"I don't wanna die... I don't wanna die... I don't wanna fucking die..." Her eyes squeezed shut as she repeated the mantra to herself a thousand times. Dust and dirt rained down on her, the ground above her shaking as the sounds of struggle became nearly too loud to bare. A scream, a death rattle and finally the sound of a body falling heavy and discarded before a deafening roar echoed through the house above. A cry of victory.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks as the air around her became eerily quiet and she waited with shallow breaths for him to find her hidden beneath the floorboards and bound at the wrists like a sacrifice left to appease a wrathful God.
One Year Earlier
"If you look to your left you'll see our tiger enclosure. Jasper and Phoenix came to us only two years ago after their owner realized they were not in fact pets and surrendered them to our care." Ava pointed to the large fenced in enclosure where two powerful yet lazy Bengal tigers rested happily near a running stream. She waited as the crowd stepped forward to begin snapping photos, the usual Ooh's and Aah's rippling through them as they watched.
"These beautiful creatures were very sick when they arrived but as you can see thanks to our on staff veterinary care and lots of love they have made a full recovery." As if on cue the next ten minutes or so were filled with questions regarding tiger care, most of which were pretty standard but a few stood out as well educated but unanswerable questions for her.
Two times a day she would meet a group at the front of the zoo and take them around to see as much as she could in the time allotted. She had only been working there for a few months and already she had the script memorized, making her job exceedingly simple, enjoyable and one of the best things to happen to her since she had moved to Philidelphia.
It isn't easy leaving everything you know and love behind but in Ava's case it was necessary and she tried her best to never look back. She concentrated on making a new life for herself, she'd even considered changing her name had the cost not been so high but after nearly three months of peace, she had begun to feel like the worst was behind her and she could finally begin to heal from the nightmare she had escaped.
"You're doing great out there Ava." She smiled warmly and turned from her locker to thank her manager. She had been lovely since Ava began working at the zoo. Taking time out of her day to help her find her way around, introduce her to a few people and had even invited her out a time or two.
"Thank's Blue." She smiled. The woman had earned the nickname for a trademark stripe she had kept in her hair for a few years running. "I think I'm really starting to get the hang of it." She added as she turned back around to fetch her bag.
"You're a natural. Would you be interested in trying something new?" Blue leaned against the locker next to Ava as she waited for her answer.
"I guess I could, what did you have in mind?" She slid her padlock into place and threw her bag over her shoulder, ready to put work behind her as soon as she was given the green light to leave.
"Maggie's called in sick, you know the gift shop girl. I was wondering if you wanted to fill in for her." Ava smiled.
"I guess. I mean how hard can it be?" She wasn't overly fond of the idea of standing around all day. She enjoyed the exercise but the temptation of not having to deal with the daily barrage of questions was almost too good to pass up. The girls left the locker room behind and headed back out into the now empty zoo. The only people who ever stayed past hours were either security personnel or responsible for maintaining the animal's habitats so Ava being neither made her way toward the back and into the employee parking lot.
"A few of us are going to get a drink, do you want to come?" Blue offered as they walked side by side through the rows of cars.
"Yeah, that actually sounds good."
"Great!" Blue exclaimed. After giving her the address of the bar that they frequented the girls parted ways and Ava found herself alone. She gripped the strap of her bag and reminded herself that even though it was dusk it was still light enough to be considered safe and she had nothing to worry about. It did little to ease her fears however but after everything she had been through it was understandable that in moments like these her body would be unable to forget the trauma that she had experienced not so long ago.
Ava came to a stop at her black dodge neon and began fishing through her purse to find her keys.
"Oh no..." She groaned before slipping the bag off of her shoulder and placing it on the hood of her car to get a better look. Lip gloss, tissues, loose candy, and coins decorated the bottom of her purse but no matter how hard she wished her little pink key chain remained lost an nowhere to be seen. It wasn't until she looked over into the windshield of her car that reality hit her full force and she let out a frustrated sigh. Sitting on the driver's seat, on the other side of a locked door was the little pink bear that kept watch over the silver key ring she needed.
