This is a story I started on a road trip from KC to Dallas. It will be updated it in parts, I hope it creates a cult following with everyone super excited to read the next installment...
I woke up in a dark room tangled in wet sheets. My dream must have been intense because the room was cold as ice. I was quite surprised the sheets weren’t frozen to my naked body. I quickly wrapped them back around me as I searched the strange walls for a light switch. I found none. As I wandered the cube of a room, I felt no doorway or window. What was this place and how did I get here? Was I kidnapped? Was I the victim of a copycat of the Saw movies? I was not prepared to cut off my own leg to get free, nor was I planning on killing anyone. I dropped to my knees expecting cold concrete, but I felt plush shag carpet.
It was then that I noticed I was wearing cold wet socks, a fine accessory to sweat filled sheets. I crawled along the soft carpet to feel any kind of trap door or escape hatch from this dungeon or tower or guest room. As expected, I found only yarn fibers. As I collapsed into my hands, my legs extended out and kicked the wall, except it didn’t sound like a wall. It moved like a door. I instantly perked up. I quickly turned around and felt the newly discovered surface for a knob. I found it but it was only big enough to pinch between my thumb and index finger. I gave it a jiggle and it opened silently. I assumed that on the other side of the door was another room or a hallway. I tried to stand and hit my head on a metal ceiling, yet the floor was even softer carpet. I continued forward in the pitch black. I occasionally reached my arms out to see if there were any options besides straight forward, there never were. I crawled for about 10 minutes until I felt around to see if there was room to stand. I stood much more slowly this time, with my hands shielding the back of my head. Once I stood, I slowly walked forward until I ran into a soft mattress, it too was wet.
I felt the mattress gently so I wouldn’t startle whoever might be in this bed covered in sweat. It kind of grossed me out that I was touching a bed covered in another’s perspiration. As I was nearing the head, I got punched directly in the back and I face planted on the aforementioned, sweat soaked bed. I quickly reeled onto my back and kicked like a mule, hoping to catch my assailant in the chest. I hit only air. Could this person see in the dark?
I decided I could try to reason with them. “Stop, I come in peace, I am an American from Cincinnati, I woke up in a room similar to this about an hour ago.” I caught another punch in my bare stomach.
Then my assailant responded in a obviously masked voice, “what’s your name, and why didn’t you announce yourself when you entered?” I chuckled under my breath, because this voice was that of a woman, disguising herself as a man.
“My name is Drake, what is your name ma’am?” I responded, unwilling to give me last name quite yet and wanting my new friend to stop making a fool of herself with her disguise.
“Was I that obvious? My name is Madeline.” She said sheepishly
“So, how did you know I was there?”
“I heard you crawling and grunting your way towards me, I backed up into the corner hoping you couldn’t see that I was no longer in bed, I don’t take rape lying down.”
“Well that certainly wasn’t my intention, I am just looking for a way out or at least find out where I was. I assume you awoke in your bad wrapped naked in wet sheets wearing wet socks?”
“No socks for me, kind of jealous actually,” Madeline hinted.
“You know how we could have sweated that much in a 40 degree room?”
“No idea, I thought about it not being sweat, but that led me down some depressing ideas.”
“Well, I found a door for tiny people from my room to yours. Want to search for one from your room?” I suggested,.
“It’s as good an idea as any, should we search under the bed for any supplies…or clothes?”
“I can’t believe I’m such an idiot, I checked the floor for a trap door, but not under the bed for any supplies.”
“Well don’t beat yourself up, there is nothing there, you find a door?” She chuckled in my general direction.
“Yeah, it’s over here, I hope I don’t get my ass kicked again.” We both laughed as we crouched down to the door.
This door was not quite as small or quiet as the one from my room, I worried that whoever put us in this situation would hear or in some other way notice that we were on the move. I was a little relieved to think that our capturer was small enough to get around the corridors easily enough, automatically giving me size advantage. My relief disappeared when I remembered that they had gotten us here without our knowing and dumped us cold rooms in wet beds. This thinking was worrying me.
“Now, I said I am from Cincy, where are you from Maddy?” I had to stop my mind from running.
“I’m from Cincinnati too.”
“Well, that might help, we can assume we are in or near Cincinnati or at least Ohio right? Can you think of any buildings with metal ceilings and carpeted floors or any interactions you have with midget with access to strong drugs?” I asked half-jokingly.
Madeline chuckled, “I have never met a ‘little person’ in my life.”
As we searched our minds for who would do this and why, our bodies crawled through the small hall way. While it seemed to be getting smaller, there was a slight breeze. This seemed to be a good sign, but I didn’t want to jinx it.
