by Dawn Cano
Why me? What did I do to deserve this life? I want what normal people have—a job, a real boyfriend, a best friend, a family who loves me. Why me?
Alex buried her face in her hands and sobbed until there were no tears left. She was tired of crying all the time. Once she could cry no more, she decided it was time to get up and moving. Despite no one bothering her where she was, she knew she was vulnerable and she was still afraid Jeremy was out looking for her. She knew too much, and he was too proud to let one of his prized possessions get away. She cringed thinking about what he would do to her if he ever found her.
Alex stayed behind the buildings and made her way through the small town, avoiding people when she could, slowly getting brave enough to make her way out from behind the buildings. She looked down at her clothes and realized that despite what she'd been through and not having any shoes, she didn't look half bad. She smoothed her hair with her hands and decided to take the plunge. She walked out from between two small, red-bricked buildings and onto the sidewalk.
There weren't many people out and she had no idea what time it was. As she stopped and looked around, trying to get her bearings, a man approached her.
“You're missing something,” he said with a smirk.
“Excuse me?”
He looked at her feet. “Your shoes.”
Alex was silent for a moment, staring at her dirty feet, thinking up a story. She chuckled. “Yeah my car broke down a few miles up the road and I didn't grab my shoes before coming to find help. I left my cell phone at home and I didn't realize the closest town was so far away.”
He didn't break eye contact, and his gaze made Alex feel uneasy. She could tell he didn't believe her. “No one stopped to help? You're a pretty woman, certainly someone would have offered help. I'm Ryan, by the way.” He held out his hand.
Taking his hand she said, “I'm Alex. No one stopped to help, but I was subjected to quite a few catcalls. What is it with men and catcalls, anyway? Do you guys think a woman will drop and spread her legs for you when you do that?”
Ryan looked shocked. “Whoa. Don't include me in 'you guys.' I don't do that shit. It's degrading for both the guys who do it and the women they do it to.” He paused and looked at Alex. “You look like you could use some food and something to drink. Let me buy you lunch and I'll drive you back to your car and see what I can do to help. I'm handier than I look.”
Lunch? Had she really slept that long?
Alex remembered what happened the first time she took a similar offer from a stranger and to say she was wary was an understatement. Ryan was a tall, good looking guy, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt and he had kind eyes and a warm smile. Alex liked him, but she was afraid of trusting anyone. Ryan apparently noticed the apprehension in her eyes.
“We'll stay right around here, in public if you want. I'm not going to hurt you, but I can see that someone already has.”
Alex blushed and stared at her bare feet. “I don't think I can go into a restaurant without shoes, anyway,” she said, relieved that she had an excuse for not going with him.
“I'll tell you what, there's a Mexican restaurant right around the corner that has an outside dining area. Let's go over there and you can wait for me outside while I order. Fair enough?”
Alex smiled, in spite of herself. “I...I didn't grab my wallet from the car. I can't...”
Ryan interrupted. “It's on me. Come on.” With that, he started down the street with Alex right behind him. They rounded the corner and Alex saw La Cocina restaurant, a small, quaint, white building with six tables outside. They walked to the fenced seating area and Ryan opened the gate, ushering her in. “Wait right here and I'll get us something to eat. Any special requests?”
Alex shook her head. “No, I'll just have what you're having, but can you get me a large water, please? I'm so thirsty.”
Ryan smiled. “You got it. Be right back.”
Alex looked at the tables and chose one as far away from the sidewalk and road as possible. She was still convinced Jeremy would be out searching for her, despite it being several hours since she ran away. She sat down, staring at the road, willing herself not to jump at every unfamiliar noise.
5
RYAN LEFT ALEX in the outdoor seating area and walked inside the restaurant to order their food. He smiled to himself when he realized how easy it was to find the girl. Jeremy had hired him less than an hour after Alex ran away, and Ryan was to find her and kill her, to keep her from talking to anyone about Jeremy's business. It was his job, after all—finding people and ending their miserable existences. It was a shame to have to kill such a young, pretty girl who seemed so sweet and innocent, but in his line of work, questioning his clients would cost him money and ruin his reputation. He had a job to do, and Jeremy paid him $30k to do it right. He wanted Alex to die, and he wanted her to die as slowly and painfully as possible.
Ryan ordered two taco plates, a Coke for himself and a large water for Alex. After grabbing the tray, he headed back outside with his most innocent smile in place.
“Here we go. I hope you like tacos.” He was amused at the way Alex jumped when he spoke. He placed a plate in front of her and handed her the cup of water, which she happily drank from. They both ate in silence until Ryan spoke up.
“So, are you from around here?”
Since Alex didn't know where 'here' was, she hesitated, formulating a believable answer. “No, I'm just here visiting friends.”
“How old are you, Alex?”
“Twenty one,” she lied. “This is my first road trip and it seems I've already fucked it up.”
“Don't worry about it. I'll take you back to your car and we'll get you back on the road. How far away is it again?”
