FAINT RUMBLES

As soon as I was in the hallway, Daniel's decision to leave the company occupied my thoughts. I was disappointed in him, not because of his addiction, but because he wanted to leave the company.

It reminded me about how different our lives were. When I'd hit rock bottom, I had no fancy place to retreat to, or anyone in my corner to help me through it. Well, not until I met Sarah anyways.

An unfamiliar feeling slithered up my back. One that I couldn't even begin to name. While I waited for the elevator, I looked out on the horizon allowing my mind to drift to another memory, best forgotten.

I had been in this rat hole for almost eight months, and it felt as though nothing was getting better. I had managed to get a job and continued my university classes but that was all. Between taking the bus, feeding myself, and paying for tuition and books, I was stuck.

I hated the homeless shelter. The workers there treated everyone like shit. Herding us like cattle and barking at us like dogs. It pissed me off to no end. The early wake up calls, the cold auditorium, and overall shitty routine day in and day out. On top of that, classes were kicking my ass and for the lack of sleep was taking a toll. Tired and desperate for a good night's rest, I was at my breaking point. Something had to give! Thankfully, Sarah told me about a few people from the shelter who had rented storage rooms and stayed in them a couple nights a week.

I had dismissed the idea at first. I hated the idea of sleeping on the floor. It wasn't until I had a run-in with one of the officials at the shelter that I changed my mind. Class had ran later than usual, and I had missed a bus connection. By the time I got to the shelter it was close to 1a.m. and all I could think of was closing my eyes for a few hours before heading to work.

I knew something was off the moment I stepped into the building. The way the security officer looked at me made my skin crawl. "Where are you coming from so late? I started to answer but he shot me a knowing smirk and I hesitated. "Is it necessary to tell you where I've been to get in?" The smirk on his face dropped and he mumbled "bitch" under his breath. For a moment I considered making a scene but my need for sleep overrode the thought.

I should have known that it wouldn't have ended there. First, the machine supposedly couldn't read my badge and then there was no trace of me in the system. My profile had mysteriously disappeared between when I left this morning and now.

After ten minutes of "re-entering" my profile into the system, I was allowed to go through the metal detector only to have it go off because of keys I had carried with me since the first day I arrived at the shelter. Before I could blink, I was hauled off to the manager on duty's office. He must have been a buddy of the officer because everything got worse from there.

He sat me in a room for almost an hour before coming up with a bogus story about them having no record of me in their system and I would have to re-register. It was a ten-minute process that somehow took another hour. He asked all types of questions that weren't required the first time I registered or even earlier at the gate. They were more personal and way too in-depth, so I lied.

I wasn't sure what he was aiming for but whatever it was, I wouldn't give it to him. By the time he was finished drilling me, it was almost 4a.m. and people were starting to wake up. Anger burned through my mind and I had an overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. He had kept me here on purpose! Everyone knew that there was no sleeping or staying at the shelter after 5a.m.

Although it was only 4a.m., staff was moving around getting ready to wake up the heavy sleepers. Any hope I had of getting even a quick nap slipped away.

As he ushered me out of his office and into the main hallway, he gave me a sick oily smile and wished me a great morning. Infuriated, I spent the rest of the morning impatiently waiting for the storage place around the corner to open. While I waited, I walked to the nearest café and downed as much coffee as my system could tolerate so I could stay alert. Deciding that I would need a few things to make the storage space livable, I went to the nearby Target. The sight of pillows and sheets re-ignited my desire to sleep nudging me to move quickly.

This was not how I wanted to spend my money, but between my recent experience and the rumors I had heard about the shelter's staff, this was the best choice. There were stories of a number of people, especially women, who had been harassed every day until it was unbearable. With no one to complain to or protect them, sleeping in a storage unit had been their only escape.

As soon as the storage facility opened, I was there flashing a sad, sweet, smile at the desk clerk. She gave me the cheapest unit that would allow me to sleep in comfort. She must have known my intentions because she kept eyeing my bags. However, all she did was smile knowingly. Sarah had told me that as long as I was discreet and stayed away during the day, the staff would turn a blind eye to my comings and goings. Over time I fixed up the unit, adding pillows, carpet, and even a bean bag chair to help with my achy back. If anyone opened my unit, they would be surprised at the bedroom like appearance. I stayed at the facility for a year.

I was so wrapped up in the memory, I didn't hear the ping when the elevator arrived. Not until Daniel's secretary cleared her throat and stuttered my name, "Ms. G-Grant, the elevator."

Nodding a thanks, I stepped in and prepared to get on with the rest of my day. The past was what it was; there was no point in dwelling on it.

~

"I just want to go home, please" a feeble voice begged. "We've talked about this Julie, you are home." Inky, seaweed-like, hair shook hard in denial. "I don't want to do this anymore. Please! I've been good. You said you would let me go. Please, please let me go."

Hints of displeasure and desire shifted across his face as he looked at his lovely bride. Her Asian features were delicate and he loved how soft and pale her skin was which made him fall in love again every time he looked at her. "Shh, you aren't behaving right now, are you? We agreed that if you behaved yourself for a week, I would think about letting you out. I was considering it but, now, well this whining has definitely set you back to square one."

"I don't care. I'm done! I don't want to do this anymore. I want to go home! Send me home, you monster. I won't cook another meal or spread my legs for you. I can't, I just can't…not anymore." The clicking of the shackles on her feet, with every move, was just a constant reminder that she was a prisoner. She had no idea how long she had been down here but, it had all been too much.

She was a doctor and she was familiar with how to talk to a kidnapper to make herself appear more human but, it hadn't worked. If anything, telling him about herself seemed to intensify his delusions. At her ropes end, she had decided to try one more time, to plead for her life but it wasn't working.

"You ungrateful slut!" His fury pressed down on her long before he stood in front of her. "I saved you! I took you from a world that judges you and thinks you are nothing. Why can't you understand that?!" Raising his hand, he delivered a vicious backhand that sent her staggering and instantly left bruises on her face.

"I've given you everything! What more could you possibly want?" An unnatural light gleamed in his glassy, unfocused, glacier eyes. There was no reason in those eyes; nothing human in their depths. Terror, like she'd never felt before, slammed into Julie and, in that moment, she knew she wasn't going to leave this place alive.

The incessant screaming petered out. What was left of Dr. Julia Wu was in two pieces on the floor. Her torso, showered with multiple superficial cuts and deep, piercing, stab wounds that screamed of rage and disgust had landed at his feet. There was no doubt that the woman had suffered before finally losing her head.

He stood gazing at the head of his masterpiece as though it was an enthralling beauty. He had taken the time to do her makeup, using soft pastel colors because he knew they would look great on her skin. Her eyes were wide open; glued to her eyelids so that he could enjoy the lifeless look staring up at him.

In an instant he became enraged. She wasn't right! She had been all wrong after all. With a growl in the back of his throat, he touched the wall and a panel slid open. On the top shelf were three heads wrapped up delicately and placed like trophies. On the one below, was a list of names and pictures of his other potential brides.

After carefully depositing the head of this failed masterpiece, but masterpiece never-the-less, on the top shelf, he began to study the women before him. One of them had to be perfect for him! He was placing his bet on number 3, next. She was tall and willowy with breathtaking red hair. Yeah, she would be his next masterpiece.