After Dark Read online

  “How about you, married?”

  Stephanie snorted. “Not even close. I used to think there was something wrong with me. I’ve never really had an attraction to anyone, and the times I have had sex I felt detached. It never really did anything for me. Now, what with this happening, I doubt I’ll ever have a normal relationship.”

  Meredith could hear the pain in Stephanie’s voice. Gently she took her hand. Changing the subject, as she had no words of comfort to offer, she asked, “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-nine.”

  “You’re still a baby.”

  “I think I’ve matured pretty much in the last few days.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling. I’m forty-one, but I feel dead. I’m not sure how much more of this I can take.”

  Stephanie started to speak, but the door opening caused them both to jump. They unconsciously moved closer together.

  The Man walked in. Meredith couldn’t see his face because of the baseball cap he had pulled down low. He wore dark jeans and a stained shirt.

  “I’m feeling like revisiting the good ol’ days.” He stalked over toward them and slapped Stephanie across the face, making her fall back against the wall. He grabbed Meredith, unchained her from the wall, and carried her out of the room.

  Meredith didn’t even scream. All the fight she had in her had gone days ago. He could do what he wanted, she no longer cared.

  †

  Freezing water splashed onto Stephanie’s face and her eyes flew open. The Man stood at the end of the mattress with a metal bucket in his hand and what looked like old rags in the other. He tossed the rags at Stephanie, put the bucket on the floor, and from the waistband of his jeans he pulled out a small first aid kit.

  “I got carried away,” he mumbled. “Clean yourselves up and sort out her cuts. I like my meat to be fresh.” He turned and left, slamming the door with force.

  Stephanie peered into the darkness, seeing Meredith’s unconscious form on the mattress next to her. She was naked, and through the dim light, Stephanie could see massive amounts of tiny cuts marring Meredith’s torso and breasts.

  “Oh, sweetheart, what has he done to you?” she whispered.

  Stephanie brought the bucket closer and dunked one of the rags into it. Gently she touched Meredith’s face, but there was no reaction. She set about cleaning up the cuts, applying the antiseptic cream the man had given her, and placing plasters where she could. It didn’t appear that any cuts needed stitches and Stephanie hoped they wouldn’t scar too much.

  After she finished the medical care, she began to wash Meredith’s body. Getting the months’ worth of grime off proved a challenge with only a small amount of water and the now dirty rags. She took off her own shirt and covered Meredith, hoping to provide some form of dignity and comfort for the still unconscious woman.

  Stephanie gave herself a quick rub over with the rags and dumped them in the bucket. Settling back, she cradled Meredith’s head in her lap and tenderly stroked her hair, softly humming a nonsensical tune.

  †

  Meredith opened her eyes and found herself feeling oddly peaceful. It took her a few moments to remember where she was. She became aware of the dull pain radiating over her stomach and chest, but the glide of gentle and strong fingers through her hair settled her.

  Stephanie must have sensed Meredith wake up. Her hand stilled, and she murmured a greeting.

  “How long have I been out?” Meredith said through cracked, dry lips.

  “Not sure, a few hours at least.”

  Meredith could hear the despondent tone as Stephanie spoke. Stephanie had always had a positive quality in her voice, even after being here for weeks, and Meredith feared she was finally realising they weren’t going to get out. Rising, she looked at Stephanie. Her face was closed off, a vacant look in her eyes.

  “Hey.” She reached up and turned Stephanie’s head toward her. “What’s the matter?”

  “That’s a pretty fucking stupid question, don’t you think?”

  Meredith sucked in a breath at Stephanie’s harsh words. She dropped her hand from Stephanie’s cheek, the chain restraint attaching her to the wall clattering loudly in the quiet of the room.

  “I’m sorry, Meredith, but I’m fucking angry! He cut you up like he wanted to skin you alive! He’s doing God-awful things to you, to us, and probably others too. I can’t keep doing this.”

