Kidnapped & In Love

Chapter 6

Dimitry’s plan was working out so far, Melissa was convinced that they really escaped. Like Tucker mentioned to Dimitry, they ran out of gas after driving close to the lake giving them a kilometer to manage on foot until the lake.

When they arrived at the lake they found a small canu made from wood and could only fit two people. With only a backpack and blanket they got in, and Dimitry started rowing the boat.

“Dimitry you have been rowing the boat for a while now” Melissa says while covering herself up with a blanket. “Where are we going, couldn’t we have just walked until someone found us?”

Dimitry shakes his head “The way to town is far, we would have walked an entire day and found no one to help us” he says.

“Then why did we leave?” she asks with a hint of anger in her voice

“What do you mean by that?” Dimitry asks her

“Just that, we were fine where we were, and you decided we leave and now look we have been on this tiny canu for God knows how long with no water or food. We were safe and had a 100 percent chance to survival back at the mansion” she says.

“What!” Dimitry is shocked by her outburst. It’s a few minutes before 05am and so the night is fading allowing the skies to brighten up. “You are complaining about leaving a place you didn’t want to stay in?” he asks her, and she doesn’t respond but looks away.

“We were safer there than we are here” she whispers but loud enough for him to hear. Melissa isn’t being fair, all she’s been asking for is to leave the mansion and return home. Dimitry has tried his best and found a way of them escaping the mansion.

Dimitry continues rowing the canu until he spots the landmark Tucker told him about. He rows the boat towards the edge and helps Melissa get off the canu. She’s still annoyed with him and not saying a word. He picks up the backpack and carries it on his back while she wraps the blanket around herself.

They walk deep into the forest for a kilometer before they find a cabin made from wood. It is empty and abandoned. They walk towards the cabin and Dimitry knocks on the door which opens on its own.

“Hello, is anyone here?” says Dimitry as he steps into the cabin. “I don’t think there’s anyone here”

Melissa walks in and looks around. “There’s so much dust in here I bet no one has been here for a while” she says while moving around the living room area which only has a couch, a crafted wooden table with a rag beneath it, and a fire place.

A small kitchen area with a cabinet with a few plates, cups, pots, and cutlery. A dish washing area, a wooden table with three chairs around it at the center of the space with an old-fashioned wood-burning cook stove. The kitchen has a small pantry which only has flour, yeast, a few canned foods, oil, some salt, sugar, and some cleaning detergents.

The cabin has one room with a double bed and a bathroom next to it. A bathtub and a toilet. The whole cabin has wooden floors as well as wooden walls with a vanish finish.

Melissa walks back into the living room and finds Dimitry gathering somethings. “I will go out and look for something to eat as well as gather some firewood”

“Okay” she says then he walks out leaving her standing there.

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Melissa’s POV

Dimitry pissed me off earlier. Despite being kept at the mansion against my will I was more than comfortable there, I had a roof over my head, well prepared and delicious meals. Dimitry decided that we leave and brought me out here, in the middle of God knows where.

I shouldn’t have complained about wanting to leave the mansion, all I wanted was to get back to my normal boring life. I had just started university and made some good friends, I had so many plans which were all robbed from me.

I look around my current location. An abandoned cabin in the middle of nowhere. I don’t know how long we shall be here so I might as well make it more appealing and comfortable. All this dust might get one of us sick. I grab the detergents from the kitchen pantry, a bucket and broom.  

The bedroom isn’t so bad, the floor is dusty which I can solve by sweeping and mopping the floor. I dust the bed and change the duvet cover with a clean one from the closet. I spend a few minutes in the room before moving to the bathroom. The tub has a few stains which soon disappear after scrubbing with some detergent powder. I lift the toilet cover and find a frog staring right back at me.

“Ahhhh. You scared the s**t out of me” I tell the frog, not that it can respond “I am sorry, but I am going to have to flash you away” I cover the toilet to prevent the frog from jumping out when I flash with all my might. After a few minutes I lift the cover to check if the frog is gone and thank God it got flashed away. I start cleaning and scrubbing the toilet then clean the floor which is easily cleaned just by mopping.

With the bedroom and bathroom cleaned to an acceptable level I move to the living room area. The open space that’s connected to the kitchen isn’t as dirty, just dusty with cobwebs on the windows.  I open the windows first before I move the couch, rag, and table. I move everything to one side then sweep and mop the floor.

Who ever built this cabin lived alone, the space wasn’t enough for more than two people. It was small and easy to clean with not so many things around. They also added a fine touch to the place with wooden crafts. I finished off the living room area then the kitchen and finally the windows which only needed dumb dusting and removing the cobwebs.

My stomach grumbled, I haven’t had any food since last night. I walk back to the kitchen panty and take out the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. I can only make bread or rolls out of these ingredients, but I need some water. I look around the house and find containers of water underneath the sink area. Not sure how long the water has been here so it’s best I boil it first.

But how am I going to start a fire. Just then the front door opens and Dimitry walks in.

“Oh wow, someone got busy” he says while scanning the room

“I thought of tidying up abit” I say.

