Little Things

by Madison Street

  “I’ll call him up later and get the info.”

  “Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we clean up our table and exit the coffee shop. Derrick offers to walk me home and we take a quick stroll through the park. He tells me about his tight-knit family, his wild nights in college, and his love for the Chicago Cubs. The cool summer breeze feels good against my hot and sweaty skin and I let my hair out of its bun to settle against my back.

  Ten minutes later, we arrive at my apartment building. I step in and give Derrick a quick hug. “I had a nice time. Thank you.”

  He squeezes me, “I’ll call you with the information about the job fair, is that okay?”

  “Sure.” I pull out my cell phone and we exchange phone numbers. We hug once more and I wave good-bye as Derrick walks off. I head upstairs into my apartment and walk to the kitchen to grab a quick drink of water. A few seconds later, my phone rings and I see it’s Derrick calling.

  I press the green answer button, “Hello?”

  “Hey, it’s Derrick.”

  I laugh, “Yes, I know that. Did you get the information already?”

  “Actually, no. I enjoyed our walk so much so I figured I’d talk to you on my way home.”

  His honesty causes a smile to spread on my face, but something holds me back. I let out a deep breath, “Look, Derrick, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. I’m not ready to date or anything right now.”

  I hear him breathing for a few seconds and wonder if he’s just going to hang up.

  “No problem. We can just hang out as friends. Is that alright?”

  Taken aback but happy with his decision, I smile and reply, “Yes, that would be great.”

  Raya

  The next day, Derrick calls me with all of the information about the job fair. The location isn’t too far, about a thirty-minute train ride. I looked up his cousin’s company and it’s everything that I need—administrative position, full-time, nine-to-five—I need to get this job. Hmm, I wonder if Layla would like to join me.

  I race into the living room, grab my cell phone off the coffee table, and dial Layla’s number. As it rings, I glance at the clock to make sure she isn’t working at this hour.

  A few rings later, she answers, “Hey, wassup?”

  “Hey, do you want to come to a job fair with me?”

  “Job fair? What companies will be there?”

  “Well, actually, I think it’s just one company, but it’s owned by Derrick’s cousin. Derrick said they are looking for people to fill a few administrative positions. I’m talking full-time, set schedule, no more working on weekends. What do you think?”

  “When is it and what time?”

  “It’s on Thursday at ten.”

  “Raya, I work the lunch shift on Thursdays. You know that.”

  I slump in my chair, “Please, Layla. Can’t you get off work? Switch with someone. What about Hazel? Ask if she can switch with you.”

  “Okay, I’ll call her, but I can’t guarantee anything. Where is it, anyway?”

  “It’s not far, just a quick ride on the blue line.”

  “Okay, let me call Hazel and I’ll let you know. Geez, I don’t even have a resume ready.”

  “Come on over later and I’ll help you write one.”

  “Okay, first I need to call Hazel. Don’t get too ahead of yourself.”

  I laugh, “I’m excited. This is going to be good for us. I can feel it.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll text you when I hear back from Hazel.”

  “I’m going to head to the mall to get a new outfit.”

  “Okay, cool. I’ll text you.”

  We hang up and I scurry off to the bathroom to get dressed. Fifteen minutes later, I’m on the red line, on my way to the mall. Later, I’ll need to revamp my resume. I need this job and can’t screw this up. As I enter the mall, I smile at the possibilities—if all goes well, my life will change in more ways than one. A new job, new outfit, and hopefully a better future.

  Anxiously waiting for Layla to finish getting ready, I tap my feet on the floor and look at my watch. Nine o’clock. I groan and rush into Layla’s bedroom and find her applying mascara.

  “Layla, hurry up! We need to leave now. I don’t want to be late.”

  She shrugs off my impatience, “Relax, I’m almost ready.”

  She exits the bathroom, slips on her black pumps, walks to the floor-length mirror, and twirls around several times. She repositions her black skirt and dabs at her loose blonde curls.

  She spins to face me, “How do I look?”

