Chapter Text
Swirling darkness, my mind floats aimlessly in the grey space between asleep and awake. Body a heavy, fuzzy weight, I slip gradually back into dreaming. For a small moment, all sound stops and I feel myself drift under...
Suddenly a flash of light bursts behind my eyes, transforms into the headlights of my parents' car as the windscreen shatters and rushes forward to meet me. My own scream is the last thing I hear before I jolt awake.
"No!" I cry, hands lashing out to steady myself, finding the bite of cool metal where there should be warm sheets. Startled, I flinch back and look up, breathing raggedly against a wave of anxiety. For a moment I don't believe what I see, thinking I must still be dreaming. Through the gloom are thin metal bars. Looking around feverishly, still panting, I see them surrounding me; a cage.
A cage? No...this must be a dream! It has to be, but...
I start to notice things that only exist when you're awake: the pungent odour of spoiled meat, the damp seeping into my skin from where my legs touch the floor, the feel of a thin silky sheet wrapped around my body and nothing else. I clutch it tight to my chest, desperately trying not to think about what this might imply – how long was I out? Who did this? What did they do to me..?- I shake my head to dislodge these thoughts, and reach gingerly for the bars in front of me.
Joints of meat hang from a wooden frame close by, suspended by chains and dripping. Most are identifiable: plucked birds and the leg joints of larger animals like cows or pigs. Some are smaller though... rabbits maybe? One carcass looks like it still has a long tail attached-
I quickly look away, swallowing bile. Instead I redirect my focus to the table directly in front of me. The table with a selection of very large, very used knives, a rag soaked in blood, and the remains of a large animal. Whoever's work this is, it's clear they aren't finished. The thought sends a fresh wave of anxiety through me, my eyes darting quickly from one end of the room to the other in an effort to take everything in.
Huge chains hanging from the ceiling, shelves cobbled together from many pieces of old wood, barely standing but full to the brim will all manner of tools. Machinery I don't recognize. All helpful things if only I can reach them, but they're just too far away. I flounder for a moment, pressing myself against the bars as much as I can, desperate to reach something...
Then I hear it. A metallic 'snick' that draws my attention to the side of my prison -- a padlock dangling, open -- my salvation. My hands grab the air in front of me before I even register doing it; a shaky gasp, too loud in this silence, escapes me. Jiggling the lock free with one hand, I will the thing to slide off before the noise alerts my captor. It drops to the floor and I immediately slide the bar across, push open the tiny door. In a second I'm standing...
...Then doubling over as confusion and dizziness overwhelms me. I lean against the wall to steady myself, but I'm overtaken by a feeling that makes my eyes water. The burning, freezing cold on the soles of my feet as they touch the stone tiles, colder than the cage that had at least been warmed by my body heat. The jolt of sensation seems to wake something in me, and suddenly the whole situation hits me at once.
I woke up in a cage, wearing a sheet...i don't remember anything else. How did I get here? What was I even doing before I fell asleep? I concentrate, my head pounds but nothing happens. No memories... the last thing I remember is meeting my parents at the airport. Everything else stays blank.
I open my eyes, not knowing I closed them. All at once, this room that I escaped into feels too big, too exposed. My nerves are raw and every shadow makes me startle. I spin around, eyes wild. The back of my neck prickles, I hear the smallest hint of someone shifting, real or imagined and...it's too much.
I move before I know it, backing up into the bloodied table and knocking things over. The noise as everything hits the ground is like thunder and only makes me panic worse. I back up and up, then chance a look over my shoulder – there's a set of stairs! - I run to them, almost falling over myself.
The sound of something wet stops me in my tracks. I freeze, heart in my throat. Time slows to nothing, the only proof of its passing the rhythmic beat of blood hitting the floor. I can't move, can't look away, a deer in the headlights waiting for impact.
There's something under the table.
A snarl, a flash of teeth, then a large dog barrels into me, knocking me to the floor. I can't help but cry out, from the fear and from the cold. In a second it's gone – it doesn't try to hurt me, only run – and I try my best to get back on feet that have turned to jelly. I'm shivering now, pulling the sheet closer and tighter in an attempt to comfort myself. Swaying slightly, I see something on the floor and stoop to pick it up. It's a collar – did that dog drop it when it jumped? The collar has a metal nameplate with the name "Hewie" printed on it. I say his name aloud, confused. He seems to be someone's pet then? I drop it back to the floor and with some trepidation, climb the stairs to my freedom.
After too long a time, the stairs give way to solid earth and I find myself in an area barely lighter than the room that held me. There are a lot of dead trees surrounding me, blocking out the light, and rickety old fences lining the path I follow. I walk with a little more ease, lighter now that I'm out of that place, even if I'm far from safe. A crow sitting on a branch above suddenly caws and takes flight. I clutch my hands to my chest.
The small path branches out into a well lit courtyard. It's an open area, with a staircase right next to me. It might be a good idea to get a bit higher to see where I am, so I decide to climb it. Up and up it goes, past another courtyard area. I sit on the crumbling steps, get my breath back and look around.
This would be an amazing place to sit and sketch, had I my sketchpad and a few peaceful hours to myself. The building around me is imposing yet poorly cared for; a crumbling stone monument set against a backdrop of woodland that seems to stretch for miles. Its sand coloured stone almost glows in the late afternoon sun, the light turning a golden yellow before the sun fades. I can see that I won't be going much farther tonight...i doubt I'd be able to make much progress on foot, especially as night sets in, with a possible kidnapper on the loose. I glance behind me, up the expanse of steps to a landing with a carved door.
