The dark side

Heidi was sitting at a bar by herself sipping a martini. Her eyes were wide and red from crying too much. Her boyfriends… her ex boyfriends words swirling around in her head.

“It’s just not working Heidi. I just don’t love you.” Heidi jammed her eyes shut and slapped her hand against the bar. When she opened her eyes again, the bartender had pushed another drink in front of her and had taken her empty glass. She shook her head angrily and reached for her phone. She dialed number one on her speed dial and gulped down her drink. She slammed the glass down on the bar and motioned for the bartender to get her another one. She put the phone up to her ear.

“Hello?” Stella’s voice rang from the other end.

“Something stronger,” Heidi said to the bartender as she put her hand over the phone so Stella could not hear. She put the phone back up to her ear as she watched the bartender prepare her drink.

“Hey Stella.” Stella was Heidi’s best friend. They had known each other for years now and whenever Heidi needed someone to talk to Stella was the one she called. Stella had even gotten used to Heidi’s two in the morning calls when she just needed to talk. Whenever Heidi rang at two in the morning now, Stella would always answer with; “Heidi, what’s wrong?”

“Can you come pick me up Stell?”

“What happened?” Stella asked worried.

“I’ll explain later…” Heidi promised picking up her drink and swallowing the whole thing.

“How much have you been drinking?” Stella’s concerned voice rang.

“Not enough,” Heidi said laughing slightly. “I’m at Smokey Joes bar… Please come soon?” Heidi’s words were beginning to slur as a result of the drinks she had had.

“Yeah, of course! I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Heidi heard Stella gathering her keys, opening, and shutting the front door before she hung up. Heidi sighed gently. She picked up her empty glass and tilted it sideways, watching the drips on the bottom of the glass roll to one side.

“What is a fine young lady like you doing in a bar all by herself?” Heidi was interrupted by a husky voice coming from behind her. She dropped her glass to the bar and spun around almost falling off her chair but she was caught by two muscular hands that held her shoulders so she didn’t. 

“Thanks,” she murmured as she turned back around to face the bar, picking up her glass.

“Can I buy you a drink?” He asked sitting in the chair beside her. Heidi shrugged her shoulders.

“Sure, I guess.” Heidi looked up at his face. He had long, dark hair that quaffed up and curled above his forehead. He had dark mysterious eyes and when he smiled, his olive skin creased at the corners.

“Another drink for…” He looked at me.

“Heidi,” she told him.

“Another drink for Heidi,” he said, this time without taking his eyes off her. “I’m Adam,” he said gently. “Why are you alone?”

“I wasn’t alone,” Heidi said frowning. “My…” she paused momentarily. “I’d rather not talk about it…” Heidi turned her head breaking Adam’s gaze.

“Alright,” he said slowly. “Well, here you go Heidi.” He slid her drink in front of her.

“You don’t want a drink?” Heidi slurred. Adam smiled, his teeth sparkling.

“I’ll have whatever she’s having.” He told the bartender who nodded and retrieved a clean glass from under the counter. The bartender handed Adam his drink before going off to take someone else’s order.

“Cheers!” Adam said raising his glass.

“Cheers,” Heidi repeated raising her glass to his. Heidi clinked her glass on his a little too hard, making the contents spill over the top of the glass and drip over her hand.

“Drat,” she said putting her glass down and wiping her hands on her jeans. Adam laughed and took a sip of his drink.

Heidi finished wiping her hand and picked up her glass taking a big swig of it. Some of it dribbled out of the glass and started running down her chin. Adam carefully reached over and wiped it off with the back of his hand.

His hand felt warm and smooth against Heidi’s cheek. Heidi smiled into his eyes and took another swig from her drink. She was finely forgetting what her ex had said. She was forgetting what he smelt like, what he sounded like. She smiled and gulped down the rest of her drink. Adam leaned closer to her. She could smell the liquor on his warm breath as it hit against her cheek. Heidi closed her eyes as he kissed the corner of her mouth. His warm lips pressed harder before her sat back up on his chair. Heidi slowly opened her eyes.

