The warehouse is long and dark and empty, and every sound we make is accompanied by an echo. The light of the dawn streams in through the holes in the roof and the glassless windows. Raven takes a few steps, looks around, then turns to me, sticking his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.“You sleep here?” He points around with his chin. “A bit trampish, if you don’t mind me saying.”“Not right here. There’s a couple of rooms in the basement where the truck drivers used to rest when this place was still in use. There’s a toilet and a little kitchen and a couple of mattresses left.”“Five stars, sounds like.” He nods. “So? We’re here. What do you want?”I take a step in his direction. He flinches but remains in place, watching my approach. He looks pale and tired in the light of the morning. He’s almost a head shorter than me now. The difference
The downstairs room is empty save for the mattress on the floor. It’s relatively clean, too. I’ve swept the place thoroughly when I first started sleeping here on the days my shifts were scheduled too close together to make driving home worth my while.Raven walks around, peeks into the little adjacent bathroom, then turns to me, wrinkling his nose.“Not five stars,” he says. “Four at most.”“There.” I hand him the paper cup I have brought from the coffee machine in the corridor.He leans on the wall and brings the cup to his nose, inhaling the smell. “Arsenic, by any chance?”“Why would I want to poison you?”“I don’t know. I can’t think of any reasons why would you want to be friendly, either.”“There are easier ways to kill you if I wanted to.”“Easier, but less fun.” He ta
When I wake up, it’s hard to tell if it’s morning or evening. The night shifts in the last few months have completely screwed up my biological clock. I lay on my back, staring at the white ceiling of my one-room apartment and the long shadows cast by the window shatters, trying to remember what day it is. Then, I remember Raven.I get up and make myself a breakfast—or a supper, depending on what you call the first meal of someone who wakes up in the evening. Then I sit in the kitchen, staring at my plate, picking at my food, gathering my thoughts.The night has been too crazy to have been real. I’ve basically kidnapped a person and locked him in a basement of an abandoned warehouse—a totally psycho thing to do. I could perhaps still go there and set him free, no real harm done—there’s no way he would go to the police, not given his drug use and what he does for a living.I could let him go, allow him to sin
It’s dark and quiet when I open my eyes. I blink and rub my face. The room has been dark since Raven has smashed the only light bulb a couple of days ago, and then tried to cut his wrists with the shards. It was also then that I realized that he couldn’t be left alone.So, with my shifts canceled under the pretense of sickness, I’ve been staying with him all the time. The stuffy air of the small room has been giving me constant headaches. The place probably stinks, too, although I’m so used to it by now that I don’t really smell anything.At first, it was like living in a cage with a wild animal. I couldn’t sleep unless I had him tied up, which required a struggle; and even then, I couldn’t get him to shut up, so what little rest I could get was constantly accompanied by his moans, threats and begging.It’s quiet now, though, and my body tells me that I’ve been asleep for a while, perhaps a few
There,” I say, switching off the engine. “Welcome to my castle.”Raven leans forward, examining the red brick building with its dirt stained walls and dust covered windows.“Not much better than the warehouse,” he says, unbuckling his seat belt.All of his movements are slow and deliberate, as if everything demands effort and concentration. He looks like a ghost, his skin blueish pale and still dirty despite the cleaning we did by the tap in the basement. He needs a good hot bath. We both do.We go up to the fifth floor, stopping on each landing long enough for him to catch his breath. The elevator has been out of service since before I was born, if Mrs. Macintosh from the first floor was to be believed. Going up and down the five flights of stairs had seemed like a small price to pay in exchange for the low rent, but for Raven this is probably an exercise at the limit of his endurance.It takes u
I sit on the makeshift mattress bed I have made for myself on the floor, flipping through the TV channels when Raven finally appears from the bathroom. He has a towel wrapped around his head like a turban and is wearing my pants and sweatshirt that look ridiculously baggy on him. He stops in the middle of the room and looks at me.“Really?” he says. “You intend to sleep on the floor?”“Yep,” I say. “You’re sick, so you have the bed for tonight.”“I’m not sick.” He shuffles to the bed and plops onto it. “Just...tired.”I switch the TV off. “You should eat something.”“Later.” He lifts his feet onto the bed and stretches out on his back. “Tomorrow.”He unwraps the towel and drops it to the floor, then runs his fingers through his damp hair, spreading it on the pillow around his head. The room is most
