Twitter: @liahfotcb_dream
Chapter 30: My First Phone Call, and Getting Rough
I could hear pounding footsteps right outside the small, conservative room I've been staying in. I could normally hear them every few minutes pass by the door, then they would leave. It's been like that for the past three days. I can tell there are other people in the house because of the way the footsteps sound when they are passing by. Some of them are soft footsteps, some loud, and some a little bit of both.
For the past three days, it has always been the same routine. Chris comes in the room to feed me food, I refuse to eat it, then he leaves after roughing me up. By roughing me up, I mean tie me to the same wooden chair as he had before, slap me, punch me, do any type of abuse possible, then untie me and leave me basically unconscious until dinner time and the whole process repeats again.
I refuse to eat for two reasons. Number one reason would be because what if Chris poisoned it, and I didn't know? Number two reason would be because there is no way in mercy I will ever give Chris the satisfaction of defeating me, I am a very stubborn girl. To say I am weak, would be a complete and utter understatement. I don't think I have ever in my whole entire life of living, felt this weak before. Not eating for three days except the occasional sips of water, and add on getting beat up day and night for three days strait, you've got a weak seventeen year old girl who helplessly got kidnapped for no apparent reason.
Currently, I'm sitting on the edge of the small twin sized bed rubbing my new bruise that had formed on my left cheekbone. I huffed in a breath as I rubbed it out. There is a small clock hanging up on the bland wall, and it read around twelve-forty five in the afternoon.
That's my cue.
Every time around this time of day, I always try and pick the lock on the door and unlock it. So far, I've failed. The first time I tried, Chris caught me and 'punished me' pretty badly trying to teach me a lesson. Of course I didn't learn my lesson, because I'm still trying to escape. Lock picking is a lot harder than what people make it out to be, I mean in movies, they get in within seconds, and it's been days and I still can't get out.
I pushed my body up and off of the edge of the bed, my legs burning in protest, and made my way quietly to the door. I pulled my two bobby pins out of my hair and began my crafty work. The bobby pins were already in my hair from graduation, but I don't think Chris thought anything of it to maybe take them from me and stash them away like he had done with my phone.
Forty-five minutes later, with sweat trickling down my face, and squinting eyes, I had given up. I flopped down to the floor and cradled my head in my hands with frustration.
'What is with this stupid lock!? Why won't it just freaking unlock so I can get the hell out of this hellhole.'
With a frustrated groan, I pushed myself up off the floor, and with the last little bit of hope I had left, I jammed the bobby pins into the hole of the lock and twisted them around.
I was about to give up again after twenty agonizing minutes of not getting anywhere with the stupid lock, when suddenly, I heard the most glorious noise in my whole entire life, it was a soft little click of a lock being unlocked. I did the biggest mental happy dance ever, and stuffed my bobby pins back into my hair, hiding them underneath just in case Chris finds me again and suspects me. I immediately turned the door knob in my hand, but very slowly, so no one could hear me, then I stepped out of the doorway. My eyes had to adjust to the sudden brightness of light because I was stuck in darkness for so long. I blinked rapidly, then felt more comfortable to continue forward. I walked slowly, one bare foot in front of the other. This time though, instead of walking strait forward like I did before, I walked to the left and down a hallway. Don't ask me why, I mean I know the house is two stories and I know where the stairs are, it's just that I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach.
I skipped the first door I saw, but stopped at the second, then decided to open it. I peeked in, then stepped all the way inside, shutting it behind me. It looked like a boys room, with clothes everywhere and it had a boyish smell to it if you know what I mean. I contined forward until I stopped in my tracks. If I thought the animal heads were creepy, I was totally mistaken. On one full side of the walls of the room, was tons and tons of pictures of me. Literally, there were pictures of me leaving school, getting into Colton's car, jogging, laughing on our lunch tree at school, and many more pictures.
My heart was beating a million times a minute, and I immediately wanted to get the hell out of that room. I was about to turn around and bolt out of the room, when something caught my eye on a wooden shelf.
