Candy came to with a start. Gun shots, and with the way her head was screaming in pain she wondered if she had been hit. When she checked for blood it all came back to her. Teddy breaking into the house. Her screaming and him hitting her. She was so shocked at first the whole thing felt like bad television. Now it felt all too real. She tried to open the eye that was swollen. She raised her bound wrists and prodded it gently. It was swelled shut and wouldn’t be opening soon. She gingerly touched the knot on her head, her fingers came away clean so at least she hadn’t cut herself open. She carefully peeled the tape off her mouth and thought about screaming for help but that might just lead to her getting shot. Had she dreamed the gun shots?

Tears filled her eyes until they ran down her cheeks and her neck. She said a silent prayer to Bill, Mom, and God. If she was meant to die like this, at the hands of a crazy man she wanted them to know she was coming. She’d fought so hard to keep from dying by her own foolishness that this seemed especially cruel. Crueler still was not getting to say goodbye to Jameson. She’d give anything to get to tell him one more time how much she loved him, to feel his arms around her, to hold him. She tried to put her face in her hands but with the way they were bound it hurt too much. Tears flooded her cheeks now clouding the vision even in her good eye. Despair overwhelmed her. She slammed her heels into the tile, which only added her feet to the list of things bruised and battered. She curled into herself with her back to the tub, hugging her knees to her chest. She wanted to live and sure as heck not with that crazy man. Who knew what he’d do next?

Pure frustration made her slam her hands down over her knees. Her breath heaved in her chest and her heart galloped when she saw it. She started to cry harder. There was a small tear in the tape. She smashed her hands down over her knees again, this time letting them split her arms to either side. Sure enough the tape tore in half. Her breath stuttered in her chest and fresh tears filled her eyes this time in relief. As she pulled the tape from around her ankles she mouthed a thank you towards the ceiling. She still wasn’t in the clear. He had a gun but he didn’t know she was free. She got up and wobbled, the urge to hold her head making it hard to think.

The sight in the bathroom mirror caught her by surprise. She knew she felt bad but seeing the actual damage made everything hurt worse. She didn’t have time for self-pity, not now. She needed something to use as a weapon. Even if it didn’t work at least she’d go down fighting. She searched the medicine cabinet and wanted to cry all over again. Something for period cramps, toothbrush and toothpaste but nothing useful. She pulled back the shower curtain. Shaving gel might blind him long enough to get past him. Her razor wouldn’t be much use. Could she break off the guard? But then how would she hold the blades? She could just rake it over his face.

Her head wasn’t ringing as badly as it had when she’d first stood up. Now she could hear noise beyond Bitsy’s barking. Somebody was moaning. And someone, no more than one man was swearing. She inched toward the door, expecting it to explode any minute. She turned the knob fully expecting Teddy to burst through.