  “You look hirable. Now come on, we have to leave now.”

  We grab our briefcases, courtesy of T.J. Maxx, and head out to the train station. During the ride, my nerves are a complete mess. My legs begin to shake, I feel nauseous, and my palms are sweaty.

  Layla notices, “Geez. You need to calm down. It’s just an interview.”

  I let out a deep breath, “Sorry, I don’t want to blow it.”

  Ten minutes later, we exit the train and walk the few blocks to the office. As we enter the building, we are immediately greeted by two male personnel holding clipboards and wearing Bluetooth earpieces.

  “Welcome, we have refreshments and donuts in the lobby. Unfortunately, our A.C. unit has broken down so it may get a little warm in here. We do apologize for the inconvenience. The fair will start in a few minutes. Feel free to look around. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  One of the greeters leads us to the lobby and a few interviewees have already started digging in. Layla walks right up to the muffin table and grabs a blueberry muffin. I grab a croissant, spread butter on it, and quickly consume it in a matter of minutes. Layla grabs a cup of coffee and offers me one, but I decline. I take a quick look around and notice that all of the applicants are women, which is understandable, especially for administrative jobs, but I thought at least a few men would apply.

  A few minutes later, the fair begins and a few of the supervisors sit at their assigned booths and begin the interviews. Thirty minutes later, I’ve spoken to a couple supervisors and feel confident. The interviews went pretty well. Nothing was too difficult, just the usual questions—what is your work ethic, weaknesses/strengths, work history, future goals. I look over to Layla who is fanning herself from the unbearable heat. A few of the staff come by to offer everyone bottles of water. Layla drinks from the bottle and practically finishes it in three gulps.

  Layla walks over to me, “So, how’d it go for you?”

  “Pretty good. You?”

  She hesitates, “It was alright. I don’t know, something’s off about this place.”

  I look at her confused, “What do you mean?”

  She leans closer and whispers, “Have you noticed that all of the staff are men? And all of the applicants are women? Don’t you think that’s odd? Besides, I’ve never heard of a job fair with only one company hosting it; that’s just weird.”

  I sip the last bit of my water, “Do you want to leave?”

  Her body sways slightly and I reach out to steady her, “Are you alright?”

  She shakes her head, “I don’t know, I feel a little dizzy. I think the heat is getting to me. I feel really hot all of a sudden.”

  I grab hold of her wrist and head for the restroom, “Come on, let’s go wet a paper towel and cool you down.”

  We enter the bathroom and I lead Layla to the bench on the wall. I head to the sink, wet a paper towel, and walk back toward her to dab her forehead.

  Her body sways back and forth, “Raya, I don’t fee—”

  Before she can finish her sentence, her face turns pale, her eyes glaze over, and her body goes limp, falling forward. I immediately catch her in my arms.

  “Shit, Layla! Wake up!”

  I pat her face with the wet towel but she’s out cold. Fuck!

  I yell out for help, “Somebody hel
p! She fainted!!”

  Seconds later, one of the supervisors, Steven, rushes in, “What happened?”

  “She said she wasn’t feeling well. I think the heat was too much for her and she passed out. Call 9-1-1!”

  Steven walks over to us and takes Layla from my arms and walks out of the bathroom.

  I hurriedly follow after him, “Wait!”

  I exit the bathroom, but all of a sudden my vision is blurry and I feel extremely light-headed. My body sways and I try to find the closet table to lean against. I place my palm on my forehead and wipe away the sweat as I start to feel woozy and my body temperature suddenly goes up. My mouth goes very dry and I feel short of breath. Everything starts to fog up and I see spots, causing me to panic. A blurred shadow approaches me, closer and closer.

  I whisper, “No, don’t—”

  I struggle to keep my balance but I feel my body falling. Then everything goes white.

