Just to be Left Alone (13 page)

Not
noticing any others sounds, I reached out again. It took another couple of
minutes to get a good enough hold to turn the knob. Finally, I got it open and
almost cried. I then realized I had another problem. The door opened to the
inside of the room. Biting my lip in frustration, I kept from releasing the
loud curse words riding through my brain. Moving the bed toward the other side
of the doorway was even tougher than trying to get the knob turned. It seemed
like a lifetime ago that I woke up to the dark room but was reminding myself of
the progress I had made.

Startled,
I heard a noise from beside me. I didn’t even want to breathe as I slid my head
to look in the direction of the noise. It was my cell phone vibrating next to
the doorway. If I could only get it, I could try to call someone.

Not
hearing any other noises, I kept inching the bed along until I had the door
pushed open. Slowly, I made it through the doorway and rolled slowly into the
hallway. I was almost there when I heard the cell phone again. I ran into the
wall. It jarred me for a moment, and then I was relieved to know that I had
made it out of that room. My next move was to move the bed against the wall so
I could reach the phone with my left hand.

The
light from the phone glowed against my purse as they lay on the floor a couple
feet away from me. I was glad that they had been dumped there. Extending my
foot as far as the restraints would let me, I managed to hook the purse strap
with my toes. Carefully, I brought it toward the bed. It stopped ringing as I
got it to the bottom of the bed.

Tears
were streaming down my cheeks as total misery hit me. How had I gotten here
without waking up? Was I tied down in my own apartment and if so, where was my
furniture? If Jason had done this, would he find me before I could get loose?
Hysteria washed over me. I pulled myself together to finish my task. I had yanked
on the straps at my wrist and was starting to feel the pain seep into my raw
skin. I just needed to keep myself together long enough to get the phone in my
hands, and then I could break down.

I
slowly slid the bed toward my purse and yanked the strap up. The phone sailed
off the fabric and bounced off my chest before landing at my side. The tears
started again. My numb hand grabbed the phone. I strained to look down at the
buttons on the phone. Holding down the voice activation button, I could feel my
skin sticking to the binds surrounding them. It made it a little more difficult
to move my thumb since it wasn’t able to slip around as easily. I was too numb
to tell if I was holding it down hard enough. I held my breath until I heard
the prompt come over the speaker. I tried to say Felicia’s name, but it came
out as a sad croak.

The
phone didn’t register it clearly enough, so the call didn’t go through. I tried
again with all of the girl’s names, just to no avail. My throat felt stripped.
I saw my phone light up again and pressed the speaker button. I heard Felicia’s
voice, although I couldn’t understand what she was saying. I yelled at her to
listen to me. It must’ve worked because all was quiet but the call was still
connected.

“Felicia,
listen. I’ve been taken to another apartment inside my complex. I don’t know
where I am. I’m tied down to a rollaway bed and feel drugged. Can you hear me?”

“Sam,
are you there? I’m having a problem hearing you. It sounded like you said you
were tied up in someone’s apartment.”

“Yes.
I’m tied down and have to use the loudspeaker. Please get someone to find me
before he comes back.”

I
heard laughter on her end, “You’re funny. Now seriously, where are you?”

Wanting
to scream, I held it in while I tried to talk to her again.

“Felicia,
this isn’t me trying to pull a prank on you. This is a code red. Do you hear
me, code red?” I had to use our signal of trouble from our childhood and hoped
she caught it.

“Code
Red, holy shit! You’re not kidding. Tell me what’s around you.”

Thankfully,
she had caught on.

“I
think I’m in the same complex as my apartment since the floor plan looks the
same. I don’t know how long I’ve been here or even how I got here. I’m tied
down to a bed that I rolled into the hallway in order to get to my phone. No
one’s here. I’m not sure how long I’ll be alone.”

“I’m
on my way there now. I’m calling the police on my work cell phone. Don’t hang
up on me.”

I
heard some noise and then voices, “Sam, do you notice anything else around
you?”

