Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Alan’s face appeared before mine, his grin wide and scary.
“Get used to it,” he said in a singsong voice. “You’re all mine now.”
Then he frowned, grabbing at my necklace that peeked out between the zipper of Sully’s hoodie.
“What the fuck is this? A gift from your lover?” He twisted it, yanking hard.
“No!” I cried out, knowing I needed it to get help. I slapped at his hands, trying to reach the central knot in order to press it.
He pinned my hands down with one of his, then using the other, he tore the necklace away, not caring about my gasp of pain as the metal dug into my skin when he ripped it off and tossed it over my head. “Not anymore.”
Then a needle plunged into my neck, and as much as I tried to fight it, darkness descended.
And I woke up here.
Except I didn’t know where here was.
“Hello?” I called out, trying to stay calm. “Is anyone there?”
Heavy footsteps headed toward the door that was shut. It opened wide, Alan standing in the doorframe, a beer in one hand and a gun in the other.
Simply the sight of him made me shudder. The gun in his hand and the crazed look on his face turned my fear into pure terror.
“So you’re awake. Finally. You keep making me wait for you. I fucking hate being kept waiting.”
“A-Alan,” I sputtered. “What are you doing?”
“Taking what’s mine.”
I blinked at his words.
“We agreed to be friends,” I said, trying to think.
“No, you decided. After I picked you. Followed you for weeks. Made friends with the idiots at that bar so you’d think I was just a guy hanging with his pals. Normal. I acted exactly the way you wanted. I did everything right this time.”
I gaped at him, then swallowed heavily.
This time?
“I don’t understand.”
He began to pace, using the gun to scratch his head. He was erratic and upset, muttering to himself. His jerky movements made me even more anxious. Then he looked at me. “I heard you tell your friends you just wanted a nice, simple guy. Someone to spend time with. I did that.”
He stopped, staring at me, suddenly furious. “I made myself into that guy, and you still fucking rejected me!” he yelled.
“I’m—I’m sorry.”
“Not as sorry as you’re going to be.”
“Alan, please.”
“Don’t call me that. My name is Calvin.”
“Okay,” I replied, dazed.
“How did you know about my aunt? Where she lived?” I asked, curious and trying to stall—to think of a plan.
“Because I fucking listened. I heard you talk to your friends. I listened when you were on the phone with her on your lunch.” He shook his head. “You are so fucking stupid, you never even noticed me until I wanted you to. I knew all about you.”
My heart sank. Sully had been right. Alan was more devious than I had given him credit for.
Alan glared at me. “Then you fucking disappeared, and I had to wait. But I heard them discussing you at lunch. Saying you’d be back. So I waited again. I saw you with that pompous English ass, you know. Watched you in the hospital. At the home.”
“How?” I gasped.
“People don’t look for something different from what they’re told to look for. I changed my hair. Grew a beard. Wore the same uniforms as everyone else and blended in.”
He was starting to look even angrier, then became triumphant. “But the ass left you, didn’t he? Gave you an inept guard to soothe his guilt and returned to his life. Poor baby,” he mocked. “And now you’ve disappeared on him.” He waved his gun. “Only this time, he’ll never find you, even if he came looking.”
I wasn’t going to argue with him. He was already on the edge. My mind raced. I needed to calm him down. I remembered how often he’d told me he liked to help people. He’d bragged about it a lot. I needed him to want to help me. I needed to remind him he wanted me. Even if it made me ill.
“Um, Calvin, I really need to use the toilet.”
“What?”
“I have to use the toilet. Please. Could you help me? Please?”
He cursed and went behind me, yanking on the tight ropes. “You try anything, I will shoot you. I have nothing to lose,” he warned me.
Tears sprang to my eyes as the feeling returned to my hands, the pins and needles intense and painful. My shoulders sagged in relief as the tautness released. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I gasped in pain, but he ignored me, half dragging me to a door beside the room I had been locked in. I barely had time to look at the rest of the cabin, the image of one room, mostly empty, flying past me. He pushed me into the vanity. “Go, then.”