Phobias

by Ryan Horvath

  Tim was about to flash a livid response when a light bulb exploded in his head. The madman was obviously able to track Tim’s position. And Tim was smart enough to know the guy had probably hacked into the GPS system on the phone. And Tim was also smart enough to know there were others who could do that too. He suddenly knew what to do to throw a massive monkey wrench into this monster’s plan.

  “Heather is waiting, Mr. Star,” the voice said. “Come save her.” He paused. “Gotta go now.” The line went silent.

  Tim pulled the phone from his ear and his heart pounded. He looked at the screen and then brought up the keypad. He pressed 9, then 1, and then the phone buzzed to life again. Tim was so startled he nearly dropped it again. When he had a good grip on the phone, he looked at the screen and saw it was the UNKNOWN caller again. Tim accepted the call.

  “You can push the last ‘1’ if you want to, Mr. Star,” the tormentor said. “But it won’t do you any good. Once you stepped inside my fence, you lost service with the outside. Only the phones I want to work will work in here; and thanks to a handy gadget I acquired, no signals can get in or out unless I want them to. So stop wasting time. Heather is waiting.” The call ended abruptly.

  Tim looked at the phone. It was probably useless now but he held onto it. He went back to the entrance of the path to get another look at the property. A massive streak of lightning shot across the sky and Tim got a good look at his destination.

  He took a deep breath and began running. A part of him prayed he wouldn’t be blown out of his shoes by a bolt of lightning. Another part of him thought that would be a faster, more favorable death than what he was probably going to experience.

  ~*~0~0~*~

  “That was where my lawyer friend lived,” Terry said as he crawled the sedan by the house he’d visited in the past. He looked across Walt and out the passenger window, then brought the car to a complete stop. The property had a long front yard that led up to the house. Terry couldn’t see the back of the house from the street but he easily recalled the deck he and the lawyer had ravished each other on. The house in the photo they found had to be the next one on this street. Even if he hadn’t recalled the memory, Terry was able to connect with Chad and confirm that both their separated pairs were being led to the same place. After listening to the discoveries Chad and Holly made, Terry agreed that they were most definitely walking into a trap. Lightning flashed regularly around them and thunder tried its best to invade the interior of the car.

  Terry started them forward again and, from the opposite direction, a pair of headlights appeared around a corner.

  “That’s gotta be them,” Walt said.

  Terry nodded and moved ahead until he and the taxi were parallel. Through his window, he saw Chad toss some money at the cabbie. Then he and Holly were out of the cab and in the deluge. In seconds, Holly threw herself into the back seat behind Terry and quickly slid over so Chad could pile in after her.

  “Perfect timing,” Holly said. She shuddered some of the chill from the rain away, pushed back some sopping hair from her face, and added, “When this is all over, I’m going on vacation and going to sleep through the whole thing.”

  Chad and Terry both flashed her a look. Neither man said anything, but Holly was able to tell what they were thinking: they both thought this early hour in the morning was the last hour of their lives.

  “We have another problem,” Chad said, catching Terry’s eyes in the rearview mirror. Rain dripped into his own eye and he wiped it away. “It’s not just Heather and Calvin now. He’s got someone else.”

  The look on Terry’s face said he probably already knew that. But Walt turned in his seat to face Chad.

  “I…i…It… It’s my m…m…mom, r…r…right?” Walt stammered.

  Chad’s eyes darted away from Walt shamefully, though he had done nothing to be ashamed of. He nodded slightly.

  “How did you know that?” Walt said. Worry was written all over his face.

  When Chad didn’t immediately answer, Holly said, “Whoever is doing this sent Chad a video message.”

  Walt’s jaw dropped open and his eyes widened. Worry, anger and hate flashed in them like the lightning outside the car. “When?”

  “Right before we separated,” Chad said.

  “Let me see the video,” Walt commanded and held out his hand.

  Chad shook his head.

  “Now!” Walt demanded.

