~ SASHA'S NOT HERE! ~
By S.E.STENNER
Sasha’s Not Here: “A cornered creature’s bite is always the most ferocious!”
Sasha’s Not Here: “A cornered creature’s bite is always the most ferocious!”
~ Chapter One ~
Confusion!
Friendship, it’s a well-known concept. When two people form an attachment because they not only like, but have a mutual admiration for one another, it can create a bond which lasts years, sometimes even decades. The basis of the kinship can come from anywhere, they might share common beliefs, perhaps a societal background, or even the same taste in cheese.
Whatever originally binds two people doesn’t matter as much as what keeps them together; a respective fondness, a deep reverence for one another, and of course unyielding loyalty. So it is indeed a fascinating concept when two separate lives stay entangled with one another and choose to keep coming together again, and again. But what if one person likes the other more, maybe even too much, to the point of awe consuming obsession. Well, then the delicate dynamic of the relationship soon shifts and becomes something else entirely – perhaps something even sinister!
Yes, friendship is a well-known and familiar concept, but the deep dark abyss of human obsession, is anything but!
Whatever originally binds two people doesn’t matter as much as what keeps them together; a respective fondness, a deep reverence for one another, and of course unyielding loyalty. So it is indeed a fascinating concept when two separate lives stay entangled with one another and choose to keep coming together again, and again. But what if one person likes the other more, maybe even too much, to the point of awe consuming obsession. Well, then the delicate dynamic of the relationship soon shifts and becomes something else entirely – perhaps something even sinister!
Yes, friendship is a well-known and familiar concept, but the deep dark abyss of human obsession, is anything but!
*
Most little girls love to sing, others like gymnastics and some can’t get enough of swimming, but Sasha was different. What she loved the most was to act, and she couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t. It was the draw of the theatre, which had captured her imagination the most. The adrenaline pumping through her system as she stepped on stage, and the thrill as the spotlight illuminated her form, as a hundred pairs of eyes fell upon her. But it was the challenge of assuming a different character, which really captivated her. From their traits and mannerisms, to their gait and even their voice, it gave her a buzz like no other. There was just something extremely satisfying about shaping a new persona from nothing. Drawing aspects together to build a unique entity which had not existed before, and overlaying it perfectly masking her own self from view, all to tell a story. Sasha had become extremely skilled at crafting together a character’s personality and demeanour, to the point when an audience looked at her, all they could see was the fictitious mystique and nothing else while becoming completely immersed within the plot. Yes, it was truly the mark of any good actor to become the person they portrayed, at least for a short time!
Her skills at assuming different personas were perfectly honed now, but it hadn’t always been so. Once she’d floundered as badly as any other person who was a novice at treading the boards, but like so many others she’d been drawn to the stage at a young age, giving her ample time to perfect her craft. Her acting debut had been at the tender age of six, when her elementary school teacher Mrs Smalls, a portly middle-aged woman with a crop of wild blonde hair and a jovial demeanour, had gifted her with a role which was central to the plot of the Christmas performance. Mrs Smalls had trussed Sasha up in a white coat covered in Styrofoam balls which had been lovingly glued together by her fellow first-graders, and the costume came complete with a papier-mache headpiece for her to play the important role of the snowman in the school play. Sasha remembered it vividly, because the costume had been cumbersome and binding, constricting her movements, whereas the headpiece had been heavy and hot and made it hard for her to breathe, which was exactly how she felt right now!
Sasha’s breath built up in plumes around her, making her face feel hot and her skin uncomfortably damp and sweaty. Drowsily blinking through the humid air, she stared, trying to focus her sluggish eyes on something, anything in front of her, but all she could see was a fuzzy blackness. Minuscule shards of light were trying to penetrate the fabric covering her face, but even these were too weak to help illuminate more than a few pinpricks in the cloth’s surround. The item in question, which had been pulled roughly over her head, felt like a sack of some kind made from a coarse material. The harsh fibres scratched and itched at the soft skin around her neck, where the item had been tightened firmly to keep it in place.