  Raya

  It feels as if I’m floating through the air. I’m not outside or maybe I am. There is a soft breeze, but is that from fresh air? Everything is so foggy; I can’t get my bearings on anything. I try to open my eyes but can’t find the strength. My legs and arms are completely numb. They feel non-existent. Where am I? What is happening to me? I try to think of the last thing I remember, but come up blank. Everything is a complete blur. I begin to panic as I try to focus on what’s going on. My instincts start to kick in and they are screaming at me, run…run as fast as you can.

  Desperation sneaks up on me as I try to get a hold on my surroundings. Focusing on my senses, I feel strong hands on me; several hands, actually. They’re lifting me and moving me somewhere. Where are we going? I hear them whispering to each other but can’t make anything out. Dread and terror are all I feel at this moment as I realize what’s happened. I was drugged. Shit, I need to get out of here.

  I don’t want to cause too much attention so I slightly open my eyes. Okay, Raya, where are you? All I see is a dark tunnel with wall lamps guiding the way. Two men have their hold on me—one holding my legs and the other holding me from my underarms. I’m still wearing my outfit from the interview. Thank God I wore pants. My body begins to tremble as fear seeps into my soul. My heart pounds against my chest and I begin to hyperventilate. Tears threaten but I stop them from spilling.

  The men take a left and enter a dark room. The room contains a bed with metal chains, one wooden dresser, and a toilet in the corner. There is no light, except for a small lit candle on the dresser, no windows, and the walls are made of pure cement. I must be in some sort of basement or something. The men jostle me around, so I quickly close my eyes to hide the fact that I’m awake and alert.

  One of the handlers states, “Hurry and buckle her before she wakes up.”

  They move toward the bed and begin to lower me onto it. I take a deep breath. Now or never.

  Remembering everything that I’ve learned, I fight with all of the strength I have. I quickly bend both of my legs and then kick the guy holding them as hard as I can. I feel my heels dig into his chest as they push him a few feet away, causing him to fly into the hard wall behind him. The man holding my underarms is completely stunned, so before he makes his move, I instantly stand upright and slam my right heel into his foot. He screams as the pain sets in. He lets go of me so I jab him three times in the face and left kick him in the stomach, resulting in him stumbling backward and hitting the floor.

  From behind, the other man grabs hold of my hair and pushes me against the wall. I yelp in pain but won’t let it stop me. In a flash, I slam my elbow into his lower stomach, causing him to sag over. I duck under him and spin around to face him. As he turns, I coil my right leg and give him a swift roundhouse kick into the chest, knocking the air right out of him. As he falls to the ground, I side kick him in the face, rendering him unconscious.

  I look back at the other assailant to see him coming up fast. Before he can grab onto me, I dash out of the room and slam the door shut behind me. The gloomy tunnel is cold, murky, and dim. I try to remember which direction we came from and take off into the tunnel. I run as fast as I can and look behind to see if I have any followers. Coast is clear, so far. I hear one of the men scream, “Get back here, you fucking bitch!”

  I run and run for what seems like forever. My heels pound against the cement floor as I take twists and turns around the corners throughout the tunnel. As I’m running, I see a door with a dull light seeping through the small barred opening. I stop at the door and peek through the bars and see a naked girl tied to her bed. She’s crying while staring at the ceiling. My thoughts immediately go to Layla. Fuck, I have to find her.

  Leaving the girl behind, I make my way deeper into the tunnel to find Layla. The panting in my breath grows faster as I rush to find her. I hear the echoes from the men behind me and know it’s only a matter of time before they find me.

  Realizing I won’t be able to find her like this, I shout, “Layla! Layla, where are you?” I make my way around another corner, shouting for her.

  I hear other female captives scream as I shout for Layla, “Save me, please! Save me! Help me!”

  Tears run down my face as I race to find her. “Layla! Where are you?”

  “Raya?”

  I stop dead in my tracks, “Yes! Where are you?”

  “In here at the end of the corridor!”

  I break into a sprint as I make my way to the last door in the corridor and come upon her door. I peek in through the bars and see her chained to the bed.

  “Layla!”

  She lifts her head and cries out, “Raya, help me!” She struggles to get free from the chains. I twist the handle on the door but it’s locked. I pull and pull as hard as I can, but there’s no luck. It’s a lost cause.