“How about I drive you home?” Adam asked. His husky voice seemed to be the only thing Heidi could hear anymore. Heidi nodded weakly, forgetting about Stella.

She slipped off the seat, wobbling at her feet. Adam quickly put his arm around her slender waist for support. He placed a fifty-dollar note on the counter before helping Heidi out.



                                                                  ***





Stella arrived to the bar in a hurry. The traffic had been busy so she was arriving at the bar later then she had expected, or hoped. By now, Heidi could be passed out on the floor. She frowned and leaped out of her car and through the front door. She scanned the room quickly before making her way to the seat in front of the bar where Heidi and her always sat, but Heidi was no where to be seen. Confused, Stella sat down on one of the stools. Maybe Heidi had told her the wrong bar. She glanced around the room again nervously.

“Drink?” Startled Stella looked up, seeing the bartender there, shook her head.

“I’m looking for a friend. She said she was here. Her name is Heidi.” The bartender thought about this for a while.

“Oh, yeah. Average height, blonde hair. Yeah, she was here. She was sitting right there,” he said pointing to the chair next to Stella. “Oh, and she left her bag here.” The bartender reached behind the bar and returned with Heidi’s red handbag.

“Great,” Stella murmured to herself. “When did she leave?”

“Five minutes ago, max. With some guy..” He trailed off frowning, trying to remember.

“A guy? Jamie?” Stella asked looking up at the bartender, assuming her boyfriend might have come to get Heidi when she didn’t show.

“I don’t know. Maybe. I thought he said his name was Adam though. About this high…” He put his hand a foot above his own head to show his height.

“Dark brown hair and dark eyes I think.” Stella frowned. That was defiantly not Jamie.

“How much did she drink?” Stella asked concerned.

“A lot. She needed help getting out of here. She didn’t look too crash hot in the end.”

“Do you no anyway I can get in touch with this… Adam guy?”

“Police?” He suggested.

“Did you see who he was with before he started talking to Heidi?”

“No… He just seemed to appear out of nowhere. Sorry, I wish I could be more of a help, but I have customers to serve. He gave Stella an encouraging smile before walking over to a group of guys on the other side of the bar. Stella peered into Heidi’s bag and found her phone in the phone pouch on the side.

“Dammit!” Stella shouted louder than she had intended to. Stella picked up her own phone and dialed Heidi’s home number. It rang three times before going through to voicemail. Stella hung up the phone angrily and rubbed her index fingers gently in her temples. 

Stella was one of those people who, without using a drop of makeup, would still look remarkably beautiful, even with her hair windblown and her cheeks slightly pink like she did now. Heidi was the same. She too had beautiful features about her, but she was somewhat paler than Stellar was. However, unlike Stella, Heidi liked to flaunt her beauty and show it off, making sure to flirt with the men as she passed. Stella was shyer when it came to guys and her beauty, she didn’t like people staring at her because of it. It was the reason she hated going into bars by herself.

Stella ran her hand through her windblown hair, trying to think of what to do next.

She decided to try Heidi’s home again and dialed the number. Maybe she had the same trouble with the traffic as I did, Stella thought, and she just wasn’t home the last time I called. She listened to the phone ringing hoping someone would pick up, but once again, it went straight through to voicemail. Worried, Stella picked up her belongings before exiting the bar.



                                                                  ***



Heidi quietly stepped out of the car wobbling slightly as she looked around confused.

“This isn’t my house,” she said raising her eyebrow at Adam. Adam smiled coyly.

“Minor detour?” He said, his voice rising at the end to make it into a question. Heidi laughed and stumbled forward.  Adam rushed to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist. He pulled her forward, towards the house and unlocked the front door. Heidi wrinkled her nose. Adam smiled at her and helped her into the house. He placed her on the couch in the lounge room and proceeded into what looked like the kitchen. He turned the lights on, which were too bright for Heidi’s eyes. She blinked, adjusting to the light and looked around the small room. There was not much in there. Besides the couch she was sitting on, there was a television and a small coffee table with a few magazines splayed across it.