Sasha tried to move, just her hands at first, but found they were tied behind her back, and her arms and legs were bound to the cold hard surface of the chair beneath her. Thick unseen lengths looped up her legs and around her torso and arms, forcefully securing and restraining her limbs and helpless body to the spot, almost like a tightly netted Christmas tree.
Sasha’s mind suddenly began to run into over drive as she tried to comprehend the situation she was in. Her body was constrained, this she knew, but it didn’t seem to be injured in any way. Slowly assessing the sensations ebbing at her from all over, she could feel numbness, pins and needles, and a little bruising, but thankfully her body was giving her no other signs of being hurt, though she wished she could say the same for her head. Her mind felt fuzzy as if her brain had been swapped out for a big ball of cotton wool, and her eyelids were heavy and lethargic, the same way they are after a deep sleep. There was also a dull ache throbbing in the back of her skull, and the prickling feeling as her nerve endings screamed at her that she’d been hit. That was right she had been hit, she’d been knocked unconscious, that much she remembered, but by who and why?
Blinking profusely, Sasha shook her head, trying to awaken herself fully, but that just made the pain in her brain worsen and cause her fuzzy surrounds to spin before her. How long had she been out, an hour, two? Judging by her lack of awareness, she’d only just regained consciousness, but what had she awoke to? As she struggled against what felt like thick rope tied tightly around her wrists, which cut and rubbed at her tender flesh as she moved, Sasha felt her chest tighten as her breathing became stunted and erratic. Shifting her body, Sasha found she could barely move at all from the seated position she’d been forced into, and as a panicked gasp escaped her lips she did the only thing she could think of, she called out for help.
‘Help!’ called Sasha in a croaky voice. The sound was shaky and unsure and seemed to hit the walls surrounding her, reverberating back in her direction quickly. She couldn’t see where she was, but it seemed small and the place smelt damp too. The smell had an odd off-putting stagnant scent almost like a sewer, but not quite and the foul odour crept up her nostrils making her eyes tear. Sasha struggled against her bonds again, but they didn’t budge an inch.
‘Hello - hello!’ she called once more, this time more frantic, as the situation she was in really dawned on her. Someone had hit her and tied her up, and she could only dread to think for what purpose.
‘Shit!’ she murmured to herself. She had to think, had to work out what the hell was happening. This was no time to panic, get upset or be scared, it would only cloud her mind further, and from the throb coming from the bump on the back of her head, her mind was pretty scrambled already. Sasha knew better than anyone that extreme emotions could exacerbate any given situation, and this was no time for that. She had to think rationally, logically. She had to focus and workout what had happened, how had she got here, wherever here was, and find a solution of how to get out, simple! Damn it, she knew it wasn’t simple, but she had to try all the same!
First things first, how did I get here, she thought, desperately clawing at the question, as it hovered at the forefront of her mind. Taking a slow deep breath, Sasha tried to steady herself and calm the frantic pounding of her heart, which was beating so fast it was on the verge of bursting through her chest. She took another steady breath and moved her thoughts inwards. Where had she been earlier today, what had she been doing? Her head pounded, but if she could remember something, then maybe she could retrace her steps and find out how she had got here!
As she concentrated, her mind defogged a little and the flash of a memory came back to her. She’d been at school, yes that was it, school, though it hadn’t been an ordinary day. But why hadn’t it been an ordinary day? Sasha thought, fiercely tugging at the memory. It was like trying to wrestle a chew-toy out of a dog’s mouth; she pulled and pulled, but the memory pulled back, then with one immense tug, at last she prevailed. Her mind’s eye saw the school auditorium, people stood around on the stage, and her drama teacher arguing with Jimmy Miller about how he should project his voice properly during the next scene. That was it! It hadn’t been an ordinary day because she’d been busy preparing for the school play.
She had spent the morning running her lines and was meant to be doing the last dress rehearsal after lunch, but she’d never made it back to the rehearsal! Searching her mind, Sasha tried to piece it together. She’d just finished reading lines with Kelly Dawson. Kelly had wanted to go over the scene again, no change there then, but the lunch bell had wrung, and they all needed a well-deserved break.
