Held (9 page)

I could only nod stiffly.

After unlocking the restraints of her wrists and ankles, he placed each of her limbs in a separate black trash bag and tied it tightly. He did the same for her head and torso, though the torso wasn’t as easy for him as the smaller pieces had been.

Two by two, he carried the bags up the steps while I watched in silence.

When all the bags were gone from the basement, he returned. Exhausted, he sat on the bottom step, facing me.

“Are you afraid, Nicole?”

I wasn’t sure what to say. Did he want me to be afraid? The wrong answer may be my ticket to a trash bag
, so I weighed my words carefully.

“I’m afraid that you’ll end up not liking me enough to put me in a trash bag like you did her.”

“Nonsense. I told you, I didn’t like her from the beginning. She wasn’t you. And you aren’t her. As long as you don’t make the same mistakes as she did, you’ll be fine.”

“I’m thirsty. And hungry.”

He pointed to the bowl of rotten dog food. “You have food right there. As for water, I’ll get you a drink in a moment. I must rest now. I’m afraid I’m not as young as I used to be.” He laughed. “That’s a silly expression, don’t you think? After all, none of us are ever as young as we used to be. In fact, I’m not as young as I was when I said that.” He laughed again, more to himself than anything. Then, he said, “Tell me, Nicole. Did watching me with her stir up any feelings of jealousy?”

I stared at him, confused as to what he meant.

Seeing my confusion, he elaborated. “I mean, were you jealous that I was being with her in that way? Did you wish it were you underneath me?”

I felt there was no right answer here. To say yes might make him rape me. To say no might make him angry enough to use the poker on me. It was a no-win situation. No matter what I said, I was certain it would be wrong. But I had to say something, so I went with, “No.”

He shook his head. “That’s a shame. But you know I wanted it to be you. I came to you, needing to be with you in that way. And you denied me. What was I to do, Nicole? I am only a man with manly desires. I have wants and needs. These are things you must understand. You have a husband, after all. Surely, you know how it works.”

“It’s different with my husband.”

“Different? How?”

“With him, I want him just as much as he wants me.”

He thought for a moment and then asked, “Are you saying that you don’t want me?”

Another trap. Unsure of what to say, I said nothing.

“Nicole?” he shouted. “Are you saying that you don’t want me?”

His voice echoed off the walls of the basement.
His eyes were getting that wild look to them again.

Not wanting to enrage him but not wanting to encourage him either, I said, “No. At least not yet.”

He calmed a little and asked, “What do you mean by not yet?”

“Well, I haven’t known you that long. What kind of girl do you think I am? I can’t just go around giving myself to every man who wants me, now can I? That would make me no better than Stephanie.”

Completely relaxed and back to the happy Ron that made a mean sandwich, he smiled and nodded. “That’s my girl. In time, I’m sure you’ll grow to want me as much as I want you. Then, it will be sweet.” He nodded at the spot where Stephanie’s body had been. “Until then, I’ll need someone to fill in.”

I watched as Ron walked across the basement to a utility sink. Hanging on the wall beside it was a yellow garden hose. He took it from its place, connected it to the faucet, and turned on the water. He walked across the room to me, stopping a few feet away from my mattress. I waited for him to come closer, but he didn’t.

“You thirsty?” he asked.

I nodded.

He unscrewed the nozzle from the end of the hose. The water came out and fell to the floor
in splatters.

“Come and get it.”

Handcuffed to the pipe, I couldn’t get far. I got up on my knees and leaned as far as I could toward him. It wasn’t far enough. I leaned farther, causing great pain to my right arm and wrist, which was twisted around behind me in an awkward position. Had I not been so damn thirsty, I would’ve told him to shove that hose up his ass.

He pulled up on the hose quickly, creating an arc of water that hit my face. It was cold. Shockingly cold. I
gasped, and then licked my lips, getting all the water I could.

He laughed. I didn’t.

Again, he jerked up on the hose and splashed my face. Again, I licked the water from my lips.

“Nicole, if you want me to contain my passion for you, you really must stop acting so provocatively. You’re exciting me.”

“Well maybe if you’d just give me a drink of water, this wouldn’t be a problem. And if you didn’t have me down here naked, maybe you could contain yourself more.”

Smiling, he stepped forward and let me drink from the hose. I drank and drank until I thought I would throw up. I wanted to drink more then, but he walked away, taking the precious water with him.

He twisted the nozzle back on the hose. Water came out, this time with pressure pushing it. As he began spraying the floor, washing away Stephanie’s blood, I scooted back against the wall. Drawing my legs up to cover my chest, I watched him work.

“One of the reasons I bought this house was the drain in the basement floor. Very convenient, wouldn’t you say?”

I didn’t answer.

“I’m sure it’s there in case the washing machine overflows or leaks, but it is so handy for washing away blood. This house has paid for itself many times over with this drain. Money well spent.”

I watched the dirt and blood slide across the floor and disappear down the drain. I wondered if one day, a woman would sit handcuffed to this very pipe and watch in fear as my blood swirled away down the drain.

I felt drops of liquid
fall from my face and hit my arm, and I wondered if it was tears or the water he’d sprayed on me.

When he was finished cleaning the floor, he brought the hose back to me. I quickly got up on my knees again, begging for water. This time, when he unscrewed the nozzle, he let the water pour down on me, running down my chin, my breasts, my belly, and dripping onto the floor and the mattress.

He squatted down in front of me and watched the water run over my chest. I didn’t care. I was drinking as much as I could while what I couldn’t drink ran down my body. If he wanted to watch, that was his problem.

