Love Thy Neighbour, Annecia Ellies [readict txt] 📗

you fed!” with that he left and slammed the door shut.

After what seemed like hours, the door opened again and two men walked in. Neither of them was Mr. Gruff, he stood as they approached him.

“What’s your name son?” one of the men asked.

“Filipe Pierre Le Mar”, He replies.

One of the men approached him and shoved him backwards, he stumbled but did not fall. The man suddenly cupped the crotch of Filipe’s pants and squeezed, then slapped his backside. He jumped at the gesture.

“Whatever you are doing you won’t get away with this.” He said, masking the sudden fear in his voice while trying to ignore the lingering pain between his legs.

“Quite some mouth you got there boy!” the man said.

“I want to go home!” Filipe said trying to sound angry.

“You will be home soon enough, but not your home, you now belong to me.” The man replied before they left the room.

Later another tray was presented to Filipe, still no sight of Jayme. He began to wonder where she was and what happened to her. He ate the soup, it tasted like piss, but he was hungry, soon afterwards he fell asleep.

When he awoke the first thing he realized is that he was in a different place. He was no longer in the dark room but an actual bedroom. His mind began to wander, the soup must have been drugged he thought, because he has no recollection of moving or being moved. He wondered if he was being drugged each time he ate.

He went towards the door but it was locked. He pounded on it and shouted hello, but no one came. He returned to the bed and sat down. Looking around the room the décor was plain. A small cot at the corner used as a bed with a side table next to it. A small chest of drawers opposite the cot, and another door, which he didn’t notice at first because it was partly hidden with a curtain. He got up and went to open the door, it was a bathroom. He turned and went back out, tried the other door again and returned to the bed. No windows for him to see outside, he wondered if it was a Motel.

He looked at himself; he was wearing the same jeans he had on when he left home, with the Dolce and Cabana t-shirt. He had no idea where his shoe was, in fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he noticed it on his feet. The door opened and a man walked in. He said nothing as he stood and looked at Filipe from head to foot. Filipe shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Soon the Mr. Gruff joined him.

“He would ah make a good one for the house yer know.” Said the strange man.

“Yea, but we have ta send him back”, replied Mr. Gruff.

Filipe looked at them both and said nothing, then lowered his eyes. He wondered how come they were speaking so plain in front of him, as if they have nothing to hide. They turned their back on him and kept speaking but in lower tones, Mr. Gruff kept glancing at him from the corner of his eyes. The only word Filipe heard clear is millions. Clearly they kidnapped him for money, he wondered where they had him and what happened to Jayme.

He tried to remember what he knew about her from his memory. She was shorter than him, she said she is thirteen years old and she mentioned something about a sex trade in the Middle East. He couldn’t remember the name she called. By this time the two men had left the small room. He was startled by a sound coming from outside the door. It was then opened by a woman with a tray. She placed it at the foot of the bed, looked at him as if she wanted to say something and was about to leave when he stopped her.

“Who are you?” he asked.

She turned and looked at him. “Don’t think about who I am, instead think about how lucky you are. The rest of them haven’t been so lucky”.

“What do you mean?” he asked her.

“You are going back home”, the woman answered.

“Where’s Jayme?”

“Who is Jayme? She asked Filipe.

“The girl who was with me”, he answered.

“I don’t know who you talking about, there’s no Jayme”.

The woman then looked at him one more time. He tried to understand the look he saw on her face, was it disgust, anger or something else, he couldn’t tell. He looked at the tray, although he was famished, he wouldn’t touch it. Instead he threw it in the toilet and flushed. He then went to the bed and lay down. He pretended to be asleep so he will be awake to see whatever these strange people are planning to do with him. His mind wandered back to Jayme. He had no idea what happened to her, he even began wondering if he dreamt her being there.

A couple hours later he was awakened by the sound of the door opening. Mr. Gruff came in, he knew by the sound of his voice, he was talking to another person. He touched his foot lightly at first, then slapped him on his butt. It stung, but Filipe did not move.

“Yea, he’s out, let’s take him”.

He then felt hands picking him up, one set at his shoulders and another under his knees. He tried to keep his breathing still, it was hard trying not to open his eyes. He was taken in this manner out of the room to the outside apparently, he felt the coolness of the night on his face. He was then placed, he thought, in the back of a van. A door slammed and seconds later he was moving. He opened his eyes slowly; someone was sitting not too far from where he lay. He tried to make out features but the light wasn’t enough. He tried to stay awake but the need to sleep was taking control. When he awoke he was being carried on someone’s shoulders again, he opened his eyes a bit and saw he was in the company of three men. Mr. Gruff was one of them. He was taken into a building through the back and put to lie down on the floor. Then he was left alone.

