Chapter 15
Voices were playing around Rachel as she regained the ability to use her ears. She had been in a state of complete darkness, and she had no idea how long she was in it. The only thing she could focus on was what the hell was going on? The few things she remembered were coming to her in images. Jessie on the subway, a bathroom, a man, and a sharp pain in her neck. Did she just get drugged?
With her eyes still closed, Rachel could feel a beam of light hit her face. She guessed she was slowly coming back into conscienceness. Slowly, one of her eyes blinked open and tried to process something other than the hazyness in front of her. Quickly Rachel continued to blink her eyes to try to get a clear image infront of her. Whatever she was drugged with was wearing off slowly.
After a few seconds of trying to focus her eyes, she finally focused them. She was in a small, dark area that projected small amounts of light. The people behind her were still continuously going back in forth in what seemed to be an argument. Surprisingly, she recognized both voices. She knew that the male voice was the man who took her, but she had no idea how she recognized the female's voice.
She didn't want to turn around and look at the two people talking, for fear that she would risk hurting her neck any more than it already was. She wanted to cry, but at the same time she wanted to kick her legs and scream at the top of her lungs. She had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she had been kidnapped and these people were possibly going to kill her.
Looking down, she realized that she was tied down to a wooden chair. With experience, the most uncomfortable chair she's ever been in. The rope that held her limbs down was narrow and tight. If she had to make an estimate based on the amount of time she'd been here, it would be a day up to the most. If she stayed here longer, she'd have cuts against the parts that were tied within hours. If they'd even allow her to live that long.
She shivered at the thought of herself being kidnapped. She had never been in this situation before. Its wasn't really a surprise, most people aren't. She'd seen the news and felt bad for the victims who were. She just never really thought it would ever happen to her. She knew the possibility. New York was a big city and there were lots of bad things happening daily. She just never thought to wake up one day and say that she was going to be the next victim. But, now she was.
If there was one thing she knew, it was that she had to be really smart about all of this. The only thing she could do was do what she needed to get out of there. She needed to do what she had to do to get home. Finn. She'd do whatever she had to do to get back to Finn.
The two were still arguing behind Rachel. She guessed by the way her head was tilted, they still hadn't noticed that she was lucid again. Maybe she could use that to her advantage. If she pretended to still be unconscious, maybe they'd leave her be and it would spare her more time. More time for what? Rachel had no idea.
Closing her eyes, she steadied her breath and lowered her head to where it looked like she was still out. As she stayed in that position, she focused her ears on the two familiar voices.
"...You don't understand, Max. We have to do this. If we don't, I'll just be the stupid little girl who was left behind. I need revenge." the girl explained.
"Whatever you say. Good luck. I'm not going to jail again. Deal with this on your own." the male replied. After, footsteps were heard going up the stairs and then complete silence.
Rachel'a heart started to pound out of her chest. Did they both just leave her down here by herself? Was she alone? Something told her that she was. Holding her breath, she tried to hold her eyes closed even though they were dying to open just a little. Just to take a small peak in front of her. It was very strange to Rachel how hard it was to keep your eyes shut when you thought badly about it. Just a few more minutes she told herself. She had to make sure she was all alone.
She waited for a few minutes and right before she was going to open her eyes, she heard movement. Just as her heart was beginning to slow down, it started up again. Lightning speed to be exact. before she knew it, she felt breath on her face. The person was chewing gum. She knew because the mint. Scent way too strong for her liking. The person was observing her closely. This panicked her more than anything. Hold it together, she told herself. This wasn't happening.
"You're really smart, I'll give you that.." said the female voice. Rachel knew at that moment that she was done. But she decided that she would go along with it. She wouldn't let whoever this was win.
In that moment, Rachel felt a sharp pain go across her face. Without thinking about it, her eyes flew open.
"That's more like it." The girl said. Looking up, Rachel's fear instantly turned into anger. It was Mandy.
"Good morning, princess. You really didn't think you could fool me, did you? I knew you were awake the whole time." Her annoying squeaky voice rang through Rachel's Head. That's when it flashed into Rachel's mind.
"Hey Mandy, it's Max. I've got her."
Those were the last words that she heard before she slipped into oblivion. Now that she was back to normal, small flashes of what happened before she was kidnapped started coming back to her in flashes.
