It was dark when she opened her eyes, she was confused and her head hurt like hell, reaching up to her forehead with her long thin fingers she felt a searing pain as she touched a cut. Sighing she slowly tried to sit up but something was preventing her, panic surged through her when she realised she couldn't move from the waist down, she wanted to scream but no sound would come out. The panic was rising in her throat like vomit, but she breathed deeply, she repeated to herself it was fine, she was alive, whatever was happening she could deal with it, she just had to check herself, ask the questions. She repeated this over and over like a mantra and it calmed her, whether it was the words or the repetitiveness of them she was unsure but she calmed quickly. Her hands drifted down her body, she could feel her rips, she could feel her hands on her thighs she couldn't move her feet she would worry about that later, she was alive, closing her eyes she let that wash over her. Then she began with the next set of questions, what the hell had happened she couldn't remember anything, she tried hard to remember the night before but nothing came to her, trying desperately to remember where she was, why she was here and more importantly who the hell she was, tears sprang to her eyes and she began to let the panic take over.
It felt like hours when something woke her, she wasn't sure what had woke her but it was a little lighter in the room now and she could make out shadows of pieces of what she guessed was furniture, pushing her hands down on the bed she tried to sit up again and to her surprise she was upright a little giddy but upright waiting a few minutes for her vision to clear again she reached down slowly and felt the bottoms of her legs and then her feet, there was full feeling in them now being grateful she was in one piece she began to take in her surroundings, looking around the room she tried to make things out to her left was a wooden wall, not just wooden it was logs but there were no windows just this strong log wall, at the foot of the bed she could make a door handle, a small crack of light coming from the gap under it, perhaps her escape route? Turning right she looked out into the room she couldn't see the far wall the shadows kept her guessing what was out there, beside her bed was a small table stood on the table sat a glass jug full of water, with a glass sitting upside down on a napkin she quickly picked up the glass and poured herself some water, drinking it down quickly she felt it sting the back of her throat, she drank hungrily fighting the urge to bring it back up.
She leant back resting against the pillows staring at the now empty glass, when was the last time she had had a drink? Where was she? Who was she? She knew the answers were all there in the back of her mind she just couldn't reach them they wouldn't come forward out of the thick black fog in her brain, feeling tears stinging her eyes, she blinked her eyes hard to keep them away, her head still hurt like hell. Anger and frustration raced through her, but she was scared so very scared, she placed the glass on the table and pulled her legs up to her chest, what the hell was she going to do?
Staring at the door at the bottom of her bed she decided it was now or never, she placed her feet down on the cold uncarpeted floor, standing shakily she took a minute to steady herself then using the bed to steady her she made her way down it. It was a large heavy looking door, she stood listening at it for a few minutes but she heard nothing coming from behind it, so taking a deep breath she pulled the handle down, to her surprise she heard a click and the heavy door swung slowly open.
Standing looking out into the oddly small hallway she wasn't sure what to do now, because honestly she hadn't expected the door to open, they never did in all the teen slasher flicks, didn't those kids usually have to spend days screaming and finally get thrown a piece of bread and a bowl of water, closely followed up by their slow torturous deaths.
Slowly and carefully she made her way down the small hallway, keeping her back to the wall in case anyone crept up on her from behind, she turned the corner at the end, to find another door a couple of feet in front of her, she could hear the muffled voices, they sounded male to her but to make sure she sidled closer to the door, picking where to place her feet trying her hardest not to make a single noise.
"I am telling you Merle you're an idiot, some guy you have no idea who the fuck he is gives you 500 and a couple of snorts of coke and you agree to keep a girl here for him"
"Look little brother it wasn't as simple….."
"It wasn't? Oh, please do share your insight into kidnapping?" there was a loud bang from behind the door making her jump, she waited a minute before resting her head against the door again listening to the voices behind it.
"Ain't kidnapping" she heard the man called Merle snap.
"No? What would you call it then? Merle you're keeping a girl in that bedroom back there, against her fucking will and what's with the fucking cut on her head. Have you even been in there to check on her?"
"Well no, I didn't know what to do with her that's why I called ya"
"Merle do I look like a fucking doctor, your best bet would be to shove her in a truck, dump her at the nearest hospital and pray she doesn't know who you are. I can't, no I won't save your arse this time" she felt the door move slightly and lent away from it, making sure no one knew she was there.