 

Chapter Three

He was awakened by the hunger pangs gnawing at his stomach. He realized that he was still at the place they brought to him last night.

He was alone, he looked around and thought this new room looked like a warehouse of sorts. There was shelving all around with stacks and stacks of little bottles piled high. He walked up to the door, it was locked, but there was a crack where the two doors met. He was able to see through it but only a little. All he saw was an open field, he pushed at the door but it did not budge, disappointed he returned to the place he sat, and sat.

Filipe didn’t know when he fell asleep; all he knew is the he was very hungry. Hunger pangs tore at his stomach again. He had nothing to eat, nothing at all, and he was so thirsty. He had no idea when last he ate because he had lost track of time. He stared at the door willing it to open and for someone walk in with food, but it remained shut. He looked around to see if there was any water or something that he can drink nearby. He sat still, no water, nothing to eat, nothing to do, he then lay down and went to sleep again.

He opened his eyes sometime later, swallowing had become difficult as his mouth was so dry. His throat was also starting to hurt from the dryness he felt inside. He tried to move his tongue up and down hoping to create enough saliva to wet his lips, that didn’t seem to work. Clutching his stomach he lay down again and began to cry. No tears. He cried until he fell asleep.

He drifted in and out of sleep wishing the hunger pains will go away but it didn’t. His shoulder and back was beginning to hurt from sleeping on the cold, hard floor. His legs felt numb, he can barely wiggle his toes, and they felt so cold. He silently prayed that someone would come. After some time he awoke and lay on the floor staring up at the roof. His entire body felt as if it was in heat, and in pain. How long had he been there, he couldn’t tell. He felt as if he was dying from the lack of water and food. He lay, willing himself to fall back asleep, trying to figure out why he woke up in the first place when all wanted was sleep. Then he heard it, a noise, he tried to move but had no strength, the door was being unlocked and the light came in.

“He’s here, he’s here someone shouted.”

He felt hands touching him the way a doctor would. He drifted back to sleep. The next time he awoke he was lying in a soft bed, a hospital bed. He looked around, his mind vacant. He tried to remember what happened but couldn’t, his lips were no longer dry, and his stomach did not hurt as much. He was aware that something was on his hands, he felt it with his other hand, drips.

He heard by his mother’s voice and eyes flickered opened in disbelief.

“Filipe Darling, are you alright?”

“Yes mom”, he whispered. Eyes wildly darting about the room.

“I thought we’d lost you forever”, she began to cry; “When Linda said you had not returned, your father and I were frantic with worry. We thought the worst and then we got the call from them, they wanted two million dollars for your safe return. Your dad sent the money, but we couldn’t find you. They gave us the wrong warehouse address, oh honey, I thought I’d lost you forever,” she said as she hugged him close.

“What happened to Jayme?” he asked.

“Who’s Jayme honey?”

“The girl who was there with me”.

“Do you know where they kept you?”

“No mom.” He said shaking his head.

“Oh honey, I’m so glad you’re back. She’s hugging him again. I’m never going to let you out of my sight.”

She sat there and held him until he went back to sleep.

He spent three days at the hospital drifting in and out of sleep before he fully regained consciousness. He was being treated for severe dehydration.

Filipe turned over and reached out his hands feeling for his mother, opening his eyes slowly. Instead of being at the Hospital, he was at home, in his own bedroom. His gaze went to the window, the sun shone outside and he guessed it was sometime in the afternoon. He looked at his watch; it was two thirty eight pm. He lay staring at the ceiling trying to figure out what’s going on. Then he remembered Genny’s note, the one he threw in the bin. Yes Genny left him, so he’s single again, and the nightmare, oh the nightmares have begun once more. He sat up in bed, realizing he was about starving so he got up and went towards the kitchen to find something to eat. He hated to deal with the nightmares again, so he decided he will have to speak with Doctor Stephens and let her know the nightmares have returned. He hasn’t had that dream since he was fourteen. He remembered very little about the kidnapping, but it’s there somewhere lurking in his subconscious. And Jayme, she always appeared to him, bidding him to find her.

 

“Oh, look at this one.” Saurelle whispered as she approached a black knee high boot.

“Girl, those are for cold weather not the tropics”, Morgan chided her, “Your feet will be all sweaty and smelly in no time”, and she laughed when Saurelle made a face at her.

“Are you going back to