Cole

I couldn’t keep driving. I was exhausted after being on the road for ten hours, and I had only stopped twice since leaving my hometown. It had been almost five years since I had gone to visit my parent’s graves and almost twenty-four years since they had died. Having no other family, I had grown up in the foster system, never staying with one family for very long. Nobody recognized me since I was eight when they died, but everyone knew the story. Their murders had shocked the little town to the core. 

I was Alexandra, but my dad had always called me Lexi. My parents, Nick and Olivia Petrov were pillars of the community. They had worked with homeless shelters and food shelves, trying to make our little community a better place, but also safer. My dad had always said, if we help those less fortunate, there would be less crime because people wouldn’t be trying to steal for food. He didn’t believe in handouts though. He helped set up programs to get the homeless back to work and have temporary housing. My mother was a nurse and set up special clinic hours with her doctor to treat those that couldn’t afford to go to the doctor. 

My father’s family had emigrated here from Russia and my grandfather used to tell us stories of what it was like growing up in Russia. A lot of the stories weren’t pretty, but it had shaped the type of people they turned out to be. 

Whenever I went home, I always tried to stay away from town in case someone recognized me by name. Staying one town over and going to their graves for a few hours over the course of several days helped keep my anonymity. Staring at the sky, I would lie down in the grass and tell my parents about what I was doing with my life. Of course, it was silly. They weren’t actually there. I could talk to them anywhere in the world, but I felt closer to them at their gravesites. 

A few times over the years, someone would spot me at their graves and the gossip would spread like wildfire around town. People would come to the cemetery to see how I was. Some were truly interested in how I was doing, having known my parents well. Others just wanted to get the scoop on the girl whose family was murdered.  Sometimes, I was able to sneak into town and enjoy a few days without anyone the wiser. It would probably be a few more years until I would be able to make the trip again.

I decided I couldn’t wait until I got home. I needed to pull over. My back was killing me and I was pretty sure if I didn’t stop soon, I’d pee my pants. I was almost home, but my bladder wouldn’t wait. There was a rest stop ahead and I decided to pull off the highway to stretch my legs for a few minutes and run to the little girls room. Then, I would make the final hour drive home.

It was dusk and the fact that the rest area was secluded and there were no other cars around, gave off an eerie feeling. Locking the car door, I started walking to the sidewalk and felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle. I glanced around, but didn’t see anything. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest and I had to remind myself that there was no there. I continued my walk to the building, but my stomach was churning at the feeling of being watched. Maybe I should just head back to the car, but I didn’t know if I could make the drive home without using the restroom. Picking up my pace, I raced to the rest area and flung the door open. I tried to pull it closed, but it was one of those doors that closed slowly. Stepping further into the building, I looked around outside for anything that looked off. I didn’t see anything, but my gut was telling me that I should have just stayed in my car. I looked back at the entrance to the bathroom and saw that the lights were off. The lights were probably on a sensor to preserve energy. The darkness loomed and I decided I’d had enough of this. I’d run back to my car and go to the nearest gas station.

I started for the door when I felt a chill run down my spine. My back stiffened painfully in anticipation and my neck was hurting from the shaking that had overtaken my body. I could feel it behind me. Someone was there and the only question was if I could outrun whoever was behind me. I could feel whoever it was getting closer and I felt paralyzed from the fear that had overtaken my body. I took a deep breath, steeling my nerves, ready to flee. I took off at a run, my eyes laser focused on the door. My body catapulted forward as I was slammed into from behind and fell into the door. It had started to open, but my attacker held me tightly and I couldn’t get through the door. A hand snaked around my waist and held me in a bruising grip. A scream crawled up my throat, but a sweaty hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my ability to breath easily. I started to hyperventilate, struggling to get away, but my brain just wouldn’t function properly through the terror. I couldn’t think of what to do to help me escape.

Grasping at anything to get away, I bit the sweaty hand and tasted dirt and blood. A scream echoed off the walls of the building as my attacker pulled back and I was released. Falling to the ground, I felt pain radiate up my shoulder when it hit the ground. I flipped to my stomach and started army crawling to the door as quickly as I could. My body trembled in fear that at any moment I would be caught once again. A hand clamped around my ankle and I let out a breathy scream as I fell to my stomach. I felt my body being pulled backwards and I dug my fingers into the door mat, feeling my nails being pulled backwards.

My body was flung around and I was on my back, staring at my attacker for the first time. He was tall and dressed all in black with a black ski mask covering his face. But his eyes, I could see his eyes and they radiated evil. My brain kicked in and I started thrashing around, trying to free my ankle, but his grip was too tight. I lifted my other foot and started kicking at the arm that was holding my other ankle. I managed to kick him in the face before he grabbed hold of my other foot. I sat up, curling my fists and started swinging. I didn’t have very much momentum, being pinned at the legs, but I couldn’t give up.

