Please read Startled Awake, for the first part in this series. That will give you all the background you need to hopefully enjoy this one. :)
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It was a beautiful night. The sun was setting and we'd just finished up a nice candle light dinner in the dining room. We only used the dining room for special occasions, but felt tonight was a good night to appreciate each other. So we dusted off the good china, the silver and uncorked the most expensive bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon we had in the cellar. Tonight was going to be all about us.
I was tidying up the table with my wife in the kitchen, loading the dishes into the dishwasher. I heard a knock at the door.
"Always around dinnertime. Geez. Can't we have one night in peace?" I mumbled under my breath.
"Don't worry Sweetheart, I'll get it. Probably just someone selling something." I called into the next room as I lazily made my way to the front door, hoping whoever was there would think we were ignoring them. Truth is, I always wanted to check the door. I guess I have a curious nature. I took a peek out the window and noticed someone standing with their back to the house, looking out to the driveway. They were dressed smartly, with dark slacks and a dark grey overcoat. I reached for the door, unlocking it and opening it quickly. "That's okay, we're not...." is all I could get out before I felt a stabbing pain in my head, and the world went dark.
I recognized the pain. I'd felt it before. It had been a few months but I now found myself in a position I swore I'd never be in again. I slowly opened my eyes as I gave my head a shake. That made it hurt even more. The lights were on in the room I was in but it still took a few seconds before I could really focus.
Since that night, we'd upgraded the security in our home. New locks on the doors, bars on the basement windows and an alarm system. We didn't want to feel like victims in our own home again. But here we are.
I pull at the ropes holding my wrists to the arms of the chair. My legs are strapped to the legs. I can wiggle, but that's about it. I'm in the living room though. That part I recognize. All the main overhead lights are on in the room and in the kitchen. Something we never do. But something is missing. There was no sign of my wife. I try to scream out, but only a muffle comes out. The rolled up sock in my mouth preventing anything from being heard. I pull hard at my restraints, but make no progress in freeing myself. Exhausted, I sit slumped in the chair. I hadn't heard a noise from any other part of the house.
"Maybe he took her." I sadly thought to myself, picturing the worst of possible outcomes. "Maybe he took her, and left me here to die a slow, horrible death." My imagination now running wild. Suddenly, I heard a rustling behind me. I spun my head around and spotted my wife. She was lying on the floor, facing away from me, and appeared to have her hands tied tied at her front with a rope attaching her wrists to the loop around her ankles. Much like me, the noises coming from her mouth were muffled.
"Oh good. You're awake." said a familiar but menacing voice. I looked up and spotted him again. He was wearing that same George W Bush mask that had occupied my nightmares for so many nights. He looked different though.
His arms seemed bigger than I remember. His chest stretched the fabric of his muscle shirt. He had an arrogance to him like he knew he could over power both of us at once. He sauntered around, his black boots making a thud on the floor with each step. He flashed the same large knife he did the first time.
"Remember my friend?" he said in a serious tone. "Anyone screams and he's going to join this party. Got me?"
I nodded in agreement. He walked over to where my wife was wiggling against her restraints, and picked her up effortlessly. As he walked in front of me with her in his thick arms, I could see that not only was her mouth muffled with a sock, but he'd tied his necktie around her face, blindfolding her. Two more steps and he flopped her down on the couch. She was still clothed, but her navy blue blouse had a rip on the shoulder. He stood over her rolling her onto her back. The ties on her wrists appeared tight. Her skin was bright red where the ropes had been rubbing. Her head thrashed around from side to side, she was trying to work the blindfold off. He leaned in and touched her
head. She froze. He slipped the blindfold off, letting it fall to the floor beside him. Her eyes were wide and her pupils dilated. She immediately looked to where I was. I tried to give her a reassuring look, letting her know it would be okay.
The knife flashed between us.
"I told you, I'd be back." he said with a chuckle as he reached down and pulled my chair closer to the couch, my knees ramming into the cushion. I kicked at the couch, nearly tipping my chair over. I saw the flash of chrome as the knife was whipped up to her neck.
"Really? You want to play that game?" he warned. I relented. I couldn't see his eyes through the mask, but I felt that he wasn't fooling around.