  “Hey, Walt, I can’t,” Chad returned.

  “Give me your fucking phone, Mr. Dean!” Walt shouted and turned more in his seat. He was bigger than Chad and felt ready to climb into the back seat and take the phone from him by force.

  “Not a… fucking… chance!” Chad yelled back firmly. Though agitated, he threw rationality on Walt. “Look. I wouldn’t show the message to anyone. I didn’t want to see it myself, but it’s a lot less worse than what we all got right about the time we got together. But I will tell you this: your mom’s alive. And we’ll get her back.”

  Terry looked at Walt and Holly watched Chad. Walt breathed heavily and Chad tried to remain collected. Seconds later Chad spoke again. He addressed Walt. “This asshole called you the wild card. Any idea what that’s about?”

  Walt still looked angry but appeared to be calming little by little. He shook his head.

  Suddenly, all four of their phones chirped, buzzed, chimed, and rang at the same time.

  “Fuck!” Terry spat fumbling to get to his.

  They all extracted their phones and looked at the message they just received.

  “Come on in,” Holly said, reading.

  “I’ve had so much fun,” Terry continued, reading from his own phone.

  “And we’re not done having fun yet,” Walt dictated from his phone’s screen.

  “Just use the fob to open the gate,” Chad finished, reading the message.

  They looked to their right and out the window. Lighting flashed regularly illuminating the enormous trees that encircled the property. Inside the perimeter of trees, a tall metal fence was visible.

  Chad pulled the fob with the numbers on it from his pocket. “Here we go,” he said. He checked the numbers on the back of the fob and then turned it over again. He keyed in the series of four digits.

  The gate began to move and retracted to the side allowing access to the driveway.

  And when Chad pushed the four numbers to open the gate, something else happened.

  Deep inside the structures they were bound for, hidden away in numerous dark corners, arming devices activated and countdowns began.

  Terry put the car in motion again and proceeded up the driveway.

  ~*~0~0~*~

  Miedo smiled proudly as he saw, on a monitor, the front gate slide open and the dip shit detective drive them in. Another monitor told him the devices he had the C4 attached to also properly activated and the digital readout on a third monitor began counting down.

  Miedo looked over to where Calvin Vale was strapped. The football player was still thrashing in his sleep but Miedo knew he’d be coming out of his induced sleep soon. He shifted his gaze to where Heather hung. She quaked and shrieked with every peal of thunder that rocked the early morning sky. Mr. Star would find her first, but probably not by much, which was perfect. Miedo walked away from the monitors and into the room where the Wild Card’s mother was being held. She was awake but her blindfold allowed her to see nothing. Miedo silently knelt down and saw the device beneath her chair had also activated.

  It wasn’t even 6:00 AM yet and already his day was looking lovely.

  Lightning brightened his charming but malignant visage. He rocked back and forth until he heard a chime from the room with the computers.

  Mr. Star was now inside.

  ~*~0~0~*~

  Tim entered the building he was told to. He was drenched to the skin and his feet felt as if they were walking on sponges inside his sodden shoes. But he’d made it without getting struck by lightning. The phone he carried was still clenched
in his fist. The space he entered was dark and he hoped to use the phone for some light but, when he tried to turn it on, he found it too wet and inoperable. He threw it on the hard floor and it clacked away into the shadows.

  Lightning flashed outside and, through narrow windows at the top of this building, Tim was able to see that he was in a long corridor. When the lightning went dark again, a light at the far end of the hall switched on.

  Tim headed for the light.

  ~*~0~0~*~

  “Which one do you think they’re in?” Holly said as they stopped in between the house and the separate building.

  “That one,” Walt said and pointed to the structure on the right. “A guy like Dr. Andrews wouldn’t bring shit like kidnapping and rape into his house.”

  Terry nodded his agreement and moved the car as close as he could to the building opposite the large house. The house was exactly the one in the photo they found. He stopped the car, took out his handcuffs, and spoke to the two on the passenger side of the car. “You know? I really ought to cuff the two of you together to make sure you stay here.”

