Taken

by Sarah Jayne Harry

  I still can’t think of who could be doing this. I don’t know that many people, especially people who I have lost touch with.

  “I know sweetheart, me too but it’ll be OK. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Mum says. The police had suggested that I stay indoors until this guy is caught, Mum and Dad had agreed instantly and now I am basically on house arrest.

  We have made sure that all the doors and windows are securely locked and covered. We have also told friends and neighbours to stay away until this is sorted out, we are not taking any risks.

  A knock on the door makes my heart race. Mum looks through the peephole and then sighs, “It’s a policeman.” she tells me with a smile and opens the door. A man in police uniform steps inside and gives us a warm smile.

  “Good evening ladies. I just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Gary, I have been assigned to watch over you during this investigation. I’ll be on patrol outside. If you hear anything or see anything then just let me know, alright?” he says. Already I feel a little bit safer, only a little bit though.

  Gary is an older man, I would guess he was in his 50s. He has short, grey hair, light eyes, pale, aged skin and a beer belly. His weapon sits secure in his holster and I wonder how good he is at using it.

  “It's nice to meet you, Gary, would you like a cup of coffee? Something to eat?” Mum asks.

  “No, thank you, ma'am, I must get back to my post. Take care now ladies.” with a nod of his head, he walks out the door.

  After Mum locks the door again, I take a peek out the window. Gary sits in his unmarked car, reading a magazine. So much for keeping watch. I take another look around the neighbourhood and wonder if he's out there right now, watching. I shiver and move away from the window.

  “Don't worry hun,” Mum says to me, “we're safe here. I promise.”

  I smile and nod my head, “I know Mum, I'm OK, I promise.” I go over and give her a hug, I know she will protect me no matter what.

  “Do you want me to make you some hot coco? I can put some whipped cream and marshmallows on top.” that’s my favourite drink and she knows it. It makes me feel like a child again, I always get cream on my nose.

  “No thanks Mum.” I tell her.

  ✽✽✽

  Later, I head upstairs. When I check my phone, I see I have four missed calls and eight new texts from Cleo alone, all of them demanding that I stop ignoring her. I send a quick text letting her know that I’m OK and that I’ll call her later.

  I then send a text to Toby, he's probably at the office with his dad again.

  Tayla: Hey, are you free right now?

  Toby: For you? Always. What’s up?

  Tayla: Just bored, I hate this. I wish I could go out.

  Toby: I know babe but it’s for the best.

  Tayla: I wish you were here.

  Having to stay in the house wouldn’t be so bad if I had someone to pass the time with, I can only spend so much time with my mum, no matter how close we are.

  Toby: Me too. I wish I could help.

  Tayla: You are helping, by staying away. It sucks but it’s for the best.

  I throw his words back at him and I can just imagine him groaning because he knows I’m right. It’s best for everyone to stay away from the house and from me. We don’t know if this person is dangerous yet and I don’t want anyone getting hurt because of me.

  A few minutes later and Toby tells me he has to get back to work and that he will call me later tonight. After we say our goodbyes, I start typing out a text to Cleo, it’s like she can sense what I’m doing because she sends me a text before I can finish it.

  Cleo: Tay, I swear, I am going to kick the shit out of whoever is doing this to you. You’re supposed to be going to Barcelona in four days. Who knows if you will still be able to go!

  I laugh at her rant. Figures she is thinking about a holiday at a time like this.

  Tayla: Don’t worry, I am definitely going to Barcelona, I need it after this.

  Cleo: What kind of person does this? It’s creepy. I hope they get caught. And soon.

  Tayla: Me too.

  We text each other for a couple more hours, she tries to cheer me up, tries to take my mind off of what’s happening, but how could I think of anything else when I know some creep is out there watching me.

  After Cleo leaves to go watch a movie with her mum at the cinema, I decide it’s time I spend some time with my mum.

  We end up watching Finding Dory, it’s got sad bits and it’s got funny bits, it’s the perfect film for any occasion.