The anger that was inside of her now was boiling to the temperatures of lava, maybe even a little degrees over. After every single inch of pain that this girl has caused her, Rachel was still at the bottom and she hated it. All of the heart break and pain last year had been inflicted by this maniac. The morning at Finn's house, the club, thanksgiving, the fake setup where Rachel believed that Finn chose her. Every single ounce of self hatred and pain that. Rachel felt in that time was caused by her. And now, she was yet again that weak little girl who let Mandy walk all over her. Tied up and no way of fighting back, Rachel felt humiliated with herself. She felt so weak.
She wouldn't have it. If Mandy wanted a fight, she would get one. Rachel would fight like her life depended on it, which was probably a matter of truth. She would hold on with every fiber of her being and no matter what happened, she would end this feeling like a warrior. Even if that resulted in her death. If she went, she'd make sure to carry into the after life triumph and accomplishment.
"Mandy.." She started with a smirk on her face. She knew that sarcasm would be her best friend in this confrontation. "... gosh, how long has it been exactly? I mean the last time I saw you you were wearing my boyfriend's robe in an empty apartment like a psycho path." Rachel said, laughing as she looked up at her.
"You think you're so funny, don't you?" She said, narrowing her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.
"Am I not amusing you?" She asked, smiling.
"Wipe the smile off your face or I'll just skip what I have planned and kill you right away." She spat.
"Oh, do tell what's ahead.. The suspense is killing me enough." She replied, in a sarcastic voice.
After that, Rachel flinched in pain as Mandy through her fist across her face. That would leave a mark later. She now realized how much it sucked to have her hands and legs tied to the chair.
"Ah, I'm impressed. Blondie can hit." She had, slowly raising her head.
"There's more where that came from." Mandy smiled.
"I can't wait!" She exclaimed, smiling back at her. "And after we should totally braid each other's hair and talk about boys! Oh wait, you don't have any boys to talk about, because I stole yours." Rachel smiled wide as Mandy's face became bright red.
"You're messing with the wrong flame, Berry.." Mandy growled.
"Every flame has it's own bucket of water, Mandy." She replied, smirking as the anger was truly visible on her face.
This time, Mandy's fist went across Rachel's face two times, leaving Rachel's head down as she tried to cope with the pain.
"I think you need another nap." Mandy grinned, holding up a needle with clear liquid in the container. In a swift motion, Mandy slammed the sharp end into Rachel's arm. "Have a nice time. When you come back the real action will start. Good night." She whispered.
"Goodnight..." Rachel said in a slurred voice.
Then, once again, complete darkness.
Finn's tired eyes drooped as he sat at the counter with his cell phone by him, tapping holes into the floor with his feet. It was now 9:00 am and the last time he talked to Rachel was around 5 yesterday afternoon. He'd been sitting there all night just waiting. He was exhausted and his eyes were red from the tears he shed when it was 5 am and she still hadn't returned. She now had over 100 missed calls on her phone and it was going straight to voicemail each time.
He'd called in sick to work, which was partially the truth since he felt sick to his stomach right now. Her absence was proof that something bad happened to her and it was all his fault since he absent-mindedly let her ride the subway. He should've told her to ride in a taxi. Thinking about all of the possibilities made him absolutely crazy. All he wanted to do right now was hold her close and breathe in the smell of strawberries that her soft, long, and dark locks never failed to project.
He'd done all there was to do, and yet, he still felt like he was missing out on something. Nothing that he did was helping, which really pissed him off. There was already a ton of small shards of glass on the floor from when the police told him they couldn't make a missing person's report until after a 24 hour took the glass of bourbon that he was drinking and threw it across the room with all of his power. There was also a hole in the wall from where he punched it. He'd called the hospital and they'd told him that she checked out at 5. Half of his hair was probably ripped out by the millions of times held onto it as he cried in his lap. The wrinkles and creases would come in time by the amount of times he rubbed his face.
The house was a complete mess, just like himself. He'd kicked over a few chairs in the dining area. Shattered glass was all over the floor from his conversation with the NYPD. The only thing that didn't move was the basket of clothes that Rachel placed on the counter that morning and the channel that she was watching. He didn't want to move any of it. It was the only proof that she was there and the last memory he had of her before she walked out the house earlier the previous morning.
Now, he was holding on to a piece of Rachel's clothing with the smell of the perfume she always wore. Getting up, he poured another glass of bourbon and gulped it down. It was the only thing helping him keep sane. He knew he had to talk to someone, but he was scared that if he told one of their friends, the situation would really sink into his brain and he would realize that all of this is really happening to them.
Picking up his phone, he called Rachel yet another time just to make sure, just like he'd been doing all of the times before. As the tone came on, he smiled when he heard her voice in the voicemail. This was the closest thing he had to her right now.
