note:
Part of this chapter has an interaction with Aimee and Chet. They have found common ground in the fact they both love the movie The Big Lebowski and Chet has essentially altered his look to fit one of the characters from the movie so he fits in better with the locals. There is a scene that plays out that is pretty much an inside joke that will probably only be understood by those who have seen it. Just thought I'd toss that out there in the event it confused anyone. Thanks!
-15-
Maddie stood upon the chair he had brought in, peering out the small window. It was only then that she had indeed realized how pointless it would be to scream or kick the door to get anyone's attention. As far as the eye could see there were just woods and meadows. No signs of other building or homes. Not even a road. It was impossible for her to determine the size of the building she was in since she couldn't physically put her head outside the window. She sighed deeply, then stepped off the chair. She looked over to Jaime who was sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chin.
"I don't see anything out there." Jaime nodded briefly.
"You won't either, Maddie. There is nothing out there. This is the back of the building. But I can tell you it's pretty much the same in the front. All you see are woods and an old road leading up here." Maddie sat down next to her, fidgeting with her hands nervously.
"He said this place was the looney bin. What do you think he meant by that?"
"I think we are being held in what used to be some kind of mental hospital or sanitarium. From what I have seen in my time here I always thought it was like some abandoned hospital. I thought it may have been a prison, but there aren't really any cells with bars. Just a lot of these rooms with heavy steel doors and those windows. So, I think it makes sense to believe what he said." Maddie looked at their surroundings as she had so many times in the last day. She pointed over to the small sink and toilet in the far corner of the room.
"How is it that the water still works? Wouldn't you need to have some account for water service from the nearest town?" Jaime finally looked up and shook her head.
"This place has its own well. And it has its own generator. I was down there a number of times. It's this huge gas powered thing that produces electricity. Its located down in the basement in a room. Has some pipe that allows for the smoke to escape. Makes a lot of noise if you are in there. But when the door is closed tight you can hardly hear it. I figure that's what powers the well pump. He had me go with him a couple times to fill up like a million gas cans in some little gas station about half an hour away."
"So, the nearest city is a half hour away?" Maddie asked in hopes of determining how far away a place with a lot of people might be.
"I wouldn't call it a city, Maddie." Jaime smirked. "More like a tiny little gas station and half a dozen little buildings near it. Maybe some other larger business further down, but we never drove in that direction. The only time I saw a larger town is when we drove to the interstate those couple times. And that city where I took the pictures that night was well over an hour away from here. I don't remember exactly. But it took a while to get there."
Maddie looked about with great apprehension. The idea that they were in a former mental institution was rather disconcerting.
"Why did they put a place like this out in the middle of nowhere?" She asked aloud. Jaime gave a brief shrug.
"Well, back then, I suppose if you had a lot of crazy people, you wanted to house them out in the middle of nowhere. Probably not a lot of towns begging for that type of place to be built in their city limits."
"Guess that makes sense. Kind of sad when you think about it that way. Like they just took all the people with mental problems and kept them out in the woods in big places like this. Might as well be a prison with bars through the windows and heavy metal doors."
"I suppose I liked it better when I just thought it was an old hospital. But if what he says is true. Which seems to be the case. I don't think it will help my bad dreams knowing it was actually a place where they locked up insane people." She looked soberly at Maddie, but managed to smile briefly. "How are you holding up?" Maddie looked down, somewhat embarrassed.
"I feel dirty. Like on so many levels." She clinched her eyes tight. "When he touched me like that, it just felt so... I don't know." Jaime patted her back softly.
"It's going to be ok. I have to tell you that you did good with the situation. You learned quickly. He likes his power. He likes to be the one in charge. So, replying to him and calling him sir was the right thing to do." She grunted. "Not sure I would ever call that bastard sir. But you did right." Maddie looked at her nervously.
"Do... do you think he will abide by what he said and not..." She looked down. The subject was hard for her to talk to anyone about. Even another girl of the same age. Jaime looked thoughtful. She did not want to make Maddie any promises. She knew he was an unstable person who was prone to reacting if pushed.
