Chapter 1
Noise. There is a lot of noise, my head is pounding hard, I feel myself lying on something damp, cold to the touch, it took me a few minutes to register the cold weather and to where I am, I had no clue. I started to rise and so did my fears, I struggled against the restrains on my hands and feet, thinking to myself trying to remember anything, anything from the past few hours, I wracked my brain but it was futile. I had no memory. I felt pain, I checked myself for injuries and I found bruises on my hips and thighs. I heard a loud bang and whirled to see where it came from and my eyes fell on a door atop of stairs, I felt my throat close and my voice leaving me. The door opened and a man appeared under the light, I did not recognize him, he had dark brown eyes, short hair and a look of a deranged psycho. He was holding something in his hand but I couldn't tell what was it, he is walking towards me and I still couldn't get a word out, I whimpered as his face was right in front of my mine, suddenly my vision went blur and black filled the room.
My eyes flew open at the amount of pain I felt, I was light headed again and I couldn't think straight, I can feel the hot red blood running under me, I tried to move but sharp pain surged through my body, I let out a yelp in pain.
"Shhhhh". I heard, my scream alerted me to the person sitting behind me, I turned to see who is there but their voice interrupted my action
"I am Claire, who are you?" She said shaking, obviously scared.
"Jane". I answer,
"Detective Jane Rizzoli" wincing in pain.
"Do you know where we are? I ask sounding hopeful that she might help us get out of here.
"No" she said in a whisper
"I just woke up here" all my hopes had disappeared and fear started to rise inside me again. I was thinking to myself once more, how long have I been here? Did Korsak or Frost realize I was missing? Are they looking for me? All kinds of thoughts went whirling in my head. I thought that I might not get out of here alive. That I won't be able to say goodbye to my mother, brothers or Maura. My breathing started to fasten taking short gulps of air.
For the second time I heard the locks on the door and saw Claire skidding over to me her expressions mirroring mine. The door slid open and the man stepped in and went the stairs taking his way to us. We both moved to the far corner trying to avoid him, he kept coming closer silently which for some reason only made me more terrified, "only fear the silent ones" Maura's voice trailed in my head. "They are most common to turn violent, because they are suppressed, unable to express their feelings or opinions" the man made a move to grab Claire and she screamed in his face
"Please please let me go, I won't tell anyone I promise, please." He showed no sign that he is listening he just went on and now he was carrying her on his shoulder.
"Where are you taking her?"
I ask in a desperate attempt to stall him and get some answers, but nothing, the man ignored me as I expected, I repeated almost screaming
"Where are you taking her?" still no answer, he moved to a small cabinet on the side, opened it and reached inside pulling a cloth that he soaked it with liquid, chloroform I thought. He took the cloth and placed it on a still screaming Claire, her screams went down, and she was taken into a deep sleep I envied her for. The man looking satisfied the only emotion he showed since I saw him, took the stairs stopping for a second to say
"You're next". I felt my heart sink into a bottomless well. The tears that I've been holding went down like angry waterfalls and sobs started to break out of me.
Claire's shrieks were loud, I tried my best not to listen but they became louder and louder, I was scared for her but I was scared for myself even more. The sobs didn't stop, otherwise they increased as fear ate me from the inside out. I couldn't shake away the words I heard from the man's mouth "you're next" I had no idea what he was planning to do to me, but hearing Claire's shrieks I knew it was no good. I made myself calm down and regulate my breathing but tears were still rolling down my cheek.
Again I strained my brain looking for something, a clue maybe to what got me here, I remember finishing my shift at work, after interviewing a suspect in a double homicide, his name was Andrew steel in his late twenties, me and Korsak did the interview as frost watched behind the double glass. After that I went down to the morgue to see Maura, she was working on some paperwork, I waited for her and then we were on our way home. We discussed in the car what happened during the day, i told her about the case and that we were nowhere and that every lead we had drove us back to square one, she filled me in on the victims autopsies and tox screens, only when I dropped Maura home I noticed a blue SUV, it's been behind me since I left the station I thought to myself, I drove around the block for a few minutes to check if the car indeed was tailing me and I was right, so I kept driving around not really knowing where I was headed I just wanted to lose the car, I kept driving to what have must been a half an hour until I could no longer see the blue SUV behind me, I pulled the car aside trying to gain control of myself, I sighed in relief, put my head on the steering wheel and stayed like that until I could think properly again. Next thing I know I was home heating some leftovers from last night, I kicked my feet up on the couch and turned on the television, I dozed off with Joe Friday on my lap. And woke up here.