Adam came back into the room with a bottle of red wine and two wine glasses. He placed the glasses on the coffee table as he poured the wine. He handed a glass to Heidi and picked up the other glass for himself before making himself more comfortable on the couch so that he was facing Heidi. Heidi took a sip of wine and slid back on the couch, half turned towards Adam. Heidi took another sip of her glass and before she knew it, she had drunk it all and Adam was refilling her glass. Heidi felt her stomach churning, but she chose to ignore it.

“So, why did we come here? I thought you were taking me home.” Stella slurred sipping her drink slowly, her eyes placed carefully on Adam’s face.

“A beautiful girl like you, I didn’t want you to be alone,” he said kindly placing his hand on Heidi’s. Heidi moved her hand away slightly, unsure. She drowned her drink and smiled, placing her hand back underneath Adam’s which was still placed awkwardly on the couch. Adam put his glass on the coffee table and leaned in close to Heidi, taking her glass and placing it next to his without looking away from her. Adam placed his hand on Heidi’s knee, leaning in to kiss her gently on the lips. He moved his hand to her neck and pulled Heidi’s body to his, his lips still locked on hers. Heidi wrapped her arms around Adam’s neck, kissing him harshly and frantically.

Adam sat up and pushed Heidi onto her back so that he was bending over her. Heidi wrapped her legs around Adam’s knees, looking him directly in the eye, her hands holding onto his arms. Heidi reached up and grabbed onto the back of Adam’s t-shirt he was wearing and slid it over his head. Adam sat up on his knees, crushing Heidi’s legs under him, but Heidi didn’t move. Adam slipped his arms out of the armholes of his shirt and threw his shirt on the floor. Heidi noticed Adam’s definite muscles in his arms and stomach. She ran her hand down his firm chest. Adam put his hand in Heidi’s hair and lifted her head to his. Adam’s kiss was no longer gentle and kind like is had been before. It had evolved into something hungrier and harsher. Heidi’s arms crept around Adam’s waist pulling him onto her. She felt his weight on her stomach, and felt the sick, churning feeling she had felt before. This time she could not ignore it. Pushing Adam off her, she sprinted uneasily to the kitchen, just in time to throw up in the sink. She stood over the sink, breathing heavily. Her forehead was damp with sweat, although, she didn’t know if that was from running to the sink and throwing up, or if it was what almost happened with Adam. Heidi sighed heavily and brushed the sweat from her forehead. She stumbled around, slid down the closest wall feeling sick, and put her head in her hands. She heard soft footsteps coming towards her and she lifted her head, propping it up with her hand.

“Are you alright?” Adam asked genuinely, kneeling down in front of her. Heidi smiled weakly, her skin paler than ever.

“I will be,” Heidi replied softly. Adam nodded and cast his eyes downward. Adam stood up, reached for a cup in the cupboard above the sink, and filled it with water, handing it to Heidi.

“Thanks,” she nodded and she drank it. For a while, there was silence, just the sound of Heidi drinking, until Adam broke the silence.