"Girl, I hope so. It was interesting that he said you were worth more with your virtue intact. I am not sure what that means. I also didn't know there were 19 other girls here. Assuming he meant captives. But I am just one of his trustees. And he doesn't let us all communicate with each other."
"Trustee?" Maddie repeated. Jaime nodded.
"It's like a prison term. For a prisoner who basically is trusted enough to handle some of the work that the guards give them. He gives a few of us tasks like feeding the others. Or in my case helping him go get gas or helping secure other girls." She looked down sadly. Maddie nodded, but seemed perplexed.
"I get why you don't run. He has your sister. But these other girls? Why wouldn't they run away if given the chance?" Jaime gave a wry smile in response.
"Pretty simple. The place had a ton of lockable doors and sections. He could lock off each wing section if he wanted to and let all of us run around from room to room and we probably still couldn't get out. The building is designed to keep people in. Whether it be a room or a sectioned area. So, he can pretty much let one of the other trusted girls bring us food and know she will not go anywhere else."
"How do they bring us food if our door is locked?" Jamie sighed.
"One girl brings food. Her name is Christine. I believe she was probably his first victim. She has a key to the rooms. She is very...what's a good word.. compliant. I don't know if it's because she has been here so long, or he has beaten her so much and she is just scared shitless of him. But she is quite dedicated to him. I think one could probably say she was a great tattletale in school. I used to have a roommate in another room like this. About a month ago. Her name was Hanna. One evening Christine brought our food. Hanna basically ran right past her and out into the main corridor of the wing. Christine pulled out a whistle and blew it like crazy. Within a couple minutes he ran into the wing. He found Hanna hiding in some utility closet and proceeded to beat the shit out of her. Needless to say, this story made its way into the ear of every girl being held. Or so he says. The girls I have been with have told me the same story and I have confirmed that it was true."
"So, there are roughly twenty girls here. But, he tries not to allow us to communicate with each other?" Jaime nodded slowly.
"Yep. If he keeps us isolated as much as possible, it's less information we can exchange. And certainly, makes it pretty much impossible to mount a group attack on him." She paused thoughtfully. "But that gun he carries alone is pretty effective at making that something which is not likely to happen."
"Also, no doubt makes us all more mentally dependent on him?" Jaime nodded. She smiled to Maddie in spite of the dark topic.
"That is a pretty accurate statement. And one which I wouldn't have expected to hear from you. Let me guess? You do pretty well in school? Get good grades and the teachers like you?" Maddie shrugged.
"Yeah, well, having perspective and some degree of brain function does tend to cost you in other ways at school. My mom tells me I shouldn't be ashamed of having a brain. She says in many ways I am beyond my years. While she never really bothered to tell me what ways those were, I guess she was trying to tell me it' ok to think about things. People. Life. Wondering how it all works." She sniffled a bit, lost in thought. "Guess that was kind of another reason I enjoyed getting back together with my dad. We just hung out at the farm and did cool stuff. I really enjoyed getting to know him again." Her lips tensed as she thought about how much she missed her dad and mom. She was doing her best to avoid crying. Jaime leaned forward and hugged Maddie.
"I hear you, girl. I miss my parents too. I miss my sister." The two sat there in each other's arms for some time. They needed the release. Knowing each had their problems that were tied to this common cause brought them to understand each other. So, neither of them felt any shame by crying on the other's shoulder. After a good twenty minutes of mutual sobbing the pair looked at each other. Jaime took a deep breath to rid herself of all the congestion from crying so much.
"Maddie, I promise you that no matter what, we will get out of here. I don't want my life to be over before I've had a chance to do the things I want! We both need to keep this connection. As you said, he wants to make us as dependent on him as possible. I feel that is so true. We need to walk a balancing act though. He said something earlier which really scared me."
"What was that?" Jaime swallowed hard then looked back into Maddie's eyes.
"He mentioned Heather. And how she would no longer be able to talk." Maddie nodded.
"I remember him saying that. Do you think he killed her?" Jaime looked into the distance and seemed lost in thought. A moment later she nodded slightly, still looking out into space.
