by Drew Sera
Matt and Blake exchanged looks and as I expected, it didn’t matter what I said.
“Too bad, Col. We’re here for you and will be until she comes back,” Matt said.
Fear sliced through me at the sick thought that Sydney might not come back. It was crippling to me, and I leaned against the wall in the entryway, hoping the nauseous feeling would pass. Matt caught me and grabbed me by the arms, shaking me until I looked at him.
“It’s not an if Colin. It’s when. She will be back. So, get that what if shit out of your head.”
I think he sensed that I might fall when he let go of me so he pulled me into another hug.
“We can’t lose her, Matt. We just got her.”
Anthony and I love Sydney more than life itself. She has brought out something really special in us, and I can’t imagine what would happen to Anthony and I if she no longer were a part of our lives.
“Think positive, Col.”
Matt and Gina left, and Blake and I sat in the great room for a few hours. We talked quietly and every few minutes I’d check my phone. Nothing.
Finally, I heard the door open down the hall to the guest room. Anthony appeared in the great room and looked over at Blake and I. Christ, he looked like shit. He had his jeans on, no shirt, and dark circles under his eyes. His hair was a mess and his face had a day’s worth of hair growth. I was surprised at how my body calmed when he walked in the room. He was part of me, my other half with Sydney being the rest. Even though we had good friends around us, no one could calm me or understand how I was feeling like Anthony could.
I was stretched out on the chaise. Sydney’s chaise. She often would rest and relax here, and it was a way for me to be close to her. Anthony flopped down on the couch between Blake and I.
“Anything?” he asked, his voice sounding raspy.
“No, nothing,” I told him.
I could feel the anxiety and frustration radiating off of him.
“Anthony, did you sleep some last night?” Blake asked him.
Anthony nodded that he had, but I knew better. Anthony’s voice gets weird when he hasn’t had enough sleep. Blake probably knew Anthony was lying too, but he didn’t dare say anything contrary.
“You need to eat, Anthony. I brought over some sandwiches.”
“Blake, I can’t eat anything now. Stomach is too fucked up.”
Ignoring Anthony, Blake went into the kitchen and I heard him gathering some items. I looked over at Anthony and bumped his knee with my fist to get his attention.
“Hey, we’re going to get through this,” I told him.
He looked over at me, and I knew that he wanted to believe my words but was having a hard time with it. His mouth was tightly shut, as if relaxing his jaw would allow his feelings to escape. He nodded and trudged out of the great room, back down the hall to the guest room.
“He’s retreating,” I said to Blake as he came back into the room carrying some bottled water and sandwiches on a tray. Blake set the tray down on the coffee table and sat next to me.
“Anthony has been thrown for a loop, just as you have. He’s always kept his feelings very close to himself to guard himself from pain. Ever since Sydney strolled into his heart, he’s become open and free. And unfortunately, he’s now feeling exactly what he’s tried to guard himself from. He’s in shock like you are over this.”
Blake and I ate and talked here and there, while Anthony spent the afternoon holed up in the guest room. I hoped he was getting some rest, even if he was just lying down.
3
Friday, January 10th
Paul
The second I got her in my truck, I tied her wrists behind her back with wire ties and did the same to her feet. I got back in the driver’s seat and rummaged through her purse until I found her phone. I shut that fucker off and threw it back in. I had her. I had her!
“Fuck you, Colin Everett!” I hollered and thumped my fists on the steering wheel in victory. I have him by the fucking balls. He will know what it feels like to want something, and all of his money or clout can’t fucking help him. The rush of adrenaline was unbelievable!
I started the timer on my watch, knowing that I had a set amount of time before the drugs wore off and she started to wake. I drove around until the sun started to set and then made my way up the mountain to the rental cabin where I had been staying with the other girl. It was all prepared and ready for Sydney’s arrival. I was ready to make this girl scream. If Colin just would’ve let me play once with her and if he hadn’t embarrassed me, this wouldn’t have happened. It’s Everett’s fault. Turns out there is a market overseas for girls like Sydney; a scared American girl. I had plans for her to make me a pretty penny and in the process, getting Everett back for being himself – the fucking prick that he is. Toying with him just might be the highlight of my life.
I carried her into the back room, cut most of her clothes off of her and set her up against the wall. First thing’s first - a photo to send to Colin fucking Everett.
I propped her up perfectly. Then I gave her a nudge so she’d tip over and hit her head on the adjoining wall. I grabbed a phone from the box, powered it on and snapped the picture. Moments later, I watched with excitement as the file and text transferred to Colin.
“Yeah!” I yelled when the transfer was complete. I slammed the throw away phone against the wall and watched as it shattered into tiny pieces. I gathered up the pieces, put them in a baggie and then took a hammer to them. I couldn’t be careless.
A noise startled me, and I looked over my shoulder. I turned and looked back at Sydney. Her eyes were fluttering open and then closing again. She was coming out of it. I looked at my watch. She was a little early. That’s fine. I can adjust.
She was panicking now as she fought against the restraints as I neared her. I crouched in the shadows against the wall, watched her struggle and listened to her whimper for a few minutes. Her scared whimpers were music to my ears and gave me a glimpse of what excitement would follow. She will be a treat for my eyes and ears. Time to fuck with this little slut’s mind.
