Morning After and Beyond Ch. 01

Emma woke up the next morning and looked around the room she was in. Where the heck was she? She asked herself. She could not remember what had happened the night before . It was all a bit of a blur. She most definitely did not recognize anything in this almost barren room. The only things it were the bed that she was sitting on, a small mahogany nightstand, and a lamp with a dark gray shade.

As the morning continued it seemed to come back to her in flashes . There was an image of her girlfriend with a shot glass in her hand . Then there was a picture of a guy . He was extremely tall. He had to be 6'3'' tall and he had piercing blue eyes. Then in another flash she had seen her girlfriend, Sarah and this guy dancing together.

"What the heck happened last night?" she said out loud to the empty room. "How the heck did I get here and for that matter where the hell is here?" She looked around and nothing in this place even looked familiar. She screamed, " Sara are you here?" There was absolutely no answer. Then she walked a little farther and she tried again. "Sara are you here?" Where was everyone? Why was she all alone?

She was so afraid now. It was crazy how quiet it was . If a pin dropped you probably could have heard it. She wandered down the hallway. She slowly opened a door at the end of the hallway. It creaked as it opened. Once the door opened fully she was able to see that it was a kitchen . All the counters were done a dark marble and the appliances were all stainless steel. It felt extremely cold and inhuman. Who lived here? How did she get here? What did this person want with her? Why hadn't they shown their face? Were they videotaping what she was doing at this moment? These were all thoughts that were running through her head.

Her eyes wandered around the kitchen. She wondered where the person could have put the cameras. Where was Sara? Had this person done something horrible to Sara? Emma's mind filled with sick, sad images. Could the person that brought her here be the same man that she and Sara had spent time with the night before? If so what in the world did he want with the two of them and why had he separated her from her best friend. What was his sick plan?

"Show yourself you sick bastard?" Emma screamed. She pounded on the marble counter top with all of her might. All that succeeded in doing was hurting Emma's hands. She still got no answer from the stranger who was holding her captive. " What the heck to do you want with me?" she screamed. Still no answer. She sank to the floor in complete frustration. She put her hands to her head and she began to weep uncontrollably. What the heck had she gotten herself into? Why had she agreed to go out drinking with Sara? If she got out of this one alive she promised she would never pick up another drink in her entire life.

She slowly composed herself and realized that if she was ever going to get out of here she first had to figure out where here was. She began to look around the kitchen for some clue as to her current location. A menu from a local restaurant might at least give a general idea as to the area she was in but sadly there was nothing. When she could not find any she left it behind but not before sliding open one of the drawers and removing a knife from it . She stuck it in the back of her jeans. If he was waiting for her ready to attack somewhere in this house she definitely wanted to be prepared. She would stab in wherever she could reach and then run like hell to the nearest exit that was if she could find an exit to this place.

She then made her way out of the kitchen back into the hallway. There were a lot of doors in this hallway. One of these doors might hold the key to her freedom. She would have to open each and every one of them until she found that key. Emma took a deep breath. Here I go she said to herself.

The next door she opened was a bathroom. Nothing unique about it at all. Just a sink and a shower and a toilet. They were all made of the same dark marble as the counters in the kitchen. Man this place is getting creepier by the moment she thought to herself. She looked around the bathroom for a few moments hoping for a magazine with an address on it or something but at last she had no such luck. As she closed the bathroom door she let out a sigh. How was she going to get herself out of this debacle? She had no clue where she was and for that matter she had no clue how to get away from where she was and get back to where she wanted to be. She felt like the situation was hopeless yet she knew she had to continue to open doors. She need to continue try and figure where she was if not for her but for Sara. Hopefully Sara was okay. Emma did not what she would do if she found Sara hurt or worse if she found Sara dead.

Emma tried to push these images out of her head. She need to concentrate on getting herself out of here then she could worry about finding Sara and bringing her home safely. She exited the bathroom with a new resolve. She would find her way out of here . She would save herself and she would save Sara. All she need was a few clues and some serious determination.

As she turned the next doorknob she could feel the steel of the knife in her pants pocket. She knew that whatever happened she had to hold onto that knife. It was the only way for her defend herself and if the person holding her got it away from her she would not stand a chance whatsoever. The next room she entered had floor to ceiling book shelves around every wall . In the center was a large plush chair with a high back. Next to the chair was a Tiffany lamp. This room felt different from the rest of the house so far. It felt peaceful and homey. This room made you want to curl up in that chair with a good book off of one of the many bookshelves and read. If she did not feel like a captive she would have very much enjoyed sitting in that comfy chair for hours reading by the light of the Tiffany lamp. It was truly mind boggling to Emma how one room in such stark contrast to the rest of the room in the house. It was as if two different people had decorated the house. Emma wandered the room for a while in awe of the amazing collection of books that this person possessed . She examined some titles and realized that she was dealing with an extremely intelligent individual. Only a very learned person could possibly have read many of the titles within the bookshelves. Okay this is just great she thought to herself . I am dealing a very intelligent yet very sick human being and I have no idea what he has planned for me or for that matter what he has planned or has already done to my best friend. She sank into the chair and closed her eyes praying that when she opened them this would just turn to be a big nightmare and that she would be at home with the covers around her. Yet when she did reopen them she was still in the library of a strange home with a very smart psycho lurking somewhere. "Damn Sara what the heck did you get us into?" she muttered even though she knew her friend was nowhere around to hear her.

It had been Sara who had insisted that she could out with her the night before. "It will be fun," she had said. "You remember what fun is don't you?" Emma would have been perfectly fine with staying home cuddled up watching reruns on television but no Sara had pushed for her to go. "I can't party by myself. You have to come."

"Sara I really don't want to go," Emma had told her so many times that she had practically lost count. Yet in the end as always Sara won and out they had gone to Jack's. It was one of Sara's favorite places to party. She claimed she loved the atmosphere yet to Emma it was just a dive bar but she would never say a word to Sara. Emma had never been one to speak out against something that her friend liked.

Now look where that had gotten her. Walking around a strange dark house owned by a person who wanted to do who knows what to her. If she got out this one, she would definitely open her mouth a lot more often. Sara would know how she felt about a lot more topics and they would never ever step foot in Jack's ever again no matter how much Sara liked the place . She would just have to find a new place to love. Emma got up and looked around the room one last time before exiting and closing the door behind her. "Damn it there has to be something in this house that will help me figure out where I am." She could not believe she had gotten herself into this. If only she had stayed home like she had planned and not let Sara talk her into something she had no desire to do at all. She would be safe and sound instead of in probably the biggest trouble she had ever been in her entire life.