"Shit shit shit!" She stomped. Ava paced back and forth for a moment before jiggling the handle with no luck and offering another curse to the sky. Her window was cracked but despite her efforts, she could fit no more than a finger or two inside, certainly not enough to snatch the ring that seemed to taunt her from the other side of the door. "That's just awesome." She groaned one last time before snatching her bag and tossed it over her shoulder with a huff. She turned quickly, settling herself on the idea of taking the bus but before she could set off she slammed into something hard and found herself screaming as she jumped back.
"Woah, Woah... Are you okay?"
"What the..." She began and devolved into a series of groans. Ava stopped and steadied herself, catching her breath as she finally looked up to see just what she had hit. A tall man in a maintenance uniform stood before her holding his jacket over his arms and watching her from behind worried blue eyes. He looked kind enough, maybe even a little handsome despite the close to the scalp hair cut he wore but somehow it seemed to work for him. Ava relaxed only slightly.
"Jesus where did you come from?" She finally asked and he pointed behind him.
"The same place as you I'm assuming." He joked and she smiled.
"You work here? Of course, you work here." Ava chuckled as she realized the idiocy behind her question. "I didn't see you there I'm sorry."
"That was my fault. It sounded like you needed help, I just came to see if you were okay." He offered and she nodded.
"Oh, yeah I locked my keys in my car," She pointed behind her. "I don't suppose you could help me get them out." Ava winced, hoping that there was something he could do and she wouldn't end up having to shell out the money for a mechanic. He walked toward her car and leaned down to peer inside.
"Yeah, I can... Wait here." Without another word, the man took off back toward the zoo and Ava once again placed her bag on the hood of her car. She pulled out a small mirror and took a moment to compose herself, the sweat of the day causing her makeup to run but thankfully only slightly. She ran a brush through her thick brown hair before tying it up into a messy ponytail and wiping the eyeliner from under her eyes before tossing everything back into her bag as his footsteps approached from behind her.
He laid his coat down next to her bag and quietly slipped a long silver tool in through the cracked window. It had occurred to her that it might have been a coat hanger for all she knew and within a few short moments the lock popped up and he opened the door for her with a kind smile.
"There you go."
"Oh my God thank you so much!" She beamed gratefully as she stepped around him and tossed her bag on to the passenger seat.
"It's no problem." He offered, grabbing his coat and stepping back. He turned to leave and feeling bad for not saying more Ava called his attention once again.
"Hey, What's your name?" She asked, leaning forward on her car door as she waited.
"I'm Kevin." He held his hand out to her and she took it, shaking it gently.
"I'm Ava. How come I've never seen you?" She asked and he shrugged.
"You just started here right?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "But I've met almost everyone already."
"Oh, I work in maintenance. Half of my job is staying hidden." He offered with a smile and she nodded.
"Sounds like a dream." She joked. "Well thank you again. Maybe I'll see you around Kevin."
"Not if I'm doing my job right." Ava laughed and watched as he walked back the way he had come. She slid into her car and started the engine, thankful that someone had come along and saved her the torture of riding the city bus back to her little apartment. After grabbing a quick shower and throwing on a pair of ripped jeans and an old band T-shirt she drove back to the heart of the city to meet up with her boss and a few others from work. She had been invited on several occasions but only managed to make it on a few. Being social wasn't high on the list of her priorities but each time she went out she found herself glad that she did and wondered why she didn't do it more often.
The night went by in a blur of laughter and drinks, good food and good company and as the clock past ten Ave paid for her portion, said her goodbyes and called herself a cab. She didn't want to trust that she was sober enough to drive home and as the world began to spin and she found it slightly difficult to climb the stairs to her apartment she was glad that she did.
Ava sat alone at one of the round metal picnic benches to enjoy her lunch. Most of the crew preferred to eat in the lounge where it was air-conditioned but not wanting to be bombarded by the elevator music that played over the speakers and rather enjoying the sunlight while it was still warm enough outside to do so Ava chose to enjoy her book and her lunch in peace.
The sounds of children begging for toys, food, and drinks surrounded her and she chuckled at the voices of frustrated parents trying to placate them for just a few more moments of peace as they walked by paying her no mind and continuing about their day.