“We have some rules here, Sydney. You’re going to abide by them or pay dearly. Keep in mind that you’re not the only one who could pay for your misbehavior. Graves can pay, too.”
I loved seeing the fear flash in her eyes. I knew she connected with Graves. So many people at Irons fucking loved him and adored him - fucking golden boy. Many wanted to play with him but he was too fucking picky. I wanted to fucking play with him! He interacted with Sydney well and everyone knew it at Irons. Everyone knew that if they messed with little Sydney, that they’d have Graves to answer to. Little Sydney was loyal to him, but we’ll just see how loyal. She was groggy, but I knew she could hear and somewhat comprehend what was going on. Fucking with her head was going to be fun.
“That’s right, Sydney. You misbehave and I’ll hurt Graves. That’s your choice. You can protect him or you can hurt him. If you’re good and don’t fight me, he’ll live. Be forewarned, Sydney. I’m going to break you, make you scream and cry, and you’re going to let me. If you fight me or try to resist me, you’ll be severely punished. As will Graves.”
Fear was setting in for her. She believed I had Graves, too. It was actually something I’d considered. But it would have been complicated, and then I would have had to involve others to help me. Then there are too many opportunities for something to go wrong. I grabbed her by her arms and pulled her to stand. She slumped against the wall, and I held her there with my hand around her tiny neck. Drugs must be working their charm on her.
“I’m going to purge Everett and Graves from your mind and body.”
I sliced off the wire ties from her ankles and pulled her roughly towards the front door.
“Here’s the deal, Sydney. We’re going outside for a while so we can get a fresh slate to work with. Your system will be rid of them in a few, short hours. You will let go of them willingly and completely. Once they’re out of your system, I can properly work
on breaking you and then will begin building you to meet my needs.”
She was actually shaking. Visibly shaking! She was terrified, and the look in her eyes made me hard. I took her outside into the cold, January, mountain air and leaned her against a tree facing the trunk and opened the plastic box that I had waiting. I quickly began preparing the bag while I fucked with her head some more.
“You like water, don’t you? Of course you do. You don’t have to answer. Oh wait, you can’t answer anyhow.” I paused so I could listen to her whimpers. Fuck, this was going to be so much fun. “Have you ever had an enema, Sydney? It’s a way to get rid of crap, literally. This will be our way of getting rid of any physical traces of Everett and Graves.”
I really could have cared less about her being clean for me. These tactics weren’t actually for cleaning purposes but more of a way to instill fear and weaken her physically. I tripped her feet so she would fall and pushed her head to the cold, wet ground into small pockets where snow has been while I pulled her knees up under her. The sweet sound of whimpers of fear was the perfect background music. I shoved the nozzle in and held her still with my foot on her head. I let the water flow and had to take advantage of messing with her head.
“I hope you don’t make a lot of noise like Graves did.”
The more she believes that I have that golden boy, the better chances for her to be compliant and quiet. I made sure I brought my digital camera out to record my fun. Once she expelled the mess and our enema fun was done, I took her to another box that I had waiting. I poured a half a glass full of my special concoction that I had all prepared for this and held it up to her.
“You need to rehydrate now. I’m going to remove your gag, and you’re not going to make a sound. If you do, it might be days before you wake up. And when you do, you’ll watch me beat the fuck out of Graves. Got it? Nod that you understand.”
She frantically nodded. I had the little fuck hole petrified.
“I’m going to hold your nose while you drink this. It smells bad, but will help you hydrate,” I lied.
I slowly removed her gag and she took a sharp inhale of air. I pinched her nose and tipped the thermos cup upward emptying out the contents into her mouth. When I was sure she had enough fluid, I dropped the cup and pushed her jaw closed. She had no way of getting oxygen until she swallowed it. Her body shook, and she fought against me for a moment but eventually swallowed. I backed away as she coughed and gagged on the beverage. I smiled and watched until the desired effect was reached of her releasing the contents of her stomach. Now that I had her insides purged, I would work on her mind. I pulled her to stand and reattached her gag.
“You disappoint me. You fought against me.”
She whimpered in fear, and it fucking disgusted me how loyal she was to Graves. She was only whimpering because she was afraid I’d hurt him. I’d give her something to cry over before leaving her for the night. I took her by her hair and drug her close to the cabin, leaving her to stand on her own while I got the hose. I loved watching her try to cover herself and hide.
“I need to clean you off and get their filthy, fucking handprints off you.”
I knew the water would be cold and turned it on. I sprayed her off from top to bottom and left no nook or cranny untouched by the water. I took her soaking body back inside and into the room where I’d keep her for the time being.
I shoved her to the ground and attached more wire ties around her ankles. By looks of her ankles, I’d say someone already had a field day with bindings on her. Arousal and curiosity surged in my system as I wondered if possibly Everett or Graves did it. Neither of them seemed like sadists. These wounds on her legs were definitely sadistic material, but surely not Graves or Everett. It was messy work anyhow. Graves and Everett weren’t messy. I had to ask. Grabbing her feet, I looked up at her and came right out and asked, “Is this from Everett?”
