Saving Evelyn (Tony Perry Love Story)

Last Seen in San Francisco

Tony

It's been twenty-four hours. Still no sign of Evelyn. We contacted the police and a search party has been sent out. I'm sitting in the back lounge of our bus and the news is on. They've just made the report about Evelyn.

"A 24 year old woman has disappeared in San Francisco and has believed to have been kidnapped. She was last seen at the night club known as "The Parlour" and was wearing a black dress. She has a small build and has bleach blonde hair, multiple face piercings and a tattoo of a black heart behind her right ear. If anyone has any information to do with her whereabouts, please contact the police immediately."

I had given them that description. I saw her face as they showed a few pictures of her that I had submitted. There was a selfie of her and I outside the club, both of us smiling and her leaning her head on my shoulder. There was also a full body picture Vic had snapped of her on a day off when she had blue hair; she was standing in the sun and was half turned around to the camera, smiling her beautiful smile that I believe outshone the sun. It's barely been twenty-four hours and I already miss that smile. I'm worried sick.

I feel an arm wrap around my shoulders and I hastily wipe away the silent tears that had carved sorrowful tracks onto my cheeks. "Hey, Tone," says Vic. "We'll find her, alright? She's strong, she wouldn't let some sicko be the end of her. I'm sure she's okay, I can feel it."

I just nod. It's all I can do, even though I am grateful for all the effort Vic's made to try and cheer me up in this time. He's definitely the most emotional and empathetic guy in the band; not that the other guys haven't helped too.

I see a shadow loom over me and I feel a cool glass pressed into my hand. "Have a drink," Jaime says. "It'll make you feel better." I take his advice and throw the glass of scotch down my throat. I feel it burn a path down my throat and light a fire inside me, warming me up.

"Come on, come sit with us and have some more." Jaime offers me a hand and helps me up, Vic claps me on the back in a manly way and I follow them into the front lounge where Mike and the crew are sitting. Maybe I should focus on spending more time with them, to take my mind off things. A few more drinks wouldn't hurt either.

I wake up the next morning with my head pounding. Memories of last night are patchy and fuzzy. I'm still on the lounge with Mike and part of the crew. Everyone else must have gone to bad last night while we stayed up drinking. Usually when I drink a lot I regret it the next morning, but I feel like a night without my thoughts and worries is worth the day I'm going to have today with this hangover.

Evelyn

I'm shivering on the floor of this dark room. I'm so hungry and my throat is absolutely parched. I don't know what time it is and I haven't slept at all. My head hurts so much and I feel weak and slightly dizzy from blood loss.

Suddenly, the room lights up. It's a dim light, but I've become so accustomed to the dark that it hurts my eyes. The light is coming from a dull light bulb hanging from the ceiling and I have a split second to realise that I'm in a dingy and grey cellar or basement of some sort. There's dusty shelves covering the walls full of mismatched, broken and useless items. There's a set of steps to my right leading upwards and I hear a door creak open at the top. Oh no, it's him. Oh no.

He descends the groaning wooden steps and I see my kidnapper properly for the first time. He has a scraggly brown beard, dirty clothes and harsh black eyes. He watches me as I scramble backwards across the floor, fear coursing through every vein of my body. He twists his mouth into a grotesque smile, showing me his stained yellow teeth. He arrives at the bottom of the steps and reaches for me with his coarse, dirty hands. He grabs me by the arm and drags me closer to him. I scream at the top of my lungs, crying for help, although I know it is futile.

I can smell his foul, rotten breath on my face. He drags me over to an area in the room where the wall is not covered by shelves. Instead there are manacles chained to the wall. I try to pull away. Maybe I could run up those steps and escape through the door. But I know I'm too weak to outrun him in this state.

He slams me against the wall, giving me horrible déjà vu. He grabs my left wrist and chains it to the wall. There's nothing I can do. I give another helpless scream and I throw a weak swing at him with my right fist, missing entirely as he steps back.

"Shhh, darling," he says in a scratchy, growling voice. "Quiet, now." He reaches to a shelf next to him and pulls out an old baseball bat. I scream again as he raises it over my head.

Title cred: Besitos - Pierce the Veil