mundane lockdown

Mundane lockdown


Thoughts swirling around inside my head.
Looking through the window.
Watch the gray skies overhead.
Planes fly to and fro.
Making the building shake if they are to low.
150 channels but nothing on.
Same old story today.
Same old song of yesterday.
Tomorrow holds the promise of more of the same.
I am in a mundane lockdown.
Surrounded by steel.
Surrounded by glass.
Bricks, tars, and cars.
Too many people.
Too many days of gray.
Not even a different shade on any day.
I am in a mundane lockdown.
My World is just spinning around.
Trapped in a city with no life.
Wishing only to set flight.
Wanting to see the color green.
No not the money kind.
Just the green of the trails.
Let me out of this mundane lockdown.
Let me out of this mundane lockdown.

Turn the skies blue.
And it is good to go too.
Let me get away from this World gray.
Let me get away today.
Buildings and more buildings.
Roads and more roads.
I want more and more trees.
I want more and more trails please.
I am in a mundane lockdown.

Let me out, let me out.
I am gonna go insane.
Let me out of this cage of a city.
Let me be free where I can roam.
No planes, no cars, no tar.
Let me out of this mundane lockdown.
Set me free.
Let me be me.

Walking for two

Walking for two

Walking down the road.
Never really alone.
Yet not a soul to be seen.
Just me as far as the eyes can see.
No not alone though.
I always have a companion with me.
Two heads are better than one they say.
How about two voices in your head everyday?
One too many or short one?
One tells me the good and pushes me on.
The other tells me the bad and pushes me to fear.
Which one wins today?
Walking down the road never really alone.
Just trying to clear my head for one day.
Trying to shake the thoughts that comes in tandems.
Trying to find the course to navigate between them.
No signs to lead the way forward.
Yet I step anyway.
One voice used to louder than the other.
Back when I didn’t care about any other.
Now the voices both have their say.
Maybe one day it will be only the good one to play.
I don’t know how to turn them off.
I don’t know that I want to turn them off.
Who says it isn’t a good thing?
Does it make me crazy?
Or does it make me sane?
Who knows really?
Not you and not me.
I walk on and on but never alone.

So confused when I think of you.

So confused when I think of you.

I feel so confused every time I think of you.
I know what my heart says to me.
I know what my mind tells me.
I feel so confused every time I think of you.
Yes, it is you that does this to me.
You move me in ways I ain’t ever moved.
Pull me in directions that my heart says yes and my mind says no.
Yes you do this too me.
Do it to me every time I think of you.
My heart says your mine.
My heart says I am yours.
My mind says I am crazy.
Crazy for wanting you.
Crazy for loving you.
Tell me… help me….
Guide me down the road that leads to you.
Guide me down the road that leads away from you.
I don’t want to be in limbo.
Twisting and turning every time I think of you.
Wanting to run but the direction changes in an instant.
Sometimes I just want to run to you.
Sometimes I just want to run away from you.

I feel so confused every time I think of you.
I know what my heart says to me.
I know what my mind tells me.
I feel so confused every time I think of you.
Yes, it is you that does this to me.
You move me in ways I ain’t ever moved.
Pull me in directions that my heart says yes and my mind says no.


I am stuck in the middle.
Yes, stuck at a crossroads between my heart and mind.
You won my heart but you didn’t keep my mind.
Somewhere the two became separate when it comes to you.
One is in love.
The other is in fear.
Both are all about you dear.
I feel so confused when I think of you.

hiking my way to sanity

Hiking my way to sanity.

Every time I head off from Portland towards a hike somewhere it is a breath of needed fresh air. I grew up here in Portland but looking at the steel, brick, and tar that makes a city now feels confining and constricting to me. I am not sure if my anxiety is part of that reason or not. I feel smothered. I need to breathe. The trails are my sanity.

Each step I take on the trails gives me more strength and more belief in myself. Confidence that escapes me here seems to strengthen me there. Is the city my own kryptonite?

I know that here I can get stuck and feel down in an instant and without warning. It is like a storm or squall blows in catching me off guard, trapping me for days. No weatherman to blame for missing the signs here as it is my own storm that blows only through me. Often knocking me off my feet and leaving me gasping for air, searching for strength. The city sucks my life from me. The crowds and noise pump my anxiety up and up. My heart races without me racing. I look but like a deer in headlights I am frozen. I see but can’t feel. My sanity is in question.

The trails they call from a distance. Mountain vistas await me. They seem to be flashing beacons in a storm to me. Come here my son and find the sanity. Find the peace here on the trails. Space to breathe and even more to roam. If you find your heart racing out here on the trail then just slow down. No rush and no hurry. We are going to be here for eternity. Take your time and just enjoy. Keep your sanity, fill your lungs with fresh air, and breathe in the life that surrounds you.

I feel the life grow within me. The kryptonite far behind me. My fears here are something I can conquer. Anxiety is nowhere in sight. I am free and I am alive. I am in a World where sanity is mine. Here in the vast space of the woods. I am not alone and am surrounded by life. Yet it does not drain my life. It seems only to enhance it. To add pleasure to it. I take the air like it is life to me. I see all that surrounds me. My head is not lowered and I am hiding from nothing. I am enjoying it all for nothing. It is free and so am I.

Here I am me. I am at peace like never before. My worries have been left behind.

Here I have my sanity. Here I have my life.

Heading for peace

Heading for peace.

Step by step I get further away from everything.
Yet no closer to anything.
I have no destination.
At least none you can find on a map.
I put on foot in front of the other.
Just heading down the trail with no destination.
What is around the next bend?
What is to be found?
It is of no concern to me.
I just intend to put one in front of the other.
On and on until I am where I want to be.
Where is that you might ask?
Well it is the place where time is not important.
A place where all who find it are equal.
None better than the other.
Rewards are the same for all.
All you have to do is put on in front of the other.
Eventually you get there too.
How many steps for you?
One never knows for sure.
Around the next bend or another?
Just one in front of the other.
Walk on and on until you find.
The peace on the trail will come to you.
Soon the worries of the steel World are long gone.
No more cell phone or noise pollution.
Stop and listen as long as you like.
Here the birds singing their songs.
The wind rustling the leaves above your head.
The chipmunks rustling the leaves near your very feet.
This World is my World.
This World is your World too.
One for all and all for one.
The noise of the water gurgling in a stream.
Moving on forever in time.
Progress of a different kind.
No man can put this in a package.
No trademarks out here.
It is yours and it is mine.
Away from all the grime.
Let us together keep it free.
Free for us and free for those who will follow.
Step by step, one in front of the other.
Peace is here for all who desire.
A World like the original.
Not one built on dreams green money.
Here it is about life.
It surrounds you.
Surrounds you in peace and love.
Surrounds you in survival of life.
Not a fight for more and more.
Just a life to live fully.
That is all that is needed here.
So walk on, one in front of the other.
Listen to the birds, the crickets, the frogs.
They all speak to you.
Listen to the running water and the blowing wind.
A story for all to enjoy.
Share it with the World.
Keep it for all to enjoy.

The Repairman 20

The Repairman 20

Months had passed but both Moe and Greg believed the story was not over. That they owed the people they may have lost more than what they had received. They needed more closure.

Greg had just gotten home from work. He still worked the late hours as now there was certainly no point in being home as his beloved Sarah was missing as he called it. She was not dead and she was not gone but missing. He got out of his car and headed towards the door. He heard the phone ringing inside. He didn’t hurry as it was likely just another call from a group wishing him well or some hocus pocus that was promised to bring her back.  As he entered he caught part of the last word and the voice jumped right through him. He ran to the phone but the call was gone. His answering machine blinked with one message waiting for him. His hands shook as he pressed the button to have it play back to him. It could que up fast enough.  Then Sarah’s shaking voice jumped right through him, “Greg, Greg, please be there!!! Help me Greg!! He is a monster!!! I went to school with him!! The detectives were right!!! Help me!!” and the line went dead. Greg fell to the floor. Sarah was alive!!!
The end.................or is it?

The Repairman 19

The Repairman 19

Raines and Burma were nearing John’s house when they heard commotion over the recorder. It was apparent that John had found the device but as they could no longer hear what was going on inside the home. They knew Sarah would now be in trouble and hoped they could get there in time to save her. John had upped the ante by the violence of earlier in the evening. Thus it was no longer safe to have Sarah doing what she had apparently already attempted. It was not how they had planned it but none of that really matter now as she was there with him and he found the devices. They just needed to get there and make themselves part of the equation before it was too late. Raines drop as fast as she could and Burma now made sure his seatbelt was on properly as he no longer wanted to be sent flying towards the dashboard or window with his partners erratic driving on this night. She was on a mission and he wished to join her in seeing it through to the end. They turned down the twisting roads leading to John’s home and turned off their lights and siren to make sure they would not be giving away their arrival quite yet.

John looked into Sarah’s eyes as he felt his heart sinking. She threw herself in his arms and began to cry. “John it isn’t what it looks like. The Detectives met me tonight and told me you were some monster. I wanted to prove them wrong John.” John grabbed her by the shoulders and thrust her backwards towards the bed. She landed hard against the side of it knocking the wind out from her lungs. He stood just looking at her and not quite sure which feeling to believe among the many that were fighting inside of him for control. If she was telling the truth then he needed to play this cool to keep her love and yet if it was a sinister as he felt then she needed to pay the price. Then he needed to get out of town even sooner than he thought. What happened to the girls at the hospital would no longer matter in the scheme of things. John put his hands to his face and slid his hands into his hair and screamed loudly. He was trying to vent the rage and the noise coming from him seemed to grow with every second. Sarah sat shaking against the bed as her breathe came back to her slowly.

