covering the story (M+/M+) FINAL CHAPTER POSTED

[Simon]

Part 14

Tied to the bed, Pete stared straight up at the ceiling. The ball gag had been strapped so tightly that his jaw was already aching. He hoped he wouldn’t be forced to keep it in long.

He was able to turn his head so that he could see the window. The one bright spot was that he could at least see the outside world, even though it was pitch black at the moment.

His mind started to wander. He reflected over his experiences of the last few days. He now knew what had happened to the missing men he’d been investigating, and he had all the elements to write a top notch story.

He felt reasonably sure that he would eventually be let go, but he still felt uneasy when he thought about how all the other men suffered from amnesia when they turned up. This was the one part of the story he has any cracked yet.

As he stared out the window at the dark night, he wondered if all of those missing men had eventually been brought to this luxurious living space or if they had been held captive downstairs in the- what should he call it? Pretend jail?

Eventually exhaustion took over and he fell into a restless sleep. He wasn’t sure he’d really slept at all until he opened his eyes and saw through the window that the sun was up.

Ben was standing in the doorway. “Man,” he said with a smile. “You were out! I could hear you snoring down the hall.”

Pete tried to speak through the ball gag. Nothing came out but a muffled grunt.

Ben chuckled. “I never get tired of that sound. This place is awesome.”

Ben set on the corner of the bed and ruffled Pete’s hair. “As much as I love seeing you this way, you probably need to do your business.” Ben untied the ropes bonding Pete’s arms and chest to the bed. He reached up to the handcuffs attaching Pete’s wrists to the headboard. He unlocked one wrist and quickly pushed it closer to Pete’s other arm, reattaching the handcuff to Pete’s other wrist. He the undid the second set of handcuffs from the headboard. Pete was able to move his arms down in front of his chest but they were still cuffed together.

Ben untied the remaining ropes and unlocked the cuffs around Pete’s ankles. “I’ll give you ten minutes to do what you need in the bathroom.” With his hands cuffed in front, Pete was able to do what he needed. He appreciated having some privacy, even though he was still wearing the uncomfortable ball gag.

Pete came out of the bathroom to find Ben waiting in the bedroom doorway. “This way! Come! Come!” Ben walked down the hall to a lavish sitting room. Pete had no choice but to follow.

The sitting room held a very comfortable looking oversized sofa and a couple of wingback chairs surrounding a coffee table. A huge television was mounted on the wall. Ben, however, walked passed these to a high backed wooden chair that was sitting in the corner.

Ben gestured toward the chair. “Have a seat, prisoner.”

Pete looked at Ben’s always cheerful expression and back to the chair. He suspected he knew what was about to happen and he desperately wished there was another alternative. But considering he was still handcuffed and gagged, and knowing what the alternative was downstairs, he obediently had a seat.

Ben unlocked one handcuff, pulled both of Pete’s hand behind the chair, and relocked the handcuffs around Pete’s wrists, making sure that the handcuff chain wrapped around the cross bar in the back of the chair, effectively keeping his arms in place.

Next, Ben wrapped several layers of rope around Pete’s upper body, taking extra care to make sure his upper and lower arms were tied tightly to the sides and back of the chair.

Moving to Pete’s lower body, Ben tied his upper and lower legs to the chair. He tied Pete’s ankles together and pulled them up and back, connecting this rope to the cross bar where the handcuffs were attached.

Ben stepped back and admired his progress. “Well, that should hold you for now.”

Ben left the room, leading Pete alone once again with his thoughts.

[Simon]

Part 15

Pete pulled against the ropes holding him to the chair. Nothing budged. He felt like he didn’t have as much strength in his muscles, bu5 that may have been his imagination. One thing he was sure of: he didn’t know how much more if this he could take without going crazy.

Somewhere nearby, he could hear a telephone ringing.

After a couple of rings, he faintly heard Ben’s voice. “Yes, this is Ben Tomlinson. Oh, I figured it was you. What? It can’t be that time already. I had more planned. Yes, I know the rules. He’ll be ready.”

Pete heard footsteps approaching. He couldn’t turn his head around enough to see what was happening. Suddenly a gloved hand appeared, holding a damp cloth. Pete noticed the chemically sweet smell just as the rag was pressed against his face. Pete tried to pull away, but it was no use. As he breathed in through his nose, he started getting groggy. Soon everything was black.

*******************

The next thing Pete knew, he was staring at a brick wall. He had no way of knowing how long he’d been unconscious. He was slightly embarrassed to noticed he was wearing a clean set of clothes. Someone had redressed him.

Across from him was a desk. Behind that, a brick wall with a mirrored window. He was no longer tied to the chair in Ben’s living room. In fact, he wasn’t tied up at all, with the exception of a pair of handcuffs that attached his arms to the chair, which seemed to be bolted to the floor.

A door opened and in stepped someone Pete had hoped to never see again: Officer Blevins. Blevins sat down at the desk, facing Pete.

“So, Mr. Reynolds. Our young reporter. You came looking for a story and I’d say you’ve found it.”

Pete gestured with his handcuffed hands. “Something tells me I’m not going to have the opportunity to tell it.”

Officer Blevins placed a syringe on the desk. “No, you’re not.”

Pete looked at the syringe nervously. “What is that?”

Blevins leaned back in his chair and propped his feet up on the desk. He crossed his arms over his belly. “We have access to some of the finest doctors in the world. This is our proprietary blend. A certain combination of drugs that can cause a person to lose his most recent memories. After many trials and tests, we’ve perfected the exact length of time.”

“Two weeks.” Pete mumbled.

“That’s right. And your time is up. Now, here’s where this gets interesting. I’ve seen how you’ve handled yourself since you’ve been our guest. I’m not sure you need this.”

Pete had managed to figure out a lot of the story just based on his observations. But this last statement took him totally by surprise. “You know that if I have my memories I’m going to write my story about the missing men.”

“I don’t think you will. You see, I think there’s a small part of you that has enjoyed your stay with us. I have been authorized to make an offer that we seldom make.”

Next to the syringe, Blevins laid down a building envelope. “Your choice. You give me your word that you will not reveal our little secret, this envelope is yours. Trust me when I say there is a significant amount of cash inside. Or, I wipe your memories right now. Of course, should you decide to take the money, there is always the chance we might offer you the chance to come stay with us again, some time in the future. Make your choice. Either way, the newspaper you work for will find you in a parking garage tomorrow morning.”

Pete started at the syringe and the envelope. He made his decision.

Two days later, Pete’s newspaper ran the headline: MISSING REPORTER FOUND AFTER TWO WEEKS. HAS NO MEMORY OF EHAT HAPPENED.

The End