Behind the display

29

I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but I feel tiredness sneakily creeping in on me.  I don’t know where I am, and I also haven’t  been able to receive any signal on my phone, so I turned it off, to keep the little battery it has left.  I don’t know where I am, but I don’t go too deep into the woods, so that I still can keep an eye on the road, which seems never-ending.  I think about hockey and all the times I trained and played games, becoming so hot and tired, literally everywhere in my body.  Even though my body feels weak I feel another kind of tiredness.  Weariness for everything in life and I don’t know what more. When my eyes catch a small gas station, far away on the other side. I walk faster, feeling lifted with hope. Maybe there’ll be more signal, or maybe they’ll have Wi-Fi.  I skip over the street, thankful that it’s empty. No cars are parked in the station and it almost seems abandoned.  Until I’m able to open the old glass and heavy aluminum door.  The door is heavy and makes an irritating creaking noise.  I let my eyes wander around the empty shelves with only a few items displayed on them.

“Hello.” I call, my voice echoing but no answer.  I walk through the aisles and catch two water bottles and I eagerly grab it and chuck down my dry and sore throat.  I close my eyes, savouring the soothing moment.  I haven’t had water for a while now and I don’t know for how long more I will be walking.  I’m scared.  I'm scared that they’ll find me again or someone like those three bulky men finds me. I search for something to eat but find nothing except old dust.  I wonder what happened here.  Why the streets are so empty and why this place is so reckless.  I purse my lips and walk towards the door when a small voice scares me.

“Hello.” I turn ro see a little girl, with big scared eyes.

“Hi.” I say and turn my head sideway wondering what this little girl is doing in here. She looks down shyly.

“What are you doing in here?” I ask.

“Are you here to help us?” she asks in a small voice and her mouth quivers.

I frown, “To help you?”

She nods, sadness covering her whole face.

“Why, what’s wrong? ”I take a few steps towards her, my sneakers stepping on broken glass on the ground.   She gestures for me to follow her and run out a small door, where I can make out neglected walls.  I follow her, curiosity and concern taking over me.  I stop in my tracks when I hear her talking and other woman voices answering in a choir.  I listen closely, hoping that it isn’t a trap.

“Hello?”  A woman calls and I swallow.

“Can you help us please?” another woman asks, with a small squeaky voice.  Why aren’t they coming out?  Are they stuck?  I walk towards their voices to see four women behind bars. Two of the bars are bended making an oval circle in the middle but it’s certainly not big enough for them to go through.

“Hello?” I say, feeling strange.

“Who are you.” a woman asks, her beauty is so enchanting I feel vulnerable.  Her stare is icy, with sky blue eyes and her blonder hair is in a messy bun on top of her head.  I let my eyes travel towards the other women, each one with a different shade of hair and eye color, their beauty mesmerizing.

“Riley.” I utter, my voice breathy.

They all frown, looking at each other with shocked and frowned expressions.  I look at the clothes they’re wearing, all fancy pants and dresses.  What are they doing here?

“Riley Levington?” the one with the sky blue eyes asks and I swallow.  How does she know my surname? Should I protect myself?

“It’s okay, we're not going to do anything.” The red-head with porcelain skin says.  Her eyes are brown with yellow spots.

I bite my lips, “Who are you?” I ask.

“I’m Elizabeth.”  the sky blue-eyed woman says and sticks her hand out through the bended railings.  I take it with her hand feeling cold and fragile.

“I’m Lilith,” the redhead says, “but everyone calls my Lilly.”  she doesn’t bring out her hand.

“Tess.” the girl with fairest hair says.  Her eyes are grey.

“I’m Olive.” the black haired girl says, with earthy colored eyes, seeming the youngest of them all. They all seem so friendly and overly gorgeous.

Elizabeth sniffs, “Did you escape?”

My mouth is agape as I look at them with awe and confusion.

“How do you know?” I ask, feeling utterly stuck with emotions.

“Cause we’re in the same position that you are?”  Elizabeth speaks and I can make out that she’s the leader of them all.

“What position?”

“Do you have to answer each question with a question?”  Tess asks with an irritation laced in her voice.

“I think she’s scared and she doesn’t know us yet, Tess.” Olive says, frowning at Tess.  Tess just lifts her shoulders.

“Tell us what do you know?” Elizabeth asks and I don’t know what to say.  I silently stand, thinking of words but can’t find any.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, staying patient.

“I was looking for water,” I feel my phone in my back pocket, “and signal.”

They all inhale sharply, “There’s no signal, until like four miles, up from here.” Tess says rolling her eyes.

“So how did you come upon this place?” Elizabeth continues with her questions.