"Yeah. I think she's dead. The times I was with her I could tell she was just that type of person who probably wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut. She just seemed outspoken and with a strong will. When we were being forced to be together she would mutter a lot under her breath. She so hated him! I saw her with fresh bruises a couple times. It didn't surprise me. She was a sweet person and like the rest of us, just scared to death. But she was very bitter about being here. I think she didn't understand how to control her voice or view on being held against her will. I figure he must have gotten tired of her or snapped. She may have said or did something which just pushed him over the edge." Maddie felt a shiver, and shook her head.
"I figured pretty quick that if I didn't try to at least seem like I'd follow the rules and do what he said, I could get badly hurt." She looked down at her chest and could still see the marks on her breasts where his fingernails dug in to her skin. Jaime looked down at them and then up. She nodded soberly. She looked down at the floor.
"Can I say something?" She asked hesitantly. Maddie nodded weakly, feeling that her more experienced roommate was going to impart information she may not want to hear.
"Yeah." Jaime looked up at her.
"Just because he has stated he wouldn't have intercourse with you, doesn't mean he won't do other things. Things which may be just as disturbing. And, truth be told I am uncertain as to why he has said he wouldn't touch you that way because you are worth more to him as a virgin." Jaime attempted to choose her words carefully, but since she was only just speculating, it was rather hard for her.
"I kind of figured that his word may not be worth much. But I guess I was more trying to think of reasons he would care if I remained a virgin or not." The subject clearly embarrassed Maddie. She was turning red and avoiding eye contact. Jaime shook her head.
"I don't know exactly. But I know he said we would not be having a population of 19 for long. I guess there are several ways to read into that. But if he values your purity in the way he suggests, it is almost like there is money attached to his motivation." Maddie gave a shrug.
"Well, what are you thinking? I am 14 and grew up on Long Island. I have to say that while I guess I am smart about some things. There are others I am pretty clueless about." Jaime held out her hands.
"Well, it's like this. I watched something on TV about a year ago when my parents had the news on. It's like some people take others to sell them on the... I forget what they may have called it. But it amounted to slimeballs taking young girls and teens to sell them on some sick underground marketplace. Sometimes it's to people from other countries. Other times it's to people here in the United States who just want to have a bunch of young women slaves. I guess that there is a big market for that. Lots of money involved. And maybe if that were the case here, it would explain why he placed some extra value on you being a virgin." Maddie looked confused.
"But, if that's what he is up to, why would you still be here after several weeks?" Jaime gave a brief shrug.
"No clue. It's just a theory. Maybe he wants to find the right buyers. Shit, I don't know how that psycho thinks. But I just know I wake up every day hoping this was all just a nightmare." She took a couple breaths to try to relax herself. She took Maddie's hand in hers. "I just want you to be prepared for the time that will come. He will expect you to obey other requests. They will probably be other kinds of sexual things that don't involve actual intercourse. They will probably be some things that are humiliating." Maddie wrung her hands nervously.
"For example?"
"Don't be surprised if he makes us bathe together. A couple times a week we go to the bathing room. It's like a locker room at school, but also has large tubs and things. He takes us there in groups of two or four. He seems to enjoy watching us bathe together. And giving direction. It's all designed for him to get his rocks off. The only good thing about it is we actually get to bathe the smell of this dump off of us." Maddie bit her lip.
"So, uhm, he will make me kiss you?" Jaime nodded.
"At the very least. Or some other girl. To be honest, probably more than that. But, I guess you do have the virgin card to play for now. If he wants to really sell you to someone, he probably doesn't want you to get too damaged. It's about a lot more than just never having had a man sexually. The innocence is probably a big part. And I think you have that going for you." Maddie shot her a look.
"Are you knocking on me because I haven't..." Jaime held up her hands.
"No! Not for a minute. There is nothing to be ashamed of. I was simply implying that you were innocent and naive in some ways. And that I would expect anyone your age and without experience to be that way." Maddie rolled her eyes.
"Gee, thanks a lot. I feel embarrassed for being a virgin and now feel ashamed because I am not as experienced as you and it seems like it's funny or something." Jaime's eyes widened and she shook her head.
