Eleven
If there was one thing that Ella missed the most it was the sunlight. It had been days since the warm rays had washed over her skin, kissing her in its warmth, even though it was the dead of winter. She'd always loved the outdoors, being in the wide open spaces and one with nature. While she hadn't really been able to enjoy it since her first abduction, it still called to her like an old friend. She always held onto the hope that she would be one with it once again.
But as the days passed, locked in a cage in a large, dank basement, she began to have her doubts. If only there was a window, then she could at least catch a glimpse of the sun. Instead, all she got was four cement walls, the smell of death and blood, and lots of time to think.
Of course, now she wasn't so lonely thanks to the woman Wesley had managed to grab and place in the cage across from Ella.
After he'd cleaned up the blood from Taylor's murder, he'd left with her body only to return a few hours later with another woman. He hadn't said a word to Ella as he deposited her into an empty cage, the woman unmoving. In fact, she hadn't really moved since she was placed into her cell. Of course, that was probably due to the drugs that Wesley kept pumping into her body.
Ella wished the other woman would wake up so she could at least warn her to keep quiet. She'd taken Wesley's advice to heart—she would do anything to keep the other women from meeting the same grisly fate as Taylor. It still terrified her to think about what he had done to Taylor, just because she wouldn't stay quiet. She hadn't been able to sleep, nightmares plaguing her every time she closed her eyes.
Deep down, she knew the same fate pretty much awaited her as well. She may not die in the exact same manner as Taylor—at least, she hoped not—but she was going to die regardless. While part of her was happy that she'd been unharmed thus far, she knew her luck would only last so long.
She only hoped that the next time the door opened, Wesley would be coming down alone. She didn't think she could handle seeing another innocent woman being brought into the room. Then again, she would have been more thrilled to see the door open and the police swarm the place.
But that was just wishful thinking.
And Ella Jacobs had stopped believing in wishes coming true a long time ago.
Nancy felt as if her heart literally leapt up into her throat, slowly choking her to death as Wesley turned to smile at her. She would have closed her eyes, praying that this was a nightmare, but she didn't dare take her eyes off the killer sitting beside her in the passenger seat of her car.
Wesley Levine was actually sitting in her car. Her car.
Even though she tried, she couldn't stop the tremor of fear that ran through her body, which only seemed to make Wesley's smile grow.
Flight or fight was waging a war inside her head, the flight instinct taking the lead. She needed to get away from him and quickly. If not, she knew was as good as dead.
Keeping her eyes on Wesley, she took her left hand off of the steering wheel and slowly moved it towards the door. If she could just get it open, she could get out of the car and run for help. There were still plenty of places open, even at this time of night. Surely there would be someone around who could help her.
Wesley's smile quickly faded from his face as he realized what Nancy was trying to do. Before she could touch the handle, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her towards him, pressing a knife against her belly. "You even think about opening that door, and I'll carve those pretty little guts out of you before the light even turns green."
Nancy let out a gasp as she felt the blade cut through her shirt, unable to move from the grip he had on her neck.
"Put your hands back on the steering wheel and drive. Understand?"
"Yes." Swallowing hard, Nancy gripped the steering wheel tightly, her knuckles turning white from the death grip she had on it. The light turned green and she eased the car forward, afraid to provoke the killer any further. She knew what he was capable of and she had no doubt that he would keep his word.
"So, tell me, Nancy. Have you missed me?"
"What do you think?"
"I've missed you," Wesley went on as if she didn't answer. "I've thought about you every day since you got away from me." He chuckled as she continued to drive down the empty road. "You know, you really should take the time to make sure your doors are locked before you go anywhere."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Wesley tightened his grip on her neck, making her cry out in pain. "Turn into this parking lot, away from the security lights."
Nancy did as she was instructed, only coming to a stop when he indicated it was okay to do so. She put the car into park, wondering what he was going to do next. Slowly, he removed his hand from the back of her neck, but keeping the knife where she could see it.
"What are you going to do with me?"
"I'm taking you home."
"The police are already looking for you," Nancy said, watching as the moonlight illuminated him digging into a small bag at his feet. It was the only source of light they had, the darkness feeling as if it was cutting her off from the rest of the world. It was an eerie feeling, making her tremble even more.
"Oh, I'm sure they are, especially after the last present I gave you." Sitting up, Wesley tossed a pair of handcuffs into her lap. "Push your seat back and put those around your ankles."
Nancy picked them up with shaky hands, swallowing down the lump in her throat. She noticed that the knife was still being held close to her belly. "I can't do much if you don't move the knife."