Greg was just beginning to head down the stairs to the garage to look for the exit when he heard a loud scream of a man. Then scream only seemed to grow and fill the house with each passing second. It was growing louder and louder till he began to wonder if it was some sort of a recording. He turned and began to walk towards the noise when a light caught his eye from behind the closet. He opened and saw a slew of monitors that seemed to cover everywhere within the home. He looked through them and then saw Sarah on the floor. He could feel tears in his eyes as he stared at the screen just looking at her. Then he saw that someone else was in the room and Sarah seemed to look afraid. He looked again and new his wife was in fact afraid. He knew he needed to get to her and interrupt whatever it was that was going on upstairs. He began to turn and then one last screen caught his eye. He looked and saw a woman in a room. He looked closer and she was strapped to something. He could not tell but she did not look happy either. He decided she was not his problem and he turned away towards the kitchen to look for something to use when he made his way upstairs. He saw a cutlery set and decided to grab the Butcher’s knife from it. He then headed towards the front of the house assuming there would be stairs there that led to the second floor. He was right and began to cautiously make his way up them. As he neared the top he could see a light coming from a room off to the side. He decided that was the place he would go. As he rounded the corner he could see slightly into the room. Sarah’s shoes were in his sight and he knew she must be in there with this crazy man. He would save her and get her back. He was not a fighter by any means but he had the knife and that would be his advantage right from the start.

John slowly let his hands fall back to his sides as the noise from within came to an end. Sarah sat shaking against the bed and John walked towards her in a very calm controlled way. He hoped it would ease her fear and that he could get more information now that he was calm enough to think a little more clearly. He knelt beside Sarah and began to talk gently to her, “Sarah, I am sorry I just lost my temper for a second. I did not mean to shove you like that honey. Please forgive me. It is just that these police have invaded my privacy for months now and they don’t seem to understand that I am not the one they are looking for in these disappearances. It has just totally worn me out. They try to sneak into my house and watch me. I just kind of lost it when I saw they brought you into this as well. I thought for a second that your love and kindness towards me was just an act for them. That you were trying to help them prove something crazy!! I am sorry.” He looked at Sarah with true sadness in his eyes as he really wanted to believe her and did not want to hurt her either. Sarah looked at his eyes and could tell he was really sorry. He did look very scary then though but she wanted to believe it was just out of frustration like he said that is was. She spoke to him as she looked in his eyes, “John, I am the one who should be sorry. I brought them devices in here and forgot to tell you. That is what I had planned to do and then to let you decide what to do with them. I do not believe the crazy stories the detectives told me. I don’t think they are looking at the right guy. You didn’t even go to my High School John but those other missing girls did and that is the theory the police has tied it to. That the person was getting some kicks or revenge on girls from his high school. Please forgive me John. I love y.” she suddenly screamed as Greg burst through the door with the butcher knife high over his head. John quickly moved as he saw her eyes change before the scream even made its way out of her mouth. He stuck out his leg and the on rushing Greg tripped over it and landed face first into the bed. John quickly moved towards the man on the bed and Sarah screamed. John was on top of Greg before he knew what had happened to him. The butcher knife was stuck in the mattress and not easy for either man to grab. John drove to hard punch into the back of Greg’s headed and the lights went black quickly for Greg. John flipped the man over and before he moved away Sarah was leaning over the man and touching his face tenderly. John asked Sarah who this was and she quickly explained to him that is was her husband. She did not know how he had got here or what he was going to do although she figured just like john that a man with a knife who is charging probably doesn’t have the friendliest thoughts on his mind. Then Sarah remembered the lump in her back seat and told John that must be how he had gotten in. John went to his drawer and searched for a few moments and then came back with a pair of handcuffs. Sarah moved to a spot where she was blocking John and he stopped before her. His blood was rising again but he was trying to hold it back. There was no way he could just leave this guy who tried to kill free to get up and try it again. He looked down at Sarah and she looked up at him. He was about to physically move her when a loud crash was heard in the distance. It startled both of them briefly and John quickly turned and went down the hall to a room he had set up with the security features. Alarms began to go off now as well and the sounds of a car racing down the driveway was becoming louder. John saw the car on a monitor and quickly knew that it was the police. In fact, he knew it was Burma and Raines paying him a visit. He knew he needed to leave and fast. He looked at the buttons before him and found the one with the plastic case over it. He lifted and pushed it quickly. The place would begin to burn immediately and then eventually it would blow to a billion pieces to make sure nothing was left behind. He did not care who was left in the house as long as he wasn’t in it. He left the room and could see the downstairs was filling with smoke and flame already. He headed back to his room and grabbed Sarah by the arm. “Sarah, this is the choice before you right now. There is no time to make this decision. The crazy police are going to frame me. They broke through my gate and now have set my home on fire. I need to leave and want you to come with me. I love you and will take care of you.” Sarah looked at him, “But we can’t leave Greg here he will die and he is still my husband and I love him. I can’t just leave him to die.” John leaned and gave her a kiss gently on the lips and then turned towards the hall. He left the room and headed to the stairway that led to the 3rd floor. Sarah went to Greg and tried to wake him by shaking him and then saw the glass of water near the bed. She grabbed it and dumped it on his face. He woke and looked around but was still a little groggy. “Greg, I loved you but I don’t love you anymore. You abandoned me. This house is on fire!! Hurry up and get yourself out of here!!!” Sarah turned and ran towards the hallway. Greg stumbled after her and got to the door as he saw her disappear up a pair of stairs. The smell of the smoke and the heat from the growing flames gave him a sudden surge of adrenaline that brought him fully back to the present. He chased after Sarah who was chasing after John.

Detectives Raines and Burma climbed from their car and headed towards the front stairs. The windows on the first floor exploded from the heat and glass was sent everywhere. The two detectives dove to the ground to avoid the flying shards bound for them. They scrambled back tot heir feet and continued towards the door. Raines was in front of Burma and reached the door first. She turned the handle and an explosion from underneath he sent her flying backwards. She crashed into Detective Burma who broke her fall. They lay side by side on the grass trying to recover from the concussion of the blast and the hard landing. Burma looked at Raines and she was covered in blood. He reached over and felt for a pulse. He found one just before she grabbed his hand, “Moe, I ain’t dead!! So let’s get this bastard. He just tried to blow me up!!” said Raines as she scrambled to her feet. Moe laughed and hurried behind her towards the now open door.

John heard foot steps behind him and saw Sarah closing in on him in a dead sprint. She got to him and told him to keep going. That they needed to get away and she was going with him. She professed her love to him and they kissed briefly. John closed to the door behind them moments before Greg made his way to the third floor. He heard the door close but had no idea what door it could have been. Flames and smoke were starting to appear here on the third floor and he thought it was too quick for that. He needed to find Sarah. He couldn’t just let her go with him. He began to try and open the doors but they were locked so he kept trying until he felt dizzy and weak as the smoke was overtaking him. He became disorientated and no longer knew what he had or had not tried. Raines and Burma heard the footsteps way up above and scrambled through the fire towards them. Burma knew he was a little more nervous right now then his partner who had taken this to heart and had it set in her mind she would get John. And in doing so no price was too high. They found a small stairwell on the second floor leading to a third and then they bumped into a man who was in rough shape but mumbled something about Sarah was up there. Raines placed his hand in Burma’s and told Moe to get him out of here. She was going to check and see if she could find Sarah. Detective Burma did not want to leave his partner but also knew this man needed to get out of here and that was not going to happen without someone helping him out of there. So headed back outside with Greg in tow despite what he wanted to do. The flames were too high already and there was hardly any room to get through the smoke and fire. Both Greg and Moe’s hair was getting singed and their clothes were getting hotter by the second. Raines searched the doors and stayed low as possible while trying to find one she could go into. She found a knob and it turned, the door opened and she could hear muffled screams. She found Miranda strapped to the swing in the middle of the room. She grabbed her utility knife from her belt and cut her free. They headed towards the door and then down the stairs towards the second floor.

John and Sarah had taken a back route from the third floor to a tunnel that led away from the building. There was no smoke in the staircase they used as John had made it fireproof after he knew the plan would be to burn and explode the house should he ever have to escape from it. In the tunnel the kept moving till they were halfway through it. John stopped and opened a panel on the wall. He flipped two switches and then headed for the door at the end. Sarah did not know what was going and just followed John. She was not sure what happened to Greg and everything was happening so fast that she simply did not know what to think about anything. Following John seemed like the best option to her and that was exactly what she was going to do. The reached the doorway and on the other side Sarah was surprised to see and sports car parked. John clicked the alarm off and escorted Sarah to the passenger side of the car. She got in and sat with a stunned look over her face. John drove down the path and through new hole in the wall created by an explosion he had set off in the tunnel. They were on the street and past the slew of cruiser and fire trucks now down the road near his home.

Moe pulled Greg along as they reached the bottom of the stairs on ground level. Miranda and Raines were on the second floor and heading towards the stairs. Then a large EXPLOSION erupted from under the building. It lurched upward and then multiple explosions followed and the building feel apart with pieces flying everywhere but the majority of it fell inward into a huge fireball. Moe and Greg were covered with debris. Miranda and Raines never felt a thing as their bodies were ripped apart by the blasts and now lay amongst the burning ruins. Rescue works and fellow officers quickly began to get Moe and Greg out of the debris that was covering them now. As soon as Moe could move he got to his feet and saw that only a pile of burning debris was left of the house. He asked if anyone had seen Raines make it out of the house but he knew the answer before he asked the question. There was no way she had made it that far down that quick through all the smoke and fire. She was gone and his heart filled with grief. He fell to his knees and just looked at the mess before him. He shouldn’t have left her in there and should have made her leave with him. They would both be alive then but he knew there was no way she would leave with the possibility of someone still inside. Greg looked at the debris and then at Detective Burma, “Did my Sarah make it out? Please tell me she made it out. SARAH!!!” Greg walked towards the fire sobbing. An officer ran over and pulled him away. Moe got to his feet and headed down to the command center at the end of the driveway. The walk seemed like it took forever and as he neared he saw the Commander looking straight at him. “Detective I want an explanation!!! What the hell happened here? Where is your partner?” Moe looked into the eyes of the Commander and then turned pointing to the burning fire behind him, “My partner, she is still in there Commander!!! She was going after the prick that did that to those women. Then we saw this man inside and I got him out. Detective Raines was heroic as she tried to save another woman that was supposedly in there. She didn’t make it out. And with any luck neither did the prick.” The Commander was speechless and then yelled to Detective Burma as he entered an ambulance. “Burma make sure every detail gets into a report. I want that report on my desk by asap!!!!!!!!!!!”

