Trust A Stranger

by Baxter, Cole

  Her life with Nick was a joyride compared to this. In comparison to Nick, Ruby was a hundred times worse.

  Eventually, Mary decided it would be better if she showered and changed into clean clothes. She didn't want to get sick, after all. There was no telling what Ruby would do then.

  When they sat down to have dinner a couple of days into her captivity, Ruby gave her a onceover and deeply frowned.

  "Why didn't you wear the blue dress? It would complement my attire perfectly. This one clashes and causes me a migraine," Ruby said theatrically.

  At times, even when Mary did everything right, perfect, Ruby would still find a way to criticize her accomplishments and punish her.

  "I'm sorry. Do you want me to go and change?"

  "That would be lovely, honey. Thank you."

  Mary nodded and turned to leave.

  Ruby stopped her. "Next time, have a little more consideration," she warned subtly.

  On her way back to her room—the room, she corrected herself—Mary grumbled about how Ruby was treating her like a real, live doll. "She's dressing me up and moving me around this house like I'm nothing more than a plaything."

  "That wasn't a very nice thing to say, honey." Unfortunately, Ruby heard her.

  Ruby was everywhere. It was enough to make anyone insane.

  From experience, Mary knew that apologizing meant nothing. At times, it antagonized Ruby more. Mary shrugged, continuing to climb the steps. "Maybe it wasn't nice, but it was the truth."

  She barely reached the second floor when Ruby spun her around to face her. "You ungrateful fiend," she started to scream, her face completely deformed from fury. "I do everything for you, feed you, clothe you."

  Keep me captive.

  "Keep you safe, and this is how you repay me? You are a terrible friend."

  "If I’m so terrible, let me go. Let me leave and you'll never have to see me or deal with me again," Mary snapped back, unable to stop herself, her emotions running the show, all reason forgotten for the moment.

  "You are my friend and you will stay here."

  "You can't keep me here against my will. This is called kidnapping and you’ll go to jail for it again."

  "Again?" Ruby asked, looking at her in speculation.

  Mary bit her tongue. She’d made a terrible mistake. Yet there was no backing up now. "I know what you did. I know everything."

  Ruby tried to hit her again. This time, Mary was ready for it and dodged her. Unfortunately, she wasn't prepared for the taser Ruby took out from her pocket and zapped her with.

  Searing pain coursed through Mary's body as she fell to the floor thrashing about, her muscles contracting as the electricity tormented her body.

  When she came to, she was inside her room again, sprawled on the floor, since Ruby had obviously dragged her inside, and the other woman loomed over her.

  "You will stay here until you learn how to be a good friend, and we will pretend none of this happened," Ruby announced before she left, locking the door behind her.

  It took Mary a bit, but she recovered from the taser and pulled herself up on the bed. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She chastised herself for losing her temper so foolishly. The punishment for speaking back this time was a whole twenty-four hours of confinement.

  The not eating and drinking part wasn't that difficult to overcome, but not going to the bathroom was. Mary had never experienced such humiliation in her life as being forced to pee inside that locked room. She used one of the drawers of the nightstand padded with a bed sheet to do her business. It gave a certain aroma to the whole room. Mary still refused to beg Ruby to open the door for her.

  Eventually, Ruby did that on her own, in her usual cheerful manner, asking her to freshen up and join her for breakfast. When Mary returned to the room after a nice, hot shower, the nightstand was gone. So over time, Mary really did learn to obey, if only on the outside, watching her tongue. She continued to mock everything privately, her mind her only refuge.

  Ruby says jump and I jump like a good girl.

  Ruby also said nobody would come for Mary, and she really hoped that wasn't true. It was hard keeping the same level of hope as days passed by, although even if Ruby was proven correct, that didn't mean Mary would just accept her fate. She would find a way out of here on her own before she really went mad in this place.

