The ground rocked back and forth gently. The distant sound of waves were calm and tranquil. LuAnna rolled over, onto her side and went to pull the cotton comforter over her cold shoulders. She reached and felt around but could not find the damn blanket. Aggravated, she sat up abruptly and the world began to spin. Her head throbbed and eyes pounded. "Ben?" she questioned. The room was silent.
As she gained back her composure, she recognized that the mattress was ice cold. Ben's linen sheets seemed to be stripped leaving behind a hard surface. Normally, LuAnna could hear the waves crash against the shore but now they sounded louder. Almost as if they were hitting against the walls surrounding her. The fog in her head began to clear. The blood rushed out of her head and her eyes adjusted to the dark. What she needed was a strong cup of joe and a hot shower.
She opened her eyes to gain her surroundings. Darkness filled the room. "Where the hell am I?" This was not Ben's bedroom. Ben was nowhere in sight. She looked around and saw wooden panel walls with no windows to be found. The ground appeared to be old laminate that had not been cleaned for a few weeks. There was no furniture. Waves crashed against the walls of the room leading LuAnna to believe she was submerged under water. "How the hell did I end up here?"
She made a swift movement to push herself off the floor when she noticed she was naked. Terror fell upon her. She searched her limp body for bruises, scrapes, gashes, anything out of the ordinary. Her findings were not what she had hoped. Her stomach had a large gash wound. She felt around and diagnosed at least two broken ribs on her right side. Her arms had vivid bruises that appeared to be shaped like a hand. Her legs had bruises and scrapes all up and down. She thought she must have put up a good fight. The worst injury she had sustained was a large open wound on her forehead that trailed back to the middle of her scalp. She felt blood coating her hair and slowly streaming down her cheek.
Fear of the unknown began to get to her. Was she raped? Was her baby still alive? Was Ben alive? Who did this? In the state of panic she was in, LuAnna still was sharp enough to try and save herself. She refrained from screaming for help because she did not know who or what would hear her. She applied pressure to her head and stomach wounds as best she could. Once she felt stabilized, her eyes wandered around the room, searching for a way out. There were no air vents, doors, windows or other openings in sight.
LuAnna began to lose hope. She knew that she was going to die in this room. No one would ever find her and her baby would not get to see the light of day. Reality hit, and it hit her hard. She began to sob quietly.
All around LuAnna began to hear heavy footsteps and dragging boots. Someone was coming! She closed her eyes and listened to the noise as it drew closer and closer to her. The footstep sound was so loud that LuAnna knew someone had to be peering down at her. Ready to face her fears and answer some questions, she opened her eyes.
Amazement and anxiety filled her body. She could not have guessed what she saw. Nothing. Darkness. Absolutely no one was staring down at her. The room was just as empty as it was before she had closed her eyes. Confusion began to kick in. Her eyes searched for a person who was hiding behind the shadows but ultimately she came up short. Footsteps still echoed throughout the room.
The truth finally hit her. The footsteps she was hearing were real. There were men not too far from her. But instead of being in the same room as her, they were a story above her. LuAnna now knew that she was expecting company shortly. What she needed to do was focus on their point of entry and pray that she could escape.