Page 60 of The Captive Missing

“I haven’t had all my time yet,” he protested. “The injunction could come down any day.”

“It’s your call.”

Val heard the snippets of an argument, then dropped unbidden to her knees. Her head was heavy, too heavy for her neck. Suddenly, her own guard was yanking her to her feet. He tossed her over his shoulder and she watched as the carpet from the hall passed under his expensive shoes.

The last thing she remembered was being flung into the backseat of a car. The driver asked what was wrong with her. People were shouting all around. Her own guard yelled for him to step on the gas. Then it was all gone. All gone away.

Chapter 19

The first thing she noticed was the window. It was wide, about five feet across and four feet high. It wasn’t one that opened, she knew that instinctively by the way it was split into four equal parts by a white wooden frame. It was the frame itself that gave it an old-world type feel. The rolling hills of farmland that rose beyond it were simply serene.

Lying alone on the thick mattress, tangled up in smooth white sheets and soft blankets, Val blinked out into the sunshine. The view was just so beautiful.

After a few minutes, she ripped her eyes from the window long enough to take in the rest of the space. She was in a decent sized bedroom, with a large armoire in place of a dresser. The warm red hue of the wood made her think it was likely mahogany. Rotating her head to the side, she spied a matching bedside table with stainless steel lamp and cream-colored shade. There was another just like it on the other side.

Pushing up to sitting, her head gave a little throb, so she placed the heel of one hand against it until the feeling passed. Where was she? Her eyes drifted down. She was still in the red silk dress from the day before.

Peeling back the covers, she slowly stood up and waited for her head to stop spinning before walking through the open bedroom door. On her right was a bathroom. Ducking her head inside, she flipped on the light switch and took in the granite countertop and massive clawfoot tub. A sigh of longing came unbidden from her lips. She would definitely be using that.

Flicking the light out, she resumed her search down the short hall which quickly gave way to a living room and kitchen. There was one long sofa that faced a tiny brick fireplace. Off to one side sat a tiny table with a pair of matching dining chairs.

Clearly it was meant for no more than two people. The kitchen was small as well, taking up one full wall with a center island dividing the space.

“Hello?” Val called, her voice scratchy but strong. “Anyone here?”

When she got no reply, she entered the kitchen and began opening cupboards. There was a small set of dishes, cups, utensils, pots and pans, but no dishwasher. The sink was clean, with soap and a sponge still in the wrapper settled on the granite counter top.

Not able to help herself, Val opened the white refrigerator and gasped. It was full. Completely full.

Milk, butter, cheese, vegetables, fruit, even beer. Reaching inside with one shaking hand, Val selected a ripe strawberry and bit into it. The explosion of flavor made her groan and roll her eyes.

Stepping back, she leaned against the counter and savored it. Oh, how she wanted to eat more. But she still didn’t know where she was, or whose food this was, so she closed the fridge and ran her hands along the cherry-colored cabinets instead.

When she got to the end, she pulled open the pantry cupboard and almost cried. Again, it was full of food. Boxes of crackers, cereal, spaghetti noodles, rice, beans, cans of corn, the list went on and on. She ran delighted fingers over the labels, then stopped short before selecting one miniature box. A box of kid’s cereal. With a bird on it.

Her stomach dipped as her mind began to race. Dropping the cereal on the floor, she ran back through the small house and into the bedroom. Approaching the window, she placed one tentative hand upon it. All the while her lips moved silently, willing it not to be true. But the moment she touched what was supposed to be glass, an image jumped slightly and that’s when she knew.

It wasn’t a window at all. It was a screen. A fancy, wonderful, false, lying screen. One that made you think you were looking out, when there wasn’t any real out there at all.

Just as she was about to scream, the sound of the front door opening had her biting down hard on her lip. Carefully, she snuck back down the hall and watched as a man stepped into the living room.

“Charlie?” Val asked.

Walking into the open, Val fixed her eyes on her friend who did a double take when he saw her. The door had already swung shut behind him but at the sight of her, he whirled and tried the handle. It jiggled noisily, but held.

He slapped an open palm on the heavy door and called through the solid wood. “Hey, guys! I think you’ve made some sort of mistake here!”

He paused, but got no reply.

“Charlie.” Val began to walk towards him. “What’s going on? Where are we?”

Seeming to give up on the locked door, he rotated to face her, but leaned back heavily, hands braced against the smooth surface. His eyes held strain, and a touch of pity. For a few seconds he searched for the right words to say, then squeezed his eyes shut and replied.

“You wondered where I got all the food?”

“Yes.” Val was tentative, studying his tight expression.

“I got it from the breeding program.”

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