"No, not at all! Please understand this, girl. I was if nothing, envious of you. You didn't make the same mistakes I did when I was a year younger than you. I so wish I could turn the clock back. I was just worried for you and thought if this was his plan, that maybe that innocence would buy you some time. Compared to a girl like me where it doesn't really matter. I mean... my innocence is long gone." Jaime looked very sad that she implied something which was taken completely wrong. Maddie studied her face, then realizing that perhaps she had been harsh and was hasty in thinking that Jaime was trying to make fun of her. She managed a smile and reached over to touch Jaime's hand.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it in a way you hadn't meant it. This is all so strange to me. I am scared to death that I will never see my family again. I am terrified that this guy is going to make me do other stuff I don't want to do. Things that I am certainly not prepared to do... or even familiar with." she added with a shade of red covering her face. Jaime took her hand and managed to smile.
"I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn and I get what you are saying. I mean about the being unfamiliar with it all part. I mean first time sex is something that should be between two people who are hopefully in love and in an intimate and private setting." Maddie closed her eyes and nodded. Jaime edged up closer to her and put her arms around her. She guided her down next to her on the mattress and began to run her fingers through Maddie's hair. "Right now, I don't want you to worry about any of that. Just remember to breathe and we will get through this."
Chet looked down at the GPS screen as he drove south down I-81. He rotated his sore neck and extended his arms above the steering wheel to stretch them.
"Shouldn't be long now." He called over his shoulder. Iola and Aimee were sitting in the back seat looking out the window. Callie, who was sitting in the front passenger seat had been asleep. When she heard Chet's voice she began to stir. She blinked several times and looked out the window. The usual interstate highway scenery that had previously lulled her to sleep hadn't changed much. She saw a sign that read Clear Brook.
"Where is Clear Brook at?" She asked with a yawn.
"About 20 minutes north of Winchester. We are almost there." He gave his wife a sideways glance. "You got yourself a little sleep, sweetness. You've been down since we stopped for gas in Hagerstown." Callie blinked several times.
"Wow. Was catching up for lack of sleep last night." Chet nodded.
"For sure." He looked in the rear view mirror. "Hey, sis. Why don't you pick us out a hotel in Winchester so we know where to go once we hit town." Iola looked up from her phone.
"Already on it, bro. Give me a few. I think I have it narrowed down." Callie looked over her shoulder.
"No dumps on the first night. I have more sleep I am hoping to get." Iola nodded.
"I figured. Looks like we have a Hilton Garden Inn on 120 Wingate Drive. Best you are going to get without doing a B&B." Callie gave a wry smile.
"That's fine. I don't think I could do a B&B justice the way I feel." She looked out into the darkness as they drove along, hoping and praying Maddie was near. Iold leaned forward from the back seat.
"Entered in the GPS, bro. Just follow the prompts." Chet nodded and gave a thumbs up sign with his right hand.
Forty minutes later they were situated in a pair of connecting suites on the 8th floor of the Hilton in the city of Winchester Virginia. Each suite was quite sizable and had two beds, a sofa, table and chairs. As well as a small dining area with bar. Callie came in from the adjoining suite. She looked at the others with heavy eyes.
"Think I'm going to hit the hay, guys. Ever since I woke up from that nap, I've had this hangover feeling. It's why I don't usually nap." Chet and Iola nodded.
"You definitely look beat, girl." Iola said sympathetically. "I get that feeling as well if I fall asleep during the day. Chet leaned over and gave her a hug.
"Yeah, get some rest. We will have a full day tomorrow. I think I will stay up and check over the online maps and see how the lay of the land is between here and the area where the girl was found." Callie nodded wearily.
"Thanks, guys. Where is Aimee?"
"She went to shower a little while ago." Iola volunteered. Callie nodded.
"Ok, cool. Tell her I will see her in the morning. Goodnight all." She said as she walked towards the connecting room.
"Goodnight!" They both replied. Iola raised an eyebrow.
"Damn, she looks so worn down. She must really be tired if she didn't take advantage of the complimentary bar. Figured she would have had the obligatory nightcap." Chet shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe she has some guilt about that night. Thinking if she hadn't had a few drinks that things may have been different." Chet reached into his backpack and pulled out a small laptop. "I'm not feeling tired yet. Might check out the small town area where the Norton girl was discovered." Iola yawned and nodded.
