Chapters (48)
Oh my God! What’s happening to me? She attempted to move her arms, her legs, but a loud bang grabbed her attention and she gasped for air. When she heard the next sound, her heart began to pound wildly, racing as if it would jump out of her chest.
A voice was calling her name.
Seconds later, Francine felt someone standing over her, watching her. She tried to turn her head and speak but couldn’t do either. There was no need to see the person who was now just inches from her face. She knew who it was. She knew what was going on.
“You didn’t check your bedroom closet when you got up. I was in there the whole time. I’m surprised at you, Francine. Who checks their entire apartment and then neglects the closet? You really ought to be more careful. Don’t you know the closet is one of the places monsters hide?”
Jesus Christ. The gun. I need the damn gun! Francine’s thoughts spun uncontrollably as she fought panic. She forced herself to focus. If she didn’t she would die.
“I slammed the door a couple of times to get you going. I could have just woken you up in an ordinary way, but really, where’s the fun in that?”
As Francine stared at the ceiling, blinking rapidly, her fingers twitched and her body began to feel lighter, like she was regaining control. Frantically, she tried to move. She longed to feel the cold steel in her hands. It was so close, still hidden under the pillow.
Hands prodded at her hard and fast, assessing her muscle tone. “I’m sure you’ve figured out by now you’ve been drugged. I did it while you were sleeping. Thank God for chloroform and muscle relaxants. They really do make things easier. But you’ve been able to blink your eyelids all along and now your fingers are moving. It shouldn’t be wearing off yet. I might have miscalculated the dosage.”
Francine curled her fingers into a fist and then opened them again, repeating the motion, hoping to awaken her arms. She froze when she heard the sound of a zipper opening, followed by a loud clank of metal objects hitting together, then the rustling of plastic.
“You’re probably wondering how I found you. You must be. Any smart person would. That’s what I like about you Francine—you’re smart. That’s how you got this far, how you’ve managed to hide for so long. But unfortunately, you have a really stupid side too. And that’s why you’re not going to get away.”
Her whole body was tingling. It was coming around. In just a few minutes she’d be able to grab the gun.
Francine didn’t have a few minutes.