  The line she treaded, pretending to be Ruby's friend, was a thin one at times and was really starting to take its toll on her. Mary constantly worried that she would eventually fall into Stockholm Syndrome while pretending she already had it.

  Every night before bed, she reminded herself of who Ruby was and what she’d done and worked on her plan to escape.

  Despite the fact that her captor kept a watchful eye on her all day, Mary took every opportunity she had to snoop around the house and try to find any weak spots while determining where they were in the first place. Upstate was too broad of a term, and Mary needed to narrow it down as much as possible.

  Most of all, Mary was curious to see where Ruby kept all the keys. The one from the front door was around her neck—Mary saw it multiple times—but all the rest were hidden someplace. Ruby was too smart to simply leave them lying about. Mary thought if she could grab ahold of them, she could perhaps escape using one of the upstairs bedrooms. They can't be all boarded up. Can they?

  Mary volunteered to do all the housework. "Ruby?"

  "Yes, honey?"

  "I've been thinking about something. Would you let me clean up a bit around the house, just a way of thanking you for letting me stay here with you?" Mary asked, pretending like that thought just popped inside her head.

  "The dust has started to settle a bit," Ruby mused, and Mary held her breath waiting for her reply. "That would be lovely, honey."

  "What are friends for?" She forced herself to smile.

  "Just stay on the ground floor."

  Ruby's room was locked all the time, and Mary was screwed if she kept the keys in there. Mary didn't possess the set of skills to pick a lock. Besides, if she could do that, she wouldn’t need keys in the first place.

  Just don't despair. Mary calmed herself while pretending to work.

  Where there's a will, there's a way, she quoted and immediately felt like slapping herself simply out of principle. She wasn't nearly desperate enough for such cheesy motivational quotes.

  Over time, the two of them settled into a rhythm and that really terrified Mary. Every day resembled the previous one. They would eat, talk, and play games or whatever Ruby wanted them to do. Mary could predict with great accuracy how a day would turn out to be simply by observing Ruby's mannerisms. The notion that she was getting comfortable in all this madness was a bad sign.

  I have to find a way to leave this place. I have to leave before I turn into her.

  Chapter Thirty

  Mary often thought about the man who’d kidnapped her. In all this derangement, it was a small blessing that she never saw him again. That didn't mean she didn't wonder about his relationship with Ruby.

  Was it a onetime deal? How do they know one another? Did he kidnap a person for Ruby before? All that and more plagued her.

  Unfortunately, those were not questions she could ask Ruby. She could just picture them having dinner with Mary saying something like, "By the way, the man who kidnapped me, is he your permanent employee or just a freelancer?"

  Yeah, right.

  As she said before, it was good that he wasn't around. That man terrified Mary. There was nothing human about him with those dead eyes and cold voice. She shivered merely thinking about it. On second thought, nobody was more terrifying than Ruby. Especially when she was holding that taser of hers. And she wasn't afraid of using it, either.

  Mary kept waiting for Ruby to let her out and walk around the garden with her since she constantly boasted about how marvelous it was, especially while in bloom. Mary needed some kind of a clue where she was and hoped if she were good enough, she would get her answers out there, around t
he house and in the gardens.

  "Mary, it's simply to die for," she told her on one occasion.

  Mary hoped she didn't mean that quite literally.

  At any rate, that never happened. They stayed inside all the time. That didn't mean Mary was idle. She did find something interesting while cleaning.

  Ruby loved to talk. No matter whether she was in a good or in a bad mood, she was always very loud as though needing to draw attention to herself in that way.

  And during Mary's sweeps around the house, she discovered that there were places the acoustics were perfect for listening in on someone. In this case, listening in on the captor, especially if Mary wanted to stay out of her hair. Mary discovered a way to track Ruby around the house, and as it turned out, she could listen in on her conversations as well.

  On the ground floor, in the kitchen, there was a woodstove, and because providence wished it so, it was connected to Mary's room. The room I'm being held in, she corrected herself. The room had a wooden chimney cover that led directly to the woodstove, and as it turned out, it was highly sound conductive.

