This is a transfer that I was working on on another site. 4 chapters and working on a 5th.

Chanel

What does he want? I thought to myself with a flicker of annoyance as my dad's name flashed across the screen. I sent it to voicemail. Love him but he hasn't been my favorite person to talk to or be around since he lost his re-election bid for Governor 6 months ago. Dad rarely left the house and when he did, he was always looking over his shoulder. I just figured he was embarrassed. He'd been trailing in the polls leading up to election day but no one predicted he'd lose as bad as he did.

Dad: Just checking in, you don't have to call back. I'm sure you're out somewhere with friends (or that boy that you can do better than but that's none of my business). Be careful and get home soon and safe. Love you. Goodnight, Chanel.

I got home at about 10, fed my cat, Jace, showered, browsed IG one last time before dozing off at 11:30. It was barely 15 minutes later when I heard Jace violently meowing and hissing in the kitchen. It was probably nothing. There were alot of strays in the neighborhood so he's probably sitting on top of the sink looking at one through the window.

I'll just get up and bring him in here with me so he won't... My thought process soon came to a screeching halt when I heard footsteps. I felt paralyzed, unable to move as they got closer. My shaking hands reached out for my phone just as the door to my room opened. It was dark so I couldn't see anything besides a dark shadow. The light from my phone illuminated my face as I rushed to dial 9...1...before I could finish, the footsteps ran up. The phone was snatched out of my hand and thrown against the wall.

The energy in the room was darker than anything I'd ever been in. The only sound was my erratic breathing. I'd never felt more terrified in my life.

I tried to swallow but my throat was dry. "W-who's there? What do you want?"

The light popped on and I winced, shielding my eyes. When I slowly brought my forearm down, there he was standing menacingly at the foot of my bed. He was wearing all black down to his latex gloves.

Immediately, I recognized him. Tall, muscular, long black hair, piercing dark eyes. I didn't know him or anything but for the last 2 weeks, I'd been seeing him when I was out and about. I just figured he was new to the area. He's never said anything to me and I never to him which made this moment even more bizarre...unless he's been following me this whole time which had to be the case if he knows where I live.

"W-what do you want?" I managed to ask.

He responded by throwing a flower vase. It shattered as it hit the floor, sending water and glass flying. Next, he pushed over my dresser. I'm left staring wide-eyed and speechless. What was his purpose besides ransacking my room? Suddenly, he turned his attention to me. Shit, why did I ask?!

I moved backwards to the headboard, drawing my legs up in a protective stance. He came forward. When he was in range, I kicked at him but he easily maneuvered around my thrashing feet. This psycho reached out and grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled, yanking out several stands from the root; he sprinkled them around the bed and floor.

Next, he dropped a big black duffel bag on my bed and spoke his first words. "I'll make this part a little more comfortable."

"Wha-?" I said right as he pulled out a large metal syringe with a long needle, making my frightened eyes wider. My thoughts raced, wondering what was inside.

"Novocaine," he casually replied as if he could read my mind.

Novocaine? Isn't that what dentists use... "No, no, no!"

He put me in a headlock grip as I tried to wiggle my way out but it was no use against a man as big as him. Once he pried open my mouth and stuck me, he grabbed a pair of forceps. All my fight had left me so I didn't try to resist as he locked onto a molar in the back of my mouth. He numbed my gums really well because I felt no pain as he twisted his wrist and yanked. A crunching noise accompanied as the tooth dislodged. He repeated this on the tooth next to it and then tossed them both on the floor. He then stuffed the back of my mouth with gauze.

Next thing I know, he was tying a band around my arm and plucking around to find a vein. Once he found it, he rubbed the spot down with alcohol and inserted a needle as a blood bag began to fill. What on earth did he need my hair, blood and teeth for? Time stopped, or flew, I had no idea. I only knew fear, fear of what's next, fear of the unknown. I was too afraid to breathe, too afraid to concentrate. I'm no medical expert but when I've given blood and seen others giving blood in the past, it's only been one bag which is a pint. We were 2 and a half bags in when he finally stopped after I became lightheaded and slumped.

Out of the weapons belt around his waist came a knife. There was also a handgun still there. I was too weak to react. The only thing I could do was brace myself for the pain that was sure to follow. Instead of me, he used the knife to stab the bags. They began to leak as he moved all around the room with them, basically painting my tiles red.

"Now get on the floor," he demanded.

"Why are you doing this?" I questioned, unmoving.

"On the floor, face down!" he ordered.

I guess this is it, this is how I die. Without explanation or reason as to why. To add insult to injury, this man put his foot on the back of my head. I could see the bloody knife slung across the room so unless he was going to stomp me to death, the next thing I expected to hear was a gunshot. Instead, it was a phone camera shutter. He took his foot off my head and I rolled over, bewildered.

A phone was to his ear. "Paul, I'm sending you a picture. Get it to where it needs to go."

Not that I'm complaining but why am I still alive? What was the point of all of this?

He threw his duffel bag at me. "Whatever can't fit, can't go. You got 5 minutes. Try to avoid stepping in the blood."

"I'm leaving?" I questioned and he gave me an impatient look in return. That's when it hit me...ransom. I was going to be held for ransom! This guy was probably setting the scene to look bad so everyone would know he meant business. Figuring this out didn't make me feel any better about the situation but at least I'd be okay. In the meantime, I had to do what he said. I stuffed a few shirts, jeans, socks and undergarments in the bag. I doubt I'll need this much since my father would act urgently.