My line of thought was broken when the door opened again and the man holding Claire appeared carrying her like a baby, with a loud thud Claire fell down the stairs and lay in the bottom motionless. The man threw her like a garbage bag, my chest tightened at the sight of her, and anger rose inside me for not being able to help her, then the man turned not even looking at the damage he caused to Claire by throwing her and left closing the door behind him. I tried to move her way but the robes binding me and the injuries I sustained didn't not help, I crawled in pain to Claire to check on her, I suppressed a scream when I saw her, blood covering her, face beat up and stab wounds to her lower and upper abdomen. Her throat was slit and it appears that she was raped. Nausea surged its way inside me and I threw up, disgusted at what he'd done to her and the torture she'd endured. I cursed myself for being weak, for feeling helpless. For not being able to protect Claire, and stop this monster. With great effort I crawled away from Claire's lifeless body and went back to the safety of my corner. Wait a minute, her throat was slit, now it dawned on me, her throat was slit I kept thinking, dreading the thought itself. Who kidnaps women from their homes? Terrify them? Torture them and rape them? Make them watch every nasty and horrible thing he'd do to them? A feeling of uneasiness took over me as I built a theory. But wait it can't be! He is serving a life sentence in jail. Unless he escaped….. Hoyt! I thought.
Why hasn't anyone told me? Did they think I wouldn't handle it? Like I can't control my emotions? Like I would dysfunction? Did Maura know? And Frankie? I couldn't help but feel betrayed, like I wasn't trusted enough, I felt angry not at them, but at myself for not showing that I can handle the pressure. Again my line of thought was interrupted, but this time by a familiar voice, a voice I wouldn't forget no matter how hard I tried.
"Jane" the voice of Hoyt said stretching.
"Janie, are you up?" I curled up and hugged my knees like they were the only thing that protected me. Then I saw him going through the door and down the stairs, taking his time, stopping every couple of steps, eyeing me, watching me squirm in fear. He enjoyed it, the bastard enjoyed it, and he knows I am terrified, he knows I can't defend myself, not in this situation at least, he knows it and I know it. More than I hate to admit, I know it. He reached me, only a few feet away, his laugh made me sick
"Here we are again" he said grinning.
"Here we are again" he repeated almost in a whisper, getting closer. I'm still hugging my knees like a child in protest.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you Janie, you are always on my mind, and now, we are finally together" his words made me nauseous, I leaned back as I felt his breath on my cheek, but he pulled me back, shaking me. He punched me hard enough to knock me to the ground. Then he grabbed my feet and started dragging me to the middle. The ground was harsh against my back, I whimpered in silence. He stopped for a second and called the other man, who came running.
"Hold her down" Hoyt told him. The man leaned and held me to ground. I tried to fight him but he had me tight. Hoyt walked to the cabinet and brought back with him a scalpel. I could feel my heartbeat getting faster and my breaths shorter. I could feel the blood pounding hard against my neck. I was helpless. He started waving the scalpel over me
"We're going to have a lot of fun Janie" Hoyt said now kneeling beside me.
"You won't get away with it" I found myself saying to him.
"Oh I will, I most certainly will" and he moved the scalpel close to my right hand, palm facing upwards which is being held by the other man and drove it into my hand till it came out from the other side scratching the floor. "ARGHHH" I shrieked as pain blinded me, squeezing my eyes shut, he took the scalpel out and drove it in my left hand drawing the same reaction. The pain was so immense I wished that he would kill me and get over with it. I couldn't fight, I couldn't move in the first place. Any move would conjure pain, and I felt plenty. Tears were now flooding my face.