When I return to the kitchen, Raven is still sitting by the table, wrapped cozily in the quilt he brought from the room, drinking coffee and eating tuna straight from the can. In front of him lies a two weeks old newspaper he found on the counter, and he turns the pages, holding his fork between two fingers like a cigarette. As I stop in the doorway, he raises his eyes and squints at me. In the morning light he looks better than he did yesterday, although still painfully pale and thin.“I’m going to work,” I say. “I’ve missed too many shifts.”He shrugs. “Okay. Have fun.”“I’m locking you in.”He blinks. “Don’t you have a spare key?”“I do, but I can’t give it to you.”He puts the newspaper aside and raises his eyebrows in a mock shock.“So, I’m still imprisoned,” he says, getting up. &l
Even before I open the door, I already know. I can just sense it, standing with the key in my hand, listening to the silence inside the apartment. No TV, no footsteps, no clanging of dishes, nothing. I could assume he’s asleep, but no. He’s gone.I turn the key and push the door open and then stop in the doorway, looking around.The apartment is empty.I close the door and drop my keys into the bowl by the entrance. I walk into the room and plop onto the couch, and then just sit there, watching the orange light outside change gradually to grey.I guess I knew it even before I gave him the keys in the morning. Still, I’ve chosen to trust him one more time, just like people keep on buying lottery tickets knowing they can’t win. I couldn’t win, either, and now I’m back to where I’ve started three years ago. He’s probably on some bus already, heading out of the city, or even out of the state. I
So thirsty....my lips felt so dry as I lash out my tongue over them. I opened my eyes slowly to a bright room and a biping sound that I noticed was coming from a machine beside the bed.My eyes travel to my left hand that was hooked unto a bag of blood hanging over the bed. I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder as I struggle to sit down.Where the hell are the nurses when you need them...I threw the sheets that was covering my body and dropped my bare legs on the tiled floor.So cold...“You shouldn’t be up, sir” came a voice by the door. A lady dressed in blue pants and top rushed to me dropping a clipboard she was holding unto the bed to push me back to lay down slowly.“Th-thirsty...”“Right!...that’s why you have that thingy. See? Just press that next time you need something okay?” She motions to my left hand with a smile. A little remote thingy to my reac
So thirsty....my lips felt so dry as I lash out my tongue over them. I opened my eyes slowly to a bright room and a biping sound that I noticed was coming from a machine beside the bed.My eyes travel to my left hand that was hooked unto a bag of blood hanging over the bed. I felt a sharp pain in my right shoulder as I struggle to sit down.Where the hell are the nurses when you need them...I threw the sheets that was covering my body and dropped my bare legs on the tiled floor.So cold...“You shouldn’t be up, sir” came a voice by the door. A lady dressed in blue pants and top rushed to me dropping a clipboard she was holding unto the bed to push me back to lay down slowly.“Th-thirsty...”“Right!...that’s why you have that thingy. See? Just press that next time you need something okay?” She motions to my left hand with a smile. A little remote thingy to my reac
I have never seen anyone so determined. Aiden was driving like we were the only ones on the road. I stole a few glances at him but couldn’t find anything to say. I mean what can you say to a man that is about to loose the only thing that matters in his life. Loosing Estel will be like loosing Sandra once more. There was no words to console him at this moment. I felt his determination and all I want at this very moment is to put Estel into his arms.I was monitoring thegpsthingy and directing him on which route to turn. We soon came into view with his car and before we could overtake him a truck crossed us.“Fuck! Fuck!” Aiden cursed heating the wheel and stepping hard on the breaks.“Calm down, please. We are no use to her dead, alright?” I reasoned frightened shitless.“Look, there is a turn around here. If we take it we will catch up to him right ahead” I inform pointing to my right where
I walked slowly with Aiden hanging onto me back into the house then straight to my room. I sat him down on the bed and went back to the kitchen to get him a glass of water.“While we wait for Ash, am gonna call the police.”“No don’t!” He stops me while I was reaching for my phone to dial the emergency line.I knew something was wrong when his first instinct wasn’t to call them.“Why not?” I asked surprise, “I heard the first hours are the most important times. We can’t miss that window, baby.”He shook his head slowly and took my hand in his while I just stared at him calmly.“He-He said not to call the police...”“He? What does he want? Money? You can’t be serious about not calling the police.”“He doesn’t want money. He just called to tell me he was taking her away...forever.”