It's my phone.
My pink iPhone case is what gave it away, and I ran over to it in anticipation. I clicked the button, but realized it was turned off completely, so I turned it on. The lock screen of Colton and I popped up, and I typed in my password as fast as I could, scared I was going to get caught soon. The first thing I saw was that I had fifty missed calls, and over one hundred texts from the Stroud's family, the majority of them being from Colton. Before deciding to make a call, I looked around the room to see if I could find somewhere safe and quiet before I started talking. I found the perfect spot, it was strait ahead of me where there was an outside balcony. I rushed over to the doors and slowly let myself outside.
The scenery that met my eyes was not exactly what I was expecting. I was literally in the middle of the woods, most likely in some sort of cabin. There were trees and wildlife everywhere, so there was no way I could tell where Chris was keeping me hostage. Without wasting anymore time, I quickly typed in Colton's number, which I have memorized by heart. I have no idea why I didn't immediately call the police, I just felt the need to talk to Colton first, just in case something happens and it might be the last time I can hear his voice. The phone call rang twice, before I heard the most sweetest voice I feel like I hadn't of heard in a while.
"Cleo?"
That one word just made my insides melt on top of each other. I was too shocked to answer him, and the little energy I had before seemed to of vanished, as I had to clutch on to the railing of the balcony for support.
"Cleo, baby, come on, please answer me, please. I need to hear your voice, come on baby."
That had awakened me somehow, and I took a deep breath and said
"C-Colton."
It didn't come out as strongly as I had hoped, in fact, it came out sounding choked and nervous, which is what I am at the moment, I just wanted to at least sound a little strong for him. I heard a sort of sigh on the other end, one that sounded relieved, then he said
"Oh my god Cleo, oh god, where the hell are you?"
I felt a single tear roll down my face, and I quickly brushed it away. I know I should keep moving and get off the phone soon so I could try and escape, but I needed to talk to him.
"I have no idea Colton, I have no idea where I am. I-I'm scared, I don't know what to do Colton. All I know is that I must be in some sort of wilderness or something because there are trees everywhere, and I am being held in a small room in a two story house. I-I am so scared C-Colton, please help me, please."
"Calm down baby, everything's going to be alright, we have police over here where I am right now, and they are tracking your phone this very second to find where you are, and they are analyzing the description of where you might be that you gave to us, your doing good, hang in there Cleo, everything's going to be ok."
That's when the full water works came splashing down my face. They dripped down my cheeks, and into my mouth tasting salty and warm. Just the feeling of hearing Colton's voice, and hearing him try and comfort me through the phone at this very moment even though I know it's of no use just struck me dead in the heart.
"I'm sorry Colton, I'm so sorry. I lo-ove you so so much Colton, just know that, ok?"
I was wheezing in and out from crying so hard, and I had to take large intakes of breath so I could properly breathe. I needed to tell Colton how much he meant to me because I just had that gut feeling that I would never see him again, this might just be the last time I can actually talk to him.
"Don't be sorry Cleo, why are you sorry? Stop being sorry, I love you too, and I'm the one who should be sorry, not you, I should've gone to the bathroom with you. And I know you love me, stop acting like we are never going to talk again!"
I could tell from his voice that he was getting angry and frustrated, I shook my head even though I knew he could not see me, then I said
"I'm sorry Colton, because...because I know I'm going to die. I can feel it. I'm so sorry."
That must of struck a cord in Colton, I mean of course it would, if someone told me exactly what I just said to Colton, I would freak out also. Not a second later, he began screaming
"No Cleo, no! Don't talk like that, don't even think like th-"
Suddenly, the phone that was once pressed to my right ear was now ripped out of my hand, and I was being spun around to come face to face with a red cheeked, overly angry Chris. His eyes were red with fury, and his hands were shaking. How could I of been so stupid? Why would I just walk out onto the balcony without even hiding or anything, not even looking around every few seconds to see if someone was coming?
