The Surgeon's Bride

Chapter 5

It had been 2 hours since the man had left the food and gone off. As per the clock on the wall opposite from the bed, it was now 6 in the evening. It was dark outside and after numerous attempts of trying to unlock or break down the door in the hallway, I decided to give up for the day. I had to come up with a plan that involved sabotaging the psycho and getting past him when he unlocks the door.

I lay on my stomach on the bed, the soft duvet catching my tears as they fell. I missed my dorm, my home, my family, my friends. I wonder what they were doing. Might they have noticed I was missing? Maybe they reported me gone to the police already. A spark of hope lit up as I imagined policemen bursting through the door any second, enveloping me in a warm blanket, and taking me downstairs to where my mum and dad would be waiting to see me again. They would run up to me and hug me, battered by the hours they had spent searching for me.

My thoughts were shredded as the sound of the door unlocked tore through the silence in the room. There; the sound of footsteps. There was a knock on the door to the bedroom. What am I supposed to say? Come in? I couldn't help but roll my eyes at this man's weird tactics. "Will you not come in if I don't say you can?" I called out. Immediately, the door cracked open and the man peered in, "I'd like to practice ethics and normalise good manners around here," he sternly said. "Ethics? Normalise good manners? You have me held against my will! Who are you to even use the term 'ethics'?!" I retorted angrily. 

"I want to sit with you and have a nice conversation. Is that possible? If you do so, I'll try answering your questions as well." The man calmly said. I didn't respond to him and opted to quietly give him a death glare. He pushed open the door with his foot and entered the room, dragging a serving trolley behind him. The trolley was jam packed with a variety of drinks and food that was covered in foil. "Let's have dinner together and talk. I'd like to know more about you." The man said and he sat down on the bed next to me. He gave me the creeps. I scooted away as he began unwrapping the foil covered platters; revealing tempting steaming hot food.

While doing so, the man's eyes wandered around the room and landed on the tray he had brought in before; still untouched. "You didn't eat?" He said to me, looking at me from over his glasses. Yet again, I opted to remain quiet. The man let out a loud frustration sigh. "Look. You are here for good. You need to make peace with this fact. The sooner you do, the better and easier it will be for you." He said. "They will come for me. They will come for me and I will leave this hell. Mark my words." I hissed at the man. To my surprise, he let out a chuckle. "Oh, you're sweet. You are not going anywhere." He said with a smile. The calmness in his voice and the peace on his face is what made me angry at him the most. "They are searching for me right now, and it won't be long before they find this place." I said.

The man reached his hand towards me hair and patted it softly but I immediately pulled away in disgust. "No one will find you here. You aren't in your town. You aren't even close to your town. This place isn't on Google maps. It is in the middle of nowhere. My wife and I loved the peace and quiet here. Away from nosy neighbor's and the horrific sounds of traffic. Its the perfect place for a couple in love." The man said. He kept looking at me with a strange look in his eyes. It made me uncomfortable. "I don't want to treat you in a harsh way. Let's eat now and then have a nice chat." With that, the man scooped up several items and prepared a plate for me. He handed it over to me with a napkin, "My name is Elijah Augustus." I hesitated but proceeded to take the plate from him. It consisted of a steaming steak, smoked broccoli, and what seemed like a mushroom sauce. The scent hit my nose and my stomach growled loudly. "See, you should've had lunch. Shouldn't keep your stomach empty like that." Elijah said with a crooked smile. "I can't trust you with a fork or knife so you'll have to eat it with a spoon," he said and passed me a fancy golden spoon with a matte black handle. I couldn't help it. I dug into my food and within a matter of seconds, I finished it all.

"Would you like another serving?" Elijah asked. "Why did you bring me here?" I abruptly asked him, ready to get my answers. Elijah sighed and placed the plates back on the trolley and pushed it away. "OK. I am Elijah Augustus; a 32 year old surgeon. A plastic surgeon." The words stung me. For some reason, him being a plastic surgeon creeped me out. He stood up and placed his hands on his sides. For the first time, I noticed him as a person. In my mind, surgeons were always somewhat old and boring. But Elijah was different. He was weird. He looked too young and built for a surgeon. I don't know if what I am thinking even makes sense. In the first glance, Elijah seems like a man who owns a well-established business and runs a crypto blog. But here we are, in the lair of him as a psychotic surgeon who kidnaps women as a hobby. "Why did you bring me here? I still didn't get an answer." I retorted, snapping back to reality.

"Two months ago, my wife passed away suddenly. It was just another peaceful night. We slept after spending a few hours by the close by. But the world had other plans for us. She never woke up after that. The doctors advised for a post-mortem but I refused. She deserved to rest in peace; not have her body torn apart by scalpels." Elijah's voice trailed off. "Her name was Kathy, by the way." He turned to look if I was still listening, and I was. "Well, since then, I… I have been looking for someone to replace her." I shook my head, "well, you could try Tinder." I awkwardly joked. Did Injust crack a joke with my kidnapper? I shook my head, get a grip, Claire! "No, you don't get it." Elijah's tone turned serious. He walked over and stood in front of the bed, looking down at me. "I can't be without her, Claire. We were high school sweethearts. She is my world. I need to get her back. I will use my skills as a plastic surgeon to get her back. That, combined with your efforts to portray her personality." Elijah smiled and continued, "you'll be just like my sweet Kathy!"