  Listening to Ruby wander about while Mary had her quiet time in the room, she learned a great deal about Ruby's habits and things like that. At times, she would completely disappear, and Mary considered those moments a true blessing.

  One night, Mary faked a headache and retired earlier, simply needing a break from all the madness. Just to be sure Ruby would leave her be, she neared the chimney cover and started to listen. She was quite surprised when they had a visitor. When she said they, she meant Ruby, of course.

  "Where is she?'" a man's voice asked with interest.

  Mary instantly recognized the voice. It belonged to her kidnapper. She began to panic since there wasn't a doubt in her mind whom he was referring to. What does he want from me? Is he taking me away? Suddenly, the prospect of leaving with this man felt like a fate worse than spending her days with Ruby. Please, God, don’t let him take me away, she prayed.

  "That is none of your business," Ruby replied haughtily.

  "Afraid I might steal her away?"

  Oh, my God. Mary wished she could turn invisible.

  "Be serious, Norman, and tell me where my friend is," Ruby snapped back.

  What?

  "Are you sure we can talk?"

  "Yes," Ruby replied, clearly losing patience. "She’s asleep."

  "Fine, then."

  "Well?" Ruby prompted.

  "Still nothing," Normal replied reluctantly.

  "What?" Ruby screeched. "How is that possible? You are completely useless," she ranted. "I want her here, Norman. I want my friend," she whined like a spoiled girl.

  "I tried my best, looked for her everywhere, but I think she skipped town," Norman said.

  Who were they looking for? Mary wondered. It was obvious that Ruby hired this man to kidnap another woman.

  "I don't care," Ruby insisted. " I want my friend here, to keep her."

  "Why? One's not enough anymore?" he taunted.

  There was a loud band as though Ruby hit a table with her fist or something. "Just do as you’re told and find Shannon," she ordered.

  Mary gasped. Shannon. Then realizing what she did, she clasped a hand over her mouth, praying with all her might that they didn't hear her.

  She was shocked by what she’d just discovered. Ruby was looking for Shannon, and since that man was involved, it meant they planned on kidnapping her as well. Oh, God, please don't let this happen. Maybe it wouldn't since Shannon was smart enough to leave town.

  I wonder what made her do something like that in the first place?

  Mary and Shannon had spoken on the phone every night, and although they were both concerned, Shannon had never mentioned that she would actually leave town because of Ruby. Something must have spooked her really badly if she did something like that.

  Like my vanishing into thin air? On the other hand, her departure might not have anything to do with this. People have family emergencies all the time. Either way, it was a smart move. I wish I were that smart.

  Mary sent a silent prayer to her friend, asking the angels to keep her safe and away from the lunatic criminals who were looking for her.

  "Fine," the man growled, snapping Mary out of her reverie. "But it’ll cost you."

  "Whatever."

  "Double."

  "I don't care about money. I only care about my friend, and I want her here, so don't keep me waiting," Ruby warned.

  "I'll do my best," Norman reassured her.

  "Make sure that you do."

  After that, Mary couldn't hear anything else, which could only mean he left. She was so wrapped up inside her mind, processing everything she learned, that she almost missed the fact that Ruby was coming her way.

  Crap, Mary cursed, jumping into the bed. She covered herself over the head so Ruby wouldn't see that she was still wearing her regular clothes and not a nightgown.

  As predicted, Ruby came into the room to check up on her and Mary pretended to be sound asleep.

  "I keep my friends safe," Ruby mumbled. "Here, with me." And with that, she left, presumably to sleep herself.

  Mary's heart was racing. Ruby was looking for Shannon, to bring her here.