  “Oh, I’m so glad she found them in the end.” Mum says when it’s over.

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it Mum.” I stifle a laugh. I don’t know many people who cried when they watched Finding Dory, I mean, it was sad that Dory couldn’t find her parents but I didn’t think it was that sad.

  Mum blows into a tissue as I pick out the next movie. This time I pick, I keep it Disney and pick Moana, a movie about a young girl who feels trapped on her island and wants to find an adventure. I can somewhat relate to that right now.

  Dad comes in some time later, sticking to his word of coming home on time. He joins us for the movie and we have a family night.

  It soon gets dark and I decide to call it a night. After saying goodnight to Mum and Dad, I head upstairs and jump into bed. It takes a while before I can relax and I slowly fall asleep. My last thought is that everyone is safe for another night.

  CHAPTER 25

  For the next few days, it is completely silent. No letters. No roses. Nothing. The police couldn't get any prints or anything from either letters or flowers. Whoever it is, is being very careful.

  We were offered to go into protective care, kind of like the witness protection, Dad refused though, he wanted to show this guy that he doesn’t scare us... but he scares me.

  Only one more day until our trip to Barcelona. My parents tried to get me to stay home instead, but the police advised it may be best if I do go, so I can get away from it all. They hope that if this guy can’t find me, he will get sloppy and make a mistake and that by the time I get back, they will have some leads. I only hope that’s true.

  Mr and Mrs Wilson heard about what’s happening and have said that they will keep an extra eye out for anything unusual. They have also hired a private jet and some security to watch over us during our trip. I don’t think this guy would travel to another country to get to me but I wasn’t going to complain.

  I am sitting on the sofa with Mum, watching TV, when the doorbell rings. It’s just after 5 pm and we aren’t expecting anyone. Mum, thinking it’s Gary, goes to the door and looks through the peephole.

  “There is someone standing there but I can’t see their face.” she tells me. I let out a sigh of relief, glad it’s not another letter. Slowly the door opens.

  “Can I help you?” Mum asks the person on the other side. I hear a deep voice say no and then the door is forcibly pushed open.

  Mum stumbles back then turns to me. “Run.” I'm too stunned to move as the man forces his way inside. I gasp as I recognize the beautiful yet cold brown eyes that I haven’t seen in over a year. Damien.

  Now it all makes sense. How he wanted me so badly when I was at the warehouse last year. How he raped me. He still wants me now.

  “Hello, Tayla.” he smirks his usual smirk.

  Mum grabs a plate that is on the table and smashes it over his head, it stuns him and he shouts out in pain. She then grabs my arm and pulls me off the sofa where I'm still sitting, too shocked to move. We make our way upstairs and into the bathroom, it's the only room that locks.

  “Do you know him?” Mum whispers.

  “Yes.”

  “How? Tayla, how do you know him?” I tell her about Damien, how he was the one following me last year, how he was the one who took me, what he did to me. It all comes out. I didn’t tell anyone much about what happened last year. Just the basics of what they needed to know. Of course, they knew I was raped. They had to do a tes
t to make sure I was clean.

  “We need to call the police and your dad.” she says afterwards, “Shoot. Do you have your phone? Mine is downstairs”

  I pat my pockets, “Mine is downstairs.” I say.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.” she says. I'm not sure she believes that herself.

  ✽✽✽

  Footsteps sound in the hallway and I hear Damien’s voice through the walls.

  “Come on out, Tayla, you can’t hide from me.” he says. We hear him opening other doors, looking for us.

  The door handle jiggles as he tries to open it. “Do you really think that’s going to stop me from getting you?” he laughs, then he starts banging on the door. He's trying to break it down.

  Mum holds me in her arms, there’s nothing either of us can do now.

  A few minutes more and the door explodes open and he steps inside. He smirks at me again then takes a gun out of his pocket and shoves it in Mum’s face. “NO!” I scream, “Don’t hurt her.” he glares at me and slaps me hard.

