SurvivorZ

37

DANIELLE

"I'm back."

Blahey's announcement from the parlor was hardly necessary. Danielle and her mother had been listening for the sound of his engine since he zip tied their wrists and ankles and left them in the spare room.

The fading sunlight suggested that he was gone for less than an hour, but it felt like longer than that to his squirming captives. The ties dug painfully into Danielle's skin, turning every second into an eternity of unbearable torture.

At least he hadn't bothered to gag them. His warning about loud noises attracting the dead was enough to keep them from screaming for help.

He threw open the bedroom door. Mother and daughter glowered at their captor, but he only smiled in return. "Hello, ladies. Wait until you see what I've brought you."

He glided across the room with a pair of wire cutters in his hands. Maureen grunted in pain as he rolled her over into a seated position and snipped the binds fastening her hands behind her back. "I wasn't sure I'd be able to find all of the items on your list," he said. "Fortunately, nobody bothered to show up for work today at the department's crime lab. I've got your gear out in the car. There's a microscope, slides, syringes, test tubes, protective gear... I even managed to find a centrifuge."

Maureen rubbed her wrists, her lips tight, and glared at him as he cut the plastic strap fastening her ankles. Danielle watched her mother carefully. Maureen's gaze went to the gun at his hip. For a second, she looked to be considering grabbing it. Then she turned her focus to her daughter, still lying bound on the floor beside her, and her features softened.

Rather than moving on to free Danielle, Blahey stopped, staring at Maureen with the wire snips in his hand. "Well? Aren't you going to say anything? I suspect a thank you is in order."

Maureen gaped at him, aghast. "Thank... you?" she sputtered, barely able to subdue her fury.

Blahey's smile widened. "You're welcome, doc. Happy to help." Satisfied, he propped up Danielle and went to work on her binds. "Come on princess. Nap time's over." He snapped the wire holding her wrists together. Danielle gasped as the plastic tie finally released its bite from her arm. "Your mom's going to need a hand carrying in all of her lab equipment."

"Carry it yourself, asshole," she grumbled.

Blahey merely grinned at her defiance and freed her ankles. "Now, now," he said. "That's no way to act on your first day on the job. You don't want your poor mom to have to carry everything in herself, do you? I can't help with it. I need to watch her back while she's out there. Anything could happen to her outside."

Danielle scowled at him and bit her tongue. The sadistic fuck was getting off on tormenting them. She didn't want to give him any more satisfaction.

"Take a minute to get your circulation back," he said, stepping away from them. He slid the wire clippers into a pouch on his police belt with one hand. The other was on the handle of his gun. "I've got some things to put away, but I'll be right outside when you're ready. Try not to dawdle. It's getting dark out there. We wouldn't want anything sneaking up on us."

Maureen nodded to Danielle. They rose to their feet, rubbing their sore wrists and stamping out the pins and needles in their legs.

"It'll be a little cramped in my study for a while," Blahey said, "but there should be enough space for you to get started. I'll move out my things into the garage tomorrow to give you more room."

He started out the door, then stopped and jabbed a finger in the air. "Oh, there's one more thing..."

He pointed towards the bedroom window. "I know you're probably thinking this would be the perfect opportunity to sneak out that way while my back's turned. I wouldn't advise it."