Everyone had begun pouring out of the room, and she’d headed to the back of the stage to retrieve her bag, but by the time she’d collected it, the auditorium had emptied out. No wait, it hadn’t been completely empty, someone else had been in there with her. They’d been loitering at the back of the room most of the morning watching the rehearsal, that much she remembered. She’d just assumed it had been someone from the school paper, but now she was closer to them, she recognised them at once, Mitchell!
Mitchell Jones had been her best friend all through Junior High, but things had changed, as they so often did, when they’d reached High School. They ran in completely separate social circles now and were very different people compared to the once carefree children from years before.
Focusing her concentration on the thought, Sasha recalled they’d had a conversation. It took her a few minutes to dredge up the words to go along with the pictures, but when the memory finally surfaced it was as clear as day, as if she was stood with him right now having the same conversation!
‘Hey, Sasha,’ Mitchell murmured. His face had been partially hidden beneath the hood of a red sweater and only a few strands of his dirty blonde hair poked out from underneath.
Mitchell was weird, it felt strange to acknowledge it, but he was. Sasha had always known that he was at the peculiar end of the normal scale, but it was something as a child she’d overlooked because peculiar had been interesting, different, had bucked the norm. But as he grew, so did his oddness and when it had spilled over into just plain weird, Sasha had discarded the friendship. She’d been as nice as she could, and gradually distanced herself from him, she hadn’t turned around one day and just cut him out of her life. But she had put space between them, a little at first and then a lot. It wasn’t as if they’d never spoken again after it happened, and any encounters since had been semi-friendly, albeit short, however something about today’s interaction felt different.
‘Oh, hi,’ she answered, feeling as if something felt a bit off about their exchange. He’d barely spoken two words to her and yet the air prickled with electricity, as if emotions were running high, but she couldn’t pinpoint which emotions. It just didn’t feel right!
‘Can I have a word?’ Mitchell asked, shuffling his feet. His sneakers were filthy, and he had a wet tidemark on the bottom of his jeans, which made it look as if he’d been wading in something.
‘Um, sure,’ she uttered in response, feeling slightly curious to know what he wanted. Yet at the same time guardedly cautious. Something about this encounter felt different compared to any of the others they’d previously had.
Mitchell gestured for them to step outside, and in silence, the both of them exited the auditorium through a side door which led out onto the campus parking lot.
The day outside was bright and warm with just the hint of a chill in the fall air, and the sound of a mass of voices reached her ear’s as the school noisily made its way through the grounds beyond, to lunch. She followed Mitchell across the asphalt until he stopped by a scrapyard of a car. In fact, it looked as if the vehicle had only just survived several demolition derbies, but was now on its last legs.
‘Yours?’ she asked, surveying the chipped navy paint job and the dripping oil leak staining the ground below.
Mitchell nodded, but didn’t look up at her.
‘It’s nice,’ she commented, filling the silence. ‘Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?’
Mitchell merely glanced up at her from the hood of his jacket, their eyes locked only for a moment, but she picked up on so much from that one look. Sadness, longing, but most of all he seemed to be on something. His pupils were wide open, giving his eyes an odd hollow black appearance, and he had heavy bags under both of them. If he wasn’t on something, then he clearly hadn’t slept in days, and he seemed nervous too and kept compulsively reaching for his keys, which were clipped to a belt loop on his jeans. He’d grab hold of them, squeeze them, then release. It sent alarm bells ringing in Sasha’s head for her to remove herself from the current situation as quickly as possible, and not being one to ignore these kinds of warnings, she made up her mind to leave.
Sasha looked away, pretending she’d not noticed his odd behaviour, and decided she was going to give a quick excuse and then take off. She didn’t care what he had to say to her, friend or not, Mitchell was creeping her out! Glancing at her watch, she uttered. ‘I’d better grab some lunch before rehearsal continues, let’s take a rain check,’ she’s said hastily trying to make her escape.
