Cassidy

I

Snow covered the city of Janet. The streets were lined with posters of a young girl's face. A beautiful blonde girl with a big smile. The poster read :

MISSING

Cassidy Stevens

17 years old

Last seen December 18th 1995

If you have any information please call:

555-9323

    The posters were faded and torn. People walked past them like they were apart of the scenery. It had been over a year since Cassidy had gone missing. The police declared Cassidy a runaway when there was no sign of her and no leads after one month. But her parents never gave up hope that she would come back to them. They left her room the same. They waited by the phone in hopes that she would call.

II

    Richard and MaryAnne sat in the livingroom blankly staring at the television. Richard, a tall man with large muscles and a dark beard, lounged in his recliner drinking his beer and watching the Steelers game. MaryAnne, a small woman with long red hair, sat by the telephone on the couch pretending to understand what was happening.

    “Wait, was that good?” MaryAnne asked Richard.

    “No.” He replied, slightly annoyed.

“Oh. Well what happened?” She asked.

“They got a flag on the play.” Richard rolled his eyes.

“They who?” MaryAnne was curious.

“Why are you even watching? You have no clue what is going on and I really don’t appreciate you interrupting the game to ask me a billion questions.” He had an attitude with her.   

MaryAnne stood up and went to the kitchen. She sat at the table and fiddled with a pen.

They had been fighting more since Cassidy went missing. They could rarely have a conversation without arguing.

    MaryAnne was doodling on an envelope when the phone rang. She walked to answer the it.

    “Stevens residence.”

    “I have her.” A strange voice spoke back to her. She tensed up.

    “I-I’m sorry?”

    “I have your daughter.”

    “Cassidy? Where is she?” MaryAnne was in a panic.

    “She is with me.” He was taunting her.

    “Tell me where she is you bastard!” Richard came running in.

    “Mary what’s going on?” He asked in a worried tone.

    The man on the phone hung up. MaryAnne fell to the floor.

    “Mary,” Richard dropped down next to her, “Mary tell me what’s going on.”

    “He-” She was starting to hyperventilate, “He-”

    “Mary breathe. Just tell me what happened.”

    “He said he has her.” She stared at the wall, her face struck with fear. Richard’s eyes widened.

    “Who is "he”?”

MaryAnne sat there shaking.

    “Let’s go to the police.” Richard stoop up. “Come on.” He bent down to help her up.

    Richard helped MaryAnne into the car and started it. The drive to the station was silent. MaryAnne looked out the window. Richard took her hand and squeezed it.  

III

    The room was dark and cold. Cassidy sat in against the wall , her arms wrapped around her legs which she had pressed against her chest. Her hair , oily and wet, stuck to her face. The only thing she could hear was the sound of water dipping in the distance. Drip, drip, drip. The constant dripping that once drove her mad was now the only thing that kept her mind off things. She would count the number of drips she heard. “331. 332. 333.” The room was empty. Mud covered the floors and walls. The only light in the room came from a small window at the top of the room.

    “Get up.” The man’s voice sent shivers down Cassidy’s spine. She knew better than to disobey his orders. The welts across her back had just stopped bleeding.

    “Come here.” A small door on the wall furthest from her opened. She slowly made her way to him. He grabbed her wrist. Cassidy flenched. He pulled her to her knees.

    “Crawl.”

Cassidy began to crawl through the small door. Tears began to fall from her eyes. She knew what was coming. She couldn’t think of what she did to deserve this kind of treatment.

“I’m sorry! No! Please don’t do this!” She started screaming as he pulled her up.

“Shut up!”

Cassidy closed her eyes. She couldn’t watch him.

“Stop crying and let’s go.” His voice was filled with anger.

He led her down a long hallway. Cassidy didn’t recognize this area. The floors were clean, the walls didn’t have holes and there was no dripping sound. She wanted to ask where they were going but she knew that would anger him further.

They entered a large room with white walls and a tall ceiling. A camera was set up on a tripod at one end of the room. In front of the camera was a plastic fold out chair. The chair was old and covered with dirt.

“Sit in the chair.” He demanded. She followed orders.

He grabbed a roll of duct tape from a table at near the camera. He began to tape her arms and legs to the chair. Cassidy tried to control her breathing. “This is it she thought.”

He finished taping her the chair and walked over to the camera. “You’re going to sit there and not say a word.” He held up the cane he used to welt her back as a threat. He pressed the record button on the camera. Pointing at the camera lens he told her to look at it. She lifted her head and stared into the lens.

IV

    “He has my baby!” MaryAnne screamed at the officer. The entire station stopped and looked at the weeping couple.

    “Can anyone help us?!” Richard pleaded.

The sheriff walked towards them, “Mr and Mrs Stevens , why don’t you come in here and sit down.” He gestured them to his office.