  Meredith pulled her knees to her chest, noticing for the first time she felt cleaner and smelt a little fresher. She became aware of the plasters taped across her wounds. The ratty blouse Stephanie had draped over her fell to the floor.

  “Did you do this?” She gestured to herself.

  Stephanie’s eyes drifted down Meredith’s naked form. “Yes. I cleaned you up and fixed your cuts. He gave me some water and a first aid kit. Not sure why he did.”

  Meredith did cry then. For the first time since she had been taken, she felt her emotions come to the surface. She couldn’t bury this feeling if she tried. Warmth spread through her chest and around her body. The Man had never given her anything to clean herself before and certainly not the means to attend to any injuries. She couldn’t fathom why he would suddenly start doing this.

  “Thank you,” Meredith whispered. A tear rolled down her cheek and Stephanie reached out, pulling her into her arms, holding her tightly, while Meredith wept.

  †

  “Did you hear that?” Meredith asked.

  It had been four days since the Man had last been in to hurt either one of them. He had collected the bucket of dirty water not long after Meredith had her crying episode and returned later with a bread roll for each of them and a glass of filthy looking water to share. He hadn’t said anything to them, just put the items down and left. He didn’t even glance at them.

  Every day since then he carried on with the same routine. He’d give them food and water and that was it. Stephanie could only guess as to why he didn’t seem interested in them anymore. The loud scream they had heard a moment ago gave her a sick feeling.

  “Yeah, I guess there are others down here with us,” Stephanie said.

  They sat quietly, listening in the dark for any other sounds coming from the corridor. Meredith turned to regard Stephanie.

  “Tell me something nice about you. Something fun. Something that can take my mind off this fucking hell-hole.”

  Stephanie thought for a few moments, trying to remember a time when she at least felt normal. She had never really been happy, just content with who she was and plodding along in life. Now, being here, she could hardly remember the last time she even felt remotely safe.

  With no memories coming forward, she shook her head in dismay.

  “I can’t right now. My head is all messed up. I’m tired, hungry, and can’t honestly think of anything I even want to talk about.”

  Placing a hand on her knee Meredith said, “That’s okay, Steph. I just…”

  Stephanie cut Meredith off, struck by the fleeting emotion that had just washed through her when Meredith touched her. “I do know that right at this moment I feel safe with you. I know it sounds weird and he could come in at any moment, but I’m happy I’m here with you. I mean, I wish you weren’t here, but if we are here, which we are, I’m glad it’s with you.”

  Meredith smiled at her flustering. “Stephanie, it’s all right, I know what you mean. I’m glad I'm here with you too.”

  “Oh, right, I sort of rambled there for a minute, didn’t I?”

  They smiled softly at each other through the darkness and entwined their fingers together, waiting for the next chapter of this terrifying nightmare to continue.

  †

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Meredith.”

  “I know. Me too.”

  The Man hadn’t been by to feed them in six days. Their strength depleted, they lay side by side, huddled together for warmth. Meredith’s lips were cracked, her skin itched like thousands of tiny ants crawling all over her.

>   “Do you think something has happened to him?”

  “Yeah, although I have no clue what. I’m sorry, Steph, that you couldn’t get out of here.”

  Meredith closed her eyes, too tired to talk any more. It took all her energy just to keep breathing. She felt Stephanie shift closer and dry lips gently kissed her forehead.

  “It’s okay. I never really thought I would anyway.”

  As they lay there Stephanie began to talk.

  “When I was two years old, I was in a car accident. My mum died on impact and I was left with a head injury. I think it hindered my ability to connect with people. I haven’t really had many friends and my dad gave me away when he couldn’t be bothered to look after me anymore.

  “I’ve always struggled trying to understand other people’s thoughts and emotions, I can recognise them, just not understand them. I’ve never experienced any kind of love. I’ve been content with life and have a good job working for my only friend, he’s more like a brother to me. He’s the only person I’ve ever felt close to.”