Mitchell just stared blankly at her again, but didn’t respond. At that moment, the sound of laughter way off behind her, suddenly erupted. Instinctively turning to the sound, Sasha watched as a group of girls passed through the far end of the parking lot giggling away to themselves, before they entered the science block. But before she could turn back to Mitchell, a pain suddenly erupted in her head. The back of her skull felt as if it had just been gouged with a burning hot poker as she crumpled to her knees in pain and her vision went dark. She sank rapidly into unconsciousness, as the pain overloaded her system, sending the nerve endings in her brain screaming into the void.
That was it. Mitchell had hit her! He’d cracked something across the back of her head when her attention had been elsewhere. Sasha searched her brain for more memories, there were a few blurry flashes of the inside of what she assumed had been the trunk of Mitchell’s car, but she didn’t remember much else.
Wriggling against her bonds again, Sasha thrashed around in the seat, like a mental patient trying to escape a straitjacket. ‘Mitchell! - Mitchell! I know it’s you who did this to me. Where am I? Answer me!’ she hollered, feeling the tight grip of the bag over her head, which brushed roughly against her skin, causing it to itch.
This had to be some stupid prank, right? It was Mitchell after all; he didn’t do horrific stuff like this! Sasha knew she hadn’t been part of his life for many years, but he couldn’t have changed that much from the silly kid she used to hang out with?
‘Mitchell, come on. The joke’s over, and it’s not funny!’ Sasha called, her voice muffling against the cloth.
However, silence was the only response to her cries.
With an exasperated sigh, Sasha stopped struggling, and sunk back into the seat. As her muscles relaxed ever so slightly, the tension in her frame ebbed a little, but that only made her more aware of her body’s complaints. The way he’d tied her to the chair was far too tight and was extremely uncomfortable. Her legs groaned in protest at being fastened in one place, while the skin around her wrist itched and burned against the rope tied numerous times around them in a binding loop. This wasn’t a prank, she mused to herself, as sweat trickled down her cheek within the humid environment under the sack. Nope, this was something else!
Several more minutes passed, and Sasha contemplated yelling again, but clearly Mitchell or anyone else for that matter wasn’t currently in ear shot. The thought crossed her mind that he could in fact hear her and was just ignoring her calls, but that made the situation worse somehow, so she pushed it aside.
As she slipped into silence, other sounds came to her ears. There was the dripping sound of water leaking from a pipe to the left of her. Sasha listened as the droplets splashed into a puddle somewhere on the floor. The rhythmic plops reminded her of the tick of a clock counting down the seconds, and as they passed a haunting dread began to fill her heart. How long would she have to hear those droplets ring out the seconds before she came to the realisation that maybe no one was going to find her, wherever she was? That maybe her fate had been sealed before she’d even awoken from her haze, and now she was just playing catch-up with her own mind before she realised the truth, the terrible truth. That perhaps there was a very high probability that she was going to die in here. Lost, alone and bound helplessly to a chair.
So this is my fate, thought Sasha numbly. She was only seventeen, she’d barely begun her life, and already it seemed it was about to be snuffed out. This thought alone threw her mind reeling into despair, all the things she’d not done and seen, flashed before her. It caused bile to rise up in her throat, but at the last second before being violently sick, she choked it back.
No! She told herself with defiance, feeling a fire crackle to life in her belly. I refuse this outcome; I do not accept this fate!
Her skills at assuming different personas were perfectly honed now, but it hadn’t always been so. Once she’d floundered as badly as any other person who was a novice at treading the boards, but like so many others she’d been drawn to the stage at a young age, giving her ample time to perfect her craft. Her acting debut had been at the tender age of six, when her elementary school teacher Mrs Smalls, a portly middle-aged woman with a crop of wild blonde hair and a jovial demeanour, had gifted her with a role which was central to the plot of the Christmas performance. Mrs Smalls had trussed Sasha up in a white coat covered in Styrofoam balls which had been lovingly glued together by her fellow first-graders, and the costume came complete with a papier-mache headpiece for her to play the important role of the snowman in the school play. Sasha remembered it vividly, because the costume had been cumbersome and binding, constricting her movements, whereas the headpiece had been heavy and hot and made it hard for her to breathe, which was exactly how she felt right now!
