Sorry about the lack in updates. Unfortunately sometimes unexpected things come up and life gets in the way. But I am still working hard on this. It is NOT on hiatus.
This time he left the door open. Sarah thought about trying to run out, but before she could even stand up he was back at the doorway. He tossed a water bottle on the floor near her. "What's with your family? Are people with money always this weird?"
She just shrugged. "I wouldn't know. Speaking of that, can I please use your phone just to call my work? Unless you are planning on killing me then I guess it doesn't matter."
"Is that really all you're worried about? You sound like you're as scared of that are you are of me."
"Kind of, yeah. If I get out of this mess I would still like to have a place to live. Getting fired for not showing up really doesn't look good on job applications."
"What happened to you?" He asked as he leaned up against the doorway crossing his arms. Sarah just shrugged. "No, really, what did you do to ave your family turn on you like that? Get into heavy drugs? Get knocked up at a young age?"
"I wanted to work with kids." Sarah answered lowly.
"Come again?"
"I wanted to go to school for education and work with kids. I wanted to do that instead of work in the family business."
"And for that they throw you to the wolves?" He asked surprised.
"I thought it'd be fine since my siblings planned on continue in dad's footsteps, but apparently not. Dad saw it as turning my back on the family and disrespecting everything he worked for So he kicked me out." She explained.
"And your mom, passed right?"
"When I was seven." Sarah nodded.
"What about your brother and sister?"
"Steph only ever cared about money and what it could get her. And she's always had dad wrapped around her finger. Shane was the only one that really treated me like a person. But dad was always threatening him. And then he got married and started his own family, and he slowly started to pull away."
He looked at her and he could see the sadness in her eyes. "I guess you weren't kidding then huh?"
"At least I've always been able to keep my head above water." She really tried hard to make the best out of everything.
He stood there for a minute, as if studying her, before excusing himself and shutting the door behind him again. She sat there in the dark holding herself. Even though they had seemed to be having a pretty easy going conversation, she was still afraid. She was just proving to him now that her family wasn't going to fulfill his plan And she knew she had nothing to give him He clearly took her for money, and even though she was able to survive, it was just barely. There was nothing back at her apartment worth anything that she could give him. She didn't know what to do. She was trying to come up with anything.
Before she was able to think of anything the door opened again.
"So I noticed you had some food stashed in your backpack. Did you want it?" He asked holding up her wrapped sandwich.
Sarah faltered slightly. She was taken aback by his kindness, but she was also nervous. She had no reason to trust him so she wondered if there was a reason he was being nice.
"Relax. I didn't poison it. I still need you alive." He said, sensing her uneasiness.
"Yeah, sure." She answered.
He tossed it over to her.
"Thanks." She said in a small voice.
"You can also come out here if you want. As long as you do everything I tell you and don't touch anything." She nodded nervously. "And you can call me Aleister."
He walked away from the doorway again, but this time leaving the door open. She really wanted to get out of the cramped dark room she was in. Possibly look around and be able to find some way to escape. But she was worried that this was some kind of trap. She slowly stood up and walked towards the doorway. She peeked out and it looked like she was being held in a large closet off of the hallway. She had expected to see a dimly lit run down place with the lights flickering and wallpaper peeling off of the walls. However that wasn't the case. You could tell that the apartment belonged to a bachelor, but it was kept clean and didn't look dangerous.
Sarah slowly walked towards the living area she could see from the doorway. There was a leather sofa, a glass coffee table, a large television, an extensive video game collection, and some odd artwork on the walls.
"What?" He asked as he came up behind her, noticing the look on her face.
"Nothing...it's just, interesting." She replied.
Aleister smiled. "Yeah, not everyone can appreciate my artwork I guess."
"You did these?" She asked surprised.
"Yeah. Most of them ended up becoming tattoos."
"So, you're a tattoo artist?"
"Well, I can draw. I have equipment. However I do not have a license. And the tattoo shops around here kind of appreciate that."
"It doesn't seem like you you really let the law stop you." Sarah stated.
He chuckled. "Me, no. However the tattoo shops are another story. They won't hire because they're afraid of getting in trouble. So I do it out of my home."
"Ah, there's the illegal part."
"Indeed. You can sit down if you want."
Sarah did take a seat on the couch. She wasn't sure if that was just to make her comfortable or if it was more of a command, and she didn't want to risk anything.
"So, I need to eat to and I just ordered a pizza. You can have some when it gets here if you want." Aleister offered.
"Okay." Sarah whispered.
He sat down on the couch next to her. "You should also probably know that I called your brother again and told him he had until Monday to get me fifty grand if he wanted to see you alive."
"What day is it?" Sarah asked still unsure of how long she was out.
"It's still Friday." Aleister told her.
"What did he say to that?" Sarah questioned.
"Honestly, I didn't really give him much of a chance to answer. I told him the new situation and hung up. Although he did seem receptive."
"Situation?"
"Well, I was trying to get more than fifty grand. Told him he had to deliver that to see you alive. And another hundred grand to get you back. Hopefully big brother comes through." He said as he tapped her leg.
There was something about the way he talked that filled Sarah with some kind of comfort. She really couldn't explain it. He seemed sadistic and scary, his body seemingly covered in tattoos. He had threatened her directly and indirectly. But there was something about the way he smiled, it made his whole face seem kind. It wasn't scary.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. The smile on his face disappeared.
"Get in the closet." He said to her.
"What?" She asked shakily. "Why?"
"Keep your voice down." He said as he grabbed her wrist. "Be quiet, and get in the closet. I can't have anyone see you."
He pulled her up and walked behind her to the closet. After she entered she turned around and looked at him. He closed and locked the door behind her.