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Calleigh was getting ready to take off with one of the teams assigned to Ryan's case. They had agreed to scout the areas of the few places that Ryan and Cheryl had gone to. It was thought to be a long shot that she would have taken him back to one of the places, but at this point they had nothing left to go on.
The two teams consisted of several officers from the station as well as officers from the areas being searched. The team that Calleigh was on was heading out to the bed and breakfast to see what they could find. Someone had talked to the owners of the place and they had confirmed that Ryan and Cheryl had indeed stayed there, but as for where they may have gone when they were here they didn't know. They did however provide some information about the area and it looked like they were going to have their work cut out for them.
On the drive over Calleigh had a map open on her lap looking at the areas that someone had marked as possible places of interest. She tried to memorize the layout as best she could, but her mind kept thinking back to Ryan and wondering if he was still alive. She was afraid that Cheryl might have found out about the call and did something to him. She just hoped they were heading in the right direction, but she wished they were there already.
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Today was yet another day for Ryan, all of which was the same as it was yesterday. The day to day routine had been the same for the last 5 days and he was beginning to rely on it just as much as the drug. It somehow kept him balanced in this bizarre situation so much that he was still able to keep a part of who he used to be hidden away from Cheryl. There were several times in the last few weeks that he was afraid there was nothing left of himself but he kept fighting the inner demons to let him stay. He still had hopes of escaping and everyday without Cheryl's knowledge he was getting stronger. He couldn't do much while being chained to the room, but it was enough to gain some muscle strength back. He knew one of these days he would feel the time was right and bolt from this place.
As Ryan was washing himself up he heard Cheryl in the other room. He could only assume she was preparing their evening meal and would soon be coming in. He hoped it was something other than oatmeal and toast, but he had realized long ago that this was either the only thing Cheryl knew how to make or it was the only thing she had stocked up on.
He made his way back to this bed and waited for Cheryl. Before too long the door opened with the ever familiar tray and yes it was oatmeal and toast again.
"Hi baby, you look nice tonight. Did you clean yourself up for me, how wonderful. Well I hope you're hungry because I made your favorite". She put the tray down on the table next to the bed and then pulled over the one chair in the room. She waited for Ryan to sit on the edge of the bed before she placed a napkin in his lap. "There, now you're ready to eat".
Ryan said thank you before picking the spoon up and stirring up his food. He must have been stirring too long because before he knew it Cheryl had taken the bowl away from him. He looked up at her and for a moment panic flooded through him as he realized he didn't know is she had said anything before taking the food away.
Cheryl stood up when she didn't get a response. She also couldn't help but notice Ryan was stirring his oatmeal for an unusual amount of time so she decided to take it away. "Is something wrong with your food? You usually start eating it right away".
Ryan didn't know what to say. He was afraid that whatever he said would make her angry so he just stared at her.
When all she got was the dumb look on his face, she went over to him and slapped him as hard she could, "Well, answer me".
He wanted to rub his cheek but thought better of it. He needed to answer her, "I'm sorry, I guess I was just thinking and didn't realize how long I was taking".
"You better be sorry. I expect you to eat what is placed in front of you so I guess if you want to eat tonight you will just have to do it without me". She grabbed the bowl and dumped the contents onto the floor. "Now get down there and eat your food".
This was the last thing Ryan expected from her, so he had no idea of what to do next. He looked at the food on the floor and didn't know if she really expected him to eat it off the floor or what. He was starting to sweat and he knew that this was a combination of panic and the beginning of withdrawal symptoms. He should have just eaten the oatmeal and then he could have received his necessary desert; the injection. When he dared to look at her he found himself suddenly being shoved to the floor.
"Well, are you going to eat it or not?" She kept her hand on the back of his neck and refused to let him back up. When she felt his head moving toward the floor she felt better and let go.
Ryan had no choice; he had to eat what was in front of him or face the consequences. He scooped up the slop and put it in his mouth, cringing at the idea of eating off the floor.
Cheryl put the rest of the items back on her tray and then moved away from Ryan. Before she opened up the door she looked back and saw that Ryan still eating. "Once you're done I expect the floor to be cleaned off, I don't want bugs around here. And if you're wondering, you can forget about your desert. I think I have been letting you off to easy and you need to learn a lesson again". She opened the door and walked out.