“Could I get you guys some water?” He offered.

“He has her. He has Cassidy.” MaryAnne sat down and began to ramble on about Cassidy, “He has her. He has her.”

“Someone called the house and told MaryAnne that they had our baby girl.” Richard explained to the Sheriff.

He sat down on the edge of his desk, “Did he tell you his name?”

“All he said was that he had Cassidy.” Richard began to cry, “Why would he call now? It’s been over a year. I thought she was-” He gasped for breathe.

“Let’s not worry about why , let’s just worry about finding her.” The Sheriff tried to console them.

There was a knock at the door. The Sheriff answered it. Another officer whispered something to him. He looked back at MaryAnne and Richard, “Excuse me one moment.”

V

“Richard could you two please come with me, I think we found Cassidy.” The Sheriff escorted them to the Deputy's desk.

“Is she okay?” Richard asked.

“I don’t think you should let MaryAnne see this.”

“Oh god, please let my baby girl be okay.” Richard begged.

“Deputy why don’t you take MaryAnne to get some water.”

MaryAnne followed the Deputy. The Sheriff opened a file on the computer.

“We received an email from an unknown address minutes after you arrived.”

A video file opened.

Richard’s eyes filled with tears, “I- I don’t understand. That’s my Cassidy. What- Where is she?” He was stumbling over his words.

“We aren’t sure. The video didn’t come with a message.”

“Find her! Get out there and find her! If there is even a small chance that she’s survived all this time you need to bring her home to me!” Richard grew angry.

“We are getting a team together right now. We will find your daughter, Richard.”

VI

Cassidy’s head fell to her chest. The man walked in and fiddled with the camera.

“Lookup.” He said in a demanding tone, Cassidy slowly lifted her head. She could barely keep her eyes open. She had been taped to the chair for hours now. The man walked over to her. He grabbed her chin and smooshed her cheeks together. Cassidy looked down.

“Look at me,” He pulled at her neck until she opened her eyes. He twisted her head to right and then to the left. Cassidy felt his hot breath hit her face, it reeked like he had just eaten fish. He dropped her head and Cassidy tried her best not to let it fall again. She wanted to ask him why he had taken her. Why he kept her all this time. But she knew better than to anger him.

He walked to the camera and fiddled around with some buttons, “Look at the camera. You’re going to say exactly what I wrote on these cards. Nothing else. If you don’t say exactly what I tell you to,” He held up the cane as a warning. Cassidy’s eyes began to tear up, she nodded in agreement. He held up a stack of large white cards.

Cassidy began to read the cards, “You have 48 hours.” She began to cry.

He threw the cards on the ground and stomped over to her. He slapped across the face making her tears pour out harder, “Quit crying!” He grabbed her face, “Read the cards!” Cassidy dropped who head as he walked back over to the camera.

“You have-” Cassidy tried to hold her tears back her tears, “48 hours to find me.”

VI

Cassidy’s head fell to her chest. The man walked in and fiddled with the camera.

“Lookup.” He said in a demanding tone, Cassidy slowly lifted her head. She could barely keep her eyes open. She had been taped to the chair for hours now. The man walked over to her. He grabbed her chin and smooshed her cheeks together. Cassidy looked down.

“Look at me,” He pulled at her neck until she opened her eyes. He twisted her head to right and then to the left. Cassidy felt his hot breath hit her face, it reeked like he had just eaten fish. He dropped her head and Cassidy tried her best not to let it fall again. She wanted to ask him why he had taken her. Why he kept her all this time. But she knew better than to anger him.

He walked to the camera and fiddled around with some buttons, “Look at the camera. You’re going to say exactly what I wrote on these cards. Nothing else. If you don’t say exactly what I tell you to,” He held up the cane as a warning. Cassidy’s eyes began to tear up, she nodded in agreement. He held up a stack of large white cards.

Cassidy began to read the cards, “You have 48 hours.” She began to cry.

He threw the cards on the ground and stomped over to her. He slapped across the face making her tears pour out harder, “Quit crying!” He grabbed her face, “Read the cards!” Cassidy dropped who head as he walked back over to the camera.

“You have-” Cassidy tried to hold her tears back her tears, “48 hours to find me.”

VII

MaryAnne sat staring at the beige walls of the sheriff's office. She listened to the officer’s buzzing outside, quietly talking about her daughter.

“We’ve received another video.” The young officer whispered to the sheriff.

“Was there a message?” The young officer looked at him with distress. The sheriff pulled up his belt and took a deep breath.

He turned and walked over to Richard, “We just received another video. There’s a message attached. I understand if you don’t want to watch it.”

Richard grew angry, “Of course I want to see it! She’s my fucking daughter,” Richard began sobbing and dropped to the ground, “My baby girl! My Cassidy!”