“Do you want to go sit back on the couch? Its more comfortable than the kitchen floor, believe me.” He laughed, and tilted his head sideways as if he was recalling a memory. Heidi smiled and nodded, handing Adam her glass. He took it and placed it in the sink, before bending over to help Heidi up. He did it with ease, Heidi watched his arms flex as he took her weight and carried her back to the couch. His bare chest was slightly damp and warm against Heidi’s bare arm. Heidi reached her hand up and placed it on Adam’s face gently. He looked at her calmly as he placed her onto the couch where she had been a few minutes ago. Heidi reluctantly let her tight grip go from around his neck as he sat back down next to her. Heidi leapt up onto his lap and pushed her hand through his hair. Adam smiled, clearly glad the moment had not passed and kissed her on the side of her chin. He pushed her back onto her back and kissed her down her neck. Heidi put her head back, her mouth open slightly, breathing heavily. Adam could smell Heidi’s perfume. It smelt fresh and sweet. It seemed to make him hungrier for her. He slid his hands up her shirt to her waist and pulled her up towards him. He pushed her into the corner of the couch, so that she was propped up by the cushions. Adam bent over, bit her lip between his teeth, and pulled it. He bit it so hard that Heidi could taste and smell the blood that was warm in her mouth. She squirmed slightly, but Adam was pressed against her. He kissed the blood off her lip as Heidi pushed him back down so that she was on top of him. She put her hand to her lip, feeling where he had bitten her and looked at the blood on her fingertips. She ran her fingers down Adam’s chest leaving a small line of blood. Adam pulled at Heidi’s shirt, trying to tug it over her head with little success. Heidi smiled at Adam’s hands fumbling for her shirt, and pulled her shirt over her head for him. She smiled again and planted a kiss on Adam’s chiseled jaw. She sat up on his stomach, her hands firmly gripped just below Adam’s elbows so that he couldn’t move his arms. She put her hands on his chest and leaned into his face, her lips only a breath away, before kissing him hard on the mouth.

Heidi closed her eyes for the briefest moment as he kissed her back, before she sat up and stood off the couch out of his reach swaying side to side.

“What are we doing?” Heidi whispered. “I don’t even know you.”

“Shh,” Adam said calmly as he stood up in front of her and placed his finger on her lips. He placed her hands above her waist, and before she could resist, Adam had his lips back on hers, and she was kissing him back.



                                                                  ***



Stella had been waiting at the police station for over an hour now. She still hadn’t heard anything from Heidi and the longer she waited, the more nervous she got. Finely, a police Officer walked over to her. Stella stood up in front of him with a worried look on her face.

“Stella Nicholson?” He asked in a deep, calm voice. Stella nodded firmly. “I’m Officer Alex Jenkins. Please, call me Alex. I am sorry you had to wait so long. What can I do for you?”  He said, starting to walk, motioning for Stella to follow him.

“Well, I got a phone call from my friend telling me to pick her up, and I went to pick her up and she wasn’t there, and the bartender said that…”

“Whoa. Don’t go so fast.” We had arrived at a small office room and Alex was holding open he door for Stella to enter. Stella walked in and took a seat in front of the desk on the other side of the room. Alex closed the door and sat behind his desk, getting out a notebook and a pen.

“Ok, go from the top, slowly. How long did you say she had been missing now?” Stella calculated it in her head.

“Umm. Around two hours and forty minutes?” Alex frowned.

“Usually, someone has to be missing for longer than that until we start to investigate,” Alex said slowly.

“I no,” Stella said rubbing her left eye. “But she called me to pick her up, and she wasn’t there when I got there. That’s not like her at all.”

“Was it the right place you went to?” Alex asked.

“Yes. It was. She left her bag there.” Alex made a note of this in his notebook.

“How do you no, that she didn’t just leave with someone else?”

“Look, Officer. If she were leaving with someone else, she would have rung me and told me. It’s not like her to do this. She doesn’t leave anywhere without her bag, and for her to leave it at the bar… it’s just not right. She sounded upset and she had had a lot to drink. I am worried about her. Apparently, she left with some guy, but it wasn’t her boyfriend, which is weird because she wouldn’t have left with a guy that isn’t Jamie... And… and…” Stella trailed off her breathing rapid and hot. She rubbed her forehead with her hand and looked up at Alex.

“How do you no that it wasn’t her boyfriend she left with?” Alex remained calm even with Stella in a panic.

“Because the bartender gave me a description of him and it wasn’t Jamie.”

“Maybe he just though of someone else. How do you no that it was them that the bartender saw? He would see hundreds of people go in and out of that bar every day.” Stella gave Alex a blank look.