"That hurt didn't it Janie?" he said actually waiting for a response, but I wasn't going to give him one, I won't give him the satisfaction. He grabbed my cheeks forcing me to open my still shut eyes but I still didn't utter a word.
"Janie, answer me" his voice now threatening. Still not a letter. I saw him look at the man and nod, and before I could adjust my eyes to look up at him. He reached for my hand squeezing it like he was dangling from a bridge. "ARGHHHH" I screamed.
"Answer me jane!" Hoyt's voice said now getting louder almost shouting.
"Yes" I gulped blinking away hot tears.
"Yes" again 0barely audible.
"Good girl" and he walked away. I couldn't think straight, my palms were bleeding, and the sight of my own blood running away from my body and the torture that I am going to go through made me realize that I am a dead woman. I gave up on the hope that someone is going to find me and save me from the hell I am living or that this is just one of the nightmares that I have, that I would wake up in my own bed feeling safe. But no, this is real. And I am more than dreading of what's going to happen next or if I'll survive it.
I felt a hand caressing my left cheek, moving slowly down to my neck. My eyes blank hard adjusting to the light now hanging over my head, catching up the last few hours, it appears that I blacked out after Hoyt embedded the scalpel in my hands and left. The hand now moving even lower, I shivered under the cold touch.
"Welcome back" the hoarse voice said.
"We haven't been properly introduced you know, my fault I believe" his hand resting on my hip. The other tangled in my hair.
"You're the apprentice" I say not meeting his gaze.
"You have that right" he said in a smuggish way.
"How did you two meet?" I asked mot really wanting to know but to buy some time.
"Now that's actually a really good story"
"I'm all ears"
"Well, it all started in jail you see, he was my cell mate, and he was really quite, he had no one visiting him except that doctor her name I believe is Nolan. Which made me think he had no family. No personal possessions of any kind. And he almost always looked in deep thought, and that intrigued me. But I didn't build up enough courage to ask. Until" he paused. Glaring at me.
"He came up to me one day and told me that….." pausing again.
"Told you what?"
"That he wanted my help kidnapping someone"
"And you just agreed no questions asked?" I was now steamed my voice rising a bit.
"Well yes kind of, but I had one condition you see…. And that is to have some time with you… alone, and I am not willing to waste that time."
"And how did you escape?" I questioned him.
"Enough chit chat now, be quite" he said editing his position crouching over me now.
"No, nooo waittt!" I shouted as his hands went exploring my skin under my shirt. He made no response but put his finger to his mouth and whispered
"Shhhh, quite".
"Nonononono, nooo please please no" tears welled up in my eyes and didn't hesitate but ran across my face. He moved his hand and swiped away the tears
"I won't hurt you, we're just gonna have some fun" his words only made me cry more. Now gulping air, eyes shut and trembling hard.
"I want you to look at me while I do this" he said to my ear. Then out of the bloom, slapped me.
"LOOK AT ME!" my cries got louder but managed to open my eyes. Satisfied he placed a kiss on my neck which made me recoil in disgust, followed by many others.
After what felt like ages, he receded. Leaving me with his image stuck in my head, and the pain he caused still running inside me like electricity. I felt empty and contaminated. I was lighted headed, shaking, sobs escaping my mouth every few minutes. I see him staring at me, molding things in his head. I try to shake away his blood shot eyes, but fail miserably. I want to run away from them, hide, do anything but see them. Even when I resort to the sanctuary in my head, I see him, leering down on me. I pray to god for this to end. I pray to see the loving faces of my family and friends, to be able to hear their voices. They are the ones who are keeping me going. Just the thought of them makes me want to stay alive, to stay strong. His voice brought me back to reality. "Don't get comfortable, we're just getting started." "Hoyt has a lot of plans for you." With those words, Hoyt walked in on us. "What are you two up to?" he says. "I was just telling her what we had planned" the man answers.