It would be days before the forensics team could get into the rubble to look for bodies or any parts that may be left. They searched for days and found only a few bones which likely would not lead them to an new information. I t was likely they would never know how many people died in the fire. They knew that Detective Raines was a victim for sure. However, they did not know what happened to Sarah, John, or the other missing woman named Miranda. The local police Commander closed the cases a few months later as he said it was the department’s belief that all had perished in the fire and that John Teaberry was no longer a threat to anyone. It had been a sad outcome and the City had lost a great Detective but the job was done and the monster was off the streets.

Janet and Melissa recovered slowly but eventually would be back to full health. That both believed there was another woman with them in the house but did not truly know for sure as maybe what they heard was only each other. They signed a book and movie deal while still in the hospital.

Detective Burma handed in the report to the Police Commander and a month later he filed his retirement papers. He had no interest in continuing his career after this case. It had taken a lot out of him and losing his partner was just more than he felt he could get over. He wanted to be away from the job. He didn’t agree with the department on closing the case either. He wanted proof that his partner died for more than a belief that John Teaberry was gone. He needed proof for her and he kept poking around in hopes of finding something somewhere to give him closure.

Greg had a hard time letting go of Sarah and could not accept that she had died that day. He just felt somehow she was alive and he just would not let go of her. He was struggling to move forward in his life. He had made a new friend in former Detective Moe Burma. He still lived in the same place and left Sarah’s things exactly as she had left them. He did not have a funeral for her either. He just refused to believe she had died.

The Repairman 18

The Repairman 18



Greg crouched in the darkness and the adrenaline began to fade away as he figured that he really had little chance of keeping Sarah’s heart. It was likely already gone and by the looks of this place she would not be lacking in the money department either. So she was likely getting the attention she so craved and also was being charmed with money to boot. He felt really sad and decided that making a scene was just not the thing to do anymore. He began to slowly move back the way he came and hoped to get out without being noticed. As he began this slow process the tears began to fill his eyes as he realized he loved Sarah so much more than he had been able to show. He knew that it was his fault that she had gone elsewhere and now he just wanted to be as far away from here as he could get and quickly.

The detectives made their way to Janet’s bedside and were stunned to see the damage done to her face. They looked at each other and then at Dr.Clark who was entering the room. She looked so lifeless and yet the monitors said she was still alive if barely. Dr. Clark looked the two detectives and told them that she would be touch and go for a little while at the very least. She may at best, be able to talk in a few days but it was unlikely that would happen he warned them. They watched as he checked her vitals and gave the nurse a few orders. He explained right now they just wanted to keep her comfortable and get more tests done to see if there was damage to her brain as he suspected by her actions. Her injuries were bad but would heal if they could make it past the first few hours he believed but the unknown was what truly scared him. Dr. Clark turned to leave the room and had just passed through the doors when it struck Detective Raines that he had not told them what the girl had tried to say to him. She wanted to know what the words were even if they were just nonsense. It would need to be added to their report at the very least and maybe somehow it could help. She turned and headed after him. Detective Burma stood just looking at the woman who had been beaten and wondering who she was under all of that swelling. He Walked over to her and whispered in her ear, “I am going to get the monster that did this to you. I promise you that I will get you justice. Just hang in there and you will see that justice with your own eyes. Hang in there.” Detective Raines had caught Dr. Clark and was asking him what the woman had mumbled. He told her and she wrote it down as he turned to go back into Melissa’s room. Raines went and sat on a chair off to the side and tried to make some sense of gum and tea. She could feel that there was something there but was struggling to connect the pieces. As Burma walked towards her it suddenly clicked that the words did in fact have meaning. Her eyes met Moe’s and she smiled. He wondered what was going on but before he could get a word out she said “we got him!! We got the piece we needed Moe. We got John!!” Detective Burma smiled but was also a little worried that his tired partner may be a little delirious. And then she explained that if you thought of the words as tea and gum it matched John Teaberry perfectly. He wasn’t quite so sure and told her he doubted a judge would grant them any kind of warrant based on the two words and her amazing deductive abilities. She looked at him and he knew that they were going to be headed to John’s house with or without a warrant now. He hoped she was right because this was going to be so far over the line that they were going to get in trouble either way. The only thing to save them would be if they found the other missing woman that they suspected John was involved in. They left without telling the Commander where they were going as they believed they needed as much time as possible without anyone trying to make them weight for the chain of command to approve their actions. They knew that approval would not come and they knew they needed to see for themselves. They exited the lot and turned on their blue lights as they sped in the direction of John’s home. Suddenly they heard crackling from the device on the back seat. Detective Raines jammed on the brakes and sent Moe flying forward into the dashboard. She put the car in park and went to the backseat. Detective Burma collected himself and made sure he was still alive and then was about to yell at her when a voice stopped him dead in his tracks. “Sarah, I am so glad you are here with me. I just really needed to see you tonight and somehow you knew that. You felt it didn’t you Sarah!! Our love is that strong.” It was John Teaberry and he was with Sarah. They looked at each other and suddenly were not sure where to go as Sarah had the devices on her and that meant they could be a few places. They decided to drive towards John’s home as it was closer than Sarah’s.

Sarah looked at John and smiled as she had felt something was wrong. She just needed to see John and maybe he was right that their connection was so very deep that she could feel when he needed her. His eyes just made her melt and she fell for him every time she looked into them. She went to him now and collapsed into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and that seemed to give him strength. He was weak but her love was something to lift him up and he was so happy to feel that way. He had always hoped it could be like this and now it was awesome. He just wanted to hold her forever and let the World go away. All he needed was her and here she was in his arms. Sarah pulled his hand to her and kissed him gently on the top of his hand. Her lips were soft and loving. John began to caress her gently and with each movement the pain faded to pleasure. He wanted her now but was unsure if he would be able to muster the energy for her. He decided to try and make her happy right now as she was his woman, the one he had dreamed of for all time. His hands moved under her shirt and she kissed him deeply. As he felt her bra he knew there was something extra in there. And Sarah remembered at that very moment that she had the devices on her and that she never got rid of them as she had planned. John grabbed one of them and pulled his hand from Sarah’s shirt. As he looked down at the tiny device he knew instantly what it was and his eyes met Sarah’s eyes which were filled with fear. John felt his heart skip a beat and the rage within him began to build.

The Repairman 17

The Repairman 17


Sarah pulled her car to a stop in front of John’s garage and was about to get out when the door began to lift. She slowly pulled her car into the garage and out of sight as the garage door closed behind her. John was nowhere to be seen in the garage and Sarah wondered why he had not come down to greet her. She hurried out of the car and headed to the stairs and to the house above her. John watched her on the monitor as she made her way towards him. As she neared the top of the stairs he came out of the room and just missed the door to the car opening a second time. Greg was not exactly sure where he was but knew it wasn’t a shopping center or a place to go get something to eat for a late night snack. This was someone’s home and likely the person whom Sarah had been seeing. He could feel his blood begin to boil and he just wanted to get his hands on the man. He needed to see them together and confront them both. That is why he snuck into the car in the first place. He stood in the darkened garage and let his eyes adjust to the light as he knew he needed to be unannounced. He could not afford to trip over something in the dark. He needed to be patient. Sarah saw John and felt like she was going to faint at the site of the blood on his shirt. Her eyes immediately welled up and she ran to him. John took her in his arms and felt his knees become weak again. He wanted to hold her but she was really holding him. He was just so glad to have her here with him and was thankful she was full of warmth and love instead of questions. He loved her and he whispered that as he slumped even more. Sarah could feel him wanting to fall and tried to brace him as best she could. She whispered her love right back to him. She began to move him towards the stairs leading to his room. She just wanted to get him up there and resting before asking any questions. Seeing him made her realize that she really did love him and more than she originally thought. There just no way that he was the one the police were looking for as far as those missing girls were concerned. She just could not believe them. She struggled with John as they went up the stairs. His weight was tiring her quickly and he only seemed to be growing weaker with each step. They reached the top of the stairs and the room was insight.

Dr. Clark leaned in to listen to Janet but he could not make sense of the mumblings coming from her lips. He body was battered and she was hardly able to stay conscious. He straightened up and looked at her. She looked back and he saw it in her eyes that she was hoping he understood. He told her she needed to rest and they could talk later. She pleaded with her eyes for him to listen and she mouthed two words which he recognized but was not able to make any sense of them. To him they seemed just words thrown out for a mind that was fighting to stay awake. He nodded and told her he got it and understood even though he did not have the slightest clue. What could she possibly mean with the two words gum and tea? He could not seem to think of anything that she may mean that made sense. If she wanted gum then that only made him think she was in more trouble then he thought. He decided to advise the neurologist of her possible brain injuries. They would need to scan her entire body to see the injuries and now monitor her brain as well. He looked at her and she stared at him. Her eyes began to close and she mouthed the word Tea one more time before she went to from conscious to unconscious. The nurses and other physicians were still performing tests and monitoring her. Dr. Clark decided to go talk with the neurologist and then check on the Melissa. He knew it was her and wanted to make sure she would get treated right. They had been close and he was saddened at the fact he had let her slip from his mind so easily. Dr. Clark left the room and as he walked out the door he bumped right into Detective Raines almost knocking her to the ground. He apologized as Raines regained her balance. The Detectives introduced themselves to the doctor and then explained they were here to see the two women that had been dropped off out front. They also wanted to interview him about any details he may have seen out front when he found the women. Dr. Clark said sure but he needed to talk to the neurologist first as the patient was mumbling words that made no sense and it was imperative they check her for brain injuries as soon as possible. Raines and Burma look ed at one another as Dr.Clark scurried away towards the desk for the doctors in the middle of the ER. Burma, “we need to find out what she said as maybe it is just mumbo jumbo but then again maybe it isn’t. We need to know and decided for ourselves. Go use that charm Raines and I will go inside and see if I can get an I.D.”
Raines nodded and headed towards Dr. Clark while Burma made his way towards the doors where the less critical of the two women lay.

