Page 16

My mind blanks. I have no idea how I ended up there. I don’t remember a lot of my past. It all seems so foggy, so unclear. I let out a groan as I try to picture my life before all this, but there’s nothing there.
I look over at Diana, who is standing against the wall watching everything. She tries to give me an encouraging smile, but it doesn’t help.
Why can’t I remember?
The lieutenant clears his throat, and my head snaps to him, breaking me from my thoughts. “Let me try something a little easier for you. Is there any family here in Las Vegas that we can call for you?”
My eyes widen at his words. Las Vegas? As in… the state of Nevada? Am I from here? Do I have family from here? No… New York. I am from out east. I feel that to be true. I feel it in my bones.
But maybe that’s a lie. Fuck, I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t anymore! I can’t remember who I am! Where I’m from! My entire life is nothing more than a black hole. My heart rate starts to pick up, my frustration starting to grow.
“You look surprised. Are you from Las Vegas?” Officer Ransom asks me.
I pick up my hands and pull at my hair. The machine next to me starts to beep, and Diana runs over to me. I can feel the tears falling from my eyes as I assess that I am no longer sure where I come from.
But I am sure that I am lost and forgotten.
Dizziness starts to come over me, my chest constricting as a new fear washes over me. How will I survive out here? How will I get back to wherever it was I came from? How is all this fucking happening?
My vision starts to tunnel, and I feel like I can’t catch my breath. I claw at the hospital sheet and my gown, and then I see nothing but darkness.
And I welcome it.
I wake with a start. My eyes fly open, and I instantly recall there being people in the room with me, but the room is currently empty. Thank fucking God.
Scanning the room, I see that new water has been brought to me. I look up at the clock on the wall and see that it’s a little after ten in the morning. I have no idea how long I have been out. Has it been a day? A week? Three hours?
I need to get the fuck out of here.
My stomach cramps, and a wave of nausea hits. I immediately grab the vomit bag next to me and empty the bile into it. Sweat breaks out on my forehead, and my body feels like it’s on fire. These withdrawals are the worst.
Out of the kindness of their hearts, the nurses pooled some clothes for me yesterday, since I was brought in here completely naked. They thought I might be more comfortable not being in a gown all day long, since I have nothing on underneath. But naked was how the asshole kept me. Completely bare.
Fuck. My captor. The mere thought of him sends shivers down my spine. My eyes widen as I look around the room again. Of course he’s not here, but that can change.
What if he finds me here? What if he has been looking for me?
I can’t let him find me. I need to get far away from here. I need to find shelter and safety. I’m a rat trapped in a cage right now. What if the cops put out a picture of me to see if people know who I am? He could see that, and know that I’m here.
My eyes water, and I feel myself get more agitated the more I sit here. I need to get the fuck out of here. And fast.
Without wasting another second, I jump out of the bed and head toward the clothes on the chair. Except my arm is yanked back by the wires connecting me to the machines and the IV. Shit.
I walk over to the beeping one and look for a power button, seeing a switch on the side and clicking it. The most annoying machine in the world finally quiets. Then I take off the blood pressure cuff and the thing they have wrapped around my finger.
Looking down, I see the IV in my arm. Fuck, I need to get this out. Taking hold of the tape around the needle, I slowly peel it back, grimacing at the slight pain it causes as it pulls on the skin. Then I pull out the plastic tube from my arm. The IV liquid starts leaking on the floor, making a slight mess.
But I don’t have time to think about that right now.
Quickly, I put on underwear, throw on the leggings and T-shirt, and slip on the gym shoes they gave me. They are a little small, but they will do the job. My anxiety starts to creep up. I shut my eyes for a moment to try and balance myself. The dizzy feeling fades as I open them again. I need to get out in the open; the walls feel like they are closing in on me.
Walking toward the door, I peek my head out and see that I am close to the end of the hall. A sign hangs on the wall pointing to the direction of the elevators.
I look to my left and see the side of the nurses’ station. No one is paying me any attention, so I hurriedly slip out the doorand walk toward the elevator. There is no one there waiting, and I let out a sigh of relief, punching the button to call the elevator multiple times. I am in such a hurry to get out of here.
When the elevator finally does arrive, the ding that sounds to let me know it’s there is so loud, I worry that it will attract someone’s attention. But it doesn’t.
I get in and slam the first floor button. As the doors close, I let out a long breath. Once I reach the ground level, I immediately make a beeline for the exit.