CHAPTER FIVE

Her head pounded and her mouth was dry. Carly opened her eyes and tried to cry out but it came out muffled. She was gagged and bound with no hope of escape.

How did I get here? Carly wondered, and where am I? She tried to remember who brought her to this cold, dark place but her mind was a complete blank.



As Carly rested, her memory started returning and her eyes went wide with terror. The woman who was after her had kidnapped her from the CSM's apartment. Carly remembered watching TV when someone from behind bashed her in the temple and had pressed a cloth against her mouth, then everything went black.

Carly didn't know how the woman knew where she was staying. All she knew was that the woman intended on killing her and Carly wished she could find out why.

The memory of being kidnapped returned and she closed her eyes….

The CSM was unwilling to leave Carly that night. The Syndicate had called an emergency meeting and the Well-Manicured Man insisted that he'd be there tonight. The CSM had objected, reminding him Carly's life was in danger and needed to be protected…still, the Well-Manicured man insisted.



" I'll be fine," Carly was assuring her lover while he got ready. He could tell she was afraid of being alone…he could see it in her dark green eyes.

" Maybe I can call Agent Mulder to keep me company?" she suggested brightly.

" No, I've already told you, he must not know where I live…and the same goes for Agent Scully," the CSM never forgot the first time Mulder had found out where he lived. Mulder had came barging through the front door and pointed a gun at his head. Since then, then CSM had moved several times, never staying in one apartment for long.

The CSM pocketed a new packet of Morley's and gave Carly a lingering kiss, " I'll be home around eleven," he promised, " Meanwhile, don't answer the door and the phone."

" What if it's Mulder?"

" I doubt it, he doesn't know where I live…unless you told him?"

" I haven't given him your address or phone number," Carly reassured him, " I guess he can always reach me on my cell."

The CSM nodded and left the apartment, locking the door securely.

Half an hour later, Sandra Porter pulled to a stop outside the apartment building and stared up at the ten-storey building. Carly was staying with her lover on the second floor. She can try and pick the lock on Carly's front door and if that didn't work, she can climb up the fire escape, break a window and climb inside.

Sandra went into the building and to the second floor. She found the apartment and began picking the lock…when the lock popped open, she tried to open the door when she realised the door was secured with a chain and a dead-lock.

" Shit," she muttered and left the building to climb the fire escape.

Inside, Carly had powered up her notebook computer and connected to the Internet. She went into her Inbox and found an email from Mulder. She scanned it, it wasn't anything special, he was telling her he had no leads on the killer yet and he assured her not to worry.

She clicked Reply and began typing out her response:

Subject: No leads yet

From: MartyMulder@FreeMail.com

To: CarlyGarrett@ExpressMail.com

Date: 12th February 1994

Hi Mulder,

I'm home alone tonight because he's gone to some meeting and won't be back until eleven. If you are online, do you want to chat? If so, send me a message via AOL.

Carly stopped typing when she heard cracking noises from the spare bedroom. It sounded like glass breaking.

She turned back to the email and quickly continued typing, hoping Mulder was online and would get it…

Mulder, someone is trying to break into my apartment…I can hear glass shattering…I can now hear footsteps. I fear it's the killer, she has found me. Help me Mulder, I'm in big trouble…

She clicked SEND and at that moment, a shadow loomed over her. The woman was standing behind the couch. " I told you I'd find you," the woman whispered before she whacked Carly in the temple with her gun.

There was nothing but blackness.



Carly's body racked with sobs. She didn't know how long she'd been in this dark, cold place. She wondered if Mulder had gotten the urgent email she'd sent?

Does anyone know I'm missing? Carly asked herself as she tried to make herself more comfortable, but it was impossible. Her ankles were tied together with wire and every time she tried to move, the wire dug into her skin painfully. The same went for her arms which were tied behind her back.



The door opened and light spilled into the room. Carly took in her surroundings, she was in the basement which explained the cement floor and the cold, damp air. The basement was obviously not heated nor had any windows.

Carly gazed up at her abductor. The brown-haired woman glared down at her, a malevolent gleam in her eyes.



" I could easily kill you right now," the woman told her and brandished a butcher knife with a long, sharp blade, " but I won't. The agents will track me and my home soon, so we must leave." The woman walked behind Carly and untied the cloth from Carly's mouth.

" Who are you?" Carly demanded the woman.

" You don't remember me?" the woman asked.

Carly shook her head, " I don't remember ever meeting you."

" You will learn who I am in time," the woman assured her, " there will be no more questions coming from you either." She grabbed Carly's arm and hoisted her to her feet; the sudden movement making Carly dizzy.

" I can't walk with my ankles tied." Carly reminded the woman.

Sandra sighed, bent down and cut the wires with the knife. She stood up and pointed the knife at her, " if you make any stupid moves, I will use this." She warned Carly before leading her up the steps and out of the basement.

" Where are we going?"

Sandra glared at the other woman, " I told you, no more questions." She snapped and pushed Carly forward. They were moving through the kitchen, the hallway and out into the garage.

" I have a right to know," Carly insisted.

" We're leaving Washington," Sandra answered. She opened the trunk of the car, " Get in." she instructed Carly.

" In there?" Carly whispered. The trunk looked too small and cramped…and it would be dark too.

" Just get in damn you!" Sandra yelled loosing her patience.

" I can't climb in with my wrists tied." Carly protested.

Sandra cut the wires and Carly flexed her fingers. There were deep, red marks on her wrists and they were painful.



The woman gave Carly a hard shove towards the trunk. Carly climbed into the trunk and curled up in a fetal position on her side. There wasn't any room to stretch out fully.

Sandra took out some new wires from her pocket and retied Carly's wrists together and didn't bother with the ankles. There was no way she could escape from the trunk as it would be too hard with her wrists tied.

The woman closed the trunk and Carly was in darkness once more.