"Brother it's not going to be long, lads just gotta get the money." Merle explained. She heard shuffling from the other side of the door then it swung open.
"Well it seems your problem has just got bigger, she's not only awake but she's decided to come and visit." A small dark haired scruffy man stood away from the door and she caught sight of her kidnapper. A large fair haired man sat at a small table, with a beer in his hand. She stared into his almost grey eyes in horror, she knew this man. His once white wife beater covering his large shoulders and chest, a small tuft of slightly greying hair sticking out from the neck line. Anger rushed up from her feet, suddenly she felt it take over her body and she rushed into the room.
"I know you." She screamed at him, he sat there looking at her his smile growing. "Merle, that's your name, I know you, your….your" Oh god if only she could remember, he started laughing and it tore through her, something flashed before her eyes, something she couldn't quiet grab at, a room full of people, the smell of cigarette smoke, lights flashing. She felt a hand on her waist then she was on a chair.
"Here drink this" a glass was pushed into her hand and she shakily swallowed the contents. "Jesus Merle, she knows you? I mean how fucking old is she?"
Her eyes met with the older man and he shrugged "How do I know?" he looked back down at the table playing with the label on his bottle of Budweiser larger. Budweiser why was that important, someone else drank Bud, someone she knew, someone who…..she shook her head.
"I'm seventeen" she said suddenly, she was positive she knew that her birthday was around the corner and her father and her sister were planning a big party, she was happy she had remembered something, anything that made her feel normal.
"What's ya name?" It was the dark haired man talking to her now, he hadn't moved away from her since she nearly collapsed. She looked him up and down, taking in his appearance, his clothing was old, worn in places and dirty, but he was tidy, his arms had a sheen of sweat and dirt helping to outline his toned muscles.
"Wow brother I think you have an admirer" she shook her head a little making her head hurt again after a couple of minutes she gained control of herself and glared across the table at the man called Merle.
"Shut ya mouth dick" the man crouched down so he was at the same level as her "Hey, do you know your name?"
"No" she eventually whispered to him in defeat.
"But you remember something don't you?" his eyes were a piercing blue, this dark thin eyebrows went down in concern.
"I have a father and a sister and I will be 18 soon" she said, her top teeth worrying at her bottom lip. She watched as he stood up again his thumb going to his mouth biting at the skin around the nail delicately.
"What the hell happened to her head?" he asked Merle from around his thumb.
"He did it before I could stop him, I ain't no woman beater!" the man shouted.
"Oh no, but you didn't think twice to bring her out here did ya?" he closed his eyes slightly and she heard him take a deep breath, he turned again to her. "When was the last time you ate?" she thought for a moment and shrugged her shoulders, she had no idea.
"Get her some food" he turned to Merle.
"Do I look like a housewife?" he questioned him.
"No right now you look like the idiot I have always taken you for, just get and find her something, I am going to take her back to the bedroom, that cut on her head is going to need looking at Merle, she's got concussion I reckon, shouldn't have let her sleep! You could have killed her"
Merle stood up from the table, leering over his should at them both he made her shudder. "Not me little brother, I didn't do nothing"
The younger man rolled his eyes whilst offering her his hand "Come lie back down, it will help. Me ma always said being in bed is the best thing for ya if you're not feeling your best, mind you she died in hers but that's a story for another day." By this time he had brought her back to the bedroom and sat her on the bed, he was wandering around the dark room still talking to her but she wasn't really paying attention to his words. In her mind she was wondering how she had ended up in this little room and what the hell was going to happen to her, when she looked back at him the room was glowing in a soft light it suddenly wasn't scary anymore, it was just a normal bedroom, with a bookcase, the light was coming for an old fashioned oil lamp, there was a large arm chair in one corner which looked big enough for her to curl up in.
He made his way back to her "Ain't no windows in here don't want the bears sneaking up on ya when your sleeping sorry about that but Merle will make sure the lamp is always full for you, there are books and shit over there, none of them telly things though don't have them. I have to go back into town for a while but I will be back if he says anything or does anything you tell me" he went towards the door and turned as if to say something else, he hesitated then opened the door wide.
"Thank you umm…" he was pulling the door up behind him but it hadn't quiet shut before she heard him say quietly.
"Daryl" then it closed behind him and she was alone and scared again.