“Your level of tidying up has added some life to this place.” He says

“You were gone for a long time and I had nothing to do”

“Sorry about that, I caught us something to eat” he raises his left hand that has four medium sized fish on a hook “And I fetched us some clean water for cooking and drinking” he shows me a 10 liter container in his other hand.

“Oh great, I was just trying to figure out how to turn that on” I point at the stove “I want to make some bread rolls from the ingredients I found in the pantry”

“You can start with the ingredients while I start the fire” he says then moves to the kitchen area.

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Dimitry’s POV

Melissa was so angry earlier on. I thought she would be happy about leaving the mansion. Once we arrived at the cabin and made sure no one else was there I left her in the cabin. I knew she was safe because I had a few guards patrolling and making sure the place was safe from wonderers. I needed to clear my head and think things through.

I found a shorter route back to the lake and gave fishing a try and I was lucky to have caught four medium sized fish. I fetched some clean water as well in the container I carried from the cabin. I had been gone for a while and it was almost mid-day now.

I was shocked to walk into the cabin and find it all cleaned up when I returned. Melissa had cleaned up the cabin and was now trying to bake some bread or something.

I started a fire in the wood-burning cook stove while Melissa mixed ingredients and made bread dough. I walked back out with a knife and small basin with the fish so that I could clean it. I cut it open after cleaning it then walked back inside.

“The bread smells good” I said as I walked in.

“Thanks, how’s it going with the fish?” she asked without looking at me.

“It’s all cleaned and ready to be cooked. I just want to add some salt and oil before I braai it” I said.

“Okay” she said then gave me way to get to the pantry and get what I needed.

I went back outside and started a small fire with the wood I had gathered close by. I could have asked Tucker to organize all this, but I needed to do a few things myself to make it believable. When the fire was ready I went back in to get the fish.

I put it on a braaiing wire then went back out.

Melissa was busy with something that smelled nice.

After a while the door opened and she came out,

“How’s it going? Do you need any help?” she asked sitting down next to me.

“No, I am actually done” I turned the fish checking the other side.

“Feels like we have gone on a camping trip” she said

“Yeah, have you ever been camping?” I asked

“Nope, have you?”

“Many years ago, I went camping with my dad, I was good while it lasted”

“Did you enjoy it?” she asked

“Yes, I did, I learnt how to fish, and what plants to avoid in the wilderness” I said with a small smile remembering my camping trips with dad when I was a little boy. He brought me camping in these very woods, I knew this place so well I would always find my way out no matter where I got dumped.

“Let me set the table while you finish up” she said then left my side.

I soon joined her inside the house and found the small table set for two. Hot and freshly baked bread rolls and a bowl of soup on the table with two plates and cutlery.

“I found some soup and thought of adding it to the meal.” She says

“Great and some fish to complete the meal” I smiled at her.

We both sat down and had our first meal in this cabin. I hope for more meals together. After we finished eating she started tiding up while I went to take a bath. Without running water, I had to fetch some from the drum outside at the back of the cabin. The only thing my father and I decided not to do was connect water and electricity to the cabin because we always wanted to get the full camping experience.

Melissa did a good job cleaning up, I didn’t want her to do it on her own and was obviously going to help her, but she beat me to it. Everything was sparkling clean.

When I finished, I changed into a clean pair of black sweatpants and a t-shirt from the clothes I had packed from the mansion. I walked out of the room and found Melissa staring out the kitchen window.

“Hey I am done” I said

“Okay, I am just waiting for this water to boil” she points at the kettle on the stove “I can’t bath cold water unless it was a shower” she said then chuckled

“I understand” I walked to the couch and laid on my back.

“I am going to take a bath now then probably lay down too”

“Sure” I respond and soon hear her pouring water into the backet then enter the room.

I don’t know how long I was out, but it was now late and getting dark outside when I open my eyes, I am exhausted from starting my day at three in the morning. I need to find the lamps and turn them on while I can still find them. I remember they were kept in the pantry.

I get up and walk to the pantry, I find the four lamps with candles inside, I take them out of the pantry and check if there’s still some firewood in the stove oven. Luckily I find some which I take to light the lamps. I place one on the kitchen table, one in the living room on the small table and carry the two to the bedroom. I knock on the door and there’s no answer.

“Melissa I have brought some lamps” I say but the door opens. I walk in and the room is empty. I put one lamp on the little table and check the bathroom.

She’s neither in there.

Panic washes over me.

Where could she be? I rush out wondering where she could have gone. The moment I open the door I find her seated on the front porch with her legs folded to her chest and arms wrapped around herself.

“Hey, are you cold?” I ask sitting down next to her

“A little”

“Let me get you a blanket” I stand up, but she holds my wrist

“No, just sit” she says, and I follow her request, I get back into my position. “I am sorry about earlier today. I know you only listened to what I kept complaining about which was to get out of the mansion.” She turns to look at me “And you did what you could. I was comfortable there because I had security, but that’s not the only reason. I had you, I know you were only doing your job, but you made me feel safe and happy”

I am speechless after her speech. She has been honest with me and I have been lying to her from the start. I like her and if I tell her the truth she will hate me and wouldn’t want to be with me of course.

“I know no matter where I am so long as you are with me I am definitely going to be safe” she hugs me.

I put my arms around her and pray everything works out.