The
Captive
By
Linda Boltman
The Captive© copyright 2011 Linda Boltman
All rights reserved.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this free eBook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial purposes. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarities to actual events, locales, or persons, either living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Cover design by: David Clish
If you enjoyed this eBook, please encourage your friends to look for
Man in the Moon at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69580 / also available in paperback at other online outlets.
Discover other eBooks by Linda Boltman now available on Smashwords:
Lover’s Leap
The Copper Box
The Valet of Darkshire Manor
Moon Pies
The Christmas Challenge
The Grand Canyon Trip
THE CAPTIVE
I could hear the rhythmical drops of blood fall from the ceiling. Steadily, one, two, three. I watched, almost transfixed, as they fell on my right arm, where they momentarily caught, tangled in the fine, blonde hair, then gathered and slid slowly down the side of my arm onto the floor.
My wrists ached from the tight rope wrapped back and forth between them, digging coarsely into the area closest to the bone. I could see the chafed, torn skin on either side of the rope, red and brutally ugly.
It looks like a bad cut of fresh meat at the grocery store, I mused. A thick, almost clear liquid oozed from the center. I wonder why it doesn’t bleed more?
I can’t focus on that, I thought to myself, shifting my eyes from my wrists back to the dropping blood. I tried to count the number of drops and stopped at forty-six.
I wondered how long I had been hanging here. I’d blacked out after the attack and when I awoke, I was hanging by my wrists from the ceiling, my feet barely touching the floor, in a dank, stone basement. It appeared I was alone. For a long time, I’d listened intently for any sound that may have come from the dark corners, but for hours now, I’d only heard the steady dripping of blood from a wooden plank above my head.
I tried to shift my weight. My left foot was becoming numb. The ball of my left foot had been carrying the majority of my weight against the cold, damp floor. There was a smell, a nasty smell, I couldn’t place. The smell of death sounded too dramatic, but was the only description that came to mind.
My temples ached. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, but the extra weight the shift put on my wrists caused me to flinch. I tried to clear my thoughts. I couldn’t die here. I wasn’t going to let myself die here.
I wondered about the blood. Was it human? Was that the prior victim above me and would my blood soon be dripping down on the next victim?
My body tensed. What was that? I could hear a slight shuffling of feet above me, followed by what seemed to be a scuffling sound. The room was quiet for a moment broken only by quick, strange muted noises before I heard the shuffling feet again, followed by a slow, dragging sound. The drops of blood above me quickened, then began to slow as the dragging sound moved further away. Within minutes the sound, and the dripping blood, had ceased and I was enveloped in silence.
Was that a body? Perhaps he’d come back and moved the body. That’s what the dragging sound had been. He was dragging the body out of the building! Oh, dear God, does that mean he’ll come back for me next?
I felt tears well up in my eyes and angrily willed them away. I had to keep my senses. I had to stay strong. I was only beaten when I gave up. I had to do what I could to stay alive and if I was going to do that I had to outsmart this person.
I heard footsteps behind me and an old wooden door open. A slim shadow of light fell across the floor. I remained still. I allowed my body to go limp and silenced the screams of fear and pain within me. I had to pretend to be unconscious.
I waited. The tension built. Strangely enough, the initial pain of the tight rope against my wrists dulled into almost numbness. I continued to remain still. I could outwait him.
Ultimately, I heard the footsteps approach. I felt cold hands on my body, pulling me up. I remained limp. Cold fingers moved against my wrist, feeling for a pulse. I focused on my breathing, willing my body to breathe, my heart to slow.
“Better not be dead yet.” I felt hot breath against my cheek. “I’ve got plans for you, little girl. I want to see your face. The whole joy is seeing the expression on your face as you die.”
The cold arms grasped my body once again and pulled me up with one arm to release the pressure on my wrists. I could hear him cutting the rope above me with what sounded like a large knife. I waited for the knife to cut through, then allowed my arms to drop in front of me and let my body go limp.
“Jesus, woman! You’re dead weight!” I could hear the knife drop to the floor in front of me as he caught me with both arms.
Within an instant, I gathered every ounce of strength within me, fell to the ground and in one motion grabbed for the knife, turned, and with both bound wrists, plunged the knife into his stomach and again into his heart.
The look of complete surprise on his face as he fell to the ground on his knees in front of me was followed by a look of confusion as he fell to the floor. I could see what he meant. The whole joy is seeing the expression on their face as they die.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda Boltman’s psychological thriller, Man in the Moon by Jigsaw Press is available online in eBook form at Smashwords and in both paperback and eBook at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. The Captive was originally selected by San Diego Writer's Ink Anthology, Vol 4 as one of San Diego's finest writers. Linda has had her stories and poetry published numerous times in Adventures for the Average Woman in both their magazine and ezine editions in the United States and England. Her stories have appeared in IdeaGems, Tough Lit Magazine, GreenPrints, Grand Magazine and The San Diego Reader. Look for The Copper Box, Lover’s Leap, The Valet of Darkshire Manor, Moon Pies and other eBooks by Linda on Smashwords.com.