"Sounds good. I will probably take a shower and hop into bed myself." Chet set the notebook on the sofa and walked over to the bar fridge. He pulled out a bottle of Corona and nodded to his sister.
"Seems like a plan." He said and took a drink. Iola looked back at her brother for a moment. He looked stressed.
"Bro?" Chet looked up.
"Yeah?" Iola offered him a warm smile.
"We are going to find her. But don't let your mind keep running. Try to relax. And preferably not by drinking ten of those." Chet looked down at the bottle then back to his sister. He smiled back.
"Thanks, sis. I'll be good." Iola gave him a thumbs up and disappeared into the other suite. "Easier said that done." He sighed and took a long drink. He lifted the lid on his laptop and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He sat back to allow time for his system to boot up. He started looking through his pockets trying to find the card that the wi-fi password was written on. A moment later Aimee walked in rubbing a towel through her damn hair. She looked around, then down to Chet.
"Hey. Where is everyone?" Chet picked up his bottle.
"Oh, Cal went to bed. She said she'd see you in the morning. Iola is taking a shower in the other suite, and she said she would also be going to bed." He took a drink. "Yeah, Cal was wiped out." Aimee nodded.
"I'm so glad she is getting some rest. Last night she kept waking up. I felt so bad." Chet nodded. He looked over at her. She was wearing a crop pajama top and shorts. She ran her fingers through her damp hair and smiled down at him with her piercing eyes. "Any more of those around?" Chet's eyes shifted and he seemed momentarily confused.
"Pardon?" Aimee giggled and pointed to his drink.
"Your beer. Is there any more?"
"Oh, yeah. In the fridge behind the bar." He said pointing. She smiled.
"Thanks, Walter." She quipped. Chet blinked for a moment, then realized she was referring the character he was emulating with his new look. He smiled and shook his head. Aimee walked over to the bar and opened the mini fridge. She retrieved a bottle of beer and walked over to the coffee table where her purse sat. She looked over to Chet. "Mind if I sit?" Chet looked up at her, then nodded.
"Sure." He said gesturing to the other seats on the full-size sofa. Aimee slid into the seat on the opposite end. She took a drink of beer and then picked up her purse. Chet began typing the wi-fi password into his laptop. A few moments later he started typing info into a mapping site. Aimee took out a small bottle of nail polish from her bag. She began shaking it. Chet glanced over at her. Aimee smiled.
"You holding up ok?" She asked. Chet paused, then nodded.
"Yeah, I guess so. I'm just going to look up some of the areas where the Norton girl turned up."
"So sad that poor girl was found out there. It makes me feel so bad." Chet nodded.
"Yeah." he didn't really even want to think about it. The idea that Maddie had been taken by the same person was clearly weighing on him. Aimee frowned, becoming aware she may have spoken insensitively.
"I'm sorry. Sometimes I say the wrong things. I didn't mean to say..." Chet looked over and smiled to her.
"Don't sweat it. I probably shouldn't be looking it up right now anyway. Just wasn't tired." Aimee took a long drink and picked her nail polish up again. She curved her leg over her other knee and started painting her toe nails. Chet started studying a map of the area. If nothing else to get an idea of the local demographics. He kept finding himself distracted by something. He wasn't sure what it was. A few moments later it had occurred to him. He smelled something. Very distinctive. He glanced over at Aimee, who was focused on painting her toes.
"I hope this doesn't sound weird..." Aimee looked up over her toes.
"What's that, Walter? Chet blinked a couple times at the reference, then smiled.
"Are you by chance wearing any Caron Poivre perfume." Aimee smiled.
"You noticed? Yes. Well, it's actually a body creme based on that scent. I take it the scent is familiar?" Chet nodded.
"Oh, yes. Cal used to wear it quite often. I knew I smelled it." He said as he resumed looking down at the screen.
"Yep." Aimee said. She noticed his vest was hanging over the center of the sofa back. She noticed the yellow lens glasses were sticking out of the front pocket. Aimee took them out and slid them on. "How do I look?" She asked. Chet glanced back over at her. He saw her with his glasses on. He cracked a smile.
"Looks good. You fixing on going shooting tonight?" Aimee smiled and looked over the top of the glasses at him. She dangled her foot in front of his face.