I felt a weight on my back as I try to turn in my sleep. I stire awake realizing where I was. The play room. My hands were in bondage while I layed flat on my stomach. Aiden’s head was right on my right butt where he slept soundly. I chuckled dropping my face back into the pillow while the images of last night came flooding my mind.I didn’t know it was going to be this fun. I always knew there was an air of dominance in Aiden but actually being dominated by him in bed tops it all.He moved and placed a kiss on my ass while I giggle rising my head from the pillow, “how long you been awake?”He replied nothing but got up hovering over me to lay flush on me knocking the air out of my lungs.“Are you trying to kill me? You monster” I asked trying to breath trough my mouth.He chuckled, “why would I do that?” He licked my earlobe and I moaned.“I wanna see you”
I was woken up by the infernal sound of a phone ringing.“Babe?”I turned over and stretched out my hand to tap his cheek lightly.“Your phone.”He mumbled in his sleep and stirred awake. He stretched out his hand tapping blindly on the dresser to pick up his phone. He stared at the screen squinting his eyes at the brightness. He answered bringing it to his ear.“Hello? Who is it?” Silence. He sat up slowly, “I think you dialed the wrong line” he brings the phone back to his face to stare at it again, “hello?”“Strange.”“What’s wrong, babe?” I call for the second time surprising myself.“I don’t know. Something about they are coming for her?”“That’s creepy.”“I know” he replied calmly running his hand trough his messy locs. He turned b
I can’t remember the last time I saw my mom in the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and found her humming.“Mom? Everything okay?”“Hi baby! Remember these?” She motions towards a plate of cookies. I took one and munched into it humming.“You made these?”“Of course! I know they are your favorite” she grinned happily.“These are delicious!” I praised with my mouth full.“I know!”“Esther?” I asked after swallowing.“She came home late last night. She is still sleeping. You should get ready for work.”I was reluctant to leave her alone in the kitchen but it was nice to see her being her old self for once.“I will see you tonight, mom. Love you” I kiss her head while she sat on a stool with her hands securely around a cup of coffee that rested on the kitchen co
The ride to wherever he was taking me was in silence while we stole glances at each other.For fuck sakes! We are two grown men but look like two high school boys on their first date.Technically it is our first date.“Are you okay? You look nervous.”“Yeah... yeah sure. A little too excited maybe” I chuckled and he nodded taking my hand surprising me. I look at our entangled fingers and back at him. He winked and my mouth went agape with a huge blush creeping on my face.He chuckled, “you are too adorable, Tyler.”Heat rose to my cheek and I tried snatching my hand from his but he gripped tightly and I gave up smiling at my own embarrassment and look away from his dominating eyes.“Let’s go inside” he informed after the car stopped infront of a huge classy restaurant. I nodded and got down feeling all of a sudden out of place.We were directed by somewhere t
Mom fell asleep on the couch with us and I got up picking her up bridal style to her room.“I like her.” Aiden says with a smile when I came back and sat down.“She likes you too” I chuckled.We stayed silent while I try to focus on the tv-screen which seemed impossible with Aiden’s eyes on me. We shared a few kisses and touches and I must have fallen asleep because I woke up at dawn with a blanket covering my feet up till my hips and no Aiden.I fell asleep while he was here! That’s definitely not cute.The next couple of days at work was with us kissing whenever and wherever we found ourselves alone. He didn’t seem to care about privacy though. I couldn’t risk it. I know he is the boss but we were still at work.I arrived at work and after chatting with my colleagues as always I walk up to my desk to find a card. I look around like it was a bomb. I picked it up and slowly