  As she continued to speak, her voice became quieter, the words hard to hear even in the stillness of the room. She whispered tales of the trouble she got into during her school years and how she always felt adrift from everyone else. She spoke of anything, really, to keep the silence of death from creeping up on them.

  If they were going to die, Meredith was glad she wouldn’t be alone when it happened. And if by some miracle they did survive, she wanted to find out more about Stephanie Edwards.

  Chapter Three

  The door burst open and the room filled with swaths of torchlight as people rushed in.

  A woman shouted, “I’ve got two more bodies in here,” and Meredith felt the warmth of light on her face. She struggled to open her eyes, and as a gentle hand touched the pulse point in her neck, she managed to squint up at the stranger. Shocked eyes regarded her, surprise ghosting across the woman’s face.

  “Jesus, it smells horrid in here,” a second, deep male voice said.

  “Get an ambulance here now; we have at least one alive.” The woman looked back at Meredith, resting her hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. I'm a police officer. We’ll get you out of here soon.”

  Meredith closed her eyes, trusting the stranger's words. Suddenly remembering Stephanie, her head thrashed to the left, eyes searching Stephanie’s face inches from her own.

  “Stephanie?” Her voice cracked, Stephanie’s name came out in barely a whisper. Stephanie didn’t stir.

  “We’ll look after her, don’t worry,” the woman said. Her lips set in a grim line, she stretched over Meredith and checked Stephanie’s pulse.

  At that point two medics walked in, one carrying a backboard and duffel bag, the other pushing a stretcher.

  “Check her first,” the woman said, pointing at Stephanie’s inert body. “I can’t find a pulse.

  Hearing the words injected Meredith with an uncontrollable rage. She gathered all the strength she could muster and got to her knees. As one medic began CPR and the other started to attach lines and run drugs into Stephanie’s arms, Meredith took her hand and ran the fingers of her other hand through Stephanie’s filthy hair.

  “Come on, Steph, hang on,” Meredith whispered fervently. “We’re getting out. We’re safe.”

  Stephanie didn’t respond. She lay still, the medics trying all they could to breathe life back into her. Finally, the first medic murmured they had a weak pulse. Quickly they slid the backboard under Stephanie, hefted her onto the stretcher, and were gone.

  Meredith slumped back onto the soiled and grubby mattress, trembling. The woman took off her flak jacket and draped it over Meredith’s shaking body.

  “There is another ambulance on the way. We’ll get you out of her soon.”

  A few minutes later, Meredith was being wheeled up the corridor toward the main torture room. Instead of going through there she was taken to a door on the right-hand side. Going through this new darkened hallway, she sensed they were heading uphill.

  After a minute of climbing, they broke through into piercing daylight. Meredith closed her eyes at the sudden blinding of the sun. Gradually she adjusted to the new sensation. When she had her eyes open as far as she dared, she was shaken to see four body bags lying next to each other. They were all filled with forms that Meredith assumed were more victims.

  Glancing to her right, just before she was lifted into the back of the waiting ambulance, she saw another, younger woman put into a different ambulance. She could hear the hysterical screaming of a different woman. How many of us did he lock up? Sick fucker.

  Mercifully, the ambulance door closed behind her and soon they were on their way.

  †

  Meredith felt familiar fingers running through her hair. She knew that touch, it had comforted her at one time. She opened her eyes, wincing at the bright light that flooded her irises. Once she could fully focus, she saw Kathleen sitting beside her on an uncomfortable looking chair. Meredith took stock of herself. She was exhausted, that much she knew, and her whole body throbbed with the pulse of her heartbeat. She turned her head more fully to face Kathleen.

  “Hello.”

  “Oh, Jesus, sweet pea. I'm so glad you are awake. You've been asleep for four days now. I was beginning to think you would never wake up.”

  “What happened?”