  When Dr. Carson was explaining to Mary Ruby's personality disorder, he said that the person suffering from it had a big fear of abandonment. Mary now remembered his exact words. "This kind of disorder affects how you feel about yourself, how you associate with others, and how you behave. The symptoms include intense fear of abandonment, impulsive and risky behavior, and a pattern of unstable, intense relationships," which was so Ruby. At one moment, she was idolizing Mary and at the next, she was accusing her of not caring enough or being cruel.

  "Suicidal threats, wide mood swings accompanied by inappropriate, intense anger."

  Unfortunately, none of that helped Mary escape this place or prevented Ruby from kidnapping anybody else. Because as it turned out, Ruby's fear of abandonment was so great, so all-consuming, that she would rather hold people hostage than allow any kind of normal interaction to occur. Her friends couldn't have lives of their own because everything had to revolve around her and her needs. That was the narcissist in her taking control.

  Understandably for most, if not all people, that kind of a relationship wasn't acceptable. Hence, a house in the middle of nowhere, Mary concluded. Mary couldn't help questioning what had triggered Ruby to want to involve Shannon and drag her into this madness in the first place.

  Then she remembered that young actress from Ruby's parties, Carla, who’d warned Mary that the guests were all paid actors and that Ruby was fooling her and Shannon.

  Oh, how I wish I’d listened to her back then. At one of those gatherings, Ruby had mentioned how she wished Mary and Shannon would accompany her here to the country house. All the signs were there. I just didn't pay enough attention.

  Based on Ruby's behavior, it was clear that she’d planned on keeping Shannon and Mary here together from the start.

  Once again, Mary was more than glad that she’d befriended Shannon, and not just because she was a great person and a true friend but because since they'd kept in touch, Ruby was at a disadvantage. This way, Mary told the other woman everything she knew, and thanks to that knowledge, Shannon didn't fall into Ruby's trap.

  Like I did, she thought glumly, and she banished that thought immediately since it was counterproductive at the moment. Only happy thoughts, she reminded herself. It was just that in this situation, happy was quite a broad yet simple affair. Mary expressed gratitude when she was left alone for more than five minutes.

  All the same, Mary felt triumphant at the moment since Ruby couldn't have her way. Shannon was in the wind, as it turned out, and had managed to save herself from this hell, escaped Ruby and this insanity.

  Good for her.

  That knowledge that Ruby wasn't all-powerful despite her money was what gave Mary power to fight her despair. It gave her the will to continue, to live on
and fight another day until she managed to defeat her jailer.

  Besides, if Shannon was so spooked to leave town, then that meant something happened. Maybe she realized I went missing. Mary hoped. She had to believe that was the reason.

  And if her speculation was true and Shannon left because of Mary, then she was certain help was on the way and Ruby's days of being the kidnapping queen were almost over. Mary only needed to bide her time, stay safe, not antagonize Ruby, stay sane, and wait for them.

  Then another thought came to mind. This place was rather remote and not listed in Ruby's name. There was a chance it wasn’t listed at all.

  What if nobody’s coming for me?

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The days continued to string themselves like pearls on a necklace, each resembling the one that came before it, and Mary was getting more restless by the minute. On the inside, that was. On the outside, she was the perfect friend, just like Ruby wanted her to be.

  I should have been an actress.

  Mary thought that if she played along and gave Ruby precisely what she wanted, then the other woman would lower her guard long enough for Mary to finally escape.

  That didn't happen. No matter how perfect a friend Mary tried to be, Ruby was never fully satisfied. Not to mention, she became crazier than ever.

  Perhaps she's sensing that I only pretend, Mary mused. Sadly, there was nothing she could do about that since it was true.

  The only way for Ruby to completely trust Mary so she could escape was to fully become what she wanted, and for that, she needed to suffer from Stockholm Syndrome. If she did succumb to that, she wouldn't want to escape anymore.

  It was a true catch twenty-two.

  At the same time, people like Ruby could never be fully satisfied since the nature of their fear was so great it couldn't be soothed by anything. Not that Mary was finding excuses for her.