"And I say, hey hey hey hey I said hey, what's going on?"
I know my voice was off key, but I didn't give a shit.
Ah, 4 non blondes. They were such a highly underrated group.
It's too bad they only had one hit. "What's up" was one of my favorite songs. If nothing else, it helped me pass the time. I nodded my head to the music, tapping my steering wheel in rhythm. It was already dark.
Since I was heading deep into the countryside, no one else was around. There were no streetlights. I haven't seen another car for hours.
Which was fine by me.
The less witnesses, the better.
"...I pray every single day For a revolution!..." Linda Perry was singing.
The roads were a little slippery, but my SUV could handle it.
I frowned a little when the song ended. But that didn't bother me.
I casually pressed the rewind button so I could start the song all over again.
Sadly, before I could get a good rhythm going, my destination loomed into view. I let out a sad sigh as I parked in front of the log-style cabin. "Until next time, Linda Perry. Until next time." I muttered as I got out of the SUV.
I unlocked one of the back doors and grabbed several plastic bags.
I whistled my favorite TV theme song as I pressed the fob to lock all the doors. Ah, Andy Griffith. Definitely an underrated actor. I made a mental note to tape the marathon that was running on TV Land all weekend. I loved that show.
When they stopped filming, it really pissed me off.
I swung my shopping bags, feeling like a kid in a candy store.
I all but skipped to the front door. Making sure no one was watching,
I carefully unlocked the front door and headed inside. I quickly locked the door after me. It was cold inside, but that didn't bother me. The cold never did.
The cold and I have always been kindred spirits.
One of very few that I regarded as an equal.
I turned on the lights. I entered the kitchen and pulled my favorite wine out of the fridge. I poured myself a glass and returned to the living room.
Carefully, I threw open the persian carpet.
Revealing a carefully hidden trap door.
It was a bit of a balancing act, juggling my bags and my wineglass as I carefully descended the stairs into the basement. But I managed it with practiced ease as I've done this plenty of times before. The entire basement was soundproof.
I couldn't take the chance of people hearing things they shouldn't.
I headed towards a wall and removed a bland painting of flowers.
Revealing a keypad.
I quickly punched in a bunch of numbers.
A panel slid aside, revealing a room that was barely bigger than a storage unit. If I was claustrophobic, it would drive me crazy. I was still whistling as I entered the room, the panel sliding shut behind me. I gazed with clinical detachment towards the corner. He was barely conscious, his hands tied over his head.
His bonds were attached to a chain which was attached to the ceiling.
His ankles were secured by chains that were used on convicts.
I made sure he was gagged. There was no sense in letting the little shit scream for help after all. One of his eyes were swollen shut. There was a bruise the size of a walnut on his forehead. One of his shoulders had been dislocated.
My keen eye could make out several fractures in his left leg.
He was covered in welts and bruises.
I still whistled as I placed the plastic bags onto a nearby table. He watched me with wary eyes, not unlike a cornered animal would a predator. I gave him a sneer. He was so weak. So pathetic in every sense of the word. I hated that I had to waste my precious time on someone that barely rated above an insect.
But it was the only way to get my message across.
While I wished I could kill him, I needed him alive.
For now.
The fact that I could eventually squash him like an insect was my only bright side. I repeated this mantra several times in my head as I reached into a plastic bag.
It was a Polaroid camera.
Shame these went out of style.
You know, it was one of those old-fashioned cameras where you took a picture and it came out of the camera like paper from a printer. You wave the photo a few times to clear it up and you eventually get a clear picture. I love these cameras.
Made things so much easier.
I carefully put down my wineglass and got my camera ready.
"Okay, Tiny Tim!" I said cheerfully. "Say cheese!"