Chapter Three
When I awoke for the first time I thought I was in a dream. The world rumbled beneath me and, as my vision became clear, I noticed that the world was a blur and upside down. My stomach lurched as panic gripped my heart and I remembered what had happened. I tried to scream, but my mouth was gagged and my hands were bound behind my back. My hair streamed out, whipping my face as the air made it dance. Roaring engines were loud in my head and drowned out my thoughts. The road was dark and empty. Exhaust fumes played havoc with my mind. I managed to twist around enough to see that I had been put in a side car. Jack was above me, leaning forward, his eyes on the road ahead. Matt and Buck flanked him. I pushed myself up and tried to catch the attention of anyone else on the road, aching to find some kind of salvation, but there was none to be found. The roads were dead. We were the only ones still alive and there was no hope for me.
I whimpered and by this point my movements were enough to catch the attention of Jack. He looked over at me and smirked. His eyes twinkled and for a moment I could have sworn that they turned golden. Then I fell unconscious again. Whatever concoction Matt had presented me with had played complete havoc with my mind. I couldn’t think straight and I fell back into unconsciousness.
*
I stood on the stage again in the Honey Pot. This time there was no band behind me. I looked to the wings and my mother wasn’t there either. I was on my own, by myself, feeling so small. I wrung my hands together in front of me and felt like a little girl going for an audition for a part that I knew I was never going to get. Those were the ones Mom always told me were the winners. People performed better when the pressure was on and you might as well shoot for the moon because you might catch a star or two on the way back down. But I always felt the pressure, and those were the worse auditions of them all.
I looked up to see who was going to be judging me and the breath caught in my throat as I saw it was them; the three men who held my life in their hands. Their gazes were inscrutable. In the dim distance there was the faint roar of motorcycle engines, and as I turned to look out of the windows of the bar I saw the outside scenery running by in a blur, as though the real world was bleeding into my dream.
Now
was my opportunity to scream, I thought. Perhaps if I screamed in my dream, it might bleed back and I could free myself of my gag and escape. All it took was one person to hear me, to stop this terrible crime.
But when I opened my mouth fully and got ready to let fly the most desperate, soulful plea that has ever been heard, I was met only by silence.
“Sing for us,” Jack said.
“You must sing,” Matt added.
Buck grunted.
I tried to sing, I tried my hardest to make any sound come from my throat, but my voice had been stunned into silence. I gagged and choked and even reached into my mouth, as deep as I could, as though all I had to do was claw down, deep down into my soul, and pull out the words that had been lost inside. But there was nothing inside. The men frowned and looked disappointed with me. I could not speak. I could not scream. I could do nothing but stand there and feel like a failure.
I looked around desperately for Rachel, but she was nowhere to be seen. There were only the men there. I hoped that I might at least be reunited with the spirit of my mother, but the area was devoid of any other presence. I was alone, truly and utterly, and I didn’t know how I was going to cope. I looked to the men and waited for them to tell me any kind of reason why they had brought me here, why they wanted me to perform for them, but they just sat in silence and said nothing. Tears streamed down my face. I looked down at my feet and noticed that my ankles were shackled to the stage, as though I was destined to stay there for the rest of my life, unable to move until I sang, but the song had been lost in the caverns of my soul. I tore my blurred gaze away from them and faced the wide window.
Outside in the blurred world that rushed by so quickly, so quickly it appeared as though I was being left behind, there was but one thing that was constant; the silver moon. It throbbed and pulsed, and seemed to expand in my mind. Its silver light was blinding and it filled my vision. I had to blink, but even then the flash overwhelmed everything. It filled the bar and the men disappeared into the bright brilliance. I winced and begged for mercy, but then the light engulfed me and I wasn’t sure I would ever be the same again.
*
A fragrant scent drifted through my mind and my eyes fluttered open. I felt groggy and my hands immediately fell to my aching stomach. I coughed and spluttered, feeling as though I wanted to throw up the contents of my stomach, but nothing came out. I gasped for breath as I brushed the hair away from my face.
“Drink this,” Matt said. As soon as I was made aware of their presence I scrambled back, getting as far away from them as I could. I hit a wall and clung to it for dear life. My eyes were still wide with panic and I could barely speak. I shook my head and tore at my hair.
“Please,” he continued, “this will make you feel better. I promise.”
His tone was kind, as were his eyes when I dared to look at them, but how could I believe him? He had tricked me and my senses somehow, stolen my consciousness and goodness knows what they had done to my body. I patted myself down and almost groaned with relief when I realized that my clothes were still intact and that nothing felt different about my body, but I knew that could all change within an instant if I wasn’t careful. My guard was still up and I pressed my lips together tightly, shaking my head, letting Matt know that I wasn’t going to take anything he gave me, willingly.
“How long is she going to be like this?” Jack asked.
“Unless she drinks this it’s going to take a while for her system to work through the other drug. I did tell you it was risky,” Matt said.
“It was a risk we needed to take. And it was safer than Buck whacking her over the head.” Jack frowned and his eyes bore into me with white hot intensity. I wasn’t sure that I had ever been scared of anyone as much as I was scared of him in that moment.
“What do you want with me?” I asked in a trembling whisper. My voice was so quiet it was barely audible.
“You’ll find out soon enough. The sooner you drink that, the better. I’ll tell you everything when you have your mind back, but don’t worry. You’re safe with us,” he said.
“I don’t believe you,” I replied.
Jack didn’t say anything to that.
“Leave the drink with her. She’ll come to her senses soon,” Jack said. Matt seemed uncertain, but he followed Jack’s orders and left the plastic cup by the door. Buck’s absence was noticeable.
“Do you really think she’s…” Matt said as they left the room, but they closed the door, cutting off the sentence before I could hear what they were going to say. I groaned as I fell against the wall. My body was rigid with tension and I was exhausted as so many thoughts whirled around my mind. I breathed deeply and tried to remember all the lessons I had learned. Mom had taught me from a young age that the world was not kind to women. Predators were everywhere, always trying to take what they wanted even when you didn’t want to give it to them, but this…I never thought I would have been in this situation.
No.