Page 3 of Vengeance of Childhood Proportions

Dislocating my thumb with the aid of the edge of the chair arm, I was able to rotate my hand enough to slip my wrist under the tight bindings of the ropes. Once my fingers were beneath the rope, I was able to slide effortlessly out. Grabbing my other thumb with my hand this time, I repeated the process.

Though I still had my lock pins hidden on my person, they would be ineffective against rope. A good captor would remove any weapons from my person. I could never rely on having my knives on me or accessible to me at all times.

Once free of my leg bindings, I removed the gag from my mouth. I walked over to the hole in the floor we used as our toilet and promptly threw up. Wiping my mouth, I grabbed for the hose we used as our shower to rinse out the bile from my mouth.

After that, I wandered over to the card table where my birthday cupcake sat waiting for me. The candle had very little wax left, but the flame was still burning.

I smiled triumphantly.Happy Birthday to me…

Age 24

Christopher.

John.

Roman.

Hannah.

Rachel.

Emmet.

Andy.

Amber.

Jesse.

Kaylee.

Sam.

Jerald.

Jerome.

Alicia.

Wyatt.

I wondered what any of them would think if they knew I had taken part in some of the major milestones in their lives. I attended many of their weddings as waitstaff, groundskeeper, and even as a photographer once. I was in scrubs and present for many of their children’s births, though not in the actual birthing rooms. I sat in the back pews as they attended church services,friends’ weddings, and family funerals. I even did maintenance work on their homes when they called for a plumber, electrician, or handyman—or, in my case, handywoman.

Many of them saw me, but none of themknewme. They had changed my life on a fundamental level and they didn’t even recognize my face as an adult.

Jason made me learn everything about their lives. Beyond their addresses and contact information, I knew secrets about them they kept from even their spouses. I knew who was having an affair, who was cheating on their taxes, who was lying on their resumes… I knew how they took their coffee. I saw their medical records and knew what they were allergic to, if anything.

I also knew their fears.

Christopher had a terrible case of agoraphobia.

Johnhateddogs.

Roman was extremely homophobic.

Hannah had coulrophobia.

Rachel became diabetic after her second pregnancy.