My eyes widened in pure terror as he grabbed me by my shoulders, and rammed my body into the wall beside me, I screamed in agony as my head crashed into the concrete of the wall, making me loose my breath. I started seeing black and white fuzzy stars, then I screamed as his hand collided with my face, and came up and wrapped around my neck. He pressed me up against the wall and began squeezing my neck, blocking off my airways. He squeezed so hard I began seeing even more stars than I was seeing before. When I thought I was going to pass out, he suddenly released me, and I dropped down to the floor clutching my neck, trying to gulp in as much air as I could. I was coughing and wheezing from the lack of having no air enter my body.
While I was doing that, my ears perked up suddenly as I heard Chris's serious voice say
"Hello Colton, knight in shining armor, her savor, what ever you desire to call yourself, no one cares, because this time, you can't save her, she's been a naughty, disobedient girl, so I've decided to cut her life a little shorter than what I had expected. It's really such a shame, really it is, she had her whole life ahead of her. She has the rest of today to live, then she's gone, so if you choose to try and find her, go ahead, but in my own opinion, there's no point in wasting your time."
<<<<<<Colton's POV>>>>>>
"-there's no point in wasting your time."
The line went dead, and the phone slipped from my hand. I abruptly turned around and saw the whole of the police team who were trying to trace the phone call looking at me, looking like they were struck between saying something, or not saying anything at all. Finally, one of them, an officer, cleared his throat, then said
"We got enough of the call to trace around where she is, but not exactly where she is, so we can head out and begin searching for her as soon as possible."
I agreed with the officer, and we called in my parents to explain the situation, because at the time of Cleo's call, they were out at the grocery store for a quick shop.
After we all discussed the plan, we were all spread out in different cars with the police and everyone on our way to try and find Cleo. I was driving in my car with Blake and Dallas. The only color I could see through my eyes was red, literally. I was furious with anger. How could I of let this happen to her? How? I don't know what he's been doing to her, or how she is doing. She sounded so scared, and so drained of hope and life, that I just wanted to reach inside the phone and pull her through it, and when I listened to her agonizing, painful screams over the phone, I literally felt sick to my stomach because I couldn't do anything to help her. She pleaded for me to help her, and I couldn't be there for her. Blake, Dallas, and I had to convince the police team and my parents to let us come with them to find Cleo because they didn't want us to go with them, but finally, they gave in. Jack, Dillan, and Eli are staying home and watching everyone else until we get back.
I pressed on the gas pedal a little harder, urging it to move past the ninety miles per hour I am currently going. My eyes were squinting down on the road ahead of me with rage and pure determination. I have to find her, I have to make sure she's ok, she doesn't deserve this, she's been through enough.
Ripping me out of my thoughts, I felt someone grab onto my wrist, and I swiveled my head around to see Dallas's concerned face. I glanced at him for a brief second, then turned my head back to the road.
"Colton, come on bro, slow down a bit, you're already going ninety, you don't need to go any faster man."
I whipped my head back to look at Dallas whose hand was still on my wrist, then aggressively replied
"Shut the hell up Dallas, I can drive how ever I want to drive. We are running out of time, precious, valuable time."
There was a slight pause, before Dallas exploded.
"What, you think I don't know that Colton? You think you're the only one of the family that's hurting. F*ck Colton, get your head screwed on correctly and open your goddamn eyes! Every single one of this family is hurting just as much as you! Cleo has become part of our family, she has crept her way into every crevice of our heart, so the fact that she has been missing for three days strait does not only hurt you Colton, so think of some of us for once and slow down the car, so I can drive and no one dies, got it?"
My eyebrows raised with surprise. Dallas has never, ever talked to me like that. He's always been the brother out of all of us who is more relaxed and calm in a conflict, but this is the first time I've really seen him explode. Dallas's words struck me to the core, making me feel drained of all emotion, and without really thinking, I began slowing down the car, coming to a stop on the side of the highway. Once the car was fully stopped, I jumped out of the car and placed my arms on the top of my head, willing myself that everything was going to be all right. I shut my eyes, and for the first time in a very long time, I prayed. I prayed for Cleo and for my family, and for all the other family's out in the world that are going through the same exact pain we are going through.