  “You try it, and I’ll give you the fight of your life,” Walt said boldly. “And if you still somehow manage to succeed, I’ll tear my arm off to get out of it.” He paused and looked serious. “My mom and best friend are in there. There is no way I’m not going in there to bring them out.”

  Terry nodded with resignation on his face. He looked at Holly. “You?”

  “Couldn’t she just take the car and go get some backup?” Chad suggested.

  Terry shook his head. “He’s got a plan for that. I’m sure of it. And they’d never make it in time. Even if they did, he’d probably kill all the hostages at first sight of a flashing cop car light.”

  “Why don’t I just call?” Holly said and switched on her phone. She immediately pressed the EMERGENCY CALL icon and turned on the speaker phone. They were rewarded with dead air. “Oh,” she said and furrowed her brow. “I don’t have a signal. Maybe it’s the storm.”

  They all checked their individual phones. Nods around the car confirmed they were all without phone reception.

  “I guess it’s just us,” Holly said. “And… and I’m in. I’m not letting you guys go in there alone.”

  “Then let’s not waste any more time,” Walt said. He opened his door and got out of the car and into the storm.

  The others followed him. They raced across the muddy ground to the entrance of the building and went inside the same door Tim Rock had used moments before.

  ~*~0~0~*~

  Tim heard the door open again and he pressed himself to the wall to avoid being seen which was ridiculous given that, at any moment, lightning could reveal his position. Several people entered and he guessed it had to be the detective and his party. Somehow, they tracked him here.

  Lightning flashed.

  Tim tried to look invisible but it was, of course, impossible. He knew he’d been spotted when he heard one of them say “Did you see who the fuck is here?”

  “Shit!” Tim spat under his breath. The lightning flashed again and he saw the detective had his gun out and pointed in his direction.

  ~*~0~0~*~

  “Tim Rock!” Terry shouted. “Stay where you are! Why the hell am I not the least bit surprised you are here?”

  Tim looked defeated, but his spirit wasn’t ready to give up yet. “I’m here because she’s here, damn it,” he said. “I told you. You don’t know half of what’s going on.”

  Terry followed the corridor and kept his gun at the ready. Tim was right. Terry didn’t know what was going on and he decided it might be time to get some answers. “So tell me what’s going on then?”

  Lightning poured in the windows regularly now, allowing the five of them to see each other.

  “Let’s get Heather out of here and I’ll tell you everything I know.” He shrugged and added, “I’ve done some bad things but I never meant to hurt anyone. And I’m not the one responsible for all of this.”

  “Okay, then, who is?” Chad said, stepping up behind Terry but doing his best to keep the gun out of his sight. “Who killed my wife?”

  “I never saw him. I never knew his name,” Tim said. “But he played me for a fucking fool!”

  “Was it Justin Andrews?” Holly questioned.

  “I… I don’t know,” Tim said. “Look, Heather is here. Let’s save her and then you can take me into custody. I’m… I’m ready to face up to what happened.”

  “What about my mom? And Calvin?” Walt said.

  “Your mom? I don’t know anything about that, kid,” Tim said, obviously perplexed. “But if Heather is here, then Calvin probably is too.”

  Everyone was silent while the sound of rain pounded the building.

  “Alright then,” Terry said. “Where is she?” He took his aim off Tim.

  “Thank you,” Tim said, eyeing the gun. “I think she’s in there,” he said, pointing in the direction of the light that had come on after he came inside.

  Terry, Walt, Chad, and Holly met at Tim’s side and, in spite of the trouble he was obviously in, he looked relieved to have them next to him.

  They rounded the corner into the lit space and, twenty feet away, they saw someone.

  “Heather!” Tim bellowed. He ran toward her and the others followed.

  “T… T… Tim?” Heather stuttered.

  Tim arrived at her side and tore off her blindfold. He immediately began to cry because of her appearance. “Jeez, sweet girl,” Tim said. “I’m so so so sorry.”