Greg could see enough now to move towards the stairs that Sarah must have gone up. He walked slowly and cautiously till he was at the bottom of them. He listened for any noise coming from above but heard none and decided to head up. He took each step painfully slow and each time the stairs made a creak he would pause for what seemed like forever to him. He finally made it to the top of the stairs and listened again for any noise. He still did not hear anything and peeked his head around the corner to see what was before him. It was a kitchen and a big one too. He did not see anyone or anything there that he needed to worry about. He slowly moved into the kitchen but remained low and close to the wall. There adrenaline surging in his blood now as he felt like he was going to catch Sarah and then be able to confront her. This whole thing would be out in the open soon and Sarah would have to face the fact of being caught. Then, then maybe they could work it all out or at the very least she would be entitled to a lot less of his hard earned money. He peered into another room and this was a large dinning room with a table that seemed to go forever. He was amazed at what he could see of this home. He began to wonder if Sarah needed his money at all or if this was just a sugar daddy who paid more attention to her than he had been able to over the last year. Sadness now also joined the brew of emotions filling his veins. He stopped where he was and decided to gather himself before he went any further.

Detective Raines put her elbows on the desk and looked directly at Dr. Clark who was on the phone and barking orders into it. He looked up and saw her looking at him in a way that he knew she wanted something and he was going to provide it. He reluctantly hung up the phone and went towards her slowly. “Yes, Detective, How can I help you?” Raines smiled and said “Well Dr. Clark, I need to know what you know and that includes what this woman mumbled. I know it may make little sense to you and chances are it will make little sense to me as well but I just need to know. It is part of the job and we need to cover all the bases just like we would hope would when treating these women.” Dr. Clark nodded in agreement and told Raines what he saw when he went out of the ER where he found the women. He described the van the best he could but really did not remember much about it. He talked of the women’s injuries that they knew of at this point and speculated on when they may wake and be able to communicate. He then began to tell her that he knew the woman in the second room. She was a missing woman he used to work with and he told Raines that her name was Melissa Kelsey. He said it was hard to recognize her with all the swelling but it had to be her. Raines perked up at the information she had just heard and quickly thanked the doctor as she headed towards the room where Burma had disappeared. Dr. Clark felt like he had been helpful as he watched Raines walk towards the second room in almost a sprint. Raines flew through the doors and startled everyone who was working on Melissa. Burma spun towards her and felt relief at seeing his partner with a smile on her face. “I think we know who this one is Moe. The doc used to work with the missing girl Melissa Kelsey and he believes this is her.” A nurse working on Melissa looked closer now after hearing the words spew from Raines mouth a little too loud. She shrieked after recognizing that it was indeed Melissa that lay before her on the table. The detectives both looked her way and knew that this was indeed one of the missing women. They quickly decided to get a finger print specialist down here to try and quickly get her identification confirmed even if it was basically a formality. They knew it was important but also knew that until she could talk or write that it would not bring them closer to the kidnapper and that was John in their minds. The walked out of the room and were going to head into the next room. Dr. Clark was outside still looking a little dumbfounded when the detectives walked by him and into the room.

The Repairman 16

The Repairman 16

Sarah was driving as fast as she dared to towards John’s home and the roads were empty which only helped. It was late enough that the lights were blinking throughout town so she made real good time. She pulled to the gates of John’s driveway and found them closed as she figured they would be at this time of the night. She rolled down her window and pressed the buzzer. There was no answer so she pressed again and again. After the fifth try she began to get nervous and wondered what had happened to John. She reached for her cell phone and was going to try to get him on his phone. Then the gates began to open. She drove slowly up the driveway.

John heard a noise but was unsure of what it was at first. He was groggy and not really aware of what was happening around him. He recognized the sound of the buzzer from the gate and struggled to his feet. He felt weak but began to come to his senses as the fear of who may be outside starter to set in. How long had he dozed and had the police found something out? Were they at his gate now? Each thought seemed to lead to another and with each a new found strength came to him as well. He stumbled at first towards the video of the gate and the button to open them.  Each step seemed to be easier with each pressing and holding of the buzzer by the person outside. He knew whomever it was that they wanted to get his attention and where likely not to just go away quickly. He looked into the little screen and was surprised to see Sarah’s car at the gate. He wasn’t sure what to make of it at first but then he quickly began to worry that something was wrong with her and maybe she was hurt or something. He wondered if her husband had caught her and beat her or maybe tossed her out. The thought that her husband could be driving the car crossed his mind as well. He knew there were a lot of possibilities but he felt secure in being able to handle them no matter what they may be so he pushed the button to let Sarah’s car come into the driveway towards the house. He watched in the monitor as the car slowly began to drive up towards the house.

At the hospital, Dr. Clark could not get the image of this girl out of his mind and he knew there was some connection between them. Suddenly a name popped into his head, Melissa, yes that was her name and he remembered she had worked here awhile back. Then she disappeared or was kidnapped as he remembered and was on the news. They had never found her but here she was now in the next room with a broken jaw. He looked at Janet and she opened her eyes. He could not believe she was alert with such a weak pulse. She was trying to whisper to him but he quietly told her just to relax, to rest, and it would all be fine. They would take great care of her and she would be better in no time. She tried to reach for his hand but just did not have enough strength to reach it. He saw her moving and looked at her eyes again. They were full of fear but not from fear of dying, as he had seen that look many times before in his career as a doctor. This look was different and yet it was still fear. He decided to try and let her talk as he leaned in closer to try to decipher the mumble coming from her mouth.

In the other room Melissa was beginning to come to but was still very groggy and would be for awhile. She opened her eyes but could not keep them open. She tried to fight it but her mind could not get focused enough for her to make any sense of anything at the moment. She felt a lot of pain and the room became dark again despite her efforts to keep awake. The doctors attending to her were looking at the x-rays of her shattered jaw and knew they would need a specialist as soon as possible to repair her jaw as it was just shattered in many pieces. They gave her some medicine to keep her under for the time being. She would only be suffering if she was awake and it made no sense. They began to scan the rest of her body to make sure there were no other injuries but they had not been able to find any through a visual check of her body.

Detectives Burma and Raines were pulling into the hospital parking lot where a number of officers had gathered. They were trying to find any evidence from the mess that had happened there earlier. There was blood in many spots but that would take time to analyze. There was nothing obvious to tie this to anyone. They hoped the detectives would be able to get some information from the women or the doctor. There was also a camera or two that may give them some more of the information that they needed. They parked the car and headed over to the Commander who was also here. The Commander spoke briefly to them and then they headed inside. “Well Raines let us hope this IS the break we need because the Commander is not very happy right now. We got to clear this case and soon!” Burma said. Raines stopped and looked directly into his eyes, “I know this is the break right here. We have tog et something out of these women. We need to get this done because if we don’t I think something worse is going to happen. So far he hasn’t killed but something went wrong. He brought them here for a reason and then something went wrong here. So who knows what he is thinking now. We need to find out if it is John and go get him if it is before something else happens.”  Burma had never seen her so stressed over a case before but yet he understood as he was feeling it as well. Things had taken a turn tonight and he was sure that it was not really a turn for the better. He felt that soon there would be bodies added to the case and then the Commander would be mad because he would be hearing it from the media. How could the police get so close and then not get him before he killed anyone? How could someone keep women hostage and they not find them? He picked up his pace as he moved down the hall towards the rooms were the women were being treated. His heart was beating a little faster with each step.

The Repairman 15

The Repairman 15


John was in a lot of pain and not really sure how badly he was hurt. He knew she had stuck him with some sort of tool and he assumed it was a screwdriver but would not know for sure until he was able to get it out from his neck. He wanted to just head home but he wasn’t so sure if that was a great idea. If the girls awoke then the police would be headed his way much sooner than he wanted. If they didn’t then he would be okay for a little bit at least. He wanted to call Sarah but was not sure how she would be able to get away at this time of night and what if her husband answered? Then what would he do? He knew he did not want to leave without her and yet he knew he had to leave soon because Melissa would likely wake very soon since he had not been able to really do as much damage to her as he needed to do. There was no doubt she was out and probably would be for awhile. Well he hoped anyway by the size of the egg he was developing. He turned on the scanner so he could try and stay even with the movements of the police.

Sarah couldn’t sleep as her mind raced with all the possibilities that lay before her now. She was torn between two men and yet one was still drawing her towards him even in light of what the detectives had told her. In fact maybe it was even more because of the added mystery. She began to remember a boy who talked the same in high school as John talked now but they just did not look the same. She knew it couldn’t be the same person and that the man she knew was no crazy lunatic that would kidnap or kill or whatever the detectives thought. He was just too good to be what that were saying. He could not be the animal. She would have felt something or seen something. It just was not possible. She tossed and turned but her mind would just not shut down for the night. It continued to call to her to do something. She wanted to just close her eyes and worry about what to do tomorrow. She could not though seem to let it go as she knew that out there somewhere someone was watching John and he could be in danger. The sooner she was able to get the police off of John’s back then the sooner they could be on the right track. She was going back and forth on just what to do. What could she do?