Ryan kept eating as she left and when he heard the familiar locks being moved he stopped eating. He sat back allowing the bed to hold him up. He wasn't quite sure what he had done to deserve this, but he had to remember not to anger her again.
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Calleigh and the others had finally arrived at the bed and breakfast. They were told by the owners that they could set up camp while they were in the area and their offer had been gladly accepted. Calleigh helped unload their gear and waited until everyone was settled before they talked about their first task. It was decided that once the officers from the area who had volunteered to help showed up they would break off in teams of 5. They were going to use the bed and breakfast as a starting point and fan out in all directions to see if there was anything out there that may have been what Ryan meant by looking familiar. Calleigh wanted to start right away, but the person in charge wanted at least one local officer on each team so they had to wait.
While they waited their hosts treated them to some food and conversation. Calleigh sat with the owners while she sipped ice tea from her glass. She asked them if they had remembered Ryan and they said they did. They also said they remembered Cheryl and that they knew her before her visit. Calleigh found this interesting and asked them what they knew of her, but it wasn't much. They had only known her from a previous visit and thought she was a nice enough girl and that the both of them made a cute couple. It was when they started to ask why they were looking for them and what made them think they were in the area that Calleigh knew it was time to end the discussion. She thanked them and excused herself to see if the others had finally shown up.
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Ryan was sitting on the floor next to the toilet waiting for the next wave of dry heaves to come. He had already managed to throw up any food he had in his stomach and now there was nothing left. But it was the shaking and sweating that made him realized that he was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. All he could think about was the drug that Cheryl was withholding from him. He thought if she were too walk in the door right now he would probably do anything she wanted as long as she gave him what he needed.
He quickly grabbed the edge of the toilet as he was once again overcome with need to throw up, but when nothing came up again he sat back down and closed his eyes. If someone were here and offered to shoot him, he would have taken them up on it, as long as it took the agony and pain away. His eyes were still closed when he heard the door in the other room open. He had no strength left to even open his eyes to face her so he just stayed put. He figured he would learn soon enough what Cheryl wanted.
"Have you learned your lesson yet?"
Ryan heard her and slowly opened his eyes. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom staring at him. She had a peculiar look about her and he didn't have a clue as to what it meant. But he didn't want to anger her again so he weakly answers her by saying "Yes, I have learned my lesson".
"And what lesson is that?"
"To do as I am asked".
Cheryl came over to Ryan and sat next to him on the floor. "Yes, that is correct my dear. I'm sorry you had to go through this, but I needed you to know who was in charge here". She caresses his face for a moment and continued, "Now, I think it is time to get you cleaned up and give you what you want. Would you like that?"
Ryan looked her right in the eye at the mention of getting what he wanted. It wasn't hard for him to produce and answer to the question. He quickly said "Yes".
She stood up and went over to the bathtub. She reached down and turned on the water and then went back to where Ryan was. "Well, I think a bath is in order. You're not looking your best at the moment". She reached for his hand and said, "Can you stand up darling?"
Ryan nodded his head and took her offered hand. With a little effort on his part he was soon standing up and leaning against the sink. He was now looking at Cheryl who was busy removing his shirt. Once his shirt was off she removed the rest of his clothes and took him by the hand. She led him over to the tub that was now almost completely filled with water. "Ok, it's time to get in and get cleaned off". She helped him into the tub and once he was seated her hand moved down toward the chain around his leg. "Now, I am going to trust you to take a bath without this, but don't get to use to it because it will be going back on". She unlocked the shackles and laid them on the floor. She then stood up and retrieved something from her pocket.
Ryan had been watching her and when he saw the syringe his eyes grew wide with delight.
Cheryl could tell he was pleased. She once again sat in front of the tub and took his arm. "Here, I know you have been waiting for this. But I want to tell you that if you disobey me again I promise you I will not be so forgiving in the future".
The fluid was injected into Ryan's arm and everything that he had been experiencing was gone. He lay back in the tub and allowed the warm water to become one with his skin. He was so lost in the feeling the drug produced that he didn't even realized that Cheryl was still there. He didn't even realize it when she was pulling him up and drying him off or when she walked him into the room and laid him down on the bed.
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