"Blow on them." She said with a giggle. Chet shook his head and chuckled.
"I've probably watched that movie even more than you. And Bunny waved her painted toes in the Dude's face, not Walters." Aimee took another drink and shrugged.
"Yeah, I know. Do you think I look like Bunny?" Chet looked back over to her.
"You're not a blonde." Aimee nodded.
"I know, but she was still very pretty." Chet gave her a sideways glance.
"True. But she was also a trollop."
"Yeah, I suppose she was." Aimee extended her legs down on the sofa and wiggled her toes at him. "Are they cute?" Chet turned his head and looked at her. She smiled at him. He took a deep breath and set the laptop down on the table.
"Is this a test or something?" He asked. Aimee's eyes shifted back and forth.
"A test?" She repeated. Chet nodded.
"Yeah, something that maybe you cooked up or maybe even with them. You come out here smelling like my wife, looking like you do. Are you testing me?"
"Looking like I do? What do you mean?" Chet reached over and picked up his bottle and finished the contents. He set it down and looked back over.
"Are you really being obtuse?" Aimee threw up her hands.
"I'm not sure what you mean. I am asking what you meant when you said looking like you do?" Chet raked his hand through his hair and sighed.
"I meant that you basically come in here and wear a perfume my wife often wears. Dressed and looking like that..."
"These are my pajamas. Granted, a tad on the revealing side. And again, looking like what?" Chet exhaled slowly. He threw up his hands.
"Like you do. Uhm... Pretty." Aimee reddened. She sat up and looked at him.
"Are you uncomfortable?" Chet tilted his head.
"Uhm, no... well, kind of." Aimee looked down.
"I'm sorry. I just thought if I could distract you from thinking about everything, it may help."
"distract me?" Aimee rolled her eyes.
"I didn't mean it to sound like that. I meant that because we share such a common appreciation of the movie, I'd try to do an imitation of Bunny Lebowski to keep your mind off of all this intense crap. I know you are going through so much. The same as Callie. And I figured since we didn't really know each other well. And well, earlier when you showed up with that new look and found out you really were trying to pull of that Walter look... I just thought that it would be a good starting point for us being friends. This past year has been kind of awkward for us both. At least it's how I feel." Chet calmed himself now that he knew Aimee was just role playing. He managed a smile.
"Well, thank you for clarifying. And I agree, it was kind of cool having someone who actually liked the movie and recognize what I was going for with this alter ego. Callie hated it! And pretty sure Iola was never really fond of it. And yeah, I'd agree the last year I have had a lot of feelings about my marriage. And, well, you. Early on I have to admit that I was pretty upset with you. I figured you were the cause of my marriage being what it was." He paused thoughtfully. "But I know that isn't true. And it wasn't even kind of me to think it. I guess most of the time, we have kind of been at odds with each other without really even knowing the other person. I do apologize for that." Aimee shrugged casually.
"No need to apologize. I think we both have kind of had a misconception about the other. But I am happy to say that I don't think that misconception exists any longer."
"Me neither." He chuckled and looked over at her. "For the record, you pulled that role play off pretty damn good. You seemed just like Bunny from the movie. Maybe if we have the time during all this, we can kick back and watch the movie. I have it on my laptop." Aimee smiled.
"That could be fun. I'd like that." Chet nodded, then closed his laptop.
"Well, I better get to bed myself." He stood up and took his empty bottle and tossed it in the nearby trash. He started towards the other room, but stopped and looked over at Aimee, who was still sitting on the sofa with her beer. "Not to ask a weird question, but it won't bother you if I sleep in the same bed with Cal?" Aimee smiled and shook her head.
"No, it's fine." She assured him. Chet smiled and nodded.
"Well, you have yourself a good night. We will see you in the morning." Aimee nodded, the looked over to him.
"Uhm, not to ask a weird question, but..." Chet stopped and turned towards her.
"What's that?" Aimee paused for a moment.
"Did you mean it, uhm, when you said I was pretty?" Chet gave a brief nod.
"Yes, of course." Aimee smiled and turned her head slightly.
"Goodnight, Walter." Chet gave a brief chuckle as he walked from the room.
"Goodnight, Bunny."