  Heather wanted to lash out at Tim for all he had done to her, but she was too relieved at the sight of five helpful faces and the fact that she could see she was only inches away from solid ground. Instead, she burst into tears and said, “Please. Please get me down from here.”

  Tim and Terry went to work with no hesitation.

  When they started freeing Heather, Walt looked around and saw another person on a table nearby. “Cal!” he shouted and ran in that direction. Holly and Chad raced after him.

  Calvin was beginning to come out of his nightmare-plagued dreams and his eyes fluttered open when he heard his name called. He was still alive and he was cold, making him aware of his nudity. “Walt?” he said, when Walt was at his side.

  “I’m here buddy,” Walt said with tears dripping off his face. He and Chad set to work freeing Calvin from his wrist and ankle bindings. “Have you seen my mom?”

  “What?” Calvin questioned. “No. I don’t even know where we are,” he added. “Your… your mom is here too?”

  “Yeah,” Walt said. “Have you seen her?” he repeated.

  Calvin shook his head.

  And while the men she was with worked on freeing the captive phobics who had been through unspeakable things, Holly noticed the bank of computers and approached them. On the monitors she saw various images of the outside of this complex and other places as well such as what might have been Chad’s house and, to her surprise, her own office. But something else caught her eye as she got closer to the monitors.

  A digital display of numbers was on that screen. Holly went white and felt her stomach jump into her throat. On the monitor were red numbers. As the seconds decreased by two, Holly gasped. “Holy shit! Chad? Walt? Hurry the fuck up!”

  “What is it?” Chad said looking up from his task at hand.

  But Holly couldn’t speak. She pointed to the countdown on the monitor and her jaw trembled.

  Chad saw the readout and watched as the numbers went from one minute and one second to one minute, then fifty-nine seconds. “TERRY!” he screamed. “This place is rigged! Move your asses!”

  ~~29~~

  One of the plus sides of being a wealthy individual with a private medical practice, especially related to mental health, was that the doctor who cashed all the checks usually had more money than he would ever need. As a psychiatrist in a large metropolis such as the Twin Cities, Justin Andrews never had a shortage of cash. When he was only a beginner psy
chiatrist, Justin did his job and stockpiled his income for the future, spending only on what he really needed. So when he came up with the idea of creating the persona, Miedo, he had millions of dollars at his disposal. And because of those millions and the fact it was all smartly invested, Miedo would never be short of funds to reach his goals.

  To set everything up for tonight, Miedo spent a lot of money his true persona amassed but nowhere near all of it and, when he was finished cleansing the world of a few deranged individuals who allowed their own irrational phobias to get the best of them, he would move on and start the cleansing process over again. Fear fueled him, fed him, helped him to grow, and, while Miedo grew, he wanted to rid the Earth of as much human-pox as he could.

  His spending allowed him to obtain many state-of-the-art gadgets including some things that the general public could not obtain without having some questionable contacts. One of those gadgets was a special pair of glasses that allowed him to see a video transmitted image that could be linked to whatever source he could connect to or hack into.

  From inside the canopy of pine boughs that Miedo led Mr. Star through, he watched the inside of a building he had vacated a few moments before.

  The camera feeding him the current video was located among the bank of monitors through which he had watched so much. The assistant medical examiner was looking at the various monitors. Soon, she’d see the countdown. Miedo watched her with lust and hatred as he recalled the night she and he parted ways. Miedo thought she should have been flattered that he cared enough to explore the smell of her sex as he had done. Animals often checked each other’s sexual organs for compatibility and readiness to mate, so when the medical examiner found him sniffing her dirty panties, he felt she should have reacted differently. As such, instead of becoming the queen of fear at his side, she would wind up dead with the rest of them.

  Miedo saw her eyes widen when she saw the countdown and, through an earpiece he wore, he heard her shriek for the drunk ex-cop and the wild card.