“I
smell fresh paint and new carpet. I must be in a refurbished apartment.”

I
heard her repeat this to the other person and Felicia came back on to tell me
they were on the way to me. I heard her dialing again before a guy’s voice came
over the speaker. I thought it was Conrad but couldn’t be sure.

Felicia
came back on with me. “The police have someone already in the neighborhood and
will start searching the empty units. Dispatch will call the property manager
for keys. Conrad is on the way too. Stay on the line with me.”

“I’ll
try, but my hands are numb on this button.”

“Keep
the line open while I drive there. If someone comes in then I’ll hear what
happens.”

It
felt like razor blades were holding my wrist down. After a few minutes, I heard
someone running up the stairs and whispered a prayer to God.

“Are
you still with me?” Felicia asked.

“I’m
here. I hear someone running up the stairs outside. What if he’s back? What do
I do?”

I
held my breath as it got quiet again.

“Just
stick with me. I’m almost there. The police are everywhere out here. Did you
sleep with someone famous at the police station?”

We
always tried humor to break tension.

“Yes.
The mayor, his son, and the family dog. You can have all the pictures if you
just get me out of here.”

I
heard a beep and craned my neck to see that my battery was low. I informed
Felicia. She groaned.

“Save
your battery in case this takes longer. I don’t like the idea of disconnecting,
but you need that phone in case something happens. Go ahead and turn it off,
but keep it next to you.”

I
heard her car door slamming as she got out at the parking lot.

“Hang
in there babe. I love you,” she stated before cutting her phone off.

I
turned mine off and tried to slip it under my butt to keep it hidden. I didn’t
know how long it would take for them to find me. I decided to keep moving
toward the front door while I was stuck in this purgatory.

I
knew it had to be dark outside since there was no light around the windows or
door. Being as tired as I was, it took several tries to get all the way to the
kitchen. I had run into the wall a couple times before getting a few feet from
the door. I was blocked by more furniture and barely had the strength to push
it out of the way.

Hearing
more footsteps I started crying out for help. If it was my attacker, then he’d
be upset that I had gotten this far. I heard a loud noise accompanied by more
voices, one of them sounded familiar.

I
screamed for Conrad as loud as I could. I began shaking the bed so they could
hear me. Then the door was flung open. My eyes couldn’t adjust to the bright
light pointing daggers into my head. The figure coming toward me was reaching
out. I heard him say my name.

“Are
you okay? Please tell me you’re okay.”

He
stood beside the bed with his hands tracing my face.

“Thank
God you found me, Conrad.”

I
rubbed my face against his rough palm and tried to stop the tears. Several
people were with him. One of them waved the flashlight over my body and over
the straps holding me down.

“Oh
my God. I need to get these off of you. It’s not going to be pleasant.”

I
nodded. He pulled out a pocketknife. He swung it open and began to saw at my
restraints, to only be stopped. The police needed to keep his fingerprints from
being on the evidence. A gloved officer came up with scissors and completed the
task.

Two
police officers went to look around the place for any evidence that could be
collected. Once freed, I attempted to jump from the offending bed, only my legs
folded under my weight. Conrad was quick enough to catch me before I fell to
the floor. Wrapping my arms around him, I held on tight. He gently rocked me. I
wasn’t able to say anything. The lump in my throat barely allowed me to
swallow. Feeling him swing me up into his arms, I hung on as tightly as I could
with my stinging hands.

He
walked out into the dark and stopped at the stairway just outside the doorway.
He slowly slid down to sit us on the stairs. He kept me in his lap the entire
time. I didn’t want him to let me go.

“Where
do you hurt?” Conrad asked while he brushed the hair from my face.

He
ran his hands down my body to assure himself that everything was intact. I
gasped when his hands brushed my wrists. He gently lifted my hands to the light
for inspection.

I
heard him grind out, “If I ever get my hands on him, it’ll be the last thing he
ever feels.”

Glancing
up I saw the fury that passed across his face as he looked at my raw flesh.