Dr. Clark was still yelling for help as he leaned down and felt for a pulse on Janet. The pulse was there but not exactly strong. She had some very bad injuries and needed help real fast. He then headed to Melissa as the footsteps finally became clear behind him. Help was coming and a lot of it by the sounds of the growing noise. He felt for Melissa’s pulse and was quickly able to find it as it was still very strong. He could tell though her jaw was broken just by the way it curved at the bottom inwards. She was out and that was not a great sign either but she was not in quite as much danger as the other one. He wondered what could possibly have happened. Who was in the van? Why did he dump them here? It all seemed so unreal even now to him. Dr. Clark turned and began shouting orders to the crush of nurses, security, and other physicians that were oozing out of the doors. Quickly there were gurneys to get the girls up and into the ER where they could better asses their injuries. Then begin to treat them and hopefully get a story from at least one of them if not both. Although he truly doubted that the one with the broken jaw would be talking anytime soon. She looked kind of familiar to him but her face was so swollen now that he could not seem to place it anywhere right now. He decided to let one of the others take care of her as he knew she would be okay but the other was going to be tougher to save. He walked quickly to catch up with the first gurney as it was already headed inside. For some reason he was still drawn towards the other woman.

John had heard nothing yet from the scanner about the girls being left there in tough shape. He wondered what was going on and why they had not called the police yet. He knew they would but maybe the girls were so banged up that they were drawing all the attention right now. The police would be there and he knew that but at least they were not yet. He smiled as he pulled into his driveway and then into the garage. He got out as the door closed automatically. He was home and it felt good. He knew that there was no way in here without him knowing and that he could get out without anyone knowing if he needed too. They could not walk in without tripping alarms and the occasional trap he had laid out in the surroundings of his home. He decided the first thing he would do would be to arm the system to the hilt. He would turn the settings to their most sensitive to ensure nothing would get past them without a price. He also had the house wired and knew when he left it would be set ablaze to destroy all traces of him and the girls. He had planned for the day he may have to run but was hoping it never came. It never had to come until the women hurt him. If it just had not worked out that would have been one thing but it wasn’t how he felt. They hurt him when he was young and they had begun to hurt him again. He would not let that happen. And even now he had trusted Melissa a little and that proved to be too much as she tried to kill him. How could he be so damn foolish? He knew better but she was so warm towards him that it melted away the fear of her and the sense of things. He felt foolish as his blood began to boil. He finished with the settings and then headed to the bathroom to see what was in his neck. As soon as he saw the screwdriver he felt a sudden surge of pain. He turned to try and see how he could pull it out without causing more damage. He knew no matter what he could not go to the hospital as the police would end up all over him. The game would be over then and he would be caught for sure. So this was something he would have to do on his own. He reached back and grabbed the handle and slowly began to pull. He lurched forward in pain and let go of the screwdriver. He needed to bite on something to be able to handle this without biting his tongue off or breaking his teeth by clenching them so tight. He found a wooden spoon in his kitchen and then went back to the bathroom where he started the process all over again. This time he bit hard into the spoon, the wood crunched under the pressure. He knew he couldn’t stop because it would only be harder each time so he dug deep and kept pulling. He felt it slip free from something and then it slid right out. He didn’t care what it had been caught on but he was sure glad it was out now. He spit the spoon with huge gouges in it out of his mouth. Blood flowed from the now empty wound. Nothing to put pressure on the blood vessels that were torn apart and thus the blood ran down the front of him and down the back of him. He began to feel weak but knew he had to somehow keep pressure on the wound to get it to stop bleeding. He wasn’t sure if he could do it alone but knew he had no choice. He grabbed a towel and pressed his back against the wall with one towel between. He grasped a second towel and held it tight against the front of the wound. He just wanted to sleep but he knew that was not a good sign so he fought it. His eyes began to close.

Raines and Burma where watching the house when they suddenly began to hear noise from within. They were not hearing much of anything or at least not any words. They watched intently. Then the call came on the radio for them to get to the hospital to check out the two women who had been savagely beaten and left in the lot in front of the ER entrance. They didn’t want to go as this case felt like it was so close to unraveling. They knew they were close to something but really did not know what it was just yet. They ignored the call to them for as long as they could then radio dispatch that they were busy. That worked for a moment before they got orders to go and drop what they were doing as this was believed to be connected somehow to their case. They looked at each other and then quickly drove off towards the hospital which was quite a ways from where they sat now.

Sarah just could not sleep and felt like she had to do something. She needed to see John and that was that she decided. Screw the detectives’ plans as she had her own plans and was going to do this her way. Her very own way and she would not be stopped. She quietly got dressed and was headed towards the door. He heard her moving around and knew she was up to something; he slipped out of bed and quickly outside. He settled into the back of her vehicle and knew she would not see him. He needed to confront this man that was stealing his wife. Sarah listened for her husband but heard nothing and quickly snuck outside to her car. She got in and put it in gear to let it roll down the driveway. Then Sarah paused for a second as she felt like she was not alone. She turned quickly but did not see anything except a jacket that belonged to her husband. She didn’t remember it being there but didn’t really care right now either. She started the ignition and roared off towards John’s home.

The Repairman 14

The Repairman 14

Detectives Raines and Burma listened to what was going on in Sarah’s house as they forgot to tell her that the devices were already active. They knew that they were crossing a line but felt it had to be crossed. If Sarah was going to help them then they wanted to know if she was in condition to do so. The extra conversations they heard were only that but this development between her and her husband was quite intriguing. They were unsure how it would affect the plans. There were now additional questions that came into play and more possibilities as Sarah no doubt must be conflicted more now than before. They continued to listen, hoping for a clue as to what she would do now. As the time ticked by it became apparent that they would learn nothing more from Sarah tonight. The lights in the house had been turned off and everything was now silent. They were left in the dark to wonder through the rest of the night.

John pulled the van to the side of the road and put it in park. He turned towards Melissa who was tending to Janet. “Is she hanging in there still? I am getting on the highway and we will take her to the next town. Drop her at that hospital to keep the police off of our trail.” Melissa felt relieved at the news John had just shared with her and began to believe again in the trust she was gaining with him. She again began to feel as if she could and in fact would be able to get away from John very soon. She smiled at John before answering him, “I think she can hang in a little longer John but it is really pushing it. We just need to do whatever it is that you have planned quickly. We do not need a murder wrap following us. She will like be in a coma or at least have amnesia from the injuries to her head. We just need to get wherever and get her out of here.” John nodded and turned forward. He slipped the van into gear and headed towards the freeway on ramp. Soon they were traveling 70 mph down the highway. Janet squeezed Melissa’s hand in a way that let her know that she was still with her and had heard everything John had just said to her. Melissa squeezed back and was happy for Janet but knew she needed to form her own plans and was running out of time with each passing mile. She began to look around again but nothing was jumping out at her. The van had some tools in it but nothing she thought she could hide while she lifted Janet out of the van. She was beginning to feel a little nervous that she would not be able to get away. She knew this was the opportunity that she had been hoping for and it would likely not come again. She wondered if she could open the toolbox that was on the floor without John noticing. It was a gamble but one she felt she needed to take regardless of the outcome. Her hands began to shake as her nerves took over. Janet could feel Melissa’s hand shaking and that began to make her nervous. She was unsure what could be wrong as she had not heard anything to make her feel nervous. She wanted to open her eyes or to try and talk to Melissa to just find out what was wrong. Her own nerves were beginning to ratchet up and thus she decided to squeeze Melissa’s hand hard to get her attention. Melissa bent towards Janet to pretend to be listening again for her breathing. She told Janet not worry and that she was just looking for something to make her own escape possible after they dropped her off at the hospital. Janet gave her a firm squeeze to let her know that she heard her and understood. Janet wanted to somehow help Melissa but knew that she just would be no use in her current condition. She figured that it was best to at least get her self out of trouble and then she could tell the police everything she knew to try and help the others. She just needed to relax and let it play out now.

Mellissa slowly unlatched the tool box cover and began to slide it open. It began to squeak so she just slid her hand in without opening it any further. She felt around and there were all sorts of metal objects inside. Some were obvious to her and others not as obvious as to what they may be. She decided to grab a screwdriver and hope that she could hide it. She slowly moved her hand back out of the toolbox and held the screw driver like it was the most precious thing in the World to her. This would be her way out and her way to get away from John. She thought it she jabbed him with it in the back of the head that he would be badly injured and then they could help the police find his home. That would mean that anyone else stuck in there would also be rescued. It sounded like a plan to Melissa and she convinced herself she could find the strength inside to hurt someone. It needed to be done and if it ended up being fatal then she told herself that it needed to be that way as what John was doing was just wrong. If his price was death for her to be free again then that was the way it needed to be. She began trying to work her confidence up to gather all the strength and confidence inside of her that she could find. Somehow she knew she would have to dig down real deep but also knew she could do it. She had no choice if she wanted to get away.