"How inconsiderate of me," Wesley mocked, but he did move the knife away from her stomach, keeping it in plain view as she reached down and moved the seat back as far as it would go.
As Nancy looped one of the cuffs around her left leg and snapped it into place, she remembered the gun that Frank had insisted she keep in her car. She could remember arguing with him about the weapon, but he insisted it was for her protection. She'd never liked guns, but she'd finally relented, promising to keep it in her vehicle.
For once, she was glad she listened to Frank.
"What's taking so long?" Wesley asked, watching her carefully.
"It's dark," Nancy said as she placed the other cuff around her right ankle. Using her left hand, she reached underneath the seat, her hand closing around the weapon. "I can barely see anything."
"Would you like me to help?" Wesley asked softly, moving her hair away from her face with the sharp tip of the blade, making her gasp.
"I've got it," Nancy bit out, squeezing the cuff until it clicked into place. There wasn't much slack between her legs, but Nancy knew she could manage to run if she needed to. It would take quite a bit of effort on her part, but she'd gotten herself out of worse situations before.
"Good," Wesley said, producing another pair of cuffs from the bag. "Lay your head against the steering wheel and put your hands behind your back."
Nancy knew this was going to be her only shot at getting away. As soon as Wesley secured her hands behind her back, she would be done for. She needed to act now.
Keeping the gun out of his sight, she put her head against the steering wheel, bringing her right hand behind her back. Wesley put the knife down in the cup holder between them, needing to use both of his hands to bind her hands. Gripping her right hand tightly, he snapped the cuff on, the cold metal snapping Nancy into action.
Before he could react, she turned around the face him, bringing the gun up to aim at his chest. Wesley reacted quickly, growling as he grabbed the hand that held the gun, slamming it over and over into the dashboard until she had no choice but to drop it.
Nancy wasn't about to give up, though.
Bringing her knees up to her chest, she kicked out at Wesley with her bound legs, sending him crashing against the passenger door. The window cracked as his head collided against it, and Nancy took advantage of his momentary shock as she reached behind her and opened the door, spilling out onto the pavement. The wind was knocked out of her body, her hear bouncing against the concrete, but she didn't let it faze her as she picked herself up and began hobbling away.
Wesley let out a guttural cry, the sound cutting through her like a knife. She'd barely made it a few feet before she was tackled from behind, her head once again bouncing off the pavement. The only difference this time was that she actual felt blood trickle down her forehead as Wesley hauled her up from the ground and dragged her back towards her car.
"Let me go!" Nancy screamed, struggling with him, digging her nails into his arms.
"Stupid bitch!" Wesley roared, shoving her against her car as he opened the back door. Gripping her face, his eyes were feral as he forced her to look at him. "You're going to wish you'd never done that, Nancy."
Nancy wished a lot of things at that moment, none of which would come true for her now.
Bringing her face closer to his, Wesley smashed his lips against hers in a brutal kiss, shoving his tongue down her throat, nearly causing her to choke. Nancy writhed against him refusing to give in to the kiss, digging her nails into his face in an attempt to get him away from her. Letting go of her face, Wesley grabbed her wrists in a bone crushing grip, biting down on her lip until he drew blood.
Nancy let out a gasp as he pulled away from her, tasting the unmistakable copper tang of blood. Glaring up at him, she spit it into his face, pleased with herself when he jerked back.
Instead of hitting her like she expected, he merely wiped the blood away from his face, slowly licking it off of his fingers. "There are going to be so many regrets tonight, my love."
"The biggest one being that you're not dead," Nancy bit out.
Wesley only chuckled as he pushed her into the car, forcing her to lie down on her back as he stretched her arms above her head. Taking the other set of handcuffs, he cuffed her to the door handle, smiling as he tightened it to the point where it bit into her skin. Sliding off of her body, he pushed her legs towards the floorboard so that she was lying in an uncomfortable position as he unlocked one of the cuffs only to loop it around the metal seat bracket before locking it back around her ankle.
"We have quite the drive ahead of us, Nancy. Better make yourself comfortable."
Nancy let out a scream of frustration as she pulled against her restraints, thrashing wildly on the seat.
"Now, now…we can't have any of that." Pulling himself out of the back, he reached into the front seat, only to reappear with a roll of duct tape.
"No…don't!" Nancy's eyes widened as Wesley crawled back into the back seat, pulling a section of the tape from the roll.