As I was thinking all of this, I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me, and I realized that Dallas was hugging me. I brought my arms down from my head, and hugged him back.
"Everything's going to be ok Colton, I promise."
Without responding, I just nodded my head, then jumped in the back seat with Blake.
***************
~2 hours later~
"Hey, Colton, I think I see something."
I felt Blake nudge me in the side with his hand, and I turned my head to see that he was squinting off in the distance. I looked forward to where he seemed to of been looking, but I didn't see anything suspicious, it just looked like the same old forest we've been searching around for the last hour.
"What do you see Blake? All I see is the same trees we've been looking at."
He raised his left arm up and pointed ahead of him, then he said
"Dude, it's right there, it's the freaking cabin! It's all covered in vines and trees. That sneaky bastard picked a place that was camouflaged to hide out in to make it harder to find."
I squinted my eyes like Blake was doing, but I still couldn't find anything. I was about to tell him, when I saw a reflection of a small, circular window. It was slightly hidden behind a small tree branch, but it was still a window. I felt my body heat up with adrenaline.
"Well, let's go Blake, we can't waste anymore time."
"We have to go let everyone else know before we go in Colton, that's what they told us before we all split up in our little groups. We all agreed that if we found anything, we would let them know."
"Fine, you can go let them know Blake, but I'm going in now, we barely have enough time, so go ahead."
Blake shook his head, then said
"No, I'm not leaving you alone. I guess I'll just follow you."
I gave him a little half smile, before we both turned back and trekked our way towards the hidden cabin.
<<<<<<<Cleo's POV>>>>>>>
I woke up with a jump at a loud sound of a door being slammed. My eyes popped open, and immediately spotted Chris walking into the room. I squirmed in the wooden chair I'm tied up to, even though I know there is no use because the ropes are too tight on my ankles and wrists. I could feel a drop of sweat roll down the side of my cheeks, and I had to squint my eyes to see Chris, not because I have bad vision, but because right before Chris dragged me back inside, he drugged me up with some type of drug that he injected in me with a needle, and then I blacked out. I think I must of had some sort of weird reaction to it because I've been sweating like a pig, and I can't see correctly, I'm literally looking at two Chris's.
He walked towards me until he was squatting in front of me. He raised his right hand and pulled a piece of hair that was in front of my face and tucked it behind my ear. I jerked away from him, attempting to make a disgusted noise with my throat, but it was kind of hard because my mouth was filled with a piece of fabric that was tied behind my head, preventing me from speaking. He narrowed his eyes down on me, then pulled out a knife from his pocket. He looked at it in the palm of his hand, turning it over with slight interest. I was scared at what he was going to do with it, and I cautiously watched as he swung it around in his hand, then came down so fast towards me, I didn't see it coming when he swiped my cheek with it. There was a sharp stinging pain on my left cheek, then the real pain sunk in, and I screamed out in pain. I felt something warm start to trickle and drip down my face, already knowing it was fresh blood.
I watched as he slowly walked behind me, frightened at what he was going to do, but was surprised when I felt my wrists come free from their tight hold they had just been in. I rubbed my red, raw wrists while Chris came back into view. He looked rabid and not normal. His hands were shaking, and he looked nervous. He leaned down and cut off the rope that was tying my ankles together. I undid the cloth that was in my mouth, and slowly placed it on the ground, trying to be cautious because I wasn't sure what would set him off. He was just standing there, looking down at me with a knife in his hand. Since he wasn't saying anything, I decided to speak up.
"Chris. You don't have to do this, you don-"
I didn't get to finish my sentence, before he had slapped me across my face.
"Shut up! Just shut up! Nothing you say will change my mind, so do yourself a favor and keep your trap shut."