“You really don't have to do that,” she said, staring at her plate. “You've already bought me lunch and I don't want to take advantage of your kindness.”
“You're not taking advantage of anything if I offer. How far away is it?”
“A couple of miles that way,” she said, pointing behind her. She knew she couldn't allow him to take her to her car because she didn't have a car.
“Well, then. Eat up and I'll see what I can do.”
Ryan and Alex finished their meal in silence. Alex looked for some way to get away from the man, and thought of an excuse to leave him outside while she made an escape. “I need to go to the restroom. Be right back,” she said, offering him a small smile.
Ryan barely looked up from his tacos. “I'll be here.”
Alex got up from the table and walked inside the restaurant, hoping no one noticed she was barefoot. Glancing around, she saw another door leading to the outside on the far side of the restaurant. She walked into the bathroom and locked herself in the handicapped stall, the one farthest from the door. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself as she planned her escape. She could run out the other door, and it would take Ryan at least a few minutes to realize she was gone. Thankfully, this would be easier than she thought. She opened the stall door and walked to the mirror where she stared at her reflection. She didn't look as bad as she thought, but the amount of trouble she was in terrified her. With another deep breath, she stepped away from the mirror and opened the bathroom door.
Alex walked out of the bathroom only to find Ryan standing there waiting for her. Her heart jumped in her chest, despite the man wearing his most warming smile. “There you are. Ready?”
“Ready,” Alex said, not wanting to make eye contact with him.
They walked side-by-side out of the restaurant and headed back to where he had found her. “My truck is right over here,” he told her. She followed him back to his SUV, coming up with the story that her car had to have been towed. It wasn't the best lie, but it would do. She would have him drop her off at a strange house later on if he insisted on taking her home and she'd tell him her friend lived in the house. He'd be none the wiser.
Using the key fob, Ryan unlocked the doors and Alex climbed into the passenger se
at. She closed the door, fastened her seat belt and stared straight ahead. Ryan got in the driver's side and started the engine. He pulled out of the parking lot, heading in the opposite direction from where Alex said her car was.
“Where are we going?” Alex asked, still staring out the windshield. She never saw Ryan punch her on the side of the head. She saw stars right before her world went black.
***
THE NEXT THING she knew, Alex woke up chained to a metal table with a brutal headache.
“Welcome back to me, Sleeping Beauty.”
Alex strained her neck to try to see where Ryan was, but found her head chained to the table, and the headache she had was unreal. She looked around the room and realized it wasn't a room at all, but an old warehouse. Terror gripped her and she began to cry.
“What the hell are you crying for? I haven't done anything to you. Yet.” Ryan laughed and finally appeared wearing all black. His face was covered by a black ski mask, and he wore thick black gloves. He walked up and stood by Alex's head.
“Allow me to explain all this. Your old boss, what was his name? Jeremy, I think, paid me to find you. He said you ran away? I don't know what kind of business you were in that requires your boss to have you killed when you quit, but hey. Who am I to judge?”
Alex focused on the phrase, 'to have you killed' and nothing he said before or after mattered. She knew Jeremy would be after her, but she had no idea he would do something like this. She expected him to find her and drag her back to his whorehouse, not have her killed.
She sniffled. “You're going to kill me?”
“Oh, yes, pretty lady. But I want to have some fun with you first. Oh, I almost forgot. I hope you don't mind, but there's a video camera set up in the corner of the room to record all the festivities.” He pointed up above his left shoulder to a camera he knew Alex couldn't see. “Your ex-boss wants to make sure he gets what he paid for.”
Alex sobbed, “He...Jeremy doesn't need to know you found me, does he? Please, just let me go and I'll disappear.”
“Didn't you hear what I told you? He paid me to make a video of your murder. How would I explain letting you go? Besides, he had one very specific thing he wanted me to do to you before you die.”
Alex screamed, hoping someone in the outside world would hear. She didn't know they were in the middle of nowhere and that once again, she was alone.
Ryan grabbed her face with his left hand and reached into his right pocket with the other, producing a pair of pliers. “No one can hear you, princess. Your boss loves you so much, he wants me to cut out your tongue, just to keep you from talking.” Ryan squeezed the sides of Alex's face together so hard that she squealed in pain and her mouth opened. He jammed his gloved fingers in her mouth, pulling out her tongue as far as it would go. Before he cut it off, he said, “You know, I made my wife shut up by sewing her mouth closed, so at least this isn't as bad.”
With that, he clamped the pliers down hard on Alex's tongue, and using both hands, squeezed the handle together, cutting it off. He grabbed the tongue with his left hand and examined it, laughing. It was then he noticed Alex had already passed out. He took a good look at the tongue before throwing it down on the floor, and since she was unconscious, he walked over to his bright red tool box and began digging around, searching for the perfect tool for the next procedure.
When Ryan returned to the table, he was amazed at the amount of blood pouring from Alex's mouth. He had to make sure she didn't choke on it, so he kept her head tilted to the side, as much as the chain would allow. Blood and saliva poured from her slightly open mouth. He gently slapped her face and eventually, she regained consciousness.