Wesley let out a deep chuckle as he leaned down over Nancy, his face hovering scant inches over hers. He gazed deeply into her eyes, his fingers tracing lightly along her jaw line. "So beautiful…"
"Wesley, please…" Nancy begged, trying to turn her head away from him. Fear was like a lead weight in her gut. Before she had a chance to react, he brought his lips down against hers once again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, forcing it in deeper when she tried to fight against it.
"When you fight me, Nancy, it only makes me want you even more," Wesley said as he sat up, just as a bright pair of headlights lit up the inside of the car. "Looks like we might have some company."
Tearing off a piece of tape, he pressed it over her mouth, before throwing the roll of tape into the front seat. Stepping out of the car, Wesley closed the door.
Nancy strained her ears to hear who had pulled up behind them. Maybe there was still a chance for her to get out of this mess. She only hoped the person wouldn't be caught in Wesley's crossfire. She knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill anyone who stood in his way.
"Is there a problem, officer?" Wesley's voice filtered through the vehicle, causing Nancy's heart to leap in her throat.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing," the officer replied. "Is everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah," Wesley said with a laugh. "My wife's car was making some weird noises so I thought I would pull over to see what was going on."
"Did you figure out what it was?"
"I did. I was just about to leave when you pulled up."
"Do you mind handing over your license and registration?"
"Is there something wrong?"
"Just standard procedure," the officer said.
"Sure," Wesley said, but Nancy didn't miss the way his tone hardened slightly. "Let me just reach into my car and get the registration papers."
"Take your time."
Opening the driver's side door, Wesley reached for the glove compartment, his eyes locking onto Nancy's wide ones. "Make one sound in here and I kill him," Wesley said, barely moving his lips.
Nancy could only nod, not wanting the officer to die.
Pulling himself out of the car with the papers, Wesley slammed the door shut. "Here you go."
"I'll be right back," the officer said and Nancy heard his footsteps move away.
Silence hung heavy in the air as Wesley leaned against the side of Nancy's car. Even though he wasn't looking directly inside the car, Nancy knew that Wesley was watching her closely, just daring her to attempt anything.
A few minutes later, footsteps approached the car as the officer came back.
"You said this was your wife's car, correct?"
"Yes, that's correct," Wesley answered.
"Sir, could you step away from the car?"
"Is something wrong?"
"Just please step away," the officer repeated.
"Sure…" Wesley said and Nancy watched as he moved away from her car.
Soon the beam of a flashlight shined into the interior, causing Nancy to wince as the bright light hit her eyes. Everything in her froze as the officer took in her appearance before he began fumbling with the door.
"What the hell?"
He never got the chance to open the door as he was suddenly slammed into the side of the car. Nancy instantly recognized him as the officer who had interrupted her meeting with Chief McGinnis as his face was pressed against the window. Just as quickly, his head was jerked back violently before Wesley slit his throat, blood spurting all over her window.
Nancy let out a muffled scream, feeling bile rise in the back of her throat as she watched Wesley murder the cop in cold blood. She jerked against her restraints, ignoring the pain as the cold metal cut into her skin, drawing blood. Tears sprang to her eyes as sobs rocked her body, feeling completely helpless as the cop's body slid down before falling to the ground in a boneless heap.
After a few seconds, Wesley hopped into the driver's seat and started the ignition. He turned his head to peer down at Nancy, smiling as he inhaled deeply. "I'm so glad you had the foresight to pick up dinner, Nancy. I'm absolutely starving."
With a chuckle, he pulled out of the parking lot, ignoring Nancy's soft whimpering as she mourned the man who'd just been senselessly murdered. She couldn't stop the hopeless feeling inside her as Wesley drove her to what she was sure to be her final destination.
Hell.
And the body count has risen to two…
Thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter: Alicia Hardy (I am so glad my car has automatic locks…you have no idea how happy I am about that! See, I end up scaring myself as I write it!), Michelle Gallichio (Very bad things are coming, indeed…he's finished toying with her), max2013 (Danger, indeed!), Esmerelda Diana Parker (Welcome! And I have no problems with Frank coming to confront me…love me some Frank Hardy!), SC15 (You really should be careful what you wish for…they have a way of coming back to bite you in the ass!), Caranath (Surprisingly, there are still cars that do not have automatic locks—my dad has one of those and his car is not old at all! Mutilated Nancy, eh? That might be a real possibility…), MinecraftDanny (More creepiness on its way!), FreshKicks (But cliffhangers are so much fun!), Cupcake (I updated so you can't be a basketcase now!), and Jabba1 (Nancy never had a chance against him…).
And a special thanks to Lady Emily for keeping me on track when I was attempting to veer off of it…
I apologize for any mistakes and let me know what you think!