As I glanced around to see if I missed anything, I saw my phone where he threw it. Maybe I could get close enough to sneak...

"Don't even think about it," he said, interrupting my internal scheme. "No, as a matter of fact, get it, bring it to me and let's go."

My cat seemed terrified as we walked through the kitchen. I reached for him. "Come on, Jace."

"No," the guy said firmly.

"Please, I'm all he has..." I beg.

He took a deep inhale through his nose. "I was going to give you one request. You just wasted it on the cat."

It was a little after 1 AM so none of my neighbors would be up to see me leaving with a strange man but if I screamed loud enough, maybe... Nevermind, he looked back at me like he dared me to do something. The car he was shoving me into the backseat of was nondescript. It wasn't fancy and it wasn't beat up which meant it wouldn't get any attention on the road either way.

He purposely left my front door wide open. Someone was bound to pass whether in the middle of the night or on their way to work, find it suspicious and call the police.

He stopped a 100 yard football field's distance in front of a construction site on the outskirts of town and grabbed a sniper rifle from the passenger seat. When he stepped out of the car, he aimed and shot at what I assumed to be security cameras. The distance he made the shot from blew my mind. There was no point in running now that I know he'd be able to shoot me down like a dog without having to take a step.

We drove into the gate and stopped right in the center. He got out and unloaded things that I couldn't see from the trunk.

Suddenly, he opened my door and kneeled down. "Give me your clothes."

"Are you going to rape me?"

"No! What do I look like to you?" he snapped, having the nerve to sound offended.

"I don't know...the guy that stalked me, broke into my house, pulled my hair, yanked my teeth out and drained me for blood!" I retorted.

"Don't get too comfortable with your mouth," he hissed in a tone that sent chills down my spine. "And I meant clothes from the duffel bag. Bring them to me when you get them. I'll be out here."

As I approached him from behind, I could see his arm moving up and down but had no idea what he was doing until I closed in. Yelping, I jumped when I saw him stabbing a body. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing. She was homeless and died in some back alley of a drug overdose. Apparently she has no family so she's been in the fridge at the morgue for almost a month. They were going to cremate her until I pretended to be an ex of hers to claim the body," he explained.

"You can't desecrate her corpse like this!" disgusted, I said.

"Would you rather me desecrate yours?" he asked.

"N-no," I stuttered.

"That's what I thought. Where are the clothes?" he dressed her and then used his forceps to pull out two molars in the same spot that he pulled mine. That's when I noticed something about this woman. We were the same height, build and skintone. He did a double take as he looked up at me. "That necklace you're wearing, give it to me."

"No!" I gripped the double-c Chanel necklace and took a step back. "I never take it off."

"Exactly..."

"It was a gift from my grandma," I pleaded.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Chanel, but I don't give a fuck about your grandma," he said with his hand out. Another thought occurred: he knows my name.

Tears were streaming down my face as my shaky hands unclamped it. I watched as he fixed it around the corpse's neck.

Then out of the truck came the acid and lighter fluid. I couldn't witness what was about to happen so I went back to the car and held Jace. That woman out there was going to be posing as me. With this plus everything else that's gone down it finally made sense...he was faking my death.

"I'm not being held for ransom, am I?" I quietly asked when he got back in the car. He made eye contact with me through the rear view mirror before turning his attention back on the road.

We were already on the outskirts of town and he drove for what I estimated to be an hour. I couldn't see much because it was dark but it seemed like a quiet place. The large, isolated mansion that he was driving into the gate of looked way nicer than someone in his apparent line of work would live in. Whoever said crime doesn't pay LIED!

I was almost too afraid to get out of the car when he stopped and opened my door. Who knows what awaited me on the other side. He turned the key and stepped aside for me to enter. It looked...normal, though the atmosphere was a little drab.

"Alright, that's your room down the hall, first door on the right. I already left some fresh gauze and pain pills on your nightstand for those tooth extractions. Iron pills too for the blood loss. Most of my packages require no signature so there's no need to answer the door. No one really comes here except Paul. That's the only time you'll have to stay in your room. I don't know what you eat but the refrigerator is full," he said.

Wait, I've been confused since he broke into my home but this was really sending me for a loop. Was he actually showing hospitality? "Aren't you going to tie me up or board the doors?"

He took off the weapons belt around his waist. "Why would I do that?"

"To stop me from leaving...?"

"Just so we're clear, I'm not holding you hostage. You're free to walk out that front door anytime you want but if you know like I know, you wouldn't want to..." he replied nonchalantly, taking his shirt off. His body was jacked and covered in tribal ink. He had one more comment before he disappeared up the stairs. "Remind me tomorrow to buy litter so that mangy ass cat won't shit all over my house."

Now I was alone, just a few steps away from the front door. I turned toward it weighing my options. I had no phone, there were no neighbors in close proximity, I had no idea where I was, I was missing 2 and a half pints of blood, I was tired, it was after 4 AM. Escaping just wasn't realistic especially when I wasn't in any immediate danger. Plus, who's to say this wasn't a test. What if he was giving me enough rope to hang myself. Have you ever passed by a house and saw a dog in a cage or tied to a tree? In a lot of cases, the dog was allowed to roam the yard free until the day he decided to leave the property to chase down a car. I didn't want that to happen to me here so I picked up my duffel bag and went in the other direction.

All of the medical supplies were right where he said they'd be. There were so many unanswered questions and I was nowhere near okay with any of this but...it could be worse.