John looked back in the mirror and began to think that maybe Melissa really had been the one and that maybe he could make it work with her. He wondered if he could trust her though to leave the house knowing what she knew about him. He shook his head as he knew there was just no way he would be that foolish. How could she let it all go and be fine with it? He could not trust her yet and knew he should keep an eye on her when they dropped off Janet. He drove down the off ramp and could see the signs for the hospital. He was near it and his heart began to race as this would be a test for him. It would set knew things in motion. He felt like he was taunting the police by letting Janet go free. He was daring them to find him. He knew that eventually they would but he hoped to be long gone by that time. He knew this would speed things up and he decided that was a good thing. It would not allow him time to become sloppy and get caught because he got careless. He loved Sarah and she loved him as well. He would convince her to run away with him. She would leave her husband for him and he was so confident in that fact that no other possibility seemed to exist. He pulled to the curb near the hospital and turned off the vans headlights but left the motor running. He turned back to Melissa, “We are here and we need to do this quickly. I will drive into the Emergency entrance area where we will quickly grab Janet and place her on the ground. Someone will find her and she will get the help she needs. Do you understand? We won’t have time to do anything but get her out and go so nothing but business here. I will not lock you up when we get back as long as you listen to me and do as I say right now. Agreed?” Melissa knew she had to answer the way John wanted right now to get this to the next step where she could get away. “John let us do this and then get back home. Get rid of this ungrateful bitch now. Then we can go enjoy each other. I would like you to take me home and make love to me. So let’s hurry up.” She hoped that he bought every word of it as she tried to sound as convincing as she had ever been in her life. Those were the most important words she felt she had ever uttered from her mouth. John smiled and turned forward to watch the entrance for the right time. A security guard was there having a smoke right now and John knew after that he would disappear inside to be seen elsewhere. That would be the perfect time as long as there was no other activity. He waited patiently as he knew that timing was critical to get in and get out without being seen. If he were seen then it could lead to the police closing in on him quicker than he would like and it may mess up his plans with Sarah.

The security guard finished his cigarette and headed back inside the hospital. John took his foot off of the brake and the van began its forward progression. He looked around again as the van was moving and the coast was still clear.  He pushed the gas pedal harder and the van lurched forward as he headed towards the entrance. The headlights were off but he could see well enough to go where he needed to go now. He pulled into the lot and stopped in front of the doors. Nobody was around just as he had hoped. He leapt from his seat after throwing the van into park. He ran to the back and flung open the doors. Melissa was there with Janet’s upper body in her hands and just waiting on John to lift her legs to begin to pull her from the van. She smiled at John in a way to hopefully reassure him. He grabbed Janet’s legs and began to move backwards. His eyes were drawn to the light shining into his van from outside as his toolbox was lit by that light. He quickly noticed that something was different about it. He was unsure of what though as he was more concerned with getting Janet out of the van and onto the ground by the entrance. Melissa was now stepping out of the van and following John’s lead and not doing anything to peak his interest or suspicions. Just going with the plan he had laid out until it was time for her plan to play out. They were setting Janet to the ground when it clicked in John’s head that the toolbox had been opened and not closed which was something he never would do as it was just not his character to do something like that. His mind raced through the possibilities and just as it clicked on the correct one he saw Melissa moving like she had been shot out of a cannon. She was headed straight towards him and he had very little time to react. He twisted slightly but felt a sharp pain between his shoulder and neck. Melissa knew when he bent over it was time and leapt for him with the screwdriver aimed for the back of John’s skull. She plunged it into him with all of her strength and did not even notice John moving below her. As the screwdriver entered John’s skin she knew she had missed and by the time she realized why John had grabbed her legs and pulled. She was now spinning towards the ground. The pain shot through John’s body and brought him to his knees. Melissa crashed to the ground beside of him with a heavy thud. She moaned in pain and John reached for the screwdriver still impaled in his neck. Melissa saw him reaching for it and made her way back to her feet. She went towards John determined to finish the job. He let her get close and then lunged upward towards her ramming the top of his head into her chin. Melissa heard a loud crack and then everything went black as she fell backwards to the ground. John staggered from the collision but had the advantage of knowing what was coming. He looked down at Melissa who was clearly out as she lay motionless now before him. He reached down and grabbed her legs. He began to pull her towards the back of the van and the open doors. He was behind the van when he heard the electronic door open on the other side of the van and he knew he was no longer alone. He had a choice to make now and that was to go fight with who had just come out or to leave Melissa behind so he could quickly get away. He heard shoes and then they stopped as he was sure the sight before the unexpected visitor was enough to make them gasp. He needed to leave quickly so he dropped Melissa’s legs and then ran to the van. He slipped into the drivers seat and quickly sped out of the lot leaving behind two women he was sure could not talk for at least days. He was full of adrenaline from the unexpected twist and then remembered the screwdriver was still in his own neck. He tried to reach for it but could not drive and pull at the same time. It would have to wait till he had the time. He flicked the headlights on as he headed onto the highway towards home.

The doctor was on break and saw Janet’s lifeless body as the doors opened from the ER entrance to the outside World. He was frozen in place and did not see anyone moving behind the van and then he heard someone moving quickly and the van lurched forward and then squealed the tires as it left the lot. It all happened so fast that he did not get any plate number or see who was driving. He now saw that another woman lay lifeless on the ground and had been blocked by the van. His instincts kicked in as he turned and yelled for help. The he ran towards the two women to determine if they were alive.

The Repairman 13

The Repairman 13

Greg just stared at Sarah as the look on her face went from being surprised and maybe a little scared as well to angry at him standing there in the dark. “What are you doing here in the dark? You scared the heck out of me Greg!!!” Greg looked at Sarah and shook his head in disgust, “Sarah I think the question is not really where you have been but who you have been with!!! What are you doing? I am good to you Sarah and give you all of this here plus anything you want you buy Sarah.” Sarah looked at Greg and was struggling to find an answer that could turn this around. “Greg you give me a lot but you do not give me love. I am your damn prize and that is all. I am just something to show off like a damn trophy at your corporate events. Other than that you pay no attention to me.” Sarah began to cry uncontrollably and her body began to shake. Greg just looked at her not quite sure what to say or to do as he was torn between his feeling of betrayal and his feeling of wanting to comfort her. He knew what she said was true and that he did not spend time with her like she needed but still he did not want to look like a fool with her out running with another man. “Sarah please do not cry. I am sorry I do not pay attention to you like you want. I promise we can do more things BUT you just need to not be doing whatever it is you are doing. I won’t have it so it needs to end now or we will be ending.” Sarah sobbed even more if it was possible and Greg placed his hand on her shoulder and then pulled her into his arms. Sarah wasn’t sure if she was crying because Greg seemed to have caught her or if she was just upset by the information she had heard from the detectives. John could not be the animal they were talking about. She felt terrible about agreeing to help them listen in his house.  Greg rubbing her back felt strange to her and she knew her heart now belonged to John. She pulled away from Greg and stepped back away from his reach. “Greg, you may just be too late!!! I am not sure I even love you anymore. I just don’t know!! I am not some dusty old trophy to pull off the shelf every now and then. I have feelings and I need love, you neglected me. John isn’t…” Sarah paused as she realized she had just told Greg that it was definite that there was another man and she even gave his name up. She put her head down and ran off to the living room and then up the stairs till she reached her bedroom where she collapsed on the bed in tears. Greg wasn’t sure exactly what to do with all the feelings he was now having surround him. He was angry with her, sympathetic because he knew it was his fault, and yet still wanted to ring this guy John’s next. He did not know what to do as he had hoped she would have some story that he could believe and then just keep on with the charade. It was easier that way but know he knew he still loved her and wanted to fix things because not only was she beautiful but she was a great person as well. They had married young and been great friends all the way through their relationship until he got his big promotion. That changed everything as he was always at the office and while the money was awesome the hours were not. He wanted to go comfort her now but also knew she would not be in the listening mood. He had to get her attention and let her know he still truly loved her and wanted things to be better. He needed to figure out what to do to make her realize how deep his love was for her. He walked into the den and sat on the couch as the tears started to well up in his own eyes. He hadn’t cried in such a long time. Those tears slowly led to a soft sob. Sarah heard the noise upstairs and slowly peaked down to see her husband with his head buried in his hands sobbing. She suddenly realized that she still loved him deeply and felt sad to see him this way. She thought he just didn’t care anymore but now she knew she was wrong about Greg. He worked hard and maybe that is all it was that was going on. He worked hard and wasn’t ignoring her on purpose at all. She sat and watched him trying to decide where her heart really belonged now. She also knew she had feelings for John but where they real or just based on some fantasy that was in her own mind. He was so wonderful and …… then the conversations with the detectives came flooding back in. She at least needed to see John once more to try and sort out her feelings for him. She couldn’t decide if she should tell him what she had been asked to do or if she should just try to plant the devices in case she was wrong about him like she had been about her very own husband that she should have known so very well after all of their years together. If she could be mistaken about him then she could be mistaken about John as well but she could not begin to believe he was what the detectives tried to say that he was earlier that night. She felt conflicted but headed down the stairs and knelt in front Greg. She put her head on his lap as he wrapped his arms around her. Together they sobbed and no words were exchanged between them but a bond began to come back alive.

John was driving towards the outskirts of town and Melissa did not like the feeling that was welling up inside her stomach. She thought for the first time that maybe she really would die at his hands. She had always thought she could find a way to get out and to get home safely. Now those thoughts seemed like a silly little story that she told herself to try and stay sane during this whole insane ordeal. John was a nut and she knew it but thought she could somehow out play him and go free. She heard the noises when the other girls fought and decided she would not go down that road as it only led to even more pain then you were already facing. John would do whatever he wanted to do no matter what anyway and thus she could justify her acting the way she did to lessen the pain. He treated her very well but she never forgot that he was holding her captive either. Janet moved a little and Melissa felt for her pulse. She found it easier this time and smiled a little as this girl was stronger than she thought. She clutched Janet’s hand and bent close to hear ear. Janet if you can hear me squeeze my hand. Janet squeezed Melissa’s hand weakly. “Listen I am one of the girls in the other rooms and John is driving us to take you to a hospital. So stay still and limp. Pretend to be unconscious as we do not want him to turn around and go back there. I can’t go back there and I am sure you feel the same.” Janet squeezed Melissa’s hand even tighter before letting go to become limp again. John yelled back to Melissa, “What are you doing back there? Why is your head so close to her? You better not be playing a game or you are both never going to see another day!!! Do you understand me??” Melissa shifted and sat back up before answering John, “I was trying to listen to her breathing John. Are we almost there? She is fading away and I don’t want us to have to run from the police John. I want us to have a happy life together.” Janet could hear this now clear as day but felt so much pain that she just wanted to sleep. She wanted the pain to end and to go away but she also wanted to laugh as she listened to Melissa play the game with John perfectly. She was sort of jealous that she had not thought of it as it was certainly a better way to make it through the hell. If Melissa was right though her way had worked as well since she would be free very soon. Janet’s way was a little more painful for sure but the injuries would heal and she would be free very soon. Melissa could see John looking in the rearview mirror more often now. The bright lights from the city were beginning to fade as they where definitely heading away from town. Melissa wanted to ask where they were going but was sure that one of two things were going to be true. Either John would not tell her and he would get angry or he would tell her and she couldn’t handle the answer. Suddenly John turned the radio up and Melissa could here the words, “Take the long way home” coming from the front of speakers in the van. She shook with a growing fear as the street lights faded.

