Page 64 of For Love & Torture
As I walk into it, I no longer feel anything tugging my hand, and I can tell I’m alone. The air is cool but not cold. I see a perfectly made bed. A flowery blanket covers it. “Hello?”
I hear no sound and have no clue where I am. Opening the bedroom door, I find a hallway with more doors and there see a set of stairs. I walk down them, slowly, so as not to alert anyone who might be in the house.
As I get into the dark area at the end of the stairs, I see I’m in a living room. And not just any living room, either. It looks just like the one I was in with Grant.
“His parents’ home?”
I turn and head to where I remember the kitchen should be and push open the door. There I find the kitchen, just as I remember. Flipping on the light, I find there’s something white spread out on the dining table. The table we ate dinner at. In the white mess, the word “evil” is clearly written through it.
Placing my finger in the white crystals, I put it on the tip of my tongue and find out it's sugar.
Am I back or not? Is this a dream?
I look around and find an old phone is hanging on the wall. It’s yellow and has a long curly cord on it. I can’t remember Grant’s number, or anyone else’s for that matter. But I do remember mine, and my purse with my phone in it was left in Grant’s car. Maybe he’ll answer if I call it.
Picking up the phone, I hear a dial tone and punch in the numbers. It rings, and I hold my breath as I wait to see if he’ll answer. “Please answer, baby.”
“Who is this?” he answers the phone. “And what are you doing at my parents’ house? And how did you get this number?”
“Grant, it’s me, baby,” my voice is shaking as I fight back tears. I’m so relieved to hear his voice. “It’s Isabel.”
“Baby? Where are you?”
“Your parents’ place. Grant, I don’t even know how I got here. I came out of a closet in a bedroom upstairs,” I know what I’m saying sounds crazy and I feel like I’m on the edge of hysteria. “Baby, can you come get me? I’m afraid he might be coming for me when he finds I’m gone. Please, baby. I’m not mad at you anymore. I know what he did.” A shiver runs through me as I think about Bart finding his way to me.
“I’m on my way, baby. Stay put. If you hear anything, you hide in the cabinets or something until I get there.” He sighs as I hear his car start up. “Stay on the phone with me until I get to you. I don’t want to lose you again. Baby, that girl who you saw kissing me…”
I stop him. “Grant, I know all about that. Bart set that up,” being able to focus on that one event helps me bring myself back to reality, and I take a deep, calming breath. “He’s some kind of a monster. How long have I been gone?”
“About twenty-four hours now. But it seems like forever.”
“I know. It seems that way to me too. I have so much to tell you, but I don’t expect you to believe a word of it. I wouldn’t if I hadn’t lived it.” I take a seat in the chair as the cord is long enough I can walk all over the kitchen.
“I’ll believe you, I promise. Hey, you didn’t happen to be strapped down on a stone altar, did you?” he asks.
“I was. Then something released me and led me through the darkness and I ended up coming out of a closet in this house.” I get up and go to find some water, as I haven’t had a drop of it in what seems like forever.
“You can thank my mom for that, I’m sure. I went to the house and asked her to find you and bring you home. And it seems she did just that. Do you have any idea where you were?”
I chug a cold bottle of water I found in the fridge then answer him. “It wasn’t on Earth, I can tell you that much.”
Something starts making a crackling sound on the line and Grant’s voice sounds very far away as he says, “I think you’re right, baby. I’m about half way there now. It won’t be much longer until I have you in my arms.”
“I should warn you, I’m dressed in next to nothing.” I look around as I see lights in one of the windows. Peeking out the window, I find someone is in the backyard with a flashlight. “Oh, shit, Grant. I think someone is about to try to break into this house. Fuck!”
Pressing my body against the wall, I try to make sure the person can’t see me. “Shit!”
Whispering, I ask, “Do you think all the doors and windows are locked?”
“They should be. Just start turning on lights, make it known you’re there. I’m sure they think no one’s in the house,” he instructs me. “And I’m almost there.”
“The kitchen light is on. I turned it on when I came in here. And you know what else is weird? There’s sugar on the table…”
“Yeah, I know. Evil is written in it. Mom did that too. Make some noise. Maybe they think the light came on through a timer. That’s what happens when you leave a house empty too long. Damn thugs see it as free shit. We need to sell the place. Dad doesn’t want to be in it anyway.”
“Huh? You talked to him?” Even with everything else that’s happening, I’m shocked by what he’s just said. He told me his father didn’t talk at all.
“Yeah, I’ll tell you all about it later. Is anyone still out there? I’m pulling up now.”