“I just no, ok?” Alex nodded gently and wrote something in his notebook.

“Ok. So what is her full name?”

“Heidi Rose Cooper,” Stella answered simply.

“When did you see her last?” Alex asked looking up from writing in his notebook.

“Um... Around… ten this morning? I went to her house to drop off something.” Alex wrote this in his notebook.

“How old is she?” Something shone in Alex’s eye for a second. Worry or panic. Stella was not quite sure. She frowned.

“She’s twenty one…” Stella thought she saw Alex cringe but when he looked back up at her, he was as calm as he had always been.

“Can you describe her for me please?” Stella nodded.

“She has long, blond hair, green-blue eyes.., she is around 170 centimeters tall… I have a photo…” Stella reached into her pocket for her phone and skimmed through her photos arriving at one of Heidi she had taken a few weeks earlier. Her smile shone out of the photo. Stella handed it to Alex, not wanting to look at it anymore.

“Can I keep this for a while?”

“Yeah, of course. So, you are going to look for her? She will be alright?” 

“We are going to look for her,” Alex agreed, not answering Stella’s last question.

“What bar was she in when she told you to get her?”

“Smokey Joes Bar…” Stella said softly.

“If we hear anything, we will give you a ring, or we will come and see you with any information we have. If I could just get you to write your details down for me on this piece of paper…” Alex flipped the piece of paper he had been writing on in his notebook over and handed it to Stella as well as the pen her had been using. Stella scribbled down her details and handed it back to Alex.

“We are going to do everything we can to find her Stella,” Alex promised. Stella looked up at him, eyes pleading.

“Thank you,” Stella said standing up. “Please do.” 

“I might need to contact you soon and get some more information,” Alex said slowly.

“Yeah, of course. Please do,” Stella said standing up. “Thank you, really.” Alex nodded and stood up, walking to the door to let Stella out.

“I’ll get right on it,” he promised.

                                                                  ***



Heidi woke up in an unfamiliar bed, her head throbbing. She could tell it was early in the morning because the room was still pitch black. She rolled over and saw the dark mass of a person lying next to her. She lifted her head up to see over the mass where she could see the green glow of a digital clock on the bedside table. It flashed at 1:05. She sighed and sank back into the pillow her head pounding. She slowly sat up rubbing her temples and quietly got out of the bed and slipped on her clothes. She slowly stepped out of the room, wracking her memory for what had happened last night, with no success. When she reached the kitchen, she ran her hand along the wall until she came to the light switch and turned it on. She quietly poured herself a drink of water and walked into the lounge room, sitting on the couch. She drank her water in silence, again trying to remember what had happened. She remembered the house. The couch she was sitting on and the kitchen. However, she could not remember the bed she had fallen asleep in or for that matter, who she had slept with. She glanced back into the kitchen and noticed the phone hanging on the wall. She hurried up, ignoring the pain in her head and rushed towards it. She dialed Stella’s home phone and waited for her to pick up, but she didn’t. It went straight through to voicemail. Heidi heard footsteps coming up the hall and quickly hung up the phone and put her glass in the sink.

“What are you doing up so early?” Heidi felt a hand on her lower back. She felt all her muscles tense as the hand slowly ran up her back up to her neck. The hand forced her to turn around so that she was facing him.

“Adam…”Heidi whispered to herself remembering his name as she stared into his familiar, kind eyes. Adam smiled, his teeth gleaming in the light as he rubbed his hand on her shoulder.

“I have such a big headache. Got any panadol?” Heidi asked grimacing.

“Well that’s not surprising considering how much you drank last night,” Adam said with a laugh. “Yeah, I’ll go get some panadol from the bathroom.” 

Heidi poured herself another glass of water and when Adam returned, she downed the water with the two panadol.

“Thanks,” Heidi said sleepily.

“So, where are we again?” Heidi asked, cocking her head to the side thoughtfully.

“My house,” Adam said smiling.

“Oh…” Heidi was quiet for a moment. “Why?”

