Arsonist

CHAPTER 15

Monique Gaspirini sat up in her bed. She had been moved here by the man last night so that she could have access to her restroom and sleep on an actual bed rather than the kitchen floor. The ties around her wrists had been removed but her ankles were bound with a length of plastic and then knotted to the bed. She could get to the bathroom, her television, and a few feet into the hall, but not to the window on the other side of the room.

Her alarm clock said 5:34 p.m. and she listened for exactly two minutes and didn’t hear anything. Sometimes the man would leave for long periods of time and not come back for hours. He would only leave at night and return at night. So far, he hadn’t been here all day.

She fell to the floor and pulled on the length of plastic around her ankles. Though it was something she had done a hundred times and knew was useless, something drove her to pull on it with all her strength. She then looked at the knot that was looped several times and wrapped around the frame of the bed. Monique grabbed one of her shoes and began pounding on the knot. She struck it until sweat was pouring down her face and bits of shoe had flown over the floor. Exhausted, she leaned back against the bed, tucking her hair behind her ears. She curled up, her knees to her chest, and began to cry.

Not long after that she heard the backdoor downstairs open and then footsteps. Every single time it happened, she lost her breath, and her heart would pound so loud in her ears she was afraid it would explode.

The footsteps got louder and then went quiet; he was coming up the stairs. Her door opened and the man stood there. He was wearing a suit now. He wore a white button-down shirt underneath with no tie. He was clean-shaven. But there was an odd smell to him. It was like paint thinner or nail polish.

“Are you hungry?” he said. She didn’t respond. “You know, it’s hard for me to look after you if you don’t-”

“Are you going to kill me?” she said, looking him in the eyes.

“Ah, it speaks. Am I going to kill you…what do you think?”

“I hear you laughing and talking to yourself at night. I thought there were two of you at first but I know that you talk to yourself now. I think you’re crazy and you’re going to kill me.”

He sat down in the chair that was against the wall and leaned forward on his elbows. “You’re a very beautiful girl. Why no boyfriends coming over to check up on you? Oh, wait,” he said, snapping his fingers, “yes, yes he did.”

She felt her heart sink into her stomach. “What did you do to him?” He laughed as he rose to leave the room. “What did you do to him? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!”

The door slammed shut and her scream echoed off the walls. She heard noises downstairs for a few minutes and then a door open and close before a car engine started. It was her car, and she tried to stand up and watch it out the window but couldn’t see that far. She collapsed back down to her knees. She would’ve cried again, but no tears came this time.