He crawled up over my body, taking a hit or two from my fists, but never backed down. He pinned my body with his and grabbed my wrists, pulling them up over my head. My heart was pounding in my throat and I could feel the bile rising in my throat. I could hardly breathe anymore, my heart was beating so hard. Panic was hitting me full force and I no longer saw a way of escape. I felt the prick of a needle in my neck and the world started to blur around me. My limbs were heavy and I could no longer fight what was happening. The last thought that floated through my mind was that I hoped it would be over soon and I could see my family again.

✯✯✯✯✯

I woke some time later to a dripping noise. My vision was blurry and I couldn’t seem to focus on anything. Nausea swirled in my stomach and I thought I was going to throw up. My arms felt numb above my head and when I tried to pull them down, I realized they were tied with rope above my head. I tried to pull them free, but the rope just bit into my skin.

Pulling frantically, I tried to pull the rope from whatever it was attached to, but it wouldn’t budge. I searched my memory for what happened, but I couldn’t remember anything. Taking a calming breath, I went over the last thing I could remember. I was driving home and…I couldn’t recall anything after that. How did this happen? Blinking my eyes, I tried to focus on my surroundings. I felt something on my leg and as my vision cleared I saw a rat sniffing around my leg. I let out a garbled scream and kicked my leg out until the rat scurried away. I turned my head just in time and threw up the measly contents of my stomach, but didn’t feel any better. My stomach was still roiling and now all I could taste was vomit. There was a foul odor nearby and as my senses came all the way back, I realized that my pants were wet because my bladder hadn’t held. I felt tears prick my eyes as I sat in a puddle of my own urine with my vomit right next to me.

There was a scraping noise and my head shot up, looking for the sound. An old wooden door was opening from above and I scooted against the wall as much as I could, trying to blend into the shadows. I saw the sun starting to rise in the sky as heavy boots sounded on old, wooden stairs. My heart was pounding in fear of what was to come. What did he want with me? Was he going to kill me?

“I see you’re awake. Now we can get started.” 

His voice was deep and scratchy. As he stepped into the light, I saw that his face was covered in scars that were deep and pink. He slowly licked his lips and I shuddered in revulsion. 

“Do you remember me, little Lexi?” 

At the nickname, my world came to a halt. It couldn’t be him. I had left that life behind and started over. The police caught him. He was locked away in prison. I would have been notified if he had been released.

“Ah, I see by the shock on your face, you weren’t expecting me. I’ve been searching for you for some time. You were the one that got away.” He knelt down in front of me and placed his hand on my face in a caress. “And I just can’t stand to leave things undone. We’re going to finish our game. We start tomorrow,” he said as he stood and walked up the stairs. The door slammed shut and I heard a lock slide into place. His footsteps sounded across the wood flooring above me. A door shut and a few minutes later, and a car started and drove away.

I took in several deep breaths to slow my heart. This couldn’t be happening again. I have to get away. I can’t be his victim again.

Leaning back against the wall, I let my eyes adjust to the darkness. The walls all looked to be made of mud and my ropes were attached to a metal ring that was inserted into the wall. The floor was a combination of dirt and mud. There were floor boards above my head that allowed the smallest amount of light in. There was nothing in the room but myself and the rope. The room was rather large from what I could tell. I could barely make out the wall on the other side of my new prison. This must have been a root cellar of some kind. I really doubted anyone was nearby and if I didn’t find a way to escape, I would die here in the darkness.

The sad part was that no one would really miss me. I had moved around a lot since my family died and hadn’t really stayed anywhere more than a year. I took odd jobs at diners, bars, and hotels, so I never really made any friends because I never stayed more than a year. No one would report me missing, I thought as a tear leaked out of my eye. The only clues that I was gone would be my car sitting abandoned or the fact that I didn’t show up for work. People would most likely assume that I had moved on, since that’s what I had done so many times before. Eventually, my landlord would come inquiring after the rent, but it was the beginning of the month, so it would be at least thirty days before he came knocking. He would assume I skipped and he’d sell all my stuff.

My arms were aching from being held above my head and they were starting to lose sensation. If I was going to make it through this, I needed to find a way out. I maneuvered my arms so that I could stand and started yanking on the rope that was attached to the metal ring. No matter how much I pulled, the ring wouldn’t budge. I placed my foot against the wall and started pushing off. Grunting and screaming, the stupid ring wouldn’t give. Next, I tried to pull my hands free of the rope, but all I did was give myself rope burn.

Sighing in defeat, I sat back down to lean against the wall and rest. I had to be smart about this, or I would use all my energy and wouldn’t be able to escape if the opportunity came. 