Even when he reached out and cupped my breast, I ignored him and continued to drink
the disgusting, rubbery tasting water.

Finally, he stood up. “If I don’t find someone to fill in for you quickly, you’re going to have to learn to want me.” He reached into his pants and adjusted himself before turning and walking away, taking the hose back to its spot on the wall.

As he was leaving the basement, he stopped at the foot of the mattress. “I’m going to dispose of this trash. I’ll be back. It may be a while, though. Try to miss me while I’m away.”

“Wait,” I said quickly as he ascended the stairs. “Can I get a blanket? And some food? And water?
And a bucket to use as a toilet?”

Halfway up the steps, he turned to me. “
That’s a lot of requests coming from a girl in the basement. You can pee on the floor. I’ll wash it when I get back. You’ve got food, Nicole. Eat that. As for the blanket, you should have enough nice thoughts of me to keep you warm. And as for water, there’s a thunderstorm due tonight or tomorrow. When it rains, water seeps into the basement. That should hold you until I return. I’ll see you soon.” And with that, he disappeared into the main floor, closing the door behind him.

Just how long did he plan to be gone? At least a coup
le days from the way he talked.

I wanted to cry. But I wouldn’t let myself until I’d thought through the situation I was in now. If this bowl of rotten dog food was all I had to eat, it was going to have to do.

Pulling the bowl to me, I felt my stomach rumble. I wasn’t going to eat it yet. I was just preparing for when the time came that I had to.

As disgusting as it was, I reached in and began pulling out the maggots. One by one, I pulled them from the bowl, placed them on the floor, and stomped them with the heel of my foot. When the bowl was free of the white, wriggling worms, I slid it aside. I sat back a
nd looked around the dank room.

I felt myself falling apart, and I did nothing to stop it. I cried, knowing I shouldn’t. I should
’ve conserved my energy and kept as much liquid in me as I could.

But I couldn’t
stop myself from throwing a little pity party.

I had no way of knowing how long it was before Ron returned. It could’ve been several hours. It could’ve been a couple of days. The minutes all ran together in the basement with no way of telling time.

All I knew for sure was
that the things I’d had to do to survive were things I wasn’t proud of doing.

I di
dn’t want to lick the water off the concrete walls as the rain seeped in. But I did. Until my tongue was raw from scraping it against the rough concrete.

I di
dn’t want to shit on the floor beside my bed. But I did. Three times.

I didn’t want to eat that dog food. And I didn’t. That was still a line I wasn’t able to cross. Though my stomach rumbled and I was weak, I held out. Ignoring the voice in my head that shouted out for me to just close my eyes and eat it, I waited. I still had ho
pe that he would bring me food.

Turns out,
Ron did bring me something, but it wasn’t the food I was craving.

I woke to
Ron shaking me. When I opened my eyes, he smiled down at me. It took everything I had, but I pushed myself up and sat with my back to the wall.

“Did you miss me?” he asked, smiling.

Hungry and hopeful, I nodded.

“Good. I knew you would. I see you haven’t eaten. Is there a reason?”

“Yeah. It’s rotten dog food.”

“So you’d rather starve than eat old dog food? Interesting. Are you often stubborn, or is it just when it comes to what you eat?”

“I’m not picky. I just won’t eat rotten food. Would you please bring me a sandwich or something?”

He considered this for a moment and said, “No. Girls in the basement eat basement food. If you want a sandwich, then you must learn your lesson.”

“I have,” I said quickly.

“Oh have you?” he asked suspiciously. “What lesson have you learned?”

Shit.

“Well, I’ve learned that I shouldn’t make you angry.”

He nodded.

“And I shouldn’t talk back to you.”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid you’re wrong. It seems you haven’t learned your lesson yet. But don’t worry.” He kissed the top of my head and stood. “You will. Until then, I’m afraid this is your dinner,” he said, nudging the bowl with his foot. “It won’t be so bad. Remember, it could always be worse.”

That was no lie.

It wasn’t until Ron was gone that I noticed the woman. Had she not moaned, I may not have noticed her.

She was chained where Stephanie had been. She was taller than Stephanie and had more meat on her bones. Her hair was light brown and curly. She was also naked, just as Stephanie
had been, and just as I was now.

“Hey,” I said. “Hey, are you awake? Can you hear me?”

Her eyes fluttered and she looked at me. She struggled against her restraints, but she could’ve struggled till the end of time and it wouldn’t have done any good.

“Where am I?” she asked. She had a raspy voice, the kind women have when they’ve spent their lives smoking. She looked to be in her fifties, so she must’ve gotten an early start.

“You’re in the basement of a psychopathic asshole.”

“How’d I get here?”

“I don’t know.”

“I was in a bar. Dancing on a table. Some guy helped me down. He held out his hand
. I thought that was so sweet. I sat with him and had some drinks. He flirted with me. I decided to go home with him. I don’t even remember leaving the bar.”

“What’s your name?”

“Melinda.”

“I’m Nicole. Are you married?”

“Yes. When he finds out this john kidnapped me, he’ll kill him,” she said angrily.

“John? You’re a prostitute?”

“Yeah.”

“And your husband knows?”

“It was his idea. We needed money and that’s a sure, quick way to get some.”

“It’s also a sure, quick way to end up restrained in a basement.”

“Honey, I wish you’d have told me that yesterday.” She pulled against the chains again, but still no results. “How long have you been here?”

“I’m not sure. More than a month, I know.”

“Shit. I better not be here that long.”

“There was a woman before you. She’d been here a long time.”