Not the Same

Where Am I?

Ricky’s POV

            After waking up from being unconscious, I find myself tied to a metal chair. I tried moving, but the knots were too tight to even move my wrists an inch. The more I moved, the more chaffed my wrists were. The only light on was one single light bulb shining over my head. The view around me was very limited. Beyond the circle I sat in, the only thing I could see was either obscured objects or nothing at all. The room was quiet with only the sound of a leaky faucet slowly dripping.

            Suddenly, I heard someone coming toward me. The footsteps echoed in the room and as the person got closer, the louder the footsteps became. I was then met with the silhouette of someone. The figure approaches me and stops in front of the circle of light. I could tell the figure was a man, their face wasn’t as blurred, but I was still unable to see who it was. “Do you like your accommodations,” the figure asked.

            That voice! Could it be? “Pascal, is that you,” I ask.

            The figure steps into the light and I see that it is him. “Hello, Ricky,” Pascal says. “Now, I’ll ask again. Do you like your accommodations?”

            “Oh, it’s lovely, I feel right at home,” I say sarcastically. “Now, I have a question for you. Are you the guy that’s been trying to kill Kian?”

            “Yes, you could say that,” Pascal says.

            “So, you’re The Boss,” I ask.

            “No, I’m just a servant to The Boss,” Pascal answers.

            “How many servants does The Boss have,” I ask.

            “Several, however, most of them are in jail,” Pascal says. “Me and one other person is the only person, The Boss has.”

            “Who’s The Boss,” I ask.

            “You’ll meet The Boss, in time,” Pascal responds.

            “How could you do this,” I say. “You have a family.”

            “Family? Oh, you mean Aaron and Gabe,” Pascal says. “Well, Aaron is my husband, but Gabe isn’t my kid."

             

             "What do you mean," I ask.

             "He’s just an orphan, we "adopted"," Pascal says using air quotes. "We got him to use for our operation." 

            “You bastard,” I say. “You’re sick and cruel.”

            Pascal pulls back and punches me in the face. The punch was so hard I fell over with the chair. “Comfortable,” Pascal asks.

            “No,” I say.

            “Good,” Pascal says. “And just so you know; it was never mine and Aaron’s idea to adopt Gabe to use for our work; that was The Boss’s orders. We were just following orders. Hey, Aaron! Come in here.”

            Shortly after he said that, Aaron walked into the room. “What do you want,” Aaron asks.

            “I just thought you might want to meet Ricky while he is conscious,” Pascal says, kissing Aaron on the cheek.

            “We've met before. Hello again, Ricky. You look so helpless and vulnerable,” Aaron says. “I love it!”

            “What do you all want with me,” Ricky says.

            “In time, you’ll know,” Aaron says. “But, until then, you sit tight and be patient.”

            They then start to leave the room. As Pascal gets to the door, he turns around and says, “Oh, don’t bother trying to scream. This room is sound proof. No one can here; no matter how loud you scream. All you will do is hurt your throat.” He then exits the room and slams the door shut and then locks it.

            As I lay there, I felt the cold smooth floor on my face. I heard people screaming above me, I could make out Pascal and Aaron’s voices, but the third voice was indistinguishable. Suddenly, I hear something shattered along with a loud thud on the ground. The hanging light bulb swung back and forth giving me visual of more of my surroundings. Looking around, I could see a metal shelf with paint cans with paint sliding down the sides and dripping down onto the floor. Also in the room was a wooden table with several tools on it and some in the floor in front of it.

            However, the most terrifying thing in the room was what I found on the walls on the opposite side of the room. On the walls, I saw several knives, saws, and other instruments stained with blood. Looking at those, my mind became frantic thinking that in time I would come to face those. The hanging light bulb finally came to slow halt. I was once again left isolated in this circle.

Lying there, I felt so alone. As much I tried not to, the only person I could think about was Connor. When I thought about him, I became calm and relaxed. The memory of us almost kissing was what I thought about the most. I hope everyone is okay. I bet everyone is freaking out, especially Kian. He must be losing it and blaming himself for this. I miss them so much. I hope I get to see them again, but looking at my predicament, I don’t think that will happen.

I wonder what they want with me. I’m probably just leverage to get Kian to come to them. I can’t let him do that. I need to get out of here, but how? I’m tied up in a basement in a house somewhere I don’t even know where I am; even if I escape this house, who knows if I’ll be able to get back to Shelby and Andrea’s place. Where am I?

The light bulb short circuits and I’m alone trapped in a room of darkness. The only companion I had in this room was the glowing light and with that gone, I have nothing. I once again heard the dripping of that leaking faucet. That faucet was driving me insane with each drop, it became louder and louder until that was all I could hear. I couldn't even think anymore. The dripping was implanted into my brain.

drip…drip…drip…drip…Drip…DRip…DRIp…DRIP!