“I was walking and I saw it.”  I say.  I know she probably wants to know from where I came and why I was walking but I don’t trust them yet.

“Why were you walking?”

I scratch the back of my head, not knowing what to say.

“Leave it Elizabeth, you can see she doesn’t want to tell us.” Tess says with a raised eyebrow.

“You can trust us.” Elizabeth sincerely. I clutch my thumb in my hand.

“What are you guys doing in here?” I ask, wanting answers first.

“You can say we were kind of kidnapped.”  I frown at Elizabeth’s answer.

“Why?”

“The same reason you were.”  Tess says.

“I don’t know why I was.” Slips out of my mouth but at least I spoke the truth.  Gasps and grunts escape their mouths.

“You’re still on it?” Lilly asks, taking a deep shaky breath.

I swallow, “On what?”  The message.  From the doctor.  I want to start crying.

“What is going on?” I ask.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Elizabeth says, “It was for all of us.”  The other women nods.

I look at the little girl, gawking at us from left to right.

“Who’s she?” I ask.  What would a little girl have to do with this?

“She’s one of us.” Elizabeth says but seems as if sad emotions are taking over her.

“One of you guys?” she doesn’t even look ten.

“Listen, you’re you help us get out, or someone will come and will be with us here.” Tess says.  Or I could just run away from them.  But I know that’ll work with my conscience and I would just be a retard.

“How do I get you out? I ask.

“I heard him put the keys in the other room.” Olive says and I can make out that she’s the observer of the group.

“It’s a key holder with a lot of keys on it.” Elizabeth says and I can see hope in her eyes.  I grit my teeth, take a deep breath and go out of the room.  The little girl follows me.

“I looked there.” she says and gestures behind the counter.  That’s an obvious place to put keys.

“I’ll double check, you go look in  aisles, in between shelves, under the floor.”

She nods with a big smile and I can see her feeling honoured to be in this mission.  I go behind the neglected counter, covered in brown dust.  Clean lines and dots are on the dust and it’s almost like fingerprints.  I let my eyes travel along the clues of clean spots, knowing that it could be the little girl’s hands.  I try to open the old register but as if it’s bent from a hard smash I struggle to open it.  I wiggle it, hit it with all the power I left in my one arm.  My muscles ache butI push through it.  I gulp, my body starting to feel the same way it did when I was in so much severe pain.  And Stephen gave me pills that immediately made it better.  I frown and bite my lips, not wanting to figure it out in my head,

“Hey,” I call the little girl and she runs up with me, with her little twig legs, “What’s your name?”

“Sarah.” she says with a smile and I can see that I earned her trust.

“I need your help.” I say, feeling fatigue taking over me.  I breathe in deeply, hoping to gain some energy from the air.  I rest my hand on the counter putting all my body weight on it.

“I need you to help me pull on this.” I gesture at the register and she nods eagerly.

“Okay put both your hands on that side of the handle and I’ll put,” I lift my hand and wiggle it at her, “there.”

She does as I say, both her hands taking the space of my one hand.

“On three, you’re going to pull as hard as you can.”

“Okay.” she says but we both turn our head when we hear a car. s**t!

“Riley, I think he’s here.” Elizabeth calls but I ignore her.

“One, two, three.” we pull but it only budge a tiny bit.

“Hurry up.” they panicked.  I feel worn out.

“Again.” I say and we pull. I use all my strength, body weight and everything.  I hear a car door opening and closing so I pull harder, until it comes loose, making me fall backwards and hit my head against the wall.  Sarah looks at with a stunned expression.  With pain I pick my head up to see the keys inside the steel holder.

“Go, give it to them.” I say, even hurting when I speak. She doesn’t budge, her eyes staying on me.

“Quickly.” I utter and she takes hold of the jangling keys and runs with it.

I try to pull myself up, but as I use the strength  in my muscles I collapse back on the ground in weakness.  My muscles tremble and breath trembles and the women rushes out.  They eye me with concern and the thought of them leaving me here travels through my mind, but they help me up.

“Is it withdrawal symptoms?”

“Probably.”

“I think there will be in the car.”

“Take her other arm.”

They all speak as if I can’t hear them.

“Quickly he’s coming.”

I try to sustain my pain and keep my eyes open but it’s hard.  What is happening to me?  Tears escapes my eyes and I whimper.  I don’t want them to see the weakness in me but I can’t help it.  I want to puke, but I really can’t now.

“Make it stop.” I beg when it feels as if something sharp is smashing through my voice.

“It’s okay we got you.” Elizabeth soothes and for once I feel as if I will make it out of it.