Author's Note: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of the reviews, favorites, and follows. I cannot express how each makes me feel, especially reviews, they make me feel like a kid in a candy store. I'm working on updating each story this week. I'm sorry updates have been so far apart. Thank you for being patient and continuing to read. Without further ado...
Chapter 7
Learning More than Intended
Somehow Annie had fallen asleep. She now woke with a start when she heard a door slam in the house. As she jumped awake from the loud sound, for a horrible few moments, she felt like she was back in Africa and still in the hands of her kidnappers there. After several horrible moments of trying to calm herself she realizes that the door slamming had come from the room she was in, still in the United States, and that this was a whole new nightmare with a whole new set of possible consequences. As she opened her eyes and lifted her head, the movement caused her to immediately become overwhelmingly dizzy, lightheaded, and nauseous. She leaned to her right feeling like she might be sick. As she leaned over and vomited, the smell of the vomit she just produced caused her to start dry heaving. With each lurch of her stomach, the bonds that held her to the chair tightened painfully against her wrists and ankles, but her stomach continued to painfully retch over and over for the next few minutes.
Trying to regain control of her body, Annie took a couple deep breaths. As her stomach slowly calmed, she sensed someone watching her and then realized that someone was standing over her, with his hands on her chair. Well at least he had the decency to not let me fall into my own vomit she thought to herself.
"You okay?" Amos asked her with almost a concerned tone.
"No!" She tried to shout, but was surprised when only a rough, hoarse voice came out in a whisper.
"Here, drink." He told her as she felt a glass brought to her mouth. Of course, not being able to actually see the cup and her captor having no idea how to help her, half of the beverage went in her lap, but the few drops of water that did make in down her burning throat were a welcome relief.
"Thank you." Annie croaked out quietly when the cup was removed.
"We are not cruel. We only want to know what you know and then you may leave." He told her nonchalantly.
Annie sat quietly, afraid to move too much. She needed to concentrate on her breathing. The vomit still next to her threatened every second to cause her stomach to begin retching again.
"Sir, can you please clean up that vomit. Or let me do it. I can't handle that smell beside me." Annie pleads with as much vulnerability she could muster.
"I think I can do that for you- IF you give me something in return." Amos countered
"I have nothing to give." Annie said hanging her head.
"Who was the man at your house this morning?" He asked without missing a beat.
"I told you, he is a student. I'm not very good with names, I'll admit, but I think his name was Frankie or Jimmy. I'm sorry I can't help more. I've never seen the man, so I only have his voice to go on. Sometimes voices can sound a lot alike." Annie said somewhat truthfully. She really had not ever seen the man and for most people voices did sound a lot alike from one to another. Annie was hoping if she gave them something and acted completely dumb to the events that were occurring then they would find her less useful and let her go.
"Why was he there?" He asked her, again without missing a moment.
"I told you. He needed help with a paper that's due next week." Annie replied weakly. She could feel herself losing energy by the second and wondered how long she could survive in these conditions. It wasn't nearly as bad as Africa, but she was also not as strong as she once was. Africa had destroyed her. The events there had left her without sight, but it also left her with a lot of baggage that she constantly kept to herself. Keeping it all to herself had proven to be hazardous to her health, but Annie refused to have it any other way. No one needed that burden.
"We do not trust you." Amos stately honestly.
"The feelings are mutual." She replied lifting her head slightly as she tried to stretch the muscles in her body. As she did so, each muscle seemed to cry out in pain with the movement.
"Sir? Ummm."
"What?" he replied unkindly
"Can I use the restroom?"
"No! You are not going anywhere."
"But I have to-" Annie started to say, but she was meant with another slap across the face, this one causing her dry, already cracking lips to begin bleeding.
"No! You will sit there until we decide what to do with you." He said as he marched out of the room, slamming the door behind him, leaving Annie bleeding again and still having to endure the awful smell of the bile beside her.
Annie sat there once again, alone, confused, and feeling incredibly hopeless.
