The Coworker

Chapter 3

What. Do. I. Do? What do I do? A man just came to my door looking for Chase, and there is another strange man on my couch. I think the only way to figure this whole thing out is to get answers from the only person I can at the moment, which is the stranger asleep in my apartment.

I walk into my living room and tap him on the shoulder. "Hey!" I yell, then step back with the knife, ready to attack. He doesn't move. I tap his shoulder again a bit harder and yell once more. Nothing. I move on to plan B. 

I fill a glass with water in the kitchen and go back and dump it on his face. He jolts awake and sits up confused. He wipes the water from his eyes and looks up at me. What does he see, you might ask? Me standing there like an idiot holding an empty glass with my eyes about to pop out of my head. He starts to stand up, and I raise the knife as a way of defense.

"Stay over there!" I yell.

He did not seem fazed and keeps walking over.

"I mean, it stay back!" I scream once more.

He scoffs but surprisingly sits back down.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here!" I say with as much confidence I could give at the moment.

He just continues to stare at me.

"Listen, you are a random man who just spent the night on my couch, so I think I deserve some answers. Unless you want me to call the cops."

He thinks for a moment before speaking.

"I was invited to stay here, but I would not have slept over if I knew the woman who owned it was such a bitch." He says.

"Who invited you because it sure as hell wasn't me."

"Look, I'm just passing through town and asked my buddy Chase for somewhere to stay. He told me that he lived here, and I could just use the key under the mat."

My heart sinks into my stomach. I never told Chase or anyone where I kept an extra key. That explains why this man is here, but not why that other man came by looking for Chase.

"Do you know why someone came by looking for Chase a minute ago?" I asked.

He shrugged. "The only thing I can think of is that he told someone else he was staying here as well."

I am not even sure how to respond. I don't understand why Chase would claim to live here. Yes, we are coworkers, but we barely know each other. I didn't even know Chase knew where I lived.

After a period of silence, the man speaks again. "Well, I better get going."

With that, he just gets up and leaves even though he is still barefoot. I think I will just wait to ask Chase about this at work tomorrow. I have things that I need to do, and my head is killing me. I walk back into the kitchen, and my fish sticks have melted into a blob on the counter. I sigh before turning on the oven to preheat as I don't really have anything else to eat. Grocery shopping is just one of the many things on my to-do list.

I start working on my essay for English. It would probably be easier if I read the book, but Spark Notes comes to the rescue again. I have a pretty solid outline by the time my fish sticks are done, and I am transferring them from the baking sheet to a plate when there is a knock on the door.

"What now?" I mumble to myself.

I open the door, and it is the same guy who was looking for Chase earlier.

"Can you tell Chase to hurry up? I am in a bit of a hurry." He says.

"I'm sorry I should have told you earlier, but Chase does not live here," I tell him starting to close the door.

He places his hand on the door keeping it open. "Listen, sweetheart. I need you to stop playing games and bring Chase out here, okay?" He says while forcing a fake smile.

"As I told you, sweetheart," I say, delivering the same attitude, "Chase is not here."

The next thing I know, he forces the door open and tackles me to the ground. I land on my back. Hard. So hard, in fact, it knocks the wind out of me. I turn to my side and try to sit up to catch my breath, but he sits on top of me and pins my shoulders down. I start clawing at anything I can get my hands on and kicking my legs furiously, but it's no use. He then pulls a syringe out of his pockets with one hand, holding my wrists with the other. He pulls the cap off with his teeth before stabbing the needle into my neck. I try to continue to fight, but within minutes I have no strength left, and I can no longer keep my eyes open.

---

I wake up to bright light on my face. I have to blink a couple of times to adjust my eyes before looking around. It seems as though I am in some sort of basement, perhaps? The room is quite spacious but is made of concrete with no windows. My wrists and ankles are tied to the wooden chair I'm sitting on, but I'm obviously not blindfolded, and I'm not gagged. I thought I was alone until I heard a sniff behind me.

"Hello?" I called out. The sound came from behind me, but I cannot turn around.

No answer. Great.

I am left alone to my thoughts of hoping it is not a murderer, but I guess I was already kidnapped, so that the chance may be high. I hear the creaks of someone walking down the stairs, then some faint whispering. So I guess I am in a basement.

The voices walk towards me until they are in front of me, and I am met with two very familiar faces.