[KaA] - Chapter Two: Kidnapped By A Psycopath

When I woke up, my head was killing me. Everything was killing me. My back ached and my limbs felt like they were underwater. I moaned and tried to get up.

Why is it so dark in here? I thought.

I reached over for my lamp and felt… nothing. What happened? Where am I?

I tried to focus on last night but the banging in my head made that task very difficult. I gave up trying to think and tried to focus on the pitch-black room. My eyes had a hard time focusing. That bothered me. I was used to walking around in the dark, I did it all the time. Why couldn’t I see now? I blinked several times. Still nothing. I could barely make out the outline of something a couple of feet in front of me. The bedpost?

I scanned the room. Nothing but darkness greeted me. I rubbed my eyes. Where am I?

I groaned and rolled over onto my stomach. This bed is so soft and fluffy, like a cloud. Wait, what? I touched the sheets, This isn’t my bed! Oh, crap, who’s bed am I in and why? No, no, no…

I took a deep breath, Breathe Marissa, panicking never did you any good. Breathe, relax, think.

I tried to remember what had happened last night but everything was foggy and my head was killing me.

I heard something, a door? I glanced around the room. There! It was still very dark but I could just make out the outline of a person standing by the bed.

“Who’s there?” I tentatively asked.

The figure chuckled and moved.

I swallowed nervously and clutched the blankets to my chest, “Who are you and how did I get here?”

The figure chuckled again, “Need a light, kitten?”

That voice… It was vaguely familiar. That purr… where have I heard it before? My head pounded and I winced.

“Perhaps some aspirin for your headache would be better.” He remarked.

“How did you know I had a headache?” I asked.

“Most people have headache’s when I’m done with them.”

I blinked. I could barely make out the outline of the man who stood a few yards away. His voice was so familiar though I couldn’t place where I had heard it before.

“What do you mean?” I asked, “What do you do to them?”

“I play with their minds.”

Huh? He does what? “Okay…”

He chuckled, “So oblivious and yet so unafraid.”

Yeah, he’s crazy and maybe even dangerous. Carlos was like that. No. I wasn’t going to think about him, I needed to focus on here and now.

“What exactly am I oblivious to?”

Many things," he whispered, “but that shall make this all the more enjoyable.”

If my head wasn’t already killing me, I would’ve banged it against a hard object. Instead, I just settled with a groan and pressed my face into the pillows.

I waited a while, listening to hear if Mr. Cryptic left. Then, I felt something touch my hair.

I jumped, “Are you touching my hair?”

“It’s soft.” He whispered.

I froze as he continued to finger my hair.

“Breathe Marissa.” He whispered again.

I jumped, moved to the other side of the bed, and stood up. My head swam but I ignored it. “About that aspirin…” I murmured.

“Come.”

I blinked, trying to get my eyes to focus in the darkness. I heard a chuckle and a cool hand touched mine and started pulling me… somewhere.

We walked through a doorway and my eyes made out moonlight shining through a window. It looked like we were in a sitting room. I tried not to focus on the hand that grasped mine, it was cool and calloused. I shivered. For some reason, his hands were sending chills up my arm and across my whole body. We entered a hallway, softly lit with torches. I kept getting the feeling that I had somehow gone back in time to a medieval world and was in a gothic castle.

I tugged on my grasped hand, “I think I can walk on my own now, thank you.”

He turned and I had a glimpse of a hard-toned face and yellow eyes, “If you wish.”

He let go of my hand and continued walking. I slowed down a bit and examined him. He was almost six and a half feet tall with an equally proportioned body. It was hard to tell but I had a feeling he was also very muscular. He reminded me of Carlos' brother. I gritted my teeth. Why did I keep thinking about him! I paced my breathing and my steps. I knew that if I slowed down just a little and shorten my strides, the man walking in front of me wouldn’t notice I was lagging behind him. I used to do it all the time to Carlos. I growled under my breath. Of all the days that arrogant… thug had to plague my thoughts, it had to be today. I had worked so hard to forget that time in my life! I again focused on my breathing and closely watched the man in front of me. The gap between us was slowly growling and I started counting the seconds before I switched directions.