“Because I didn’t want you to be alone on a Saturday night, don’t you remember anything?” Heidi thought for a moment.

“No. Not really…” She said rubbing her head. Adam laughed.

“So, do you want to come back to bed?” Adam asked raising his eyebrows.

“No… I think I’ll go to sleep on the… couch…” Heidi’s voice was getting slow and drowsy. Heidi turned around and started to proceed towards the couch in the lounge room, but staggered and tripped over the corner of the doorway. She crashed to the floor hitting her head as she landed. Adam rushed to her aid and rolled her onto her back.

“Heidi? Are you alright?” Heidi’s head lolled to one side, unconscious.



                                                                  ***



Stella was awoken by a phone call. She had been out all night looking for Heidi and had slept right through to eleven thirty. Sleepily she sat up and answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Stella, hi. This is Officer Alex Jenkins. I would like you to come to the police station as soon as possible, please. I’d like to ask you some more questions about Heidi Rose Cooper.” Stella blinked, her eyes still adjusting to the light.

“So have you heard anything from her?” Stella asked her hopes rising.

“No, not yet,” he said quietly. “I just need to ask you some more questions.”

“Oh. Ok, I’ll be there soon.” 

“Thank you,” Alex said before hanging up.

Stella took a while getting ready. Her hands kept shaking so it made it difficult and she could not concentrate. She spilt most of her coffee over her clean clothes and then had to get changed again, before she gave up on breakfast and headed out the door.



When Stella arrived at the Police station, she was quickly whisked away into an interrogation room. Confused, Stella sat down in the seat opposite Officer Alex as she heard the door shut behind her.

“What is this about?” Stella asked looking at the black glass where she knew other people where watching her.

“We have reason to believe that Heidi has been kidnapped,” Alex said quietly. Stella felt like someone had just punched her in the stomach because she couldn’t breathe.

“Why?” She managed to whisper.

“I know this might be hard for you Stella. But we need you to remain calm.” Stella could only manage to nod. Alex went on.

“We have been investigating this crime for some time now, and Heidi has been placed with the same description as the other victims. Young, beautiful, female.” He paused slightly. Stella briskly rubber her palms together and with long, firm strokes, she slid them up each cheek to her temples. 

“Why do you think that?”

“Each girl has been by herself, vulnerable. They have been drinking so that they are an easier target. He somehow manages to get them out by themselves without striking up any suspicion and he…” He trailed off, looking at my face. “He kills them.”

“How?” Stella mouthed.

“So we just need to ask some questions about Heidi and her whereabouts on the night,” he said ignoring her question. Stella didn’t bother repeating it, she didn’t think she wanted to know.

“So, you claim that she was at Smokey Joes bar on Saturday the 19th of July?” Alex asked in a serious tone. Stella frowned.

“Yes, I already said that.”

“Who told you that she left with a man?”

“The bartender told me that.” Alex nodded and continued.

“Where does Heidi like to hang out?”

“Well, there’s a park near her house that she always walks to…” Stella said tilting her head sideways, her brown hair falling across her face.

“Does Heidi have any enemies?” Stella straightened her head and ran her hand through her hair.

“No.” She said simply. “I know everyone says this, but everyone loved her. Especially the guys.”

“Does she have any medical problems we need to be concerned about?”

“She doesn’t, no. Have you got any information as to where she might be?” Stella asked getting annoyed with all the questions.

“We don’t know. We are trying everything to find her.” The corner of Stella’s mouth twitched as she tried not to cry.

“How does he kill them?” Stella asked after working up the courage to ask.

Alex looked up at her carefully, a sympathetic look on his face. “He tortures them.”

Stella could not hold on any longer. Her perfect face crumpled as tears began streaming down her face. Her bottom lip trembled.

“Stella, you have to remember, that we aren’t certain that he has her. She could be anywhere. Until we are certain of her whereabouts, we need you to remain calm.” Stella forced her head upwards looking directly in Alex’s eyes.