Sasha’s breath built up in plumes around her, making her face feel hot and her skin uncomfortably damp and sweaty. Drowsily blinking through the humid air, she stared, trying to focus her sluggish eyes on something, anything in front of her, but all she could see was a fuzzy blackness. Minuscule shards of light were trying to penetrate the fabric covering her face, but even these were too weak to help illuminate more than a few pinpricks in the cloth’s surround. The item in question, which had been pulled roughly over her head, felt like a sack of some kind made from a coarse material. The harsh fibres scratched and itched at the soft skin around her neck, where the item had been tightened firmly to keep it in place.
Sasha tried to move, just her hands at first, but found they were tied behind her back, and her arms and legs were bound to the cold hard surface of the chair beneath her. Thick unseen lengths looped up her legs and around her torso and arms, forcefully securing and restraining her limbs and helpless body to the spot, almost like a tightly netted Christmas tree.
Sasha’s mind suddenly began to run into over drive as she tried to comprehend the situation she was in. Her body was constrained, this she knew, but it didn’t seem to be injured in any way. Slowly assessing the sensations ebbing at her from all over, she could feel numbness, pins and needles, and a little bruising, but thankfully her body was giving her no other signs of being hurt, though she wished she could say the same for her head. Her mind felt fuzzy as if her brain had been swapped out for a big ball of cotton wool, and her eyelids were heavy and lethargic, the same way they are after a deep sleep. There was also a dull ache throbbing in the back of her skull, and the prickling feeling as her nerve endings screamed at her that she’d been hit. That was right she had been hit, she’d been knocked unconscious, that much she remembered, but by who and why?
Blinking profusely, Sasha shook her head, trying to awaken herself fully, but that just made the pain in her brain worsen and cause her fuzzy surrounds to spin before her. How long had she been out, an hour, two? Judging by her lack of awareness, she’d only just regained consciousness, but what had she awoke to? As she struggled against what felt like thick rope tied tightly around her wrists, which cut and rubbed at her tender flesh as she moved, Sasha felt her chest tighten as her breathing became stunted and erratic. Shifting her body, Sasha found she could barely move at all from the seated position she’d been forced into, and as a panicked gasp escaped her lips she did the only thing she could think of, she called out for help.
‘Help!’ called Sasha in a croaky voice. The sound was shaky and unsure and seemed to hit the walls surrounding her, reverberating back in her direction quickly. She couldn’t see where she was, but it seemed small and the place smelt damp too. The smell had an odd off-putting stagnant scent almost like a sewer, but not quite and the foul odour crept up her nostrils making her eyes tear. Sasha struggled against her bonds again, but they didn’t budge an inch.
‘Hello - hello!’ she called once more, this time more frantic, as the situation she was in really dawned on her. Someone had hit her and tied her up, and she could only dread to think for what purpose.
‘Shit!’ she murmured to herself. She had to think, had to work out what the hell was happening. This was no time to panic, get upset or be scared, it would only cloud her mind further, and from the throb coming from the bump on the back of her head, her mind was pretty scrambled already. Sasha knew better than anyone that extreme emotions could exacerbate any given situation, and this was no time for that. She had to think rationally, logically. She had to focus and workout what had happened, how had she got here, wherever here was, and find a solution of how to get out, simple! Damn it, she knew it wasn’t simple, but she had to try all the same!
First things first, how did I get here, she thought, desperately clawing at the question, as it hovered at the forefront of her mind. Taking a slow deep breath, Sasha tried to steady herself and calm the frantic pounding of her heart, which was beating so fast it was on the verge of bursting through her chest. She took another steady breath and moved her thoughts inwards. Where had she been earlier today, what had she been doing? Her head pounded, but if she could remember something, then maybe she could retrace her steps and find out how she had got here!