I heard the screaming and bolted upright on the air mattress. The screams were coming from my mother and father. Were they arguing? I crept out of my makeshift bed and walked slowly to the hidden door. I had taken to sleeping in the hideaway in my bedroom because I felt like I was sleeping in a secret cavern. I slowly opened the door and peered into the bedroom. The screaming came again, so I walked over to the door and slowly opened it. Looking down the hallway, I saw a light on in the kitchen. I stepped into the hallway and made my way down the hall to see what was going on. I heard more screaming, but there were no words being yelled. These were cries of pain. I peeked around the corner and saw my mother and father tied to the kitchen chairs. They both had blood dripping down their bodies from multiple spots. Mom’s head was hanging against her chest and Daddy was looking at the floor, chest heaving.

“How much longer do you think you can hold out?” A man stepped in front of Daddy and he was holding a large knife that was covered in blood. I gasped and took a step back. The man didn’t seem to hear, but Daddy looked up and his eyes locked with mine. He gave a slight shake of his head. I saw the fear in his eyes and turned and ran back to my bedroom. Just as the door closed, I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I raced over to my hidden room and closed myself inside. I sat with my arms wrapped around my legs, trying to control the shaking. My heart was beating frantically and I prayed the man wouldn’t find me. 

I heard the door creep open and footsteps across the floor of my bedroom. I heard the closet door open and shut and then it was silent. I held my breath, hoping that he couldn’t hear me, though my breathing sounded extremely loud in my ears. After a few minutes, I didn’t hear anything and I hoped that meant that he had left the room. Then, the door was flung open and I was being dragged out of my hideaway, into my bedroom, and down the hall. I was so scared and I dragged my feet, hoping I could stop him from taking me, but he was too strong.

“No! Leave her alone! Please, I’ll do anything. Just don’t touch her!” Daddy was yelling for the man to stop, but he just kept dragging me until I was seated in a chair. He grabbed the knife and slid it under my throat. I felt my eyes widen. I didn’t understand what was going on. Why was this man hurting us?

“If you don’t stop yelling, I’m just going to slit her throat right now. Now, what’s it going to be?” When daddy didn’t respond, he removed the knife from my throat and started tying me to the chair. Tears were sliding down my cheeks and I was trying my best not to sob out loud. 

“What’s your name?”  When I didn’t answer, he moved swiftly, shoving the knife into Daddy’s stomach. I screamed and sobbed, yelling for him to stop. Daddy’s face was filled with pain and I would give anything for this man to stop hurting him. I was sobbing so loudly now that I could barely hear anything else. The evil man pulled the knife out and turned towards me.

“Now, I asked you a question and I want an answer.”

“L-lexi,”  I stuttered out as I tried to stop crying.

“Little Lexi, I have a game that we’re going to play. It’s called A Thousand Slices. I’m going to slice each of you and for every noise you make, I’m going to give you three more. Then, we’ll see how long it takes for each of you to die.”

I jolted awake from my nightmare, breathing heavily and feeling nauseous. I hadn’t had a nightmare in a long time, but then again, the man that had tortured and killed my family was once again in my life. That seemed like a good enough reason for them to return. A noise sounded outside and I braced myself against the wall, afraid to move. I was shaking for a new reason now. He had returned to start his game again.

It was everything I thought it would be and more. He cut me all over my body, shallow cuts that were made to frighten me. If I whimpered, he cut me more. If I stayed quiet, he got upset and punched me.

After he left, I leaned against the wall in pain, praying that this torture wouldn’t last. My body was shaking from the pain and I wished I would just pass out. As dusk fell, I started to hear squeaks coming from around me. My fear skyrocketed and the terror of what awaited me in the dark had me squinting, trying to make out anything that moved. Soon it was dark and I couldn’t see anything. Something rubbed against my leg and I shrieked, kicking out to scare off whatever was lurking. Something pinched me and I was quite sure it was a rat coming to take a bite of my skin. They could smell the blood on me and were coming to feast on me. My chest tightened as I tried not to cry, but with every kick at something that tried crawling on me, I started to cry a little harder. 

My body was tired and I started to drift off, but I would jolt awake every time something brushed against me. The panic was increasing every hour and I prayed for daylight. Bugs started to crawl over my neck and down my shirt. I would scream and trying to wriggle my body to get them off, but they just kept crawling over me. I was sobbing so hard, wondering how my life had come to this. Would this be my end? Would I die in this hole with bugs crawling all over me, slowly eating me alive?

Finally, dawn came and it wasn’t quite so dark down here. The mice and insects were still around, but at least I could see now and it staved off some of the panic. Now I just had to figure out how to get out of here and survive until I could escape.