Take Me With You(16)

If it were anyone else, I'd just let her go and make a run for it. I'd be pulling up to my house while the cops were still trying to figure out what was going on. No one is worth the risk of capture. She hasn't seen my face. She'd never see me again. But I want to keep her. She's already got me thinking about having her. About finally finding a way for me to have more than just the night.

I wrestle her to the ground, sealing her mouth shut so her screams are muffled. I would knock her out, but I don't want to damage her pretty face, so I take my knife. She squirms as I jut it towards her, but less so when she realizes I'm cutting off her nightgown. It's hard work, doing it with one hand while the other clamps down on her mouth. I'm getting sweaty and uncomfortable on his humid night and it's making my patience wear thinner. I nick her a few times, but eventually, there's enough for me to shove in her mouth, and then tie around as a gag. She's naked now, but I don't care because I'll make sure no one will see us. I blindfold her with the remaining fabric and throw her over my shoulder. It'll be easier to move her this way. I run from one yard to the next, ducking behind bushes to regroup. It's not even four yet, so people are still deep in their slumbers. Vesper tries to scream, but the gag muffles most of it, and I'm moving so fast that her stomach is bumping on my shoulder, causing her voice to break. If anyone were to get up to look for the sound, we'd already be at the next backyard.

When we get to the canal, I breathe a sigh of relief, lowering her to her feet. She's barefoot and naked, her hair is wild. She's moves her head wildly, completely unable to perceive her surroundings. She already looks feral. Seeing her body exposed and helpless out here makes me want to drop her in the brush and fuck her, but I can't risk getting caught out here. Not after all this work.

I huff as I pull of my sweatshirt and wipe away my sweat. Running with her over my shoulder is no small task.

“Come on,” I order, with a tug of her forearm. She whimpers as twigs crack under her feet. I know it hurts, but there's not much I can do for her right now. She trips a few times over obstacles she can't see. We walk for ten minutes until we are able to emerge. I see my car in the distance. Just a few more steps and we'll be off. This is the riskiest part of all. I have to walk with a naked, bound girl down a residential street. I step out, looking right and left as far as my eyes can see, just to make sure no one comes up on us by surprise. I don't have time for resistance, so I pick her up and jog us down the street. I pop the trunk, toss her in and slam it shut.

I lower myself into the driver seat with a huge sigh, laughing a little bit as I wipe the sweat off my brow. I don't know what the fuck I just got myself into, but the thrill of outsmarting these people and cops gives me such overwhelming satisfaction. The thrill of carrying a naked girl through two pristine Sacramento-area neighborhoods while people sleep soundly makes me feel like a fucking god.

I have her. The perfect girl. The girl who is a little like the rest of them, but maybe she's a little different, too.

I start the car, and pull out. The freeway is a block away, and once I'm on it, no one will hear her kicking against the trunk.





Where there's no light, there's no time. At least not how I knew it before. It could be just a few days or a week since I was dropped off wherever I am. I can't say where because I've been blindfolded since that son of a bitch body slammed me in the Johnson's backyard, cut up my nightgown and used it to gag and blindfold me. I thought someone would hear me. I thought someone would save me. I felt safe in my home, behind strong walls and locked windows, sleeping next to a man who had just made the commitment to take care of me forever.

A house provides the facade of protection. It's a sacred place, separating you from the beasts that lurk outside. But that's all it is: a facade. The reason your home is safe is because no one has wanted in yet. But if you are so unlucky, nothing can stop a monster from breaching those walls.

In the beginning, I passed the time worrying about Carter and Johnny. How long did it take for them to get out? Did they ever? I would think Carter’s school would begin to wonder why he hasn't showed up to his labs. Are my parents on their way back from Egypt? Am I on the news?

I don't know. I am in a black hole. Over time, thirst and hunger have become more prominent thoughts in my mind. My lips are so dry, it's like running my tongue along sandpaper. My stomach cramps with hunger. I lie on my side, too weak to make the effort to stand. I fantasize about margaritas and a hamburger at The Firehouse, a tradition on Friday nights.

He left me here and hasn't returned. At least not that I can tell. I am in a constant state of discomfort. Naked in a place that is always just a little too chilly. My own hands rubbing the goose-pimpled skin my only source of warmth. As I become weaker with dehydration and hunger, I get colder still.

Yet, I am still alive. And with that there is hope. If he wanted me dead, he would have killed me. But then what does he want? He hasn't touched me again. He's not using me for any obvious purpose. Maybe he's left me to die a slow, agonizing, lonely death.

Then, footsteps. They creak above my head a few times, back and forth, like someone is up to something. I don't know if I should scream for help. What if he has abandoned me somewhere and this is my only chance to be discovered? What if I say something and incur his wrath? I have no choice but to take the chance.

“H…H…elp.” I haven't used my voice in days and my mouth is so chalky I nearly choke on the sounds. “Help,” I eke out.