“Welcome back to the land of the living,” he said. Alex couldn't see his face, but she heard the smile in his voice.
“Just kill me and get it over with,” she said, but without a tongue, her speech was almost impossible to understand, so Ryan ignored her.
He moved up to stand at the head of the table, taking a handful of Alex's hair in his left fist. He pulled her hair hard, relishing in the ripping sound that came from her scalp. He pulled away handfuls of hair before growing bored. She thrashed and screamed.
“Jeremy didn't ask me to do that. I just wanted to see how easy it is to rip someone's hair out. Thanks for letting me experiment on you. He did, however, mention something about fucking up that pretty white skin of yours.”
Ryan produced a pair of kitchen scissors. “These things cut through chicken skin pretty easily. I wonder how they work on human skin?” He grabbed Alex's top lip and pulled it out. In one seamless movement, he cut the lip off her face and dropped it on the floor. Alex's eyes rolled up in her head and Ryan thought he might lose her again. He slapped her and yelled at her to stay awake.
“If you keep passing out on me, this will take much longer than it needs to. Stay awake so we can finish and I can go home.” After he finished speaking, he cut off her bottom lip. Her mouth was one bloody mess, and Ryan was pleased with himself. He then thought about having to clean up the blood and cursed under his breath. As fun as these kills were for him, he really despised cleaning. Ryan felt a bit of sympathy for the young woman as she lay there crying, blood bubbles spewing from her mouth since she no longer had lips to hold them in. His sympathetic feelings didn't last long.
“We're almost done, sunshine. I just need to go outside and set something up. Don't go anywhere!” He laughed as he walked out the door.
Alex lay on the cold metal table sobbing, wishing someone was coming to her rescue, but knowing how stupid that wish was. Ever since she was a child, she wanted to die and it looked as though her wish was coming true. She coughed and sputtered as blood poured down her throat from her missing tongue and she began thinking of her mom.
Why did you leave me? Why would you leave me to a life filled with pain and misery? Wasn't I your baby, your little girl? Did you hate me that much? Why not have an abortion or give me up for adoption? I'm ready to die now. I just hope he makes it quick.
Alex was losing consciousness once again when Ryan came back into the warehouse. “Ready, Princess? I know it's kind of chilly in here so I came up with a way to warm you up.” With that, he hit her with a solid fist right above the ear and she succumbed to sweet oblivion once again. He stared at her face, happily noticing the permanent smile that was of his making.
Alex awoke a few minutes later upside down. She was on her head and when she tried to scream, the sound reverberated all around her. It was dark and she couldn't figure out where she was. As she struggled to at least get right side up, she smelled gasoline and soon felt it splash against her skin. It was cold and ran down her face, making her wounds hurt more than she thought possible. Then it hit her.
He's gonna burn me alive.
With that thought, Alex tapped into whatever reserved strength she had left and fought harder than she ever thought possible. It was no use.
“See you in hell, my dear,” Ryan said as he threw a lit match into the 55-gallon drum Alex had found herself in. Her body turned into a human torch and she burned to death a few minutes later. As her body burned and cooled, Ryan walked back into the warehouse and began cleaning up the mess. When he was finished, he buried what was left of her in the woods behind the warehouse—the same place where all his other victims were laid to rest.
6
ALEX AWOKE LYING flat on her back in a stark white room. There were no windows on the walls, the only light coming from two fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling. Although she could turn her head, she lacked the strength to lift it, and every time she tried, a wave of dizziness and nausea washed over her. She tried to control her breathing and a voice coming from a corner of the room made her jump, causing her head to pound.
“I'm glad you're awake. I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't come back to us.”
As soon as Alex heard the older woman's voice, the memories of what Ryan had done to her came flooding back. He'd cut out her tongue, cut her lips off, and
burned her alive. How was she lying here? Was this Heaven? Certainly Hell wouldn't be so...clean. She tried to speak, but her voice was nothing more than a croak. She was thirsty and licked her lips. It was then she realized her tongue was back where it belonged.
“Dying is thirsty work, isn't it? Let me get you some water,” the voice said, coming closer. Seconds later, an older, somewhat familiar woman appeared on Alex's right, holding a glass of water with a straw inside. The woman placed a hand under Alex's head, helping her lift her mouth to the straw. She took a few sips before the woman took the glass away. “That should be the last drink of water you'll ever need.”
“Who are you and where am I? How did...Do I know you?” Alex asked in a whisper, confused by the woman's comment.
The woman interrupted Alex's question and blurted out, “My name is Miranda, Alex. I'm your mother.”
Alex felt the edges of her vision growing dark and through nothing more than sheer will, kept herself from fainting at the news. She stared up at the woman and realized why she looked familiar. This was the same woman who ran her off from between the buildings when Alex first left home and found herself sleeping on the streets. The one who touched her and made her shoulder burn.
“You're my mother?”