One more minute passed and I started quieting in my footsteps. Mr. Cryptic was now nearly 1000 feet in front of me. I held my breath as he rounded a corner. Was he really that oblivious? I quickly turned around and hurried back down the hallway we came from. We had passed many doors and I quickly choose one to sneak into. I held my breath as I turned a knob. The door opened soundlessly and I uttered another prayer of thanks. I slipped into the room and shut the door behind me.

The room was a large room full of beautiful, large-scale artwork. I stared in awe at a family picture that loomed many feet above me. I studied each beautifully-sculpted face, wondering who each person was and the story they had. It was a family of six—a father, mother, three sons, and a daughter. Each had long hair past their shoulders, the men wore it in one long braid while the two women had many braids. The father’s hair looked white while his wife’s seemed auburn. The children’s hair seemed auburn. The children’s hair seemed to be auburn as well if not a little lighter. It was hard to tell with only the moonlight illuminating the painting. I stepped closer and touched the handcrafted frame.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?”

I jumped and spun around. My kidnapped was standing behind me, casually leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

I opened my mouth to reply and closed it back again. My heart was in my throat and my headache turned into a frenzied woodpecker. Two glowing orange eyes were staring back at me.

“How, how did you know where I was?” I whispered.

He chuckled, “I heard you turn around and walk into this room.”

“H-h-how? I was quiet.” I stammered.

He cocked his head, “I have very good hearing, far superior to yours.”

I closed my eyes and tried to calm the crazed bird in my head. I counted ten seconds, opened my eyes, and jumped. The glowing eyes had gotten closer, much closer. He was an arms-length away, far too close for my comfort.

We stared at each other. I couldn’t look away from his gaze as his eyes mesmerized me. Despite the warnings in my mind, I tentatively reached my hand up to touch his face. His gaze never wavered as my hand carefully grazed his skin. Up close, I could make out the features of his bronze skin. His hair lay in waves upon his shoulder and with small bangs across his forehead. It seemed like the same artist who had carefully painted the masterpiece behind me had sculpted the face in front of me.

I continued to slowly caress his face. Slowly, he leaned into my head and began to purr. I sucked in a breath.

“How… how do you do that?” I whispered.

He reached up and slowly trailed his fingers down my cheek to my neckbone, “Perhaps, someday I will teach you.”

He stepped back and clasped my hand, “Come, you need to eat and take something for that headache of yours.”

I allowed him to gently pull me back into the hallway we had originally started on. He didn’t let go of my hand and I didn’t ask him to. I was starving and slightly confused. Why was I here? What did he want me? Who was he?

“What is your name?” I casually asked.

“Mr. Man-Cat the Cryptic.” He replied.

I nearly stumbled over my feet and froze. “Wh-what?”

“Isn’t that what you call me?” He turned to glance at me.

“Umm…” I stammered. My memory rushed back and the woodpecker in my head went off into a frenzy again.

I winced, “But, but, how did you know that?”

His eyes glimmered and he continued down the hallway, tugging along. Confusion took control over my mind and the banging in my head increased.

What is happening? He broke into my home, God only knows how, and kidnapped me. Why? What does he want? Is he a psychopath? Did he… did he touch me? I started to panic. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening to me. Not again, please God, no.

I yanked my hand out of his grasp, “Get away from me!”

He froze and turned towards me, “Marissa…”

I took two steps back, “What do you want with me?”

“Marissa, calm down.” He purred.

“Who are you!” I yelled at him.

“Shhh…”

“Don’t shush me! Who are you? Who, who paid you to kidnap me?”

He cocked his head at me.

“Answer me!” I screamed.

“Calm down Marissa, I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Why am I here?” I seethed.

My head was pounding and I couldn’t stop wincing.

He stepped towards me, “Marissa, come, you need to rest your head.”

“Stay away from me!” I screamed back at him and ran.

His hands grabbed me and I screamed, fighting his grasp.

“Let go of me!” I screamed over and over again, “Let go!”

“Marissa! Stop it!” He growled, “Calm down.”

I gasped as pain ripped through my head. I couldn’t breathe. I struggled against the darkness that was closing in. I can’t pass out… I can’t…

He watched as she slowly stopped struggling and went limp in his arms. He sighed.

They always fight, always. And they only hurt themselves. He thought.

He picked her up and continued walking down the hallway, She’ll awaken soon. When she does, I’ll crame food and medicine down her throat.

And then… then we’ll play a little.