“How
did you find me? Where am I?”

“Felicia
called me when she had you on hold. I’m already your designated rescuer,
remember?” He forced a grin.

“Where
am I?”

I
tried looking around, but he was blocking part of my view. Swiveling my head
around I saw it, my front door was right behind us.

“Oh,
God help me. You mean I was next door to my apartment the whole time?”

I
started shaking at the rage building inside of me. He held me tighter. I sunk
into his warmth.

“We
started searching all the apartments that were empty and came to this one last.
No one would ever have thought to check here first. It explains why no one saw
you leave. I’m so sorry, honey.”
 

I
just kept staring at my door as if it would have the answers to my questions.

“Is
it broken? How did I get next door?” I stammered up at him.

“No
one seems to know. Your door is intact, so we’ll only need to check on anything
being missing,” a police officer said as he came up behind us. “Ma’am, may I
have your key to check your apartment for any evidence?”

I
nodded up at him. A female officer came to us with my purse and cell phone in
her gloved hand. She asked my permission to get the key out. I nodded again.

All
of a sudden it hit me, “I have to call Felicia. She’ll be worried about me.”

“I’m
right here, Sam.”

I
heard her voice from below us. Looking in between the steps, I saw her standing
with a large male officer. He was keeping back anyone trying to get up the
stairway, including my friend. The officer moved aside and she bolted up the
steps toward me. I don’t know who squeezed me harder, Conrad or Felicia.

“Please
tell me you’re really okay,” she said as she looked me over.

I
nodded at her. She noticed Conrad holding my arms just above the tortured skin.

“Did
he do that to you?”

“No,
I did that trying to escape.”

I
looked at my wrists for the first time and bit my lip. They were raw, blistered
and had blood dried on them. Flexing the muscles, I realized they looked worse
than they felt.

She
had the same questions I did and Conrad gave her the same answers.

“I
don’t remember much after lying down on the couch. The first time I woke up I
thought someone was talking to me. I was alone the second time. I thought it
was Bella.”

I
frowned at my gap in memory.

“You’ll
have to tell the detective everything you can remember. He should be here any
minute,” Conrad said.

“I’m
right here folks. Sorry to be seeing you all under these circumstances,”
Detective Montrose said as he came up the steps.

“Why
don’t you stay with our young lady while I talk to the officers on site?”
Montrose asked Felicia.

“Samantha,
I’m going with Detective Montrose to look around. Felicia will be here with you
the entire time. Try to go over everything in your head, no matter how small.
We’ll need every little detail,” said Conrad.

He
placed a swift kiss on my lips before sliding me off his lap. I saw him follow
the detective inside the now lit apartment and wondered what they could be
looking for.

Felicia
got the female officers attention and asked for some bandages to cover my
wrists. Though the officer needed everything as evidence, she radioed to
someone and nodded to Felicia who was clucking her tongue in frustration.

The
large officer who was at the bottom of the stairway came up with a first aid
kit. He smiled at Felicia as he handed the small box to her and both of them
started taking things out to bandage my wrists. It was like I wasn’t there.
They administered to me as if I was a child, and I let them. I didn’t want to
be aware of any of this. I wanted to stay numb.

* * * *

I
didn’t feel like talking, even though I knew I would have to when Detective
Montrose came back. I wasn’t even aware of the time until I glanced at
Felicia’s watch as she fiddled with the first aid kit contents.

I
gave my statement in a blur. Conrad ushered me into his truck with my backpack
at my side. Felicia had already called Raven and Chastity to tell them what had
happened and inform them I was staying with Conrad tonight. I didn’t speak to
either of them during the calls.

I
was aware of all the steps being taken for my safety, but was in a separate
state from my body as it was planned out for me. Prior to being ushered into
the truck, I had been checked over by a physician who had declared me in shock
followed by a package of pills being offered to me. I had swallowed two of the
pills as Felicia had instructed and now sat as the scenery passed by me through
the truck window.