She shook her head.
“Graves?”
Again, a “no” answer. Doesn’t surprise me. Everett and Graves don’t have this in their blood. Pussies.
I attached a chain to the wall and hooked it on the wrist wire ties. Though she was disoriented, I was surprised at her will to fight right now. I laughed while I prepped the syringe.
“This won’t hurt as long as you’re still. Move and it’ll hurt.”
The bitch continued to cry and kept asking what I was putting in her. Even though her arm was still, I could feel the resistance and the tightness.
“Something to help you…sleep.”
I snapped another photo and would send it to Everett tomorrow. I left her tied up, went to the adjoining room and made it sound like I was beating on someone. She needed to think that her behavior earned Graves a beating. I fucking would have loved to actually have him here to receive it. I’d check on her in a little while to make sure she was still breathing.
4
Friday, January 10th
Sydney
I woke up feeling sick, and all I could see was a cement wall. When I tried sitting up, I realized my arms were chained. I was chained! What happened? What did I do wrong? Why was I here, and where the hell was I?
“Think Sydney!” I yelled at myself while looking around the room. Think. Calm down and think. Just like Colin and Anthony have told you; relax, calm down, and think.
Where was I?
I looked around frantically in the dark room, but in the corner was a small flashlight that was on. My shoes, jeans, and sweatshirt were gone. I had on my panties and tank top. Where were my other clothes?
Was this a game? Had I been bad, and Colin and Anthony were punishing me? Are they punishing me? What did I do? Think Sydney! I thought for a few moments about that as a possibility but shook it out of my mind. No, Colin and Anthony wouldn’t do this to me. If they have something for me to work on or correct, they’re honest and talk to me and we work on it. Not this. They wouldn’t do this!
Then what was going on?
Think Sydney!
I shut my eyes and took a few deep breaths. What do I remember last...shopping with Gina! Gina and I had been shopping, and I was waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. But she never came out. No! A guy bumped me and then he covered my mouth with a cloth.
Shit! Was Gina okay?
Who was that man?
I tried to think and think, but I couldn’t come up with anything.
I was crying when I heard a noise and looked in the opposite corner. I wasn’t alone. A man stood, up but I couldn’t make out his face with the shadows. I just knew it wasn’t Anthony or Colin, or Matt. From where I sat, he wasn’t recognizable.
He began walking towards me, and then I saw his face. It was the sadist from the club. It was Paul. Was he the man who bumped, me or was he here to help me?
“We have some rules here, Sydney,” he said.
Oh my God. He wasn’t here as my ally. He was the reason I was here!
5
Saturday, January 11th
Colin
Detective Prestin and Foreman were coming over this evening to show us some security stills of yesterday of when Sydney disappeared. I wanted to see them and felt I needed to. I had to see with my own eyes to be sure that Paul had her.
I brought Sydney’s journal downstairs with me. Not the one that I gave her that she’s been writing in recently, but her tattered spiral notebook that she had for god knows how long. This was the notebook she had under her mattress at her apartment. Tucked safely in the flimsy spiral, the blue and gray, Everett Gaming pen glared at me. It was the only pen she had that wasn’t in pieces in her apartment. I knew full well that the contents of this would probably upset me and that given the current situation, this probably wasn’t the wisest move on my part, but I had to be near her. I took a deep breath and opened the flimsy notebook with care and caution.
On the inside of the cover, in her beautiful handwriting was the phrase that she has tattooed on her right side. Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s
when I need it the most. Next to it she had drawn some swallows and stars. In the lower, left hand corner of the inside of the cover was a cartoon Wonder Woman patch and she had it taped down with heavy, clear packaging tape. I flipped past the first blank page and noticed pages looked like they had been torn from the book. I recalled Sydney telling us that Howard would pull pages from her book. Fucking asshole. I came upon the first page with her writing that looked like it was from before she and I met.
November 29th
I volunteered to do a double shift at the shelter since today was Thanksgiving, and I’m so happy that I did. There was another girl there about my age that was volunteering with her folks. In between shifts, I sat down with the paper and looked for some job openings. I needed something stable, something that I can grow with, and something to be able to support myself. I know it sounds wrong, but I need to be able to tuck some money away in hopes of being able to get away from Howard. He burned my neck again before I went to volunteer. I covered it before I left the apartment, but I was still nervous that someone would know. There really was no way for them to know, but I was still worried. I think I found a few job possibilities though and brought home the contact phone numbers. There are a few hotels, which I’m not super excited about because I know the terrible hours my parents worked. I just want a normal, reception job, a Monday through Friday type of thing. I know tomorrow is black Friday and there is a chance they’ll be closed, but I’m still going to inquire and leave a message. The library on campus is open. I could even go there and get my resume done. Fingers crossed.
Next to Sydney’s “fingers crossed” were a few hand drawn smiley faces. For the next handful of entries, it just had the dates and if she had any callbacks or if she left more messages. There were a few disturbing ones in relation to Howard, and I had to look away. I needed her here in my arms. I paced around the kitchen for a bit and then sat back down and took in some additional entries.