Contemplative, I pick myself up and wander cautiously to the door. I hesitantly give it a rap – this is someone's home, right? It's always polite to knock – but there's no answer. When I try the handle, it swings open. Perturbed, I chance one more look behind me then step inside.
I'm hit by a wall of warm air that makes my freezing toes curl. As I move farther inside, the heat seems to grow until I can hear the crackle of logs in a fire. There's a table with chairs, a dresser with an old fashioned TV and a small set of stairs leading up to a four poster bed. There's a door, a small fire at the end of the room and an antique clock next to it. It seems like someone's bedroom, or maybe a guestroom? I grab the railing and ascend, wanting desperately to be as close to the fire as possible.
There's a strange painting on the wall next to the clock.
Something about this painting is...off. Maybe the eyes? It's like they're following me...
I cut that thought off abruptly and glance around the room. What to do now? This is someone's home. Maybe I should find the owner and ask to stay the night? Or borrow their phone? Failing that, maybe they know somewhere close by I can stay. I don't have any money with me though, and I really need some proper clothes, not just this bed sheet... I reach out a hand to grab the doorknob and freeze.
Someone. Is. Behind. Me.
I steal a brief look over my shoulder, then turn all the way round. In front of the large window next to the bed stands a tall, thin woman. Her hair is the most unusual shade of lavender and she's wearing some kind of...maid's outfit? I can't help but gasp loudly at her sudden appearance.
She smiles at me, an expression more painful than happy, as if she has never smiled before this moment and her face doesn't know what to do. She stands stock still, then moves a single arm towards the bed.
"I have gathered some clothes for you" She says in a tone entirely without inflection. Her arm slides back down to join the other by her side and she starts to move towards the door. It's a stilted movement, and something about it sets off alarm bells in my mind. I back away as she comes closer, then remember the situation I'm in and pretty much throw myself at her.
"Wait, don't go!" I cry, reaching for her arm. You're the only person I've come across so far! I have so many questions!-
She turns a little, faces me with an expression that is now entirely blank. From close up she's... breathtaking. Flawless, like a porcelain doll. But there's something... off about her, and not just that her eyes are purple (Hair dye is one thing but...coloured contacts? In such a remote place? Do they even get a delivery service here?). I shake my head, clearing my thoughts. Another time, important questions first.
"Um, excuse me" I say, shy now that her intimidating gaze is focused on me "but where are we...? And how did I get here?" The question hangs in the air for a long moment, then she looks up.
"Yes... master." ...What? Did she not hear what I just said?
"We will keep her here for a while." I lean in a little bit, confused. For a brief moment I consider waving a hand in front of her face to snap her out of it.
"I will make sure she stays comfortable"
I follow her line of sight, right up to that weird painting. I concentrate and something about the man in it seems eerily familiar. The more I look, the more my head fills with static. I look up to the sky, hoping to shake whatever strange mood I'm in...but then the world around me dissolves into swirls of black and grey.
They mix together.
For a moment I see myself, lying in the backseat of my parents' car. A flash of lightning and there's a man at the window. With a long coat, a hat and the all consuming darkness, I cannot see his face but I know in my soul he is the man in the painting. The image lasts a fraction of a second and it's gone, the force of it driving me to the floor.
When I get a hold of myself I'm alone again, curled up next to the crackling fire.
Shaking my head to clear the last wisps of the strange vision, I stand and approach the bed. The clothes the maid has prepared lie on top of it. They're much fancier than I was expecting - I'd kill for a t-shirt and jeans just about now – and I spend a little time looking before I move to wear them.
There's a white shirt with puffy sleeves and a blue jewel on the front. The thing has lacing down the back. I wonder if I'm even able to put this on by myself? There are knee length black socks, a black choker, brown boots and a short brown skirt. I spare one more glance towards the painting before I drop the bed sheet and reach for my new clothes.
The lacing is as fiddly as I imagined but I manage somehow. Every piece fits like a second skin, uncomfortably tight. It's like they've been made to my exact measurements. But...that's not possible right? Maybe they're a hotel and have a lot of guests, so these just happen to fit me? The excuse is weak but the idea that someone knows the fit of my clothes the moment I walk into the room... especially since I spent the last half hour locked up...in a....no. Don't think about it! It's just a coincidence. Stop overthinking, Fiona!
While I dress, I keep casting glances at that painting. It's creeping me out, I feel like its watching me, and the maid spoke to it like it's a person...? I walk towards it, and suddenly I remember something.
"Wait a minute..." I speak softly to myself, hand on my stomach. "I remember I was in the car with..."
...My parents?...Maybe? Why was I...? But the moment I think about it, the memory escapes me. I shut my mouth, breathe a sigh through my nose.
This whole situation... there's so much wrong here, but If I think about everything too deeply I'm going to overwhelm myself. The maid said I'd be staying here a while, and that she'd keep me comfortable. The way she said it makes me uneasy, but I'm going to have to trust that right now.
If whoever locked me in that cage lives in this house....well...i remember reading something about what to do if someone kidnaps you. I should have paid closer attention to the details, luckily I still remember the gist of it: You need to appeal to your captor's humanity, make them feel personally attached so they don't hurt you. Right now, the best thing I can do is go along with this. It's not great but what other choice do I have?
Right. Let's think about this. I need to get my bearings, eat something, look around for a telephone and get some sleep. Hopefully by then I'll have remembered how I got here in the first place, or at least what I was doing before I fell asleep.
I'll leave quietly in the morning, before anyone else is awake.
Mind settled, plan in place, I open the door.