  “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!” he shouts at me. He then grabs me by the hair and pulls me to his side.

  “TAYLA!” Mum screams and grabs for me. The next thing I know, I hear a quiet popping noise and Mum screams out in pain as blood begins to pour out of her leg. I realise then, that the noise I heard was a gunshot. I look at the weapon in Damien’s hand which is still pointed at Mum.

  “MUM!” I try to go to her but Damien’s hand in my hair stops me. “MUM?” I cry, she lays on the floor, screaming in agony. I try to get out of Damien's hold, but he puts the gun under my chin and I freeze instantly.

  “This is your fault. I told you whatever happened now is your fault.” he whispers in my ear. The next thing I know, a piece of cloth is tied around my mouth. “Now let's go before company shows up.”

  He yanks me towards the door and down the stairs. I scream every second of the way. For my mum. For anyone. Once outside, he goes towards Gary’s car. I see him slumped in the front seat with blood pouring from his temple and I scream for him too.

  Damien pulls Gary from his seat and leaves him on the ground. I’m then pushed into the passenger seat and with a loaded gun still pointed at me, we drive out of my road and away from my family.

  Since Damien used a silencer on his gun, I know that nobody will know I'm gone until it’s too late. Dad was due to arrive home from work at six and I pray he somehow gets here earlier.

  We drive for an hour before we stop at a rundown gas station. There, I'm forced out of Gary’s car and I'm pulled towards another one. This time, Damien puts a key in the car to unlock it. This must be his own car, a simple black hatchback with tinted windows. Before I have time to register anything, the cloth around my mouth is removed and replaced by another, this one is placed over my nose and mouth. Chloroform again. I try to stay awake but I know it’s pointless. A few minutes later and everything goes dark.

  When I come to, it’s pitch black. I look down and see that I have been changed out of the pyjamas that I was wearing. In their place is a tiny black skirt and a black t-shirt. My hands are once again bound by rope. I close my eyes and breath. How could this happen to me again?

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask Damien, who’s in the front seat. I am laid across the back seats, which have been folded down to make a large empty space. I look at the doors and think of a way to get close enough.

  “They’re locked so don’t even try it.” he says without turning, I curse him for knowing what I’m thinking.

  “Where are you taking me?” I ask him again.

  “Back to my home. Which is now your home too.” he says. I look at him like he’s crazy.

  “Why? What do you want with me?”

  “Tayla,” he sighs, “the moment I first saw you, I felt a connection, I had to have you, and now I do.”

  I sit up and look out the window, trying to see where I am but it appears the back windows have been somewhat tinted as well to prevent me from seeing out clearly.

  Some time later, I'm given food, a chicken wrap and a bottle of water. I quickly finish the wrap and swig back the water in seconds. I'm told to use the bottle if I need to go the toilet. I'd much prefer the bucket from last year.

  “We are almost there.” Damien says happily, like we are some happy couple moving into our new house together.

  My wrists have started to burn with the ropes rubbing against my skin and I all but jump out of the car myself when the door is opened. I don’t care to look around, I immediately bolt in a random direction. I can’t help but notice that I'm surrounded by trees again and Deja vu kicks in. My life is literally on repeat.

  I'm running through the trees in complete darkness. When I trip over a tree branch sticking up out of the ground, I face plant into the soil and cry out in pain.

  “Why must you do this?” his voice comes from above me. I turn onto my back and look up at him as he gets closer.

  “I could ask you the same thing.” I wipe the wet mud out of my eyes and glare at him. He ignores me and just lifts me up and puts me over his shoulder.

  He starts walking back in the direction I came from. Soon we pass his car and just in front of us, I see a small wooden building. A cabin in the woods. That never ends well. I sigh as he unlocks the door and steps inside.

