THE ROMAN LEE SERIES
"CRIMSON ROWS"
Thirty
8:00AM
Her senses were
grasping for information as she recognized consciousness since fainting. Attempting to make out any objects in the
lightless void were useless. Relying
entirely on auditory clues she listened
intently thinking that there might be another person close in proximity. Gathering courage Brandi Jones finally spoke
out.
“Hello? Anyone there?”
“Help.”
The reply was weak, barely audible, almost a hoarse
whisper.
“Where are we?”
“I…I don’t know”
“Can you move?”
“I’m strapped down.
“How about you?”
Brandi felt like she was vertical and possibly
ambulatory but found out quickly enough that she was also restrained. Stranger was the sensation in her arm which
had been previously penetrated with a needle at the plasma center. It felt like something was in it again.
“I can’t move either.
How long have you been here?”
“Days I think.
A week maybe. It’s so hard to
tell. I only see him when he changes the bags.”
“Who? What bags?”
“The ones they fill with our blood. I know because it’s the only time the lights
come on is when they switch them out or clean.”
“How many are here?”
“You and I now.
I don’t know what happened to the others. There used to be more.”
The sound of a light switch clicking on brought
immediate temporary blindness as Brandi desperately tried to adjust her eyes so
she could see her captor. Her head down staring at the floor she watched a pair
of white shoes with dark green hospital smocks move toward the voice that she
had been speaking to. No words were
exchanged between them. Able to see a
little better she focused on the individual who had just finished his task of replacing
bags but appeared he was not taking any more blood for some reason.
Walking toward Brandi while pushing a cart he stopped
in front of her. He looked to be in his
forties having longer dark hair mixed with some white. His olive skinned complexion had few
wrinkles. Thinly built she guessed his
height to be well over six feet tall.
Looking over at her arm she was horrified to see a needle connected to a
tube that filled a once clear plastic bag with her blood. Just like at the blood drive he switched out
the bag this time she was being given an IV of something through yet another
needle in her hand. Brandi watched as
the man affixed a label with a bar code on her bag scanning it with a device
then used his smartphone to send some information. The bags were placed in a small cooler.
She was scared, angry and never felt more alone in her
entire life. Brandi Jones demanded
answers. Her voice quivered at first but
then picked up with a heated tempo.
“Everyone will be looking for me. It won’t take them long you know. They will check my cell phone and ping the
towers, go through my texts. You’re
screwed you might as well let me go now.
Blind fold me and drop me off somewhere and I won’t say a word.”
The man spoke with an accent that sounded foreign
maybe Pakistani. She had heard it only
one other time in one of her classes. It
was very distinct.
“My dear, we have planned for this. Do you think we go to this length only to be
caught?”
“Let’s not forget the GPS in my car asshole.”
“Look around you.
The room is soundproof and ventilated.
You could scream until you were what do they say hoarse and yet still no
one hear either of you.”
The man across the room from Brandi spoke up angrily.
“Didn’t prevent one of us from getting away though did
it you bastard.”
“That, I’m sorry to say was a mistake and won’t be
repeated but even more unfortunate for him because he is no longer with us.”
“You killed him?”
“Actually, he did that to himself by not looking
before crossing the road.”
Scanning the room Brandi tried to absorb as much
information as she possibly could before it went dark. There was one entrance and it looked to be a
solid door with a couple of locks. No
windows were visible so he might be telling the truth about them being
underground.
“When I get out of here I’m going to stick this needle
through your eye socket!”
Brandi Jones squirmed fiercely against her restraints
at every angle available desperately trying to free herself or at least an
arm. Opening her eyes she went quiet as he
was now less than a foot away from her face.
Trespassing into her personal space she was instantly enraged that he
could move about freely.
“There is no need for violence. Neither of you are being harmed.”
“So, being held against our will while you drain us of
our blood is not harming us?”
Leaning closer now she realized there was no compassion
or empathy to be found in the dark eyes of their captor. That assessment was clearly validated as he
spoke before walking out with a pint- sized bag of crimson fluid residing in
the cooler.
“I could make it so much more uncomfortable for you.”
Stopping at the door he turned slowly glaring at Brandi. Taking his index finger on his free hand the
light switch descended to the off position plunging the room once more into
empty darkness.
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