The first stick

Day 3

Even when the first of the **** captives started to awake from their deep slumber, the light did not return. They stayed shrouded in darkness, uncertain of the time. The voice spoke to them through the dark, its tone cold, and somber.

"She was my favorite actress, you know?" A slight rustling sounded, as if the person behind the voice was shaking their head. "I tried to be nice, but... how could you do such a thing? You're a cop? So you just know? Really...? You don't know anything…" A minute passed in dead silence, the captives still unable to speak or move. "I suppose, I'll just… erase you. And maybe that other woman, who helped you. And then, just maybe, the other ones can make me happy again, like before…"

The voice held its grip over them for a while after it finished, letting them stew in the oppressive dark. Then the lights flickered on, and the captives were freed to survey their surroundings.

Emery grabbed at the empty sleeping bag beside her. She looked around the room. "Mom?"

Leticia got up and walked over to the second room, wondering if Jen would be there, since she hadn't responded to her daughter. She opened the door to see Jack doubled over, fighting against tears. "Jack?"

He curled his hands into fists and tried to calm down, taking deep breaths.

Em checked the bathroom, but found nothing. "Where is she?"

Leticia noted the empty cell in the back of the room, and the grieving young man on the floor. She began to put the strange words of the voice together with what she saw. Her first instinct was to rush to Emery and hold her.

"Leticia?" Emery wasn't sure what was wrong, but she had an awful feeling in her chest. Her breathing quickened, and her eyes began to water.

"It's okay, Em." Leticia pressed the small girl against her chest, gently rubbing her back.

The pressure in her chest grew stronger, and Em cried in Leticia's strong arms.

Frank and Ed looked into the room and began to investigate. Ed got the story from Jack, and Frank verified that Anne, Greco, and Jen were all missing. When he could speak clearly, Jack informed them that Greco and Jen had killed Anne, and that Anne's body had simply disappeared the moment the lights turned on.

Ed nodded, finally understanding the voice's cryptic message. The three men returned to the first room and sat down with the two young women, who were holding each other at the table, the smaller one crying loudly.

The room felt, more than anything else, lonely, but no one could say it out loud. It felt like admitting that the others were gone would make it more true. The mysterious, strange way that they had all disappeared made it seem, at the very least, like it was possible that they were still alive, somewhere else. Only Jack had seen Anne's corpse, and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was gone forever.

"What now?" Frank said to the room.

Ed snapped to attention. "Well… we're still here." It was an obvious and depressing statement, but it was all he could think to say.

Jack stood up and left, stepping into the other room. They heard his first few choked sobs before he could shut the door.

Leticia gave a defeated, uncertain look to Frank and Ed, still cradling Em against her chest. "We'll talk later." It wasn't a question. She got up from the table, lifting Em in a princess carry and taking her to the small bedroom in the corner without saying anything more.

Frank gave Ed a pat on the shoulder and got up. "I guess that's that." He walked over to the wall and purchased a six-pack, then returned to the table. "Want one?"

Ed hated the taste of beer. "Yes, please," he answered.