A cool breeze blew through her hair bringing with it the trademark smells of Autumn. Red and gold leaves decorated the ground and the smell of rain became normal so when the clouds parted allowing the sunlight through she thought it silly not to take advantage of the moment and enjoy what was left of the year before the ground froze over forcing most inside where it was warm. Completely lost in her book and what remained of her lunch she had barely noticed when a shadow fell over her followed by the sound of a clearing throat.
She looked up to see Kevin standing to her side and he waved as she marked her place and closed the book on her lap. It had been a few days since they had first met and curious of what he wanted she smiled up at him and returned his gesture.
"Hey, Kevin right?" He paused for a moment before nodding.
"Yeah, can I sit with you? Is that weird?" He asked with a nervous smile and she shook her head.
"No, it's fine." She motioned to the seat on the other side of her and he sat down with nothing but a Coke and a friendly smile. "Are you on break?" She asked eyeing the drink and he nodded.
"Yeah but the food here is terrible." He twisted the lid off with a hiss and took a drink.
"Yeah, I've noticed." She motioned to the half-eaten meal that sat forgotten in front of her. The potato chips were about the only thing she found edible and before he had confirmed what she found for herself she had decided it was time to start bringing her own food or forgo the meal altogether.
"What are you reading?" He asked peering over the table to get a look. She held up her book, a cheesy romance novel and shrugged.
"Just some fluff." She offered before placing it on the table and pushed it to the side. He took the book and gave it a once over before handing it back.
"I never understood why the men never wear shirts on these things. Is that necessary?" Ava laughed lightly. She had never really noticed but it was a fair observation. She made a mental note to check her other novels to see if he was correct.
"I mean it's not a bad thing." She offered and he shrugged.
"Yeah, sure I mean if you're into that kind of thing."
"Are you not?" She teased and he let out a loud laugh.
"I mean I'm not picky but I can see that any time I want." He made a motioned toward his own chest with a smile. "What I want to know is why the girls are never topless." Ava snorted and quickly hid her mouth hoping he hadn't heard the sound but as a smile spread across his face she became painfully aware that she hadn't gotten that lucky.
"That's cute." He smiled.
"Oh shut up." She laughed and so did he. "So I thought your job was to stay hidden?" He thought about her words and for a moment Ava could have sworn he looked confused.
"Oh, yeah it can be."
"You're not so hidden now." She leaned forward with a smile. "Don't you feel exposed?" She teased. Kevin looked around them before leaning down to meet her.
"Oh, no honey I save the exposing for after work." He winked and Ava sat back, shocked at his sense of humor but enjoying it none the less.
"Oh my God, you are awful." She laughed and he sat up with a smile, pleased with her reaction.
"I know."
"So how long have you worked here?" She asked, checking the time on her phone as she waited for his reply.
"A few years."
"Do you like it?" He nodded quickly.
"Oh yeah, it's easy and I don't usually have to deal with people." Ava chuckled.
"God wouldn't that be nice."
"Aren't you a tour guide?" He asked and Ava shrugged.
"I was but I've been working in the gift shop the past few days. Something tells me they're gonna keep me there." She still hadn't decided how she felt about the situation but have no say in the matter she had found it easy enough to accept. She slid her book back into her bag and began to gather up her mess. "I'm sorry my breaks over."
"Oh okay, well it was nice talking to you." He stood with her and offered to carry her tray. Ava handed it to him with a smile and took note of the small but kind gesture.
"Yeah, it was fun." She offered and followed him to the trash cans where he dumped the tray and quickly turned back to face her.
"Can I sit with you again sometime?" He asked and without having to think Ava agreed.
"Yeah, I'd like that actually."
"Are you sure?" Ava nodded.
"Sure, you're fun to talk to." A pleased smile crossed his face as she adjusted her bag and readied herself to leave. "Have a nice day Kevin." He wished her the same and with that, they went off in opposite directions, Kevin to his duties and Ava to hers. She caught sight of him once or twice throughout the rest of the day and found herself smiling as he offered her a small wave each time. She was always on the lookout for good people to surround herself and even though they had only just met somewhere deep inside of her she knew that Kevin qualified as just that.