I nodded in response, concentrating more on the sting on both of my cheeks, then on Chris. I watched carefully as he tossed the knife on the side table next to the bed, making a clatter sound as it connected with the wood. He brought his hands up to his face and left them there for a few seconds, breathing pretty heavily. Suddenly, he screamed, then rammed his hand into the wall beside him. I flinched as he swore out loud, and his knuckles began to bleed. He turned back around, and said
"Alright, get get up."
"W-what?"
His face got red, then in an angry voice, he screamed
"Are you deaf? I said get up! We are moving."
I shakily got up, feeling extremely weak, but following orders anyway. He snatched the knife up into his hands, then wrapped his arm from behind me, and around my neck, until the knife was resting over my neck. My heart rate sped up at the gesture, and my head suddenly raced with questions.
'Is this it? Is this really how I'm going to die? Really?'
I felt his lips hover near my ear, then he whispered harshly
"Walk forward, and don't stop. Try anything on me, and you're dead, got it?"
I nodded my head, then began to walk forward as instructed. I opened the handle to the door and just kept walking strait forward, then began making my way downstairs, one step at a time. When we reached the bottom, I was about to make a left, but he directed us towards the right. We ended up in a medium sized kitchen, it had white walls, a granite island in the middle with a sink, wooden cabinets, and as I glanced around the kitchen, I made a mental note to remember that there is a stack of knives right next to the sink. Chris pushed me forward, and slammed me into a chair. He ruffled his hair up a bit, before cursing and saying
"F*ck, I forgot something upstairs."
He stood there for another moment, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the same type rope he used to wrap my wrists with before. He yanked my arms behind my back, and around the chair, then tied my wrists together, but this time, it didn't seem as tight. He then leaned down until he was right in front of my face, only a mere inch away.
"I'll be back in a minute, try anything stupid, and you'll regret it."
Then he was out of the room in a flash. That's when I knew this was my literal last chance of survival. It was now or never. I began to squirm in my seat, trying my hardest at attempting to break free from the ropes that were wrapped around my wrists. Finally, my wrists slipped through the knots, and were free. I heard fast footsteps above me, and I knew he was moving at super speed. I frantically looked around the kitchen until my eyes landed back onto the set of knives I spotted before. I rushed over to them and picked out the biggest one out of the bunch.
The footsteps were now moving down the stairs, and my heart sunk as I knew there was no time to escape, so thinking fast, I ran back to the chair I was tied up in, placed my arms behind my back with the knife in my right hand, and looked at the doorway just as Chris came trudging through the kitchen with an evil glint in his eyes.
I was breathing kind of fast, and I tried my hardest to slow it down so he wouldn't suspect that I had been up to something. I still felt a little bit delusional from the drugs he drugged me with earlier, and my head was pounding with a raging headache.when he approached me, he brought his arm from behind his back, and pulled out a black gun. I suddenly felt all the blood drain from my face, and fear coursed throughout my whole body from head to toe. He looked at me, then a wicked grin spread across his face, and all of a sudden, he began laughing. It was a horrible, sickening laugh, one you hear when you are watching a scary movie and the murderer is a crazy lunatic.
"You're crazy Chris, you are really crazy! You are never going to get away with this, you know that right? I mean, you're a f*cking lunatic."
That got Chris to quite laughing like a mad man, and his face turned completely serious. He began to slowly walk towards me until he was hovering over me. In what seemed like a million seconds, he brought his hand with the gun up and pointed it at my head, but before I could register what I was doing, I was suddenly swinging my arms out from behind me, and slamming the knife strait towards Chris, and right to the heart.
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DUN DUN DUNNN!!! Wow oh wow, was that an intense chapter or what?? I hope you lovely readers enjoyed it, I really do...
I don't have much to say, other than the fact that I literally feel like a zombie right now because I am so incredibly tired, but I really wanted to update today, so are you guys happy?
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P.s
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