them. Once the door clicked, the girls broke their silence.
“I can’t believe him, Cassie. Does he really expect me to forget everything and just blindly trust him?”
“You know him better, but I think he’s sincere. I really think he wants to help us.”
“But that’s his father. He’s not going to choose us over his own father.”
“I think he will, Alyson. He must have seen the change in him. Even I’ve seen a change in him since he kidnapped us and stashed us here. He’s become more delusional and obsessed since we first met him. He even killed his own partner.”
“But Jake doesn’t know that. He doesn’t know that his father is a murderer.”
“He does know that he kidnapped us. We have to believe in something, Alyson.”
“I do. I believe in us. Keep working those straps. We’re going to find a way to get ourselves out of here. Without Jake’s help.”
“I hope you’re right, Alyson. I can’t take much more of this. I feel like a plucked chicken.”
Alyson cracked a smile.
“A plucked chicken?”
“Yeah, a plucked chicken. Except instead of them plucking feathers, they’re plucking hair.”
“I can’t believe you said that.”
“I told you I was losing it, Alyson.”
“You certainly are. Keep working those straps. If Jake really wanted to help us, we would be out of here by now.”
“I know you feel that way, but I don’t think it’s that simple. His dad has gone completely psycho. Jake has to be careful. For everyone’s safety.”
“I know you’re probably right. It’s just that it still hurts. I really loved him. I trusted him. He made a fool out of me.”
“I know you’re still hurting, but first things first. After we get out of here you can hate him forever if you want to. Right now, he’s our best shot at freedom. Even after we get out of these restraints, we still need to get out of this room. This locked room.”
“I’ll put my feelings aside. At least for now.”
“Good. We need to conserve all our energy to stay alive in this place.”
“You’re right, Cassie. We should get some rest while it’s safe. We need to give our bodies a chance to heal. If Jake can get us out of here, we’re going to have a long road ahead of us. We can’t just go back to our dads and our old life. Too much has changed. We wouldn’t be safe.”
“Where are we going to go?”
“I have no idea. My dad has always been there for me. I’ve always been able to depend on him for everything. Now, I don’t know if I can even trust anything he says. I mean, he lied to me. He lied about everything. He created me for body parts. Created us for body parts.”
“With everything going on here, I almost forgot that’s how it started.”
<
br /> “Because of our dads and their lies, we ended up being kidnapped by my ex-boyfriend’s psycho father. If I wasn’t living this nightmare, I wouldn’t believe it.”
“It’s all going to be over soon. I can feel it. I believe in Jake.”
“How can you? After all he’s done? After seeing him work side-by-side with his father? Following his orders? How can you believe anything he says?”
“It’s just a feeling. Something when I looked into his eyes before. I could just tell. He was telling the truth.”
“I hope you’re right, Cassie. We don’t really have any other options. Let’s try to get some sleep.”
Day turned to night while the girls slept fitfully. The hours passed and Jake returned to the scene of the crime. He crept into the room quietly, careful not to wake Alyson or Cassie. He stood over Alyson’s bed. Her eyes fluttered as she dreamed of being anywhere but where she was.
“How could I have been such an idiot? She’s perfect. She’s absolutely perfect. Who cares how she was born. She looks like an angel. A wounded angel thanks to my dad. I promise I’m going to get you out of here, Alyson,” Jake whispered.
Alyson, feeling his breath on her face, started to stir. Jake smoothed her matted hair and shushed her back to sleep.
“You need your rest,” he whispered as he continued stroking her hair.
His fingers tangled in the knots and he carefully loosened himself from her auburn locks. He looked over at Cassie -- same face, yet so different from his Alyson. Her head shook side-to-side as she slept. He could hear the faint sound of her teeth grinding as her jaw clenched and unclenched. Jake could only imagine what she was dreaming. Probably having visions of his father torturing her. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn’t want to leave Alyson’s side.
As they slept, ideas spun around in his head. How could he get them out of the building without being seen? How was he going to keep them safe? He didn’t even know if they would be able to walk. They were immobile for so long, their legs might be too weak to support them. The first thing he needed to do was help them regain their strength.
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