As she concentrated, her mind defogged a little and the flash of a memory came back to her. She’d been at school, yes that was it, school, though it hadn’t been an ordinary day. But why hadn’t it been an ordinary day? Sasha thought, fiercely tugging at the memory. It was like trying to wrestle a chew-toy out of a dog’s mouth; she pulled and pulled, but the memory pulled back, then with one immense tug, at last she prevailed. Her mind’s eye saw the school auditorium, people stood around on the stage, and her drama teacher arguing with Jimmy Miller about how he should project his voice properly during the next scene. That was it! It hadn’t been an ordinary day because she’d been busy preparing for the school play.
She had spent the morning running her lines and was meant to be doing the last dress rehearsal after lunch, but she’d never made it back to the rehearsal! Searching her mind, Sasha tried to piece it together. She’d just finished reading lines with Kelly Dawson. Kelly had wanted to go over the scene again, no change there then, but the lunch bell had wrung, and they all needed a well-deserved break.
Everyone had begun pouring out of the room, and she’d headed to the back of the stage to retrieve her bag, but by the time she’d collected it, the auditorium had emptied out. No wait, it hadn’t been completely empty, someone else had been in there with her. They’d been loitering at the back of the room most of the morning watching the rehearsal, that much she remembered. She’d just assumed it had been someone from the school paper, but now she was closer to them, she recognised them at once, Mitchell!
Mitchell Jones had been her best friend all through Junior High, but things had changed, as they so often did, when they’d reached High School. They ran in completely separate social circles now and were very different people compared to the once carefree children from years before.
Focusing her concentration on the thought, Sasha recalled they’d had a conversation. It took her a few minutes to dredge up the words to go along with the pictures, but when the memory finally surfaced it was as clear as day, as if she was stood with him right now having the same conversation!
‘Hey, Sasha,’ Mitchell murmured. His face had been partially hidden beneath the hood of a red sweater and only a few strands of his dirty blonde hair poked out from underneath.
Mitchell was weird, it felt strange to acknowledge it, but he was. Sasha had always known that he was at the peculiar end of the normal scale, but it was something as a child she’d overlooked because peculiar had been interesting, different, had bucked the norm. But as he grew, so did his oddness and when it had spilled over into just plain weird, Sasha had discarded the friendship. She’d been as nice as she could, and gradually distanced herself from him, she hadn’t turned around one day and just cut him out of her life. But she had put space between them, a little at first and then a lot. It wasn’t as if they’d never spoken again after it happened, and any encounters since had been semi-friendly, albeit short, however something about today’s interaction felt different.
‘Oh, hi,’ she answered, feeling as if something felt a bit off about their exchange. He’d barely spoken two words to her and yet the air prickled with electricity, as if emotions were running high, but she couldn’t pinpoint which emotions. It just didn’t feel right!
‘Can I have a word?’ Mitchell asked, shuffling his feet. His sneakers were filthy, and he had a wet tidemark on the bottom of his jeans, which made it look as if he’d been wading in something.
‘Um, sure,’ she uttered in response, feeling slightly curious to know what he wanted. Yet at the same time guardedly cautious. Something about this encounter felt different compared to any of the others they’d previously had.
Mitchell gestured for them to step outside, and in silence, the both of them exited the auditorium through a side door which led out onto the campus parking lot.
The day outside was bright and warm with just the hint of a chill in the fall air, and the sound of a mass of voices reached her ear’s as the school noisily made its way through the grounds beyond, to lunch. She followed Mitchell across the asphalt until he stopped by a scrapyard of a car. In fact, it looked as if the vehicle had only just survived several demolition derbies, but was now on its last legs.
‘Yours?’ she asked, surveying the chipped navy paint job and the dripping oil leak staining the ground below.
Mitchell nodded, but didn’t look up at her.
‘It’s nice,’ she commented, filling the silence. ‘Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?’
Mitchell merely glanced up at her from the hood of his jacket, their eyes locked only for a moment, but she picked up on so much from that one look. Sadness, longing, but most of all he seemed to be on something. His pupils were wide open, giving his eyes an odd hollow black appearance, and he had heavy bags under both of them. If he wasn’t on something, then he clearly hadn’t slept in days, and he seemed nervous too and kept compulsively reaching for his keys, which were clipped to a belt loop on his jeans. He’d grab hold of them, squeeze them, then release. It sent alarm bells ringing in Sasha’s head for her to remove herself from the current situation as quickly as possible, and not being one to ignore these kinds of warnings, she made up her mind to leave.
