A Duet of the Soul

Chapter 14: A Kidnapper's Errands

*Maria's POV*

"Help! Someone, please! Help!"

A woman's scream echoed in the room around us. My eyes widened as I turned to my right, knowing that it came from the apartment next door. Crashing sounds soon followed her calls for help. I knew someone needed to help her, but what could I do?

Besides, I couldn't help but wonder... Did she hear me last night when Justin kidnapped me? Did they choose to ignore my calls for help as I knew we were ignoring her pleas? What was happening to her? Were they trying to kill her? Kidnap her? If I did manage to convince Justin to let me go check on her, would there be any way I could stop whoever her attacker was?

Panic gripped at my heart as my lungs tightened. Breathing became more difficult as I continued staring at the blank wall ahead of me, frozen in place as I listened to the commotion on the other side. Her screams became more panicked and frenzied. My stomach churned, the urge to vomit rising.

My head swiveled back to Justin as I heard the front door swing open. He disappeared into the hallway without a word to me. I quickly followed behind him as he marched to the next apartment and began banging on the door.

"Everything okay in there?" he called out.

I heard the deadbolt on the door across the hall click. No one in this run-down apartment complex cared about what happen to those around them. In fact, most avoided each other during the best of times and never interfered in any disputes that may arise.

Screams responded to Justin's inquiry. He glanced to me before trying the doorknob. To my surprise, the door was unlocked and swung open. Justin ran into the apartment as the screams intensified.

My trembling legs propelled me towards the doorway. My hand flew to my gaping mouth as I took in the scene before me. The apartment was in turmoil, furniture overturned and broken glass scattered across the open floorplan. A woman near my age slumped against the fridge in the kitchen. Her feet were bare and her t-shirt was ripped and stained with blood. Blood trickled down her face from a gash in her forehead, mixing with the thick stream of tears. Her lips quivered as she watched Justin's fist flying into the man's face beneath him.

The man's fists connected with Justin, knocking him off and onto the floor. The two men wrestled on the floor, each trying to dominate the other. The woman moaned as her head drooped down to her chest. I rushed to her side and checked her pulse. Her head popped back up, and our eyes connected.

"Help," she whispered. Fear emanated from her eyes as I quickly approached her.

"It's okay, we're here for you. Can you stand up?"

She shook her head no. I surveyed the destruction around us and noticed a cell phone lying next to the overturned dining table. Pulling myself back up, I bolted across the room, side stepping the men on the floor. I retrieved the phone and ran back to my neighbor. I passed her the phone and told her to call for help.

I glanced back to the men to see Justin on top once again, slamming his fist against the other man's face. "My boyfriend... tried to kill me... Please help..."

The woman's voice trailed as her hand slumped down to her side, the phone sliding to the floor. I snatched it up and spoke into the receiver. I gave the dispatcher the address before the phone was snatched from my hand. Justin immediately hung up the phone and pulled me back to my feet. The man lay in a bloody heap a few feet away.

"She'll be okay, Maria. We need to go." He wiped our fingerprints from the phone with his black shirt and dropped it to the floor. His grip tightened around my hand as he pulled me next door, slamming it shut behind us. He grabbed both of the duffle bags and hoisted them onto his shoulders.