Chapter 46: 1

The ceiling tiles were dripping with a purpose, a constant sound that echoed throughout the large, cavernous insides of the rotting old building like a hollowed out, dead animal found in the forest, its organs and meat devoured by hungry predators. I was the prey in this situation, however, and I had a feeling that my predator wanted to play a little game of 'cat and mouse' before all was said and done. Nathan did always have a flare for the dramatics. I was tempted to lash out at him, to use my words to taunt him out of his hiding spot, but I remembered my self defense training.  I wanted him to think he was in control, I wanted him to underestimate me. I wanted him to think I was as weak and feeble as I'd been when he had left me in that alleyway that night in New York, awaiting to be taken to the hospital on a stretcher without word on if I would live or die. Goosebumps arose on my bare arms and the only light inside the dilapidated building came from the cracks in the boarded up windows, the last remaining remnants of the lowering sun filtering in with the dust in slants of slight illumination. The air held a musty stench mixed with the distinct scent of rotting fish and it took everything I had in me not to gag on the thick, tainted oxygen. Every little creak of the building, groan of the plumbing pipes, and scratching along the concrete floor from scurrying little animals made the hairs on my neck stand on end and my heart beat painfully in my chest. The anticipation of what was to come was starting to get the best of me, and I almost wanted to take my flashlight and run it along the stained walls until I found him, but I reminded myself that it was all part of the game, and his underestimation of me was the difference between me going home to Kieran and my family alive instead of in a body bag. Sweat practically dripped off of my forehead as the tension in the atmosphere reached a fever pitch and a calloused, rough hand slipped over my mouth, the taste of metal and dirt finding its way onto my tongue and I gagged in response. His mouth was at my ear, hot, ragged and sickly wet sending a shockwave of pure, unbridled terror through my veins. An arm slid around my waist and held me there, constricting my chest and forcing my arms to my sides tighter than a python ensnaring its prey. I couldn't feel a weapon against me at that moment, but that didn't mean that he didn't have one strapped to his ankle, his waist, behind his back, somewhere easily accessible that if I made even the smallest wrong step that he would whip it out and I would be done for. "You made it so easy, you made everything so easy.  And then you left.  You really shouldn't have left.  You're the only one to ever get away from me, you know that?  And I almost let it happen, almost let you get away from me for good, but no one else compared to you, Caroline.  No.  One. Else." His grip tightened on my body considerably with each passing syllable and if my lungs weren't already frozen from sheer panic then I would have thought that it would have been hard to breathe. I wrenched my eyes open and allowed myself to take in my surroundings, allowed myself to concentrate on the functions of my body from my scalp down to my toes and slowly but surely my panic ebbed away until all I felt was anger and pure adrenaline rushing through my body. I gripped the handle of my weapon tight, and without uttering a single word to him in response to his disgusting comments, I utilized all of the strength that I had gained in my training and through running nearly ever single day to bend my arm up at the elbow where my arm wasn't restricted by his and jabbed my weapon down into his thigh, sending my body careening into the floor where he had thrown me away from his body in surprise and pain. I had stabbed him, finally gotten a piece of flesh, finally drew blood, finally made him hurt, even if it wasn't nearly as bad as what he had done to me.  I felt a sense of accomplishment wash over me as I gathered my bearings and stared down at the little steel knife that I had brought with me, the same one I had tried to use on him that fateful night in New York. The same knife that he had sent me in a gift box with Marley's supposed blood on it in order to terrify me more, one of his favorite games. Now it was my turn to play the game, and I wasn't playing to lose. The clicking of metal caused me to look up from my trip down memory lane to see my worst fear: the gun that I knew he would have trained directly at my body. "Drop the knife, Caroline.  Or should I say 'Care-Bear' since that is your best friend's little pet name for you?" His brown hair was disheveled, and the sweat lining his upper brow was sliding down the side of his cheek in a way that made it seem as if it were a tear.  There was an unmistakable glint of madness lurking behind his muddy eyes, his pupils so dilated from the dark night they almost took up his entire iris. That should have been his eye color; black, like the stained color of his soul. I finally did as I was told and held my hands up in a surrendering motion, and dropped the knife to the floor. The clattering of the steel against the wet concrete floor was the sound of my life being thrown away in a single moment, and I wasn't naive enough to believe that I was going to make it out of that situation alive. "That's it.  Now come closer," he commanded, the shaky resonance of his voice clinging onto my skin like a leech and forcing chill bumps to slide up and down my exposed arms. My feet were rooted to the spot, and I knew what he would do if I didn't do as he said, but I just couldn't force my body to do as he told. "Why?  You have me right where you want me.  I'm obviously not going anywhere.  Why don't you tell me something, why me?  Why are you so obsessed with me?!" I couldn't believe I had finally found my voice amidst all of the chaos and I could tell from the surprised reaction that Nathan gave me, he was just as dumbfounded as I was that I had finally chosen that moment to speak up for myself. He cocked his head to the side for a moment to ponder over my words, as if he were searching for the world's greatest response to my question. "Why you?  You were the one who said yes to go on those dates with me in New York.  You were the one who kept showing interest, and then pulled away at the last second!  You are the very definition of a tease, Caroline, can't you see that?" His feet took two long and imposing strides to where I was, his towering frame looming over my body like a skyscraper high in the sky.  His arm that was holding the small pistol was waving around frantically with each word that he spoke, and I knew that if he would just become distracted enough, I could find my way in. It was in that moment that I realized the lengths that I would have to go in order to make it home to my family, to Kieran.  I had to forget all of my training, and I had to provoke him. "I was a tease?  Give me a break, I only went out with you because my friends begged me and honestly, I felt sorry for you."