Stockholm Syndrome

Five.

This now all made sense.

I'd sat up, literally all night, racking my brain around this, and this was the only thing that made any sense of it.

Gabby. He called me Gabby?!

He's got the wrong person!

The lock on the door, suddenly unlocked, echoing loudly through the empty bedroom and corridor.

And once again, that face I knew all too well from posters on my bedroom wall and seeing them in concert twice, popped round from the door to speak to me again.

He enters the room slowly. His eyes watching me carefully.

"Brought you some breakfast" he mutters. Having now changed his clothes, wearing a white floral shirt, open. With black skinny jeans, ripped at the knee, with doc boots.... my best friends favourite look on him.

Hayley!

Would she even be aware right now that something has happened to me?

More than that. That her favourite celebrity. Her biggest crush, was keeping me hostage?... highly unlikely.

"Did you hear me?" He says, cutting off my trail of thought. "I said it's your favourite"

Dismissing his words without taking them in, a glare at him and yell, "I'm not hungry"

"You will eat!" He snapped back just as quickly. "You think I need that on my conscience"

"Like you have a conscience" I mutter back, under my breath. But of course he hears, but it seems he chooses to ignore it.

He places the tray off food onto the dirty floor boards in front of me, where I still sit in the same place, beside the radiator. Now refusing to look at him as he steps towards the filthy, stained mattress on the floor at the other side of the room and takes a seat at the end of it.

"Last night..." I begin. "You called me Gabby" I say softly. Already knowing to tred carefully with this lunatic.

"Yes" he replies. His eyes glaring into me challengingly.

"I-...." I pause, not knowing how to word or approach this. "Matty, I'm not... her. My name is Amber"

"Oh, I know" he cuts in. "But you look like Gabby. You remind me of her. Therefore, you will be her" he says sternly. "For me!"

What the hell is he talking about? Who the hell is gabby? Why is this happening to me?!

Suddenly I panic.

I can't take it no more!

Before either of us know it, I'm scrambling to my feet and bolting for the door.

But he's fast. A lot faster than me.

He screams out "NO!" Just as I pull the door open to escape. And before I know it, his hands are on me, yanking me back to the spot I was in only mere seconds ago as he throws me to the ground.

"What do you have to do that for, huh?" He yells. "Just when things are going good, I mean, we were talking then. Getting on.... and then you go and do that!" He sighs heavily, raking a hand through his long hair as he turns to stare at the door at the opposite side to me.

"YOU JUST RUINED IT, GABBY!"
He screams, and immediately heads straight for the door.

"No. Please! I'm sorry, ok. Please.... please don't leave me locked up in here again" I beg, my voice breaking as sobs escape my mouth. Breaking down, I fall to the floor distraught at the situation.

"Please?" I cry.

But nothing. He's gone. And I'm locked in again.

"Please, somebody help me"..... I cry into the cold, mucky ground. Suddenly realising I'm probably never going to be saved.