  “Welcome to your new home.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Inside, a large fireplace spreads its heat around the otherwise cold room. The floor and walls are nothing but dark wood, the windows bare except for the small white curtains fastened to their holders. A single beige sofa sits on one side facing a TV which is resting against the wall. There’s a large fluffy rug spread out under a small coffee table.

  On the other side of the room, a square table with a chair on each side sits in a corner.

  There is a door on the far wall which I presume leads to the bedroom, another, I think, to the bathroom and another, which I see is the kitchen.

  Under different circumstances I would have found the place a cosy little cabin, perfect for weekend trips to get away from the world.

  “So, do you like it?” Damien asks, hopefully.

  “No.” I lie, I wouldn’t let him know I like my new prison.

  He stalks off to the furthest corner of the room. I take a closer look and I see there’s a door in the floor, kind of like a cellar door, however what comes out of it reminds me why I'm here in the first place.

  Damien puts a key into the door, which turns out not to be a door. When the key is turned, a loud whirling noise fills the room, slowly the not-door starts to rise on its own and up from under the ground, appears a cage, it doesn’t stop until it reaches the ceiling. Inside the cage is a single cuff, there’s a slot in the door and nothing else.

  Damien comes back over to me and grabs my arm roughly, I'm too busy looking at the metal to resist. I'm then pushed inside the cage and the cold, metal of the cuff is fastened around my ankle. Then the door closes.

  “Are you warm enough?” he asks.

  I laugh at him, “Fuck off.” I say.

  Soon, with nothing else to do, I fall asleep, dreaming of ways to escape.

  I wake up the next day, some time in the afternoon, to hear Damien moving around in the kitchen, preparing his lunch probably. This gives me plenty of time to look around my new home for a way to escape.

  It does not look good however, the floors are spotless and the room is tidy and organized. The cuff around my ankle is solid and gives no indication of becoming loose.

  The smell of food makes my stomach rumble. “Lunch time.” Damien says as he places two plates on the table, along with two glasses of, what I presume to be, red wine. He then comes over to my door and opens it and waits for me to get out. He must be crazy if he thinks I'm going to eat with him, no matter how hungry I am.

  “No thanks, I'd rather starve.” I tell him and stay seated on the floor.

  He frowns and I see his hand curl into a fist. Someone has anger issues. “In this house
, we eat together.” he says through clenched teeth.

  “Go to hell.” I smile sweetly at him. He lets out a frustrated grunt and grabs my arm, pulling me to my feet.

  “YOU WILL DO AS YOU’RE TOLD!” he screams in my face, I cringe at his tone of voice and my body cowers in fear. Damien grabs my wrist and pushes me into one of the chairs at the table. I take a deep breath to calm my racing heart, that’s when I notice my cuff has a large chain, probably long enough to walk about the whole cabin. I put that little bit of information away for later, it could come in handy when it comes to finding a way to escape.

  Damien sits opposite me and smiles like everything is fine, then he starts eating. I look at my own plate, a small chicken breast, roast potatoes and a small pile of cauliflower with gravy drizzled over. My stomach growls again as my mouth waters.

  “You’re not eating.” he narrows his eyes at me.

  I look at him then and without taking my eyes off him, I grab my plate and push it off the table. It crashes to the floor with a smash, breaking into pieces. Food stains the floor.

  He stands abruptly and screams in frustration. He steps forward and then slaps me hard across the face. My head swings to the side and my cheek burns from the new pain, my vision is blurred by tears.

  I'm shoved back into my cage and the door locks, he glowers at me through the bars, “If you don’t eat with me then you don’t eat at all.” he then goes back to the table and finishes his food. After, he cleans up my mess and I can’t help but smirk as he does.

  ✽✽✽

  For the rest of the day I am left alone. Damien stays out of sight, doing god knows what, and I get as comfy as possible as one could get when in a cage, and hum quietly to myself. By now Dad would have alerted the police of my kidnapping. Mum would hopefully be at the hospital getting her leg treated and the police would be starting their search for me. I just have to wait.