By convict 975468

Eventually I woke up. I didn’t want to. Sleep was so nice and comfortable. I kept luxuriating in it, easing back into it. It was so nice. I did wake up, but slowly and reluctantly.

It was very dark, I couldn’t see. I lay there cozy, lazy. I was lying on my side. I slowly turned over. Far above me, I saw a skylight showing ambient light. That was nice.

I moved again. Something was dragging my right ankle. Something was wrapped around it. I was naked. That was nice. Everything was nice.

Slowly, slowly I began to think. There were no covers. I don’t have a skylight!

With a start, I sat up. “Where am I?”

I couldn’t see in the dark. I felt around, and realized that I was sitting on a mattress. I pulled my right foot toward me, and felt my ankle. There was a shackle attached to my ankle, and a chain!

What the fuck!

I pulled on the chain. About a yard of chain curled by my foot, and then it stopped. The chain was attached to something. I grabbed the chain with both hands and pulled hard. It didn’t budge.

I stood up, stepping off the mattress, and followed the chain to its source. I felt around. The chain appeared to be attached to a round metal piece, which circled a metal post. I again grabbed the chain with both hands and pulled. It was secure, I couldn’t move it.

I carefully made my way back to the mattress. I sat down and examined my ankle, as best I could in the dark. It felt like a metal fetter with padding attached. It seemed to be secured with a heavy duty lock.

What the fuck?

I glanced up at the skylight. It was starting to get light, but I was still in the dark. I laid down and tried to think. “How did I get here?” I had no idea. I couldn’t remember anything. “What do I last remember?” I worked late on my project that is due Friday. I got a bite to eat and stopped at the bar. Yeah, I was nursing my drink, when a guy sat down beside me. We talked, I think his name was Hank. He was nice looking, had a ginger beard and light brown hair. I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I came back he had bought another round. We talked again, but that’s all I remember. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t remember anything after that.

It was getting more light, and I could just make out where I was. It looked like a warehouse or an old factory. There were large windows that had been bricked up. I got up to explore. I was locked to a chain, which was about twelve feet long. As I had believed in the dark, the chain was attached to a metal ring around a steel pole.

I was able to walk around the pole, but I was limited to a circle with a radius of twelve feet or so. The only things in that circle were the old mattress and a five gallon plastic bucket with a lid, and me of course!

Realizing that I really needed to piss, I removed the lid and pissed in the empty bucket. I put the lid on and sat on the top.

What the fuck?

I examined the shackle, and it appeared to be secure. At least, the padding would keep it from chafing. The lock looked very strong. I went back to the pole and tried again to pull on the chain. It still wouldn’t bulge. The ring ran through the last link in the chain, and it was welded securely. I pulled on it, uselessly.

Back on the bucket, I realized that without tools or help or both – I couldn’t get free.

I sat there, my mind racing.

Then I heard it. The sound of a garage door opening and closing, below me and to my right. My mouth opened to scream for help, but I didn’t – I decided to wait and listen.

There were muffled sounds, and in a few minutes I heard someone climbing steps somewhere off to my left. In a moment he appeared, walking toward me. I rose and moved to the end of my chain. As I was about to speak, he placed his index finger over his lips – telling me to be quiet.

What the fuck?

I didn’t speak. Flabbergasted, I considered why.   Perhaps he might be going to rescue me and that someone else might hear and prevent it.

“You’re lucky you didn’t speak or yell. You’ll get to eat today.”

Sternly, “That’s the first rule. You don’t speak. Break the rules and you get punished.”

He turned and walked back to the top of the staircase, and took something from the box he had set there. When he turned back he was carrying a bowl and a gallon milk jug. He set them on the floor out of my reach.

“When I come, you will move to the X taped on the floor and stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your hands held against the small of your back, right palm out, fingers straight and thumbs interlocked. You will not move from that position until I give you permission.”

I moved to stand on the X and put my hands behind my back as instructed. He placed the bowl and the jug about two yards to my left, and stepped back.

“You may take the bowl and the water. You will eat all you are given, or you will not be fed tomorrow. The gallon of water is all you will get today, so take care not to spill it. Eat.”

I took the bowl and jug and moved to sit on the bucket.

Pointing to the X, “No sit over here on the floor.”

I complied. The bowl was filled with cold rice and beans. Since there was no fork or spoon, I began to eat with my fingers, being careful to lick them and not spill any on the floor. From time to time, I wiped my greasy fingers on my naked thigh, and took a drink from the jug. I was careful to wipe the last of the food from the bowl with my fingers.

He moved forward and said, “Give me the bowl” I stood and handed the bowl to him. I placed my feet apart and my hands behind my back.

“You have done well. Remember not to speak. Your job is to adjust – as you must. I’m sure you have a million questions, but they will not be answered now. Adjust to your situation. I will return tomorrow.”

He turned and left. Presently I heard the door opening and closing, and then there was silence again.

What the fuck!

I started searching around me again. I noticed that there were two concentric circles drawn in colored chalk around the pole the chain was attached to. At the first one, I could stand with my toes just touching it. I found that if I laid on my belly, that I could just touch the outer one. He had drawn the limits of my world in chalk, likely to remind himself to keep things out of my reach.

I began to make a thorough search of the circles, but I found nothing. I moved the mattress and the bucket, but found nothing. I felt all around every surface on the mattress – nothing. I carefully examined every inch of the wooden floor, and found a loose nail. After an hour’s work, I was able to dislodge it.

“Ok, but what can I do with it?”, I debated with myself.

“Perhaps use it to dislodge another and eventually get the floorboard up.”

“What am I going to do with a board and nails?”

“Break the weld on the ring around the post.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Pick the lock?”

“Not with a nail!”

“Hide the nail in the mattress.”

“No, better to put it back where I found it – maybe he won’t notice it was tampered with. He might notice it’s gone”

I sat down on the bucket and started to think about my captor. He was about the same height as I am, 5-foot-10, and has the same build as me, 175 pounds. We should be evenly matched in a fight.

“So what if I subdue him? Where does it get me? Surely he keeps the key somewhere beyond my reach. It might even be in his car. He wouldn’t have it on him!”

“Something’s familiar about him. There’s something about his voice, about the way he talks!”

“Fuck! It’s Hank from the bar. No! This guy shaves his head and doesn’t have a beard. Hank had a ginger beard and light brown hair. Fuck me!”

My mind swirled, debating back and forth. Coming up with theories. Considering paranoid ideas. Plenty of questions. No answers!

Then I noticed it was getting dark. I thought of the coming night, and realized that I was very hungry. The rice and beans had been filling, but they were long gone. I thought of drinking the rest of the water to fill my belly. But decided I would piss it away and then be thirsty.

Eventually I laid again on the mattress, but sleep didn’t come. My mind raced through the possibilities and reviewed and reviewed my situation from every angle – yet I had no answers.

I must have slept – I woke and light was coming through the skylight.

To be continued …

Metal would like to thank the author, convict 975468, for this story!