The sheriff knelt down beside Richard, “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, but I can tell you it’s our best chance of finding Cassidy.”

Richard wiped his eyes and stood up, “Let’s go.”

The sheriff stood and gestured him toward deputies office. A young man sat behind a desk in the middle of the room. He was staring at the computer screen. Richard’s heart was beating fast.

The man looked up from the computer, “Sheriff, I don’t know that he should watch this,” he stood up and gestured toward Richard.

“It’s fine. He can watch.” The sheriff looked at Richard with sympathy, “Now, show us the video.”

The man took a breath and sat back down. They all gathered behind the desk. Richard stared at the screen. His eyes filled with tears as he watched his daughter, strapped to a chair, delivering the warning of her own death. He clenched his hands and began to breakdown.

The man sitting stopped the video. He looked at Richard with discomfort, “That’s all there was, sir.”

The Sheriff looked at him. “There wasn’t anything that would tell us where she is?”

“We’re going over the footage to try and find any markers,” He hesitated for a moment, “but, there aren’t any windows. It’s just some walls and a table.”

The Sheriff gritted his teeth, “Keep looking, I want answer, now,” he demanded.

“Yes sir,” the man replied.

VIII

Cassidy lifted her head. She stared at the walls as she sat there wondering if she would be taking her last breath in this room. An empty room filled with the tools that gave her so many scars. A room that she sat in as she was beaten in. A room where she spent so many nights with a man who stole her away from her home and her family. This room and these white walls would be the last thing she sees. His hands would be the last thing she felt on her skin. She began to cry at the thought of everything she would miss. She would never graduate high school, never fall in love, never have children. She would never really live.

The man entered the room, he stood with his knees pressed against hers as he stroked her hair with his large, dirt covered hands, “Shhh don’t cry. It will all be over soon.”

IX

Richard entered the deputies office where MaryAnne was sitting. She was still staring at the blank walls, crying. The Sheriff entered the room with Richard.

“Honey, we need talk.” Richard knelt down next to her.

She looked at him, her eyes flooded with tears.

Richard took a deep breath and looked at the floor, “We got a video from the man who took Cassidy. It said-” he couldn’t tell her that her daughter was going to die if they could not find her, he couldn’t take away all her hope, “It said that Cassidy,” he began to cry, “If we can’t find her in two days he’s going to kill her.”

MarryAnne couldn’t move, she just sat their staring at the walls.

“MarryAnne? Honey?” Richard touched her shoulder and nudged her. “Honey?”

“Why don’t we just leave her alone for awhile?” The Sheriff helped Richard off the floor.

Richard followed the sheriff out of the office, “What are you going to do? What are you going to do to find my daughter?” Richard urged the them for an answer.

The sheriff looked around the room at his officers, “Anderson and Cole, watch the video of Cassidy and see what you find. Look for something that might tell us where she is. Jefferson figure out where that email was sent from. Get back to me as soon as you find anything. We have 48 hours to find this little girl alive.” The Sheriff took a deep breath and went to his office.

Richard stood in the middle of the station staring at the officers sitting at their desks, acting like his little girl’s wasn’t in their hands. He began to sweat. His thought flooded with his little girl, the way she would beg to sit on his lap. His princess, the one who stole his heart the moment she came into this world was about to ripped away from him forever.

X

The man sat at his desk fiddling with his pen. It was almost time. After a year of waiting he would finally get to watch her die. He will feel her take her last breath and watch the life leave her eyes. He liked feeling in control, he decided when she would die. He would play her god. He doodled on the paper in front of him, drawing the things he wanted to do to her, tracing every line carefully: Her beautiful blonde hair dyed red with blood as he slit her throat. She would struggle for a moment and then lay still. He jumped up in excitement and ran down the hall to her. She was staring at the back wall and crying. He could look at her forever. It reminded him of the old days. The days when he would sit outside her window and watch her dance; the way she moved her hips and her blonde hair flew through the air made him weak. He couldn’t wait to rip her apart and watch her blood spill across the floor. 

XI

Richard was sat next to MaryAnne, who hadn’t moved all night, “I’m sorry that I failed you. I shouldn’t have let her leave that night,” he rested his elbows on his knees, “You didn’t want her to go out that night and I should’ve listened to you. I’m so sorry that I let this happen to our baby.”

MaryAnne was unresponsive. An officer walked in, “Richard, we might have found something.” Richard looked at MaryAnne hoping that she would say something. He took a deep breath and got up to follow the officer to his desk. The sheriff was standing at the desk staring at the computer.

“What did you find? Do you know where my Cassidy is?” Richard sounded hopeful.

“We don’t have much, but is something,” The sheriff turned the desktop toward Richard, “We know where to email was sent from. We’re getting a team together right now to go check the location out.”

Richard felt his heart drop. All he wanted was his little girl back. This could be it, he had waited so long to see her.