"Hello there my little caller. If you've reached this point, it means that I can't come to the phone right now for reasons I don't know yet. So, leave me like the best message ever and if you impress me, I may just have to give you a call back. Have a blessed day!"
Tears burned in his eyes as her voice ran through the recorder. Pressing end, he stared at his phone and went to his voicemail. There were only a few voicemails that he saved in his phone and 3 were from her. Hitting the first one, he closed his eyes and pictured her in front of him.
"Well, hello there Finnegan. It's me. I just wanted to call and let you know that I'm gonna pick up dinner on my way home from work. How does sushi sound? Don't ask me why? I'm in the mood. Anyways, I'll see you when I get home... You better have that kiss waiting for me when I get home Mister!" her laughter filled the machine. "I love you."
Flipping to the next, he took a deep breath and prayed that he would be able to handle it. Finally, he hit play.
"Hey babe, it's me. Just calling to say that I may be a little late this evening. Caught up at work and they're talking about adding hours to our shifts. Wish me luck. A case of pneumonia is spreading like wild fire. I'll make this up I promise. Hey, maybe I'll sit with you and try to watch a football game. I love you. See you later."
Taking a deep breath, he hit the last voicemail that she left. This was all he had left and he wasn't sure how he would take it. He didn't know what the voicemail was because he hardly ever listened to them, but he hoped with all of his heart that it would be the best. Listening, his heart shattered as it was a butt-dial. Just as he was about to give up, he heard something. It was his voice with hers as well.
"...it's so beautiful. Days like this make me glad I live here. just look how beautiful the sun is." Rachel's voice ran through the machine.
"I know. I just wish we could have more time in our daily lives to really appreciate it." He heard his voice answer her.
He remembered what the conversation was about. They'd just moved To New York and they were on top of the roof. They were still friends. It felt like forever ago for Finn as he listened. He remembered wanting to kiss her so badly, but he chickened out. Now, he wished he would've knowing the things he knows now.
"Do you ever miss Lima?" She asked out of nowhere. "Do you think that we made the right choice to move here?"
"Whoa, where's that coming from?" He asked her, a chuckle in his voice.
"I don't know. I love New York so much, but I just miss Lima. I'm crazy, aren't i?" She asked.
"You, Rachel Berry, are anything but crazy." He answered.
"Thanks, Finny." She said. He could remember the smile on her face.
"No matter how terrible or hard our lives get in this huge concrete jungle, just know that we can always come up here and forget. This is our little distraction from the big, bad world." He told her.
"Always." She said.
"and forever.." He added.
Then the voicemail cut off. And her voice was gone, leaving him feeling empty and alone. He really did hope that he was over exaggerating and that she was probably sleeping at San and Britt's or Sam and Quinn's. He really hoped that all of these feelings of doubt and fear would go away. He wished that she would just walk through that front door right now, but she wouldn't. He knew with every bone in his body that something was wrong and he wouldn't rest until he knew the truth. He wouldn't rest until she was back in his arms.
The lingering silence was killing him. He had to get out of there.
Santana was home alone sitting on her couch watching tv. She didn't have to work today so it was a bit of a vacation for her. Santana was waiting to here from her manager to see if he got her a gig. But, he told her today would be a rush day so he'd contact her as soon as he could if he had something. She enjoyed the sleeping late part, but she couldn't stand the amount of bored ness she'd get as the day progressed.
As she absent-mindedly flipped through the channels, she was startled when she heard knocking on her door. Slowly getting up, she checked her peep hole to see Finn. Opening it, she knew something was wrong. He was in his work suit, he smelled of alcohol and his eyes were droopy and red.
"Finn. What's going on? Is everything okay?" She asked, looking at him with concerned eyes.
"Is Rachel here?" He asked, his voice choking up.
"No. What's going on?" She asked again.
"She has to be here.. this was my last hope.. She's not with Puck, Quinn, or Sam.. This isn't happening.." He said, frantically pacing back and forth.
"Finn, what the hell is going on?!" Santana yelled, worry on her face.
"What's going on is that my girlfriend told me she would be home in a few minutes! That was yesterday at 5pm! She's not answering her phone and I have no way of finding her because the police don't seem to think its important enough to report!" Finn screamed, tears flowing from his eyes. He didn't care who saw him cry at this point. "She's missing, Santana.."
"What?" Santana's breaths became heavier as her heart and head started pounding. How could her best friend be missing?