“You have to find her,” her voice wavered. “Please.”



Stella poured herself a coffee and sat down in an armchair in her lounge room. She cradled the mug between her hands, which started burning her slightly, but she did not move them. She liked the pain. Stella was one of those people who did not get affected by pain. The pain just went through her. It was the one thing Heidi hated most about Stella. If Stella were nervous or worried about something, she would snap a rubber band that she kept on her wrist until her wrist went bright red. It would put her mind on something else instead of what she was worried about.

When Stella was in Grade 8, she had a fight with a friend because Stella’s boyfriend had cheated with her friend. Stella sat on her bed one night, when she got home from school, picked up a pair of scissors, and cut her wrist. She still is not sure, if she did it to feel a different kind of pain than the pain she was feeling, or if it was just to see, what it felt like. She never cut herself again, but she still has the scar on her left wrist. Stella never told Heidi that, she knew Heidi would have given her a lecture about it and she knew she would not have been able to handle that.

Stella took a sip of her coffee, which brought her back to reality. She didn’t no why she drank coffee because she hated the taste of it, but one day at the supermarket she found herself putting a tin of it in her trolley. She glanced at her watch, which read ten thirty at night. Sleepily she got up, put her cup in the sink and went to bed.





Stella lay on her back on a wooden table, with a bright light shining in her face. Her hands and feet were bound to the table so she could not move. Stella squinted as she tried to turn her face out of the light but she had rope tied around her throat so it made it hard. She heard footsteps behind her and she wrenched her head sideways trying to get a look at them, the rope burning her throat. Her face was damp with sweat from the heat of the light. It was burning through her flesh.

“How does it feel Stella?” A deep voice came from behind her.

“How does what feel?” Stella gasped. The man laughed a deep, rattling laugh.

“Knowing that this is the same way that your friend died,” he snarled. Stella winced. He walked over to the table and peered down at Stella’s face but with the light, it was hard for her to focus on him.

“She told me the weirdest thing about you. She told me that you liked pain,” his voice was laughing. “I wanted to see how true that was, to see how much pain, is too much pain.” He picked up something that shone in the light, turning it over in his fingers. Stella felt sweat drip off her forehead and run down the side of her face.

“On a scale of one to ten… How much does this hurt?” He took a step forward, a knife in his hand and put the blade one the inside of her arm. Stella could see him clearly now, his hair was brushed over one eye and his smile was menacing. He pressed down on the knife and sliced her arm. Stella cringed slightly.

“One to ten?” He asked gently.

“One,” Stella answered glaring at him. He smiled, his teeth gleaming in the light. “What about this?” He raised the knife above her stomach in both hands and drove the knife through her stomach. Stella let out a scream and closed her eyes, breathing heavily.

“Five,” she said stubbornly.

“I guess she was telling me the truth then. Ok, last one. From one to ten.” He walked away from the table, returned wheeling a wheel chair, and positioned it in front of the table. He said something in a low voice to whoever else was there and let go of the handles. He walked back over to the end of the table and lifted it so that it was standing upright so that Stella could see. She squinted her eyes at the wheelchair and saw Heidi sitting in it looking pale and weak, her head was bent down and she had tape over her mouth.

“Heidi!” Stella yelled, but Heidi didn’t move. “Ten!” Stella yelled.

“But I haven’t even done it yet,” he said mockingly. He pulled something shiny out of his pocket and toyed with it in his hands. A gun. He slowly raised it to Heidi’s lifeless body.

“Ten! TEN!” Stella screamed. She heard his mocking laugh as he pulled the trigger. The gunshot echoing around her.

“NO!” She screamed.

Stella awoke in a sweat. Her scream hollering around the room and rattling through her body. Her blankets all lay lifeless on the floor around her bed. Her chest heaved up and down, she was breathless. She rubbed her eyes and looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table. It was five o’clock. As her breathing slowly calmed down, she sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. She did not want to go back to sleep, she was too scared to.