The Repairman 12

The Repairman 12

Detective Raines pulled the car to a stop in front of the Dunkin Doughnuts Shop and the three of them headed into the shop. Burma took the orders and the women found a place in the corner to sit. The place was dead this time of night but they still wanted to be as far away from the counter as possible. They knew what they would be discussing needed to stay quiet. Sarah sat across from Raines in the small booth. “Look I am only here to tell you that John is not your man. That you just have it all wrong and that he just isn’t capable of this violence that you are talking about. He is such a loving and giving man. You guys are after the wrong guy.” Ranies smiled at Sarah, “We know he can be charming Sarah. He probably comes off as the perfect man until you cross him and his twisted side comes out. If we are wrong then we are wrong and will certainly move on. You can help us find out if we are wrong though. How does that sound?” Detective Burma approached with the coffee and a few doughnuts. He placed them on the table and then sat next to his partner leaving Sarah by herself. He did not want to crowd her space and make her feel trapped or uncomfortable. He knew they would get one shot at this and then either she would help them or John would know they were onto him if he didn’t already. They needed more to be able to get a warrant to search his place. They needed to “see and hear” inside and right now Sarah was their only shot at this guy. Detective Burma looked at Sarah and slowly lowered his head and let out a sigh that he knew would draw the attention of both women. He hoped Raines could play along with him without a heads up on what he was going to say to Sarah. “Oh Sarah it has been a long few days for the two of us. We have been sitting outside of John’s house for days now and well it was quite boring. You were the first person besides John to come or go.” “Sarah smiled, “well see that right there should tell you he isn’t the man you are looking for and that he isn’t just taking women home and keeping some of them for God knows what!! You are just so far off.” Raines, “well Sarah you might be right but we have our assignment and we sure want to get home to our families. I need to rest and I am so sick of Burma’s face!!! He needs a shower if you know what I mean.” Burma” Hey now, not my fault we can leave the area unless we have someone else covering for us and only then are we allowed to leave for a little bit!! So if I smell a little pardon me. You aren’t quite like a rose either you know.” “What are you saying to me Detective Burma? Are you saying I smell and how dare you talk to a woman that way!!! Sarah please tell him he smells and you can smell him from across this damn table.” Sarah looked at the two detectives going back and forth across from her like two little kids who were cranky. “Look what can I do to help you so you can go home? I want to prove to you John isn’t who you are looking for and then you can leave him be.” Detective Burma tilted his head and sniffed his arm pit, a disgusted look on his face as he lifted his head. He looked at Sarah, “Please do because this is kind of embarrassing for me. I need a shower!!”  Raines looked at Sarah and laid out the plan that included Sarah planting a couple of tiny listening devices for them. It was agreed that they would listen for just 24 hours and then Sarah could remove them and they would leave John alone. Both detectives knew better than that but had to go along with whatever got Sarah to do this for them. They also agreed not to tell her husband of her affair.  They then headed to the car and began the ride home.

John looked at Melissa and knew that moment that something was really wrong with Janet. “I don’t think I can save her John. She is not responding to anything and her pulse is very weak. I know you didn’t mean to do this to her but you need to get her help or she is going to die John. Then you will be a murderer and I know you don’t want that. I don’t want that John as it will make our future together tougher. Let’s get her help!!” John was not sure what to do as he stood there looking at Janet and then Melissa trying to somehow take it all in. He knew he needed to make a decision but he wasn’t sure how to do that right now. He felt frozen in time and just could not think clearly. How did he get himself into this situation to begin with and how could he get out. Did Melissa really love him? If so what should he do with her? What about Sarah as that was whom he really loved now?
“John, we need to do something. She won’t be able to talk for quite awhile if ever. So let’s drop her at a hospital. Then she can get help and we can get back to our life together.” Melissa was hoping something would sink in and get him moving. She needed him to trust her if she was going to have any shot of getting out of here alive. John seemed dazed as he stood before her and she wondered if she could make it past him and then get away. Then she could get help for Janet. She began to walk towards the door and saw John’s eyes move so she quickly changed direction and gave him a big warm hug. “John, come one let us save her!! Come on John!!? John looked into her eyes and nodded okay. “Melissa you promise me these two things and we can bring her to the hospital. One is that you are not going to try and escape or do anything to draw attention to us and two that she will be out for a long time, not today, but days.” Melissa nodded and agreed to John’s terms. It was important to save Janet and it would provide her with a chance to get away if she did it right. She knew she would have to be smart and quick to get away from John. It had to be just right but she also knew she had to try it. It may be her only chance but if it didn’t work then she knew she may end up just like Janet who lay before her now. It was a risk but one she felt like she needed to take no matter what the consequences could end up being.

John and Melissa loaded Janet’s limp body into the back of the van. Then Melissa climbed in back with her as John closed the door behind them before heading to the drivers’ seat. Melissa pretended to be taking care of Janet as John drove towards the hospital. She was only have doing that though as she looked around the van for something to help her get her opportunity. There did not seem to be anything that would help her stun John enough to get away. At least nothing small enough to hide till the moment arose. If it was anything to large then he would know and that would be the end of that. Melissa knew she could not feel responsible for Janet’s death or at least her chance to survive this ordeal. She needed to get her to safety before she tried anything. The drive to the hospital was not a long one but yet as she peaked out the window John was not going the right way. She began to panic as she wondered where he was going and what he was planning to do. Had she done something and now he would get rid of both of them? She tried to replay the words in her mind over and over again.

Detective Raines stopped the car on the corner near Sarah’s house and they made sure she knew what to do with the devices they had just given her to hide. They explained to her how to do it and how to not get caught doing. They even told her where they thought she should try to plant them n his house. They also warned her to be careful of him and to not do anything out of the ordinary. They told her to be as she has been and take the chance only when she was 110% sure of it without getting caught. Sarah nodded and headed towards her home. The detectives pulled away and Sarah went inside. She turned on the light and her husband Greg stood there against the table in front of her. Sarah’s heart sank.

The Repairman 11

The Repairman 11

John stood over Janet’s now lifeless body and wondered if had gone too far this time and really had killed her. He never wanted to hurt her but he could snap without any notice. This seemed to be getting worse over time and so were the headaches that seemed to come much more often now. This whole thing had just gotten out of hand on him and he no longer could see the way out of it. It was fun at first to be paying them back and seemed cool to see he could get away with it. The power was amazing that he felt from each one but he always hoped the current one would be the last one. It always seemed so perfect and then something went wrong and he had to pay them back. He couldn’t just let them walk away. They had done that to him in high school like he was some geeky little boy who deserved no attention. They thought they were so much better than him but he had gotten into their hearts now, at least till something went wrong. He would not let them make him feel bad again. He just wanted to be loved and now that he found that with Sarah he just wanted to let everyone go but he knew he couldn’t do that. He looked at Janet and decided that she needed more help than he alone could give her so he needed to go grab Melissa and get her in here to help. She had only been here about 4 months but she was a nurse and she could help Janet. She was so sweet and a little sneaky it seemed but he would have to be careful of her but he could handle her. He left Janet to go talk to Melissa.

 Detective Raines was explain to Sarah about these missing women and how they all had went to the same high school in the same time frame. The girls were all missing now and two of the three of them had multiple visits from a computer repairman. That repairman was the same in each case but they could not determine if it was also part of the third case because that girl had been living alone. So they were not able to determine anything other than she was from the same high school. Sarah looked at them with a kind of confused look on her face. Not really sure what this had to do with her and Detective Burma noticed this and interrupted his partner. “Sara, let us get right to the point here. Have you had a computer repairman named John Teaberry come to your home?” Sarah looked at him and said “I have no idea what you are talking about or who you are talking about.” The Detectives looked at one another trying to decipher why Sarah would lie about this simple question they had asked. She didn’t seem to be able to piece together that they followed her from John’s and likely already knew she knew him. Detective Burma smiled as he looked at Sarah, “If you don’t know him then we are sorry to bother you. We just wanted to try and help you keep safe. Oh, and maybe find out what happened to the other girls. But sorry to bother you.” He opened the door and got out to open Sarah’s door. As he opened it Sarah’s face went from smug to beginning to show the signs of fear. The Detective waved for her to get out, “Come on, we got work to do. We won’t tell your husband.” Sarah did not move from the car as her mind raced to find an answer to all of this she had just heard. They couldn’t be talking about her John. There was certainly no way he could be this devil of a man they were looking for now. He could never ever hurt anyone. So maybe she could try and answer their questions to help them understand that John was simply not capable of this and they were just barking up the wrong tree. And that they were looking at the wrong man. She loved him and would not have fallen for any tricks. He was real she kept telling herself even as those feelings began to creep back into her. She quickly cast them aside as stress from sitting in the cruiser with two Detectives who just scared the hell out of her. Detective Burma was still motioning for her to get out of the car when Detective Raines spoke to Sarah, “You know, why don’t we go grab a cup of coffee around the corner and then just sit and talk. I mean you were there too at the school during the time frame we are looking at. Maybe you can help us in some other way. We would appreciate it.” Sarah thought that sounded really good but couldn’t seem to get the words out. “Let’s go Sarah, get out, we gotta get going if you can’t help us out”, Burma quickly added. Sarah looked at him and then back at Raines before telling them she would go with them to get coffee and see if she could somehow help them. It was the least she felt she could do for the families of the women that were missing. Burma closed the door and returned to his seat. Raines started the car and slowly made her way down the street towards the local coffee shop. Both Detectives knew to sit and not talk to Sarah or to each other. It was better to let that silence and the thoughts inside Sarah’s head keep racing and searching for answers that just would not be coming unless she asked them for them. They were confident she would help them. Sarah though was not thinking the same way.