Sasha looked away, pretending she’d not noticed his odd behaviour, and decided she was going to give a quick excuse and then take off. She didn’t care what he had to say to her, friend or not, Mitchell was creeping her out! Glancing at her watch, she uttered. ‘I’d better grab some lunch before rehearsal continues, let’s take a rain check,’ she’s said hastily trying to make her escape.
Mitchell just stared blankly at her again, but didn’t respond. At that moment, the sound of laughter way off behind her, suddenly erupted. Instinctively turning to the sound, Sasha watched as a group of girls passed through the far end of the parking lot giggling away to themselves, before they entered the science block. But before she could turn back to Mitchell, a pain suddenly erupted in her head. The back of her skull felt as if it had just been gouged with a burning hot poker as she crumpled to her knees in pain and her vision went dark. She sank rapidly into unconsciousness, as the pain overloaded her system, sending the nerve endings in her brain screaming into the void.
That was it. Mitchell had hit her! He’d cracked something across the back of her head when her attention had been elsewhere. Sasha searched her brain for more memories, there were a few blurry flashes of the inside of what she assumed had been the trunk of Mitchell’s car, but she didn’t remember much else.
Wriggling against her bonds again, Sasha thrashed around in the seat, like a mental patient trying to escape a straitjacket. ‘Mitchell! - Mitchell! I know it’s you who did this to me. Where am I? Answer me!’ she hollered, feeling the tight grip of the bag over her head, which brushed roughly against her skin, causing it to itch.
This had to be some stupid prank, right? It was Mitchell after all; he didn’t do horrific stuff like this! Sasha knew she hadn’t been part of his life for many years, but he couldn’t have changed that much from the silly kid she used to hang out with?
‘Mitchell, come on. The joke’s over, and it’s not funny!’ Sasha called, her voice muffling against the cloth.
However, silence was the only response to her cries.
With an exasperated sigh, Sasha stopped struggling, and sunk back into the seat. As her muscles relaxed ever so slightly, the tension in her frame ebbed a little, but that only made her more aware of her body’s complaints. The way he’d tied her to the chair was far too tight and was extremely uncomfortable. Her legs groaned in protest at being fastened in one place, while the skin around her wrist itched and burned against the rope tied numerous times around them in a binding loop. This wasn’t a prank, she mused to herself, as sweat trickled down her cheek within the humid environment under the sack. Nope, this was something else!
Several more minutes passed, and Sasha contemplated yelling again, but clearly Mitchell or anyone else for that matter wasn’t currently in ear shot. The thought crossed her mind that he could in fact hear her and was just ignoring her calls, but that made the situation worse somehow, so she pushed it aside.
As she slipped into silence, other sounds came to her ears. There was the dripping sound of water leaking from a pipe to the left of her. Sasha listened as the droplets splashed into a puddle somewhere on the floor. The rhythmic plops reminded her of the tick of a clock counting down the seconds, and as they passed a haunting dread began to fill her heart. How long would she have to hear those droplets ring out the seconds before she came to the realisation that maybe no one was going to find her, wherever she was? That maybe her fate had been sealed before she’d even awoken from her haze, and now she was just playing catch-up with her own mind before she realised the truth, the terrible truth. That perhaps there was a very high probability that she was going to die in here. Lost, alone and bound helplessly to a chair.
So this is my fate, thought Sasha numbly. She was only seventeen, she’d barely begun her life, and already it seemed it was about to be snuffed out. This thought alone threw her mind reeling into despair, all the things she’d not done and seen, flashed before her. It caused bile to rise up in her throat, but at the last second before being violently sick, she choked it back.
No! She told herself with defiance, feeling a fire crackle to life in her belly. I refuse this outcome; I do not accept this fate!
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