There is a knock at my office door as Andrea shuffles nervously in; I'm hoping she has given up her quest to make me feel better about Anastasia leaving me. I've only been in the office for a few days now, by request of Taylor. He says I need to go back to some sort of routine to ease my pain. It's been two weeks and I haven't heard anything from her. There have been no calls or answers from her phone, and she left her car at the bank, never coming back to retrieve it. One of the hardest things to do was sending Taylor to fetch it, solidifying her abandonment. It's almost like she's fallen off of the face of the Earth- 'I have a package for you Mr. Grey' Andrea announces pulling me from my reverie. 'It's from her' she whispers breathless, afraid of the repercussions of her words. Andrea may as well have shouted it for the pull those words had on me, nearly causing me to lose my balance. I cannot answer, words escape me. She places the box onto my desk and exits quietly. My heart is racing as I simply stare at the small cardboard package from the only woman I've ever loved and mother of a child I'll never meet. I reach for the lid, palms sweaty, hoping for the contents inside to provide me with some explanation for her desertion. 'It was never about the money' I recite her last words in my head- feeling hopeful as I open what I hope holds all of the answers.
Inside the box, on top of a thick stack of papers is a hand written note. My stomach falls as I recognize the writing immediately- Jack. I grab the note, hoping that I'm so very wrong.
'Baby bird, you once took everything from me and now it is my time to return the favor. Do not look for me or she will die. I shall contact you.'
The note falls from my hand and my breath escapes my lungs as I catch sight of what the note was resting on top of. What I thought was a stack of papers is actually pictures. Oh God, pictures of her. I can't help myself, I have to face my fears- I flip through the photos even though the content only gets worse. I can't handle this! I fall to the floor; multiple pics of her where she's tied to a bed naked, badly beaten and bruised. My blood runs cold as I hear a soft thud- there in the bottom of the box is a video tape with the words 'Play Me' written in that monster's scrawl.
I feel strong hands pull me upwards. I hear Taylors voice, but all my senses are consumed- Anastasia, my Ana, is with HIM! I need to get to a tape player. Who the fuck has a VCR anymore? THE MAIL ROOM! I remember seeing one on the last tour I gave! Taylor is still talking to me, but I rush out of the room and down the hall suddenly. The elevator dings just in time as more security rushes into the reception area. I slip in just as the doors are closing. I'm by myself, I can't think, she's hurting. Oh God. The ride down is too long- I'll kill that monster. My thoughts are all jumbled, but one thing is clear- when I find Jack I will kill him with my bare hands. The elevator slows, and I rush out before the doors open fully. I knock into someone causing them to fall backwards- It's Sawyer. I catch my balance and run off before he can question me. 'EVERYONE GET THE FUCK OUT NOW' I scream as I burst through the mail room door. The few employees in the room scatter as quickly as possible, and I lock the door behind them. I'm shaking, tearing through the room trying to locate my torture device. A small TV is attached to a rolling cart with a VCR on the shelf below it. The TV screen is blue, just waiting to show me my worst nightmares caught on tape. I jam the tape into the player and press play.