He ran to see MaryAnne, “MaryAnne, sweetie. They found her. They’re bringing her back. They’re sending a team out to go get our baby girl.” He laid his head in her lap.

“They have her? They have my Cassidy?” MaryAnne gasped and lifted Richard’s head off her legs, “Is she here?” Her eyes filled with hope.

XII

            Cassidy twisted her wrists, they had been wrapped in duct tape for several hours and were beginning to burn. Her was red from the tears. A loud bang came from outside the room, Cassidy jumped.

            “Wakey Wakey!” The man yelled at her as he hit the wall with the handle of his knife, “Aw are you sad? Are you scared?” He got in her face and laughed, she could smell the liquor on his breath. She whipped her head to the side to take a breath of fresh air, the man grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him, “Don’t turn away from me when I’m talking to you.” He slid the handle of his knife up her inner thigh. Cassidy’s breathing grew heavier, she closed her eyes and tried to imagine that she was anywhere else in the world but there.

            “Open your fucking eyes!” He screamed at her, spitting in her face.

            She opened her eyes and looked down at her thigh, she watched as he turned the blade over on to her pants and used the tip of it to cut them open.

            “Please- Please don’t,” She was begging for him to stop, praying that he would stop.

            The man just laughed as he continued to stroke her leg. A loud thud came from the room above. He stopped and looked up at the ceiling,

“Do not make a sound,” he pushed his index finger over Cassidy’s lips to silence her.

            Cassidy looked at him and shook her head showing that she agreed. She could hear footsteps above them. She hoped that it was her rescue. That they had finally found her.

XIII

Officer Mark led the team down the hallway. He peered around a corner looking at the door through the narrow scope of his assault rifle. The lights were dim, giving the building an eerie feeling. His men followed behind as he grew closer to the door. He looked back to make sure all of his men were ready to enter the room. They gave the signal and he tore the door down. The men spread out through the room. Several men yelled clear as they entered each room and checked for any signs of Cassidy. Mark’s face grew long and full of heartbreak.

He pressed against his shoulder and talked into his walkie-talkie, “She isn’t here sir.”

XIV

The Sheriff looked across the room at Richard and MaryAnne, sitting together holding hands with so much hope in their eyes. He couldn’t take that away from them, it was all they had right now.  He walked over towards them. Richard looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, the Sheriff managed to choke out he words, “We searched the address”, he tried to talk past the lump in his throat, “She, um. She wasn’t there.”

Richard looked at him, what little light he had left in his eyes fading.

“We’re going back through the information that we have”, he couldn’t bare to look at him, “We are doing everything we can to find your daughter.”

Richard squeezed MaryAnne’s hand, her expression was still blank. She was numb.

XV

     Cassidy followed the sound of the footsteps above her with her eyes. She was filled with hope.

     “Thomas! What are you doing here man?” She could hear her captor talking to a friend. Her eyes closed and she felt her chest drop. She knew that her parents had seen the video by now. The thought of them seeing her like this, beaten down and covered in filth.

     She tried to imagine what they were doing right now. She liked to think that they were sitting on the couch together, her dad watching football and her mom pretending to not more interested in the magazine. She let out a small chuckle, she decided that she was not going to give this man all the power. If he was going to take her life she refused to play his game, she was going to go out with light. She did not want her last hours to be filled with fear. She was not ready to die but if it was the only to get out of this then she would do it with everything that she had.

XVI

     Thomas circled around the living room, it was bare, with only a blue reclining and a television in the corner. The walls were lined with a dark brown wood and hot pocket wrappers lined the wall near the entrance to the kitchen. Thomas peered around the corner to see in the kitchen, he saw what looked like newspaper clippings hanging on the wall above the dining room table.

     The man moved in front of Thomas quickly, as if to hide what he was decorating his walls with, “What do you need Thomas?”

     Thomas looked at him, “I just came over to check up on you” he hesitated for a moment, not wanting to anger him, “You haven’t been at work for a few days.”

     He laughed, “Right, I just haven’t felt well.”

     Thomas gave him a quizzical look, “Randy, we’re worried about you.” Thomas sounded insincere. He began to head toward the front door, the pathway was blocked by old cut up newspapers.

     “Anyways, I hope you feel better and can come back to work soon.”

     “I should be better by next week, thanks for checking up on me.” He led Thomas out the door.

     Randy was infuriated that Thomas would stop by his house, he should have known that he was busy and that he had company. That’s what he called her. Company. The kind of company that lets you have your way with them, the kind that doesn’t fight back because they are too scared. The kind of company that you kill.  

     Randy tried to focus on his plan. In just a few short hours he would finally be covered in her blood. He would finally get to see what she was made of. He shivered with excitement at the thought of getting to smell her insides.