It had been a fews days since she had ran into Dave and talked to Jean. Lenore's mind was plagued with runaway thoughts on this other woman. She needed more information before she could do anything to help her. Flash backs of her own time with Bill haunted her.
Lenore decided to bite the bullet and call Dave. Her finger hovered over the dial pad in uncertainty. Would he help her this time? Bill had a way of turning everyone against her. She quickly dialed his number and prayed it hadn't changed. Lenore paced around her apartment as the phone rang.
"Hello?" Dave answered
Lenore froze in place, her mouth going dry.
"Hello?" Dave asked again.
"Dave, its Lenore." She said shakily.
"You okay?" He asked, noting the tremor in her voice.
She cleared her throat and went back to pacing. "No, actually...I keep think about Bill's new victim. Where are they? I heard they moved."
"Lenore..." Dave was about to defend Bill when he thought back to the visit. "Actually I'm a little concerned too. When I was over there a few days ago it was such an oppressing atmosphere. I thought they were in an arranged marriage or something but Emily said I was delusional for thinking that and then Bill basically kicked me out after that." He said, growing ever more concerned.
"He probably tricked her into marrying him. Can you tell me anything else, Dave? I think she's in danger." Lenore said, lighting a cigarette.
"He keeps her shackled on this long chain." Dave said after a long pause.
"He what? Dave call the police right now!" Lenore demanded, throwing her lighter.
"I can't! I really shouldn't be talking to you right now." Dave said nervously.
Lenore stomped her foot angrily. It was his fault she was ever dragged into that damn cult. "Dammit Dave, I can't believe after all these years he joins your damn cult and uses it to torture another woman. You're complicit in this whether you like it or not. Help me rescue this woman or so help me!"
"Lenore I want to help, but I think they are making progress." Dave struggled to answer.
"You never knew Bill like I did, the real Bill." Lenore hissed.
Dave was silent, contemplating what to say.
"Give me thier address at least." She pleaded, afraid she was losing her only link to them.
"I-I can't. Bill's changed and you're just going to stir up trouble like you always do." Dave said before hanging up.
Lenore stared down at her phone before throwing it on her bed. It bounced off and onto the floor. Furious tears flooded down her face. She cursed Dave to every diety she knew of.
She was terrified of potentially facing Bill again, but she would if she had to save this other woman. Lenore cursed, she forgot to ask her name. She shook her head and snatched her sleeping pills off the nightstand and swallowed them with the bourbon she kept by her bed. Lenore couldn't sleep through the night or even get to sleep without a little help. Bill left her with some dark demons. If she was going to be any use she had to get some sleep. She had a few errands to run tomorrow.
Dave shook his head. He was surprised Bill had found his church online, let alone joined after all this time. He seemed like he changed for the better. The nagging thoughts of the shackle and gunshot left him shaken. He wanted to believe Bill had repented. He would visit them more and see if he could guide them both towards the light.
Emily miserably folded the clothes while Bill watched TV. She was tired and bored out of her skull. It had been a mind numbingly long day. Dave had stopped by earlier and talked to Bill outside. She asked Bill what that was about but he evaded the question.
She sighed heavily and went to put away the laundry she had just finished folding. Emily quickly put them away, glad to be done with that. She looked out the window and saw a few stars. Not wanting to draw any attention to herself, she quietly opened the window and poked her head out. It was a beautiful night. A few lightning bugs blinked in the the distance.
It was relatively peaceful. It was the first time she had been able to relax since the whole ordeal. She gazed up at the sky in awe, hoping aliens would come down and abduct her from this nightmare.
Once BIll's show was finished he looked around for Emily. She hadn't returned since she went to put the laundry away. He walked to his room, farting loudly along the way. Emily grimaced and climbed out of the window, barely enough chain to put her foot down. Hearing the commotion Bill raced over to the window. He leaned over and looked down, squinting from the sudden darkness. "What do you think you're doing!" Bill demanded. She was laying in the grass.
Emily sighed quietly. "Getting some fresh air." She said, looking back over her shoulder.
"You're dirty now." Bill grunted as he leaned further over the window sill.
Emily gave him a look. "So?"
"So you'll need to take a bath before getting in bed." Bill snapped impatiently.
"Oh, you must be horny then." She said in a deadpan voice, rolling her eyes.
Bill flushed even redder, no thanks to the beer. "Come inside and get cleaned up." He said, jerking the chains a few times.
"Or you could just come to me." She said disinterestly, playing with a blade of grass.
Bill sighed as he climbed through the window, losing his balance and eating the dirt. Emily looked at him in annoyance. "Are you okay?" She asked insincerely.
"I'm fine." He groaned as he crawled over to her.
"I'm not in the mood tonight." She said, recoiling from him.
Bill huffed, cuddling up to her. "What if I got you in the mood." He said in an attempted seductive tone. Emily looked away and made a face. "Just do what you want." She sighed. Where were the god damn aliens? Bill excitedly groped her as she glared up at the stars.
He rolled off of her when he finished, gasping for breath. Emily rolled her eyes and scooted away. She placed her hand in his so he wouldn't complain.
A shooting star streaked across the inky sky, exciting her momentarily. She kept her eyes glued to the sky until she hear a loud snore beside her. She lifted her head and sure enough he was out.
Emily carefully got to her feet and quietly climbed back inside. She shut the window carefully, stifling a laugh. He was locked out now, with no clothes. She knew he would be furious when he woke up but it was too good to pass up on.
Now she could explore some of the house unbothered, maybe find a key or weapon, or the phone. Where would he keep his cellphone? She crept to his office that he kept locked at all times. Surely he had a key to get in somewhere, but where would he keep it?
She spent all night searching high and low, managing to find a small notepad and pencil in the couch cushions. Where did he keep that god damn key? It had to be in the house, right?
She gave up her search as the sun began to rise. Emily was exhausted and nervous now. She looked in every nook and cranny she could get to and came up empty handed. She plopped down in one of the dining room chairs and put her head in her hands. Now what?
She sat there for several minutes, it all seemed so hopeless. She decided to look through the mail he left on the table. It was just a few store ads and some junk mail. Nothing important. An idea struck her, she grabbed one of the letters and stashed it under the bed with her notepad and pencil. She scrawled a message on the front, saying name and thst she had been kidnapped, drawing an arrow to the address, saying that is where she was being kept. Hopefully this would get some sort of attention when the time was right.
She jumped, knocking her head in the bedframe. Bill beat on the front door, screaming her name. She held her head and writhed for a few minutes, trying to ignore Bill's ever angrier yells.
She tucked her stuff out of sight and steeled herself as she went to open the door for him. "Sorry, didn't want to wake you." She yelled through the door, hand hovering over the lock.
"Let me in right now!" He demanded, pounding on the door.
"What's in this for me?" She asked coyly.
"Open this god damn door, Emily!" He roared, destroying what nerve she had.
"I'm scared! Please don't hurt me!" She pleaded, her heart pounding.
"Open. The. Door."
Emily swallowed thickly and let him in. He barged in, hand raised to back hand her.
"I'm sorry!" She cowered away from him.
"You're going to be." Bill said as he slammed the door behind himself.