"She's gone, San. And I need to find her before, god forbid me saying this, they find her body in some alley or something." He said between his teeth.
"Okay." she said, finally collecting her thoughts together. "Stay there, I'm going to go change. When I get back, we'll go to the police station. They said no to you because you're too nice. We'll find her."
Once they arrived in front of the building, Finn followed Santana into the building to speak with the front desk.
"Hi, may I help you?" The lady asked.
"Yes, we'd like to speak with a police officer or a detective. Anyone, really." Santana said.
"Okay. Just have a seat and we'll be right with you.."
"I don't think you understand, lady. We need to talk to them now. We don't have time. We wait one more minute and my friend could be dead!" Santana yelled.
"Calm down or I'll get a police officer." the lady calmly replied.
"How ironic, since that's exactly why we're here!" Santana spat.
Sitting, Finn rested his head In his hands as he held onto his hair. The tears burned in the back of his eyes, but he couldn't do it now. If he started, he had no idea how he would stop.
Finally, after what seemed like hours of waiting, an officer was sent to the front. Getting up, Finn and Santana went to greet him.
"Hello, I'm officer Whitemore. I understand there's some sort of complication." He said, looking at the both of them.
"Yes. I called here last night. My girlfriend never came home last night. They said wait a 24 hour period." He tried to stay calm. Santana rested a hand on his shoulder and tried to offer her sympathy.
"I'm sorry to hear that Mr.."
"Hudson." He said.
"...Hudson. If it's not too much to ask, I'd like the two of you to wait here while I go contact detective Rousseau." He said calmly.
"Okay." Santana said, even though she wanted to scream and kick her legs.
"Alright." Finn choked out.
"I'll be quick, I promise." the officer said as he walked away.
Sitting back down, Finn placed his face in hands once more and let everything go. Placing a hand on his shoulder again, Santana tried to calm him down.
"Finn, we're going to find her." She whispered.
"How do you know that?" He asked, tears trickling down his cheeks.
"Because if I know anything about Rachel Berry, it's that she's a fighter." she said.
After a few more minutes of waiting, the officer came back with another man, dressed in a suit.
"Mr. Hudson, this is detective Rousseau. He's one of the best in the state." Officer Whitemore explained.
"Nice to meet you." Finn said, taking the detectives hand in a shake.
"You too, Mr. Hudson. I'm sorry to hear about your girlfriend, and I'll promise you this, I won't stop till we find her. Now, if you'll follow me, we'll start the investigation." He said as he turned and started walking towards a back room. Once they all got into the room, they sat at the chairs and the questions began.
"Alright Mr. Hudson, let's begin this investigation. Can you give us a description of your girlfriend?"
"Her name is Rachel Barbra Berry, she's about 5'3", and 113 pounds. She has brown eyes and long brunette hair with bangs cut across her forehead, and her nose is large. Her lips are slightly large as well and her eye lashes are long. She's was wearing light blue scrubs the last time I saw her and her hair was in a bun. She was also wearing eye glasses if that helps." he replied slowly as he sniffed. Santana had tears falling down her cheeks as her hand remained in a tight grip on Finn's shoulder.
"Does Rachel have a driver's license issued by this state?" He asked.
"Yes sir." Finn replied.
The man appeared to be writing into a note book. Tearing it out, he handed the notes he took to the officer and directed him. "Go see if you can get any results from the NCIC check." He said, before the man walked away.
"The results should be back soon." he told the two.
"I brought a picture of her if it helps." Santana said, taking the small paper from her purse.
"It very much does. It gives us a look at her appearance so we have a better chance at finding her. How long ago was this picture taken?" detective Rousseau asked.
"A year ago. The day before Thanksgiving to be exact. She's the one wearing the beanie." she replied.
"Has her appearance changed since then? Like a new hair cut or color?" He asked again.
"No." Finn said. "She still looks exactly like that." he said, looking away. He didn't want to see that pic again. Rachel's huge smile made him miss her even more.
"Alright. I'll take that from you." He said, taking the pic.
"When you're finished, could I have it back?" Santana asked.
"Of course." He said. "Mr. Hudson, when was the last time you saw your girlfriend?" He asked.
"Yesterday morning, around 2:15 in the morning. She had to be at work for 3:00 and she was doing laundry in the kitchen. I got up to get something to drink. We talked and then she had to leave. I let her take the subway when I should've told her to take a taxi. After that, she never came home. It's all my fault." He explained.
"Finn, that's not true." Santana said. He didn't reply.