Eventually, she fell asleep again.
As she slept, she dreamed. As always, it was of Africa. But this time was different. This time, the nightmares were placed in Africa, but the men that held her captive were Amos and his associate, instead of the men that had held her there. There were no pictures, but only sounds smells, and touches. In her dream, the men touched her, kissed her, forced themselves on her over and over and then refused to help her as she lay on the floor crying out in pain.
Annie jerked awake, opening her eyes wide, searching for the help that was usually there when she woke from these dreams. As she searched the room, panic began to overtake her as the vast dark void threatened to consume her. Her breathing became shallow and weak, her heart was racing while it felt like it was trying to jump out of her chest, and numbness began at her fingertips and toes and seemed to run through her arms and legs as she began shaking uncontrollably. She tried to gasp for air, but as seconds became minutes Annie realized that she was at the complete mercy of her fear. Not since Silke came into her life had she had an attack like this.
As her body slowly came back under her control, Annie forced herself to sit up a little straighter in the chair she was bond to. She took several deep breaths and released them slowly trying to let all the lingering effects of the panic attach correct themselves. It had been a long time since she had had one of these attacks. She closed her eyes, hung her head down again and began concentrating solely on her breathing. Slowly, all control of her body was her own again, except of course her vision; it would never again be hers to control.
She lifted her head slowly, keeping her eyes closed, afraid that if she opened then another panic attack might consume her. It had been months since her blindness had caused such an attack. Waking up to complete darkness used to cause her to have panic attacks almost every time she woke. Her sister had been quite concerned about her and had even started sleeping in the same room as her. Annie had refused to take anti-anxiety medication. Silke had been the only guarantee for Annie that she wouldn't have these attacks.
She listened carefully to the sounds around her. She still had no clue what time of day it was. The room she was in had no windows for her to feel sunshine coming in trough. It was the dead of winter, so few birds were out for her to hear outside. As she continued to listen, she realized that she could hear the conversation her captors were having. It was in German, but of course, what they didn't know was Annie is fluent in German.
"The plan remains the same. This girl seems to know nothing. She thinks the man is one of her students, which might be true. He is probably posing as her student for some reason. She does not seem to know more. She is just a blind school teacher, nothing more. She is no use to us. We have worked her pretty well. She has been without food and very little water for over 72 hours, she has been tied to a chair the majority of that time, and we have used what torture methods we think would work on her. She is very scared of us. She trembles when we come into the room, we feel that if she knew anything, she would tell us." Amos told someone.
"What do you plan to do with her?" Another man said with a voice Annie did not recognize.
"We will hold her a few more days, see if she talks, and then take her out to the mountains and leave her. She's blind, so she will be even more helpless in the wilderness than most we do this to. By the time she finds anyone she will be so hungry, thirsty, and physically exhausted that it will take her days to sort through everything. At which time we will be long gone."
"How is the plan with Raphael? Is everything on track for next week?"
"Yes, the weapons will be coming to the US via carrier ship this weekend in Maine, I will be there to pick up the shipment and bring it to you. I expect you have already arranged payment with him."
"Yes Warren, he already has half the money. We have a team ready to take down the scientist and his whole team as soon as the weapons are in our possession."
"Good. Make sure she knows nothing before you let her go. And find this guy that followed you. He needs to pay too."
As Annie listened intently to the conversation she processed what was being said. So these men were up to no good. As she continued to sit there with her eyes closed, she tried to flex her sore, tight muscles. With each tiny, slow movement, her muscles begged her to stop moving. Intense pain permeated from her limbs as they were all completely numb and tingly from lack of circulation. She tried to move them, but this caused even more pain. For now, she concentrated on slowly moving her neck, back and shoulders. She could only hope that no nerve damage would result in her limbs.
Author's Note: So, what do you think? Am I on the right track here? Do I still have your readership? Please review so I know what you really think.
Also, Chapter 8 is wrote, and just needs to be edited.