  I sob, “Layla, the door is locked. I can’t get it open.” I hear the echoes from the captors approaching fast, their footsteps getting closer.

  “Shit, they’re getting closer.”

  “Raya, how did you get out?”

  “Kicked their fucking asses, but that didn’t stop them. I hear them coming, Layla.”

  Layla whimpers, “Raya, just go. Run! Don’t stop!”

  I refuse, “No, I won’t leave you!”

  Layla pleads, “Raya, you have to go now! You need to survive. It’s okay…just go.”

  I blow out a deep breath and try not to break down.

  “I’ll come back for you.”

  She smiles at me as tears run down her face and I break away into the tunnel. As I turn the corner, I run into a captor and he grabs onto me. I scream and struggle out of his grip just as another captor steps behind me to grab on, but I hurriedly throw a back kick into his gut. I jab the heel of my right palm into the other man’s nose, causing blood to immediately spurt out. In an instant, I’m racing through the tunnel, trying to find an exit.

  My lungs ache for air as I try to breathe as best I can. The panic creeps back but I focus on rushing out of here. I look back to see a stampede of three men coming straight at me. Sweat drips down my face and my feet are screaming in pain from all the running. I start to get a cramp in my lower abdomen but I ignore it and endure the agony and discomfort. Survive. Survive for Layla.

  About thirty feet away, I see what looks like a staircase. I take a deep breath and sprint toward the stairs. I look behind to see the three men close behind. I quickly dart up the stairs and open the door at the top. I immediately end up in a kitchen. Gathering my surroundings, I look around to see if anyone’s nearby. Everything seems quiet. I shut the door behind me and hook the latch. Opening one of the kitchen drawers, I grab a cutting knife and dash out of the kitchen to find the house phone.

  I head into the living room and see the front door only a few feet away. In an instant, I’m at the door, unlocking the bolts and flinging it open. Who I see waiting for me on the other side is the last person I thought I’d ever see in this dungeon.

  Derrick.

 
As I process what I’m seeing, Derrick steps inside the house and shuts the door. He slowly walks up to me and I quietly tiptoe back.

  I’m in complete shock and speechless until it dawns on me, “You don’t have a cousin, do you?”

  He smirks and whispers, “No, angel, I don’t.”

  I tightly grip the knife handle and quickly jab my arm at his lower stomach for a quick stab, but he blocks my attempt and grabs hold of my wrist. He twists and bends it backward, causing excruciating pain and I scream out. The knife slips out of my grip and clanks onto the floor. I take my left knee and thrust it into his gut, causing him to gasp for air. With my left fist, I cross punch him in the face and try for a second punch, but he blocks it. I twist my body to regain balance, but his tight grip on my wrist makes it difficult.

  He pulls on my arm and twists it behind my back as I yelp out in pain. He pulls so hard on my arm that I feel it tearing from the socket. Tears trickle down my face but I won’t stop fighting. I swipe a lower kick into his ankles to make him trip. The hit was unexpected and fast; just what I needed. Before he touches the ground, he lets go of my wrist, enabling my escape. I spring forward toward the door, but he grabs onto my ankle, causing me to trip and slam into the floor face first.

  He stands up and yanks me up with him, “You really are a great student. Very impressed, Raya.”

  I aim to chop him in the throat but that attempt is also blocked. Fuck. He’s too fast.

  He chuckles deeply “You forget I taught you everything you know.”

  He whispers into my ear, “You won’t defeat me.”

  Before I can fight back or scream for help, his right hook hits me dead in the face and I hit the floor. The living room spins and I feel like I’m about to vomit. When I open my eyes, I see spots and stars. Blood trickles down my face and I touch my cheek. The sting from my touch causes me to wince.

  I hear the kitchen door bust open and the three men who were chasing me come into the living room. They grab onto me and pick me up off the floor.

  My body jerks and convulses to try and escape their grasps, but at this point, I’m too weak to battle against their strength.