"Did you contact her throughout the day?" the detective asked.
"The last time I spoke with her was around five yesterday afternoon. She was on the subway and she was almost to her stop." He told him.
"Okay. Is there anything that could've caused her to prolong her walk back home?" Rousseau asked.
"I don't know, bathroom break?" He replied.
"Okay. Does Rachel have any enemies? Anyone who wold want to hurt her or cause her harm?"
"Umm, not that I know of." He said, trying to think.
"Excuse me sir, we've got the results. Rachel Barbra Berry, born in Lima, Ohio; to Shelby L. Corcoran and William M. Schuester on November 24, 1994; Adopted on date of birth by Hiram and Leroy Berry. She is aged 27, hair color is dark brown, and eye color is brown. No criminal records are included." the officer said, walking back into the room.
"What?" Santana asked.
"That's impossible." Finn said.
"This information is conclusive and accurate." The officer told them.
"Is this the Rachel Berry you described?" the detective asked.
"Yes." Finn replied.
"Alright, we're going to ask you a little more questions and we'll start searching and investigating." He told him.
The rest of the interview was about another hour or two of pointless questions about her background. Which, was absolute torture for Finn. The further they talked about, the further he wanted to shut down and block everyone out. If she was kidnapped, he promised himself one thing. He'd beat the crap out of the sick-minded ass that took her. No mercy would be shown either.
Once the got back to Finn's, Santana stopped in front of the door.
"Finn, you really shouldn't be alone. You could stay with Britt and I, if you want." She said.
"No, I'll be fine, Santana. I feel a lot better knowing that they're looking now. Go home, you don't have to worry about me." He said.
"Just let us know if you need anything. They'll find her, okay?" She said.
"I'm starting to think they won't." he said, staring at the ground.
"What? How could you say that?" She asked.
"Because, there are a million places in New York City, that is if she's even still in it." He explained.
"You can't lose hope, Finn. You have to stay strong. For her." Santana told him.
"Funny. That's what I keep telling myself." He said.
"Then don't stop. Bye, Finn." She said as she walked in the opposite direction.
Before turning the key, a thought came across his mind. Turning away from his door, he headed towards the stairs. Once he felt the cool air hit his face, he smiled. He was on top of the roof. It felt good to be there. Walking out towards the ledge.
"Okay, Rach. I know you can't hear me, but it's worth a shot. I'm here, at our little area of distraction because honestly, the world is being a bitch to me. You really need to come back, because without you there's no me. So, fight like hell and show those assholes the warrior you are. When you do, I'll be waiting for you on the outside. I love you with all of my heart if I didn't say it enough already. I don't care if I have to hunt the whole entire planet. I'm gonna find you and bring you home."
With that, he lowered his head and sobbed for the first time in the day.
Everything was becoming clear to her again. There was still light seeping through the roof and that annoying dripping sound was still playing in her ears. She also felt like her neck was getting worse. She didn't care, all she wanted was to get out of there.
"The princess woke up, finally. It took you long enough. Good morning, honey." Mandy said, coming into view of Rachel's focus. Her throat was sore and her muscles were starting to ache from the angle she was tied at. She didn't know how much longer she could play the smart and strong girl. her body was screaming at her to give up. But her heart was telling her go on.
"I'm flattered.. You really sat here all of this time and waited for me to wake up? You must be really committed. You're such a trooper!" Rachel replied with a hoarse voice, smiling at a blurry vision of the blonde girl.
"Really? You're gonna be smart to me again? You must really have a death wish.." Many replied.
"Maybe so.. If that means getting away from your ugly ass." She replied.
"We'll see how ugly I am after I do what I'm about to do." She said.
"What're you about to do?" Rachel asked, laughing and coughing at the same time.
"What I promised before.." She replied.
"Have a nice time. When you come back the real action will start. Good night." The words flashed through Rachel's head. She now remembered.
"Not so brave now, are we?" She chuckled, crossing her arms.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that.." She sarcastically smiled up at Mandy, showing her a wide, teethy grin. And then she continued.
"Come on, bitch. Hit me with your best shot."
Don't hate me... Hope you will all love this chapter and I'm sorry to anyone if it disappoints. Also, Rachel's going to be OOC in this story, if you can't already tell. Anyways, I'll try and post tomorrow, so just hang in there until I do. Also, credits to my dad for handing me info on some of the police work, he used to be a police officer. I want to apologize if I got anything wrong info based or spelling errors. Okay, I'll be back soon I promise. Review! ;)