John unlocked the door to Melissa’s room and saw she was sitting on the couch just watching the TV.  He decided to give her access to a little more than Miranda and Janet because she had just been much more civil to him here and was always trying to talk to him. Trying to help him understand what he was doing and tried to talk him into letting her try to love him again. He had thought about it but could not trust her as he didn’t forget she was supposed to be working but he had followed her to make sure she went to work. Well she didn’t go to work but met a man for a few drinks. He was so upset by her lying to him that it didn’t matter who he was or why she did it. She had been dishonest and that was enough for him. Later after he had drugged her and put her here she had told him he had taken it all wrong. She went to meet her brother who had called because he was suicidal after his girlfriend had just dumped him. She hadn’t meant to lie to John but needed to be there for her brother. She didn’t want to explain to John about her brother feeling that way so it was easier just to say she was going to work. John wanted to believe her but why would she drink with someone suicidal? He just couldn’t make sense of it at all so he decided she needed to stay here and that she was just trying to get him to let her go. Even when he didn’t though she was still very kind and gentle towards him. She had always been the sweet smart girl in school and even talked to him a few times but was never into him like he was into her. He had fantasies about her a lot and was quite pleased that she was more than anything he could have imagined back then. They had taken things slow and when they finally made love it felt like he had dreamed it would. She had grown a little distant though before the incident anyway so he had started to watch her. And well, she did what she did and he did what he needed for revenge. She noticed him and smiled as he neared, “John have you come to let me out? What a good man you are John. Let us go to the beach today!! Get out of this house before fall gets here John. Just the two of us and then we can come back here and you can cook for me. Then we can go make love John.” John still loved her and had not been violent towards her at all but knew she was kind of sneaky or at least he felt she was sneaky. John smiled at her, “Not today Melissa, maybe soon my love. I need you to do me a favor Missy. I need your help as someone is hurt. I need you to help them, okay?” “Who is hurt John? I will help them. What happened? Where are they? Lets go John!!” John was not exactly sure how to do this because he had not moved them about from place to place. He had not been mean to Melissa and did not want to start now so how could he get her in there but still have control of her? He knew he just needed to trust her enough to get her there and then just be ready for her to try something. Janet certainly wasn’t any threat right now to him but he did not know how Melissa would react to seeing what he had done. Melissa knew this was a rare opportunity to take a look at the outside of this little prison of hers. If she could help someone then that was great but she would be helping herself as well. She would be looking for the opportunity or at least storing information for later usage. She knew if she was nice to John then she likely would not be hurt and could live beyond this terrible mans plans. Someone would find her and she just needed to be patient. John was after other girls and he would slip up!! She just had to be patient. This was a great way to earn more trust and maybe more freedom. She walked towards John and he took a couple steps backwards. “John hug me before we go.” John smiled and hugged her tightly. Then they left the room and headed down the hall away from the stairs. John opened a door and pointed for Melissa to go in. She walked in and saw Janet on the floor motionless. She looked at John and shook her head as she ran to Janet’s side. She knew who Janet was from the TV and papers. She felt for a pulse and found a very weak one. She was not sure she could help Janet but she knew she needed to somehow. Janet didn’t deserve to be here either but obviously saw a different side of John then she had thus far.
“John do you at least have a first aid kit here?” John turned and left the room. The lock clicked after he closed the door. Melissa put her hands to her head trying to remember everything she had just seen in the hall, the number of doors, and the direction, anything and everything. She moved Janet and began to try to see what wasn’t injured on her. She knew Janet needed a hospital if she had any chance to live. Somehow she needed to convince John of that as well.

The Repairman 10

The Repairman 10

Sarah eased into her driveway and pulled to a stop next to her husbands prized Jaguar. He loved it more than her or so it seemed most of the time. He certainly spent more time with it than he did with her. She sat in her car for a few moments longer to remember the wonderful evening she just had with John. The thoughts of it were enough to make her smile and tingle all over. She wished she were still there in his arms right now. The thought felt like heaven sweeping through her body as she felt relaxed again. She opened her car door and let it bump into her husbands prized Jaguar. Sarah smiled and began to step out of her car but was stopped by a hand that grabbed her wrist in a determined but somehow gentle way. Sarah wanted to scream but the other hand was placed quickly across her mouth to silence her before she had a chance to make any noise at all. She turned her head and two bright blue eyes were starring back at her pleading for her to be quiet. Sarah tried to squirm but it was quickly apparent she would not be going anywhere unless he wanted to let her do so. He smiled “I am a Detective and we need to talk right now. I know you are having an affair so please do not yell because I am sure you do not want your husband to find that out tonight. So we are going to talk now. If you scream that is fine as I am not going anywhere. He will come out and we can talk then but it will not be pleasant for you. If you understand then please nod your head in agreement.” Sarah looked at him and decided she had nothing to lose at this point by just hearing what he had to say as long as he didn’t ask her to be going anywhere with him. Sarah nodded and relaxed as his hands let go of her and he withdrew from her space. She looked at him with fear as he reached for something behind him. “No need to worry. I am just getting my badge to show you so you can see I am telling the truth. I am not here to hurt you Sarah but I am here because you are in danger. What we need to talk about is serious and you will need to listen carefully to my partner and I. She is over in the car waiting for us. Please join me over there. “ he said. Sarah looked carefully at the badge now before her and it seemed real enough but what did she know about badges anyway. I t could look real but it could look real fake and she wouldn’t be able to tell. It wasn’t the same as a Luis Vuitton Bag and a fake one which she knew the difference of in a blink of the eye. “How do I know this is real? Where is your partner? Tell me what this about now!!” Sarah said with a renewed confidence due to her freedom from his hands. “My name is Detective Moe Burma. My partners name is Detective Samantha Raines. We are here to ask for your help in a serious crime spree that has been going on for six months or so. Please come to the car and let us explain so you can decide on your own rather your husband hears this or not. Please come with me now.” Sarah looked at him and could tell he was serious and seemed to be getting a little frustrated with her right now. If he had wanted to hurt her he certainly could have done that by now. So she got out of the car and followed Detective Burma towards the car parked at the end of the driveway. She felt comforted by the fact that he walked in front of her although she knew if she turned to run that he likely could catch her anyway but it was comforting all the same to her. They neared the car and she was able to now see a dark haired woman in the drivers’ seat of the car. It looked like a cop car to Sarah or at least what they looked like on TV. The drivers’ window rolled down and the woman inside spoke, “Hello, I am Detective Samantha Raines. I am glad you are going to listen to us Sarah. This could save your life and maybe save others lives as well. Thank you.” Sarah paused as the woman spoke and felt that same chill she had felt earlier in the night slip back into her. Detective Burma opened the door to the back for Sarah and shut it behind her before going around to the front seat. Sarah suddenly felt a deep fear inside of her headed towards the surface.

Meanwhile, John had headed upstairs to tend to Janet. He entered her room and she was awake but not really sure of what had happened or where she was until her eyes met with John’s. Then she quickly was brought back to reality. She longed for a different reality right now. Anywhere but here and anywhere but with John was what she wanted. She remembered meeting him in an online chat room after she had divorced her husband. She had been lonely and he had been so wonderful to her. She needed someone and he was just absolutely perfect. He seemed to be able to say and do all the right things at all the right times. She remembered that she was nervous going into the chat room for all alumni of her old high school. She didn’t remember John but that was not surprising as he was a freshman when she was a senior. She probably hadn’t even noticed him back then as she was into the jocks or even the college boys. She used to cheer and with it came special privileges or what seemed like them back in the day anyway. She would love to go back to redo some of her high school days. John though just was at the right place at the right time and before she knew it they were involved. He was everything she ever needed in the beginning but then he was just too clingy and would not give her room to do her own thing. He was saying he loved her and just pushing so hard for things that just didn’t need to be pushed for at all. Things started to go down hill as she tried to pull away from him and he tried to hold tighter. She had kept the relationship a secret from her friends and family since the divorce was still very fresh and she didn’t want to seem too much in a rush to them. Now she just wished someone had known and then maybe she wouldn’t be here, trapped anymore. She wondered how she could disappear for this long and nobody was still looking for her or so it appeared by the newspapers John let her read. She was no longer even mentioned. She knew though from the papers that she was not alone here anymore and that John had taken two others besides her. She wished she could talk to them somehow just to have some interaction with another human other than John. See just wished she had been a little smarter and maybe she wouldn’t be here and maybe the other two wouldn’t either. Maybe, just maybe it would end. She winced with pain as John dabbed at her face with peroxide to make sure the slight cut she suffered was clean. He did care in his sick way but it was a sick twisted way. He was just so careful not to let her have any shot of getting away and if she tried there was always a price to pay. Then he would take care of her and then he would have make up sex as he called it. She told him over and over it was not making up anything, it was just RAPE. He didn’t like that and was rough with her but she said it still as it seemed to get under his skin. John knelt before her with a tender look on his face. He smiled as he looked into Janet’s eyes. Janet gave John a devilish smile right back and then spat in his face. John fell backwards like he had been shot and dabbed at his face. His eyes changed from tender and caring to a burning rage in a mere second. He was on his feet and headed for Janet.