  Kathleen picked up Meredith’s hand, laying it gently against her cheek. “The doctors have been running tests on you since you've been here. STDs, blood work, and other things. They think you'll be okay.” Kathleen brushed the tears from her eyes.

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Not your fault, darling. I've called your parents and they want to speak to you before they fly back from New York, we have all been so worried about you.”

  Meredith's energy drained out of her at the mention of her parents. She had missed them terribly and she hoped they were okay. She closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep with the feel of Kathleen's fingers in her hair. Her last conscious thought was wishing Stephanie was here and the feel of Stephanie's fingers touching hers.

  †

  Meredith woke to the soft voice of the nurse gently calling her back to consciousness. She opened her eyes and blinked to clear the fogginess from them.

  “The doctor is on his way to speak to you.” The nurse fluffed her pillow and straightened her sheets in a vain attempt to make her feel more comfortable.

  A man carrying a clipboard walked in, wearing light-blue scrubs and a pristine-white lab coat. He introduced himself as Dr Carmichael and he did a thorough exam of Meredith. He made a few notes on the papers attached to the clipboard and then turned his gaze to her.

  “You are a very lucky woman, Miss Ashcroft. The care you received on your cuts have healed well, and within time, most of them will probably fade with no scarring. We can do laser treatment on the others if that is something you would want in the future. You’re severely malnourished, but we have fluids being given and soon, hopefully, we can get you started on solid food.”

  His eyes shifted around the room, avoiding eye contact as if his next words were unpleasant to speak, and Meredith had a bad feeling about what he was going to say. She mentally prepared herself, thinking that his words would be nothing compared to how much she had already endured.

  “We performed a rape kit when you arrived and have taken samples and bloods for testing. Of course, the police have taken some samples as well for evidence. We've done tests for the usual things, HIV, AIDS, hep B and C, et cetera. The results will also take a while to come back, but fingers crossed they will all be negative. We would like to keep you in a couple more days for observation, but barring any unforeseen problems, you can go home.”

  Meredith blew out a breath. The prospect of home had never occurred to her in the last few months. After the Man had failed to return, she knew she would die. She had made peace with that fact, and although she had been sad for her parents, she herself was okay with it.
/>
  The doctor said his farewells and the nurse continued to fuss with her drips as well as checking bandages. Kathleen came back in but avoided eye contact with her. It was as if she was a completely different person from the one, she had been when Meredith had awakened earlier. Something had changed, but Meredith was too tired to try and figure it out. She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them in a panic to search out Kathleen, who had settled in a chair beside her bed.

  “Stephanie, is she okay?”

  Kathleen looked at her, confused, her brows drawn down, pursing her lips.

  “She was with me in the same room,” Meredith explained.

  “I'm not sure. Would you like me to go and find out for you?”

  Meredith nodded, she didn’t have the strength to speak. She closed her eyes as Kathleen left the room, her thoughts turning to Stephanie and praying, with everything she had, that she was alive. The possibility of Stephanie dying was unbearable. They had gone through so much together in that place and there was no way Meredith would be able to live with the fact that Stephanie had died and that she had lived. They had bonded in their need to survive and had relied on each other. Meredith was not going to let her down now by believing she could not make it through.

  Kathleen came back in a few moments later.

  “She's up in ICU, in an induced coma. The doctors have stabilised her, but she nearly didn't make it. They placed her in the coma to give her more time to heal. Hopefully, she should be okay.”

  Meredith merely nodded, immensely pleased that Stephanie was alive, but with no energy to say anything. She closed her eyes and slept.

  Ch

  apter Four

  Stephanie awoke in a haze of white light. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she blinked a few times to clear the dryness in them. She felt terrible. Her head thumped in time to her pulse and waves of queasiness rolled through her stomach. She became dimly aware of another person in the room and, for just a second, she was gripped by fear, back in that hell of a basement. She scrunched up her eyes, her muscles tense. She didn’t think she could cope with one more vicious thing happening to her.