You lay down on the sofa, wondering what lays in store for you. No one would go through all this trouble for no reason and you dread learning what that reason is. Does the kidnapper simply want a ransom or do they have something more sinister in mind? You notice there are no windows in this room and the bleak white walls are not helping you stay positive. You can't let fear overcome you, only by thinking rational will you get out of this.

Suddenly the door that was locked opens up and the man who kidnapped you appears, he is holding a tray with a paper bag on it, he appears nervous and is looking down at the tray and not you.
> You beg to be freed
"Please let me go, I won't tell anyone about this I promise, I'll give you money if that's what you want" you beg as tears begin to roll down your face.

The man appears to get sad as if he regrets what he is doing and his eyes seem to get a bit watery. It isn't long before he regains his composure and begins to speak

"I'm sorry about this, I promise everything will be explained in time, just relax I have no intention of hurting you and by the end of the week, you'll be home". The kidnapper explains.

"What's that?" you ask pointing the bag on tray with one hand and wiping the tears off your face with the other.

"Oh, this is dinner, I got it from this deli called Luca's, the internet said you liked pepperoni calzone and diet soda so I got you that" The kidnapper says while putting down the tray.

"Now that sofa opens up into a bed and in the morning, you'll meet my girlfriend, it won't be so bad"

The man quickly leaves closing the door behind him and locking it. You wonder if he is afraid of being caught by the FBI or if he is always like that. You pick up the bag on the tray and take out the contents, sure enough it's a pepperoni calzone and a diet soda. Your stomach growls at the sight of the meal, you are too hungry to care if it's poisonous or not and begin wolfing the food down. After you've finished you put the tray in a corner and pull the bed out of the sofa . As you lay down, the events of the day race through your mind and you wonder if you'll truly leave this place alive. However you are exhausted and soon you fall asleep.
> The next day
You wake up the next morning, hoping the kidnapping was just a bad dream, sadly when you look around you see that you're still in the small windowless room. Not long after you wake up, the kidnapper enters the room with another tray, this one has a stack of pancakes and orange juice.

"I read you like buttermilk pancakes and pulp free orange juice" He says as he puts down the tray.

"In hour my girlfriend, Jeanette is going to visit, you can meet her, she's quite a fan yours"

Before the man leaves he picks up the tray from yesterday and exits the room, locking the door behind him. As you look at the tray you noticed he didn't leave any utensils, he has either planned this out or is just forgetful. You figure now is not the time to worry about proper eating habits as you grab a pancake and take a bite out of it. While you have breakfast you turn on the TV.

"20 hours after Linda Niles kidnapping, the FBI appears to be no closer to finding her. So far no group has claimed responsibility and no ransom has been demanded. Surveillance footage from the Destiny Hill Mall showing the kidnapper has been released to the public in effort to identify the man. Witnesses say that before the abduction, he gave his name as 'Jacob' when requesting an autograph. FBI officials say the name is most likely a fake.Officials also say they are considering a house to a house search, with the town's population at 40,000 doubts if such a search is possible or even if legal have been raised. Residents of the once quiet town are upset of the over the high police presence and checkpoints set up around the town's exits, meanwhile sales of Linda Niles albums have skyrocketed and rumors of the kidnapping being a hoax are beginning to circulate..."

You finish breakfast and turn off the TV. You begin to wonder who this "Jeanette" person your going to meet soon is like, maybe she is just is timid as the guy is, you'll have just to wait to find out.
> You an hour later
 After waiting for an hour the door opens and the man appears.

"Come on" he shyly says while sticking out his arm.

You walk towards him and he grabs hold of your wrist. He heads out while tugging you along, he is obviously trying to make sure you don't run for it, he also seems to be trying to avoid hurting you. You walk into the next room which is basically just a larger version of the room you were just in, carpeted floor with dust bunnies, bleak white walls and no windows. In the middle of the room is a staircase which you and the man walk up. Upstairs you discover you are in a foyer in what appears to be a residential house.

You eye the front door at the end of the foyer but the kidnapper tugs you in the other direction. You enter a room on the right which has two loveseat sofas, a large flat screen TV on stand with a DVD player and several DVDs. On the floor is a carpet that doesn't have dust bunnies, walls that aren't so bleak as the ones in the basement, and more importantly for you windows. You never thought you'd be so happy to see sunlight, but after almost a full day without you'll never take it for granted again.

While you're staring outside you almost overlook that there is a women sitting on one of the love seats. She looks around your age, has almost waist long blonde hair, jean short shorts and a red tank top, she looks far more confident then the kidnapper ever did. She notices you are looking at her and begins to talk.

"I can't believe you pulled this off Martin" the women begins.

"Yeah, I made a promise and I don't break my promises" the man replied as he sat down next to her.

You notice the man is far more relaxed when in the company of this women.

"So you're the world famous Linda Niles, I'm Jeanette" the women introduces herself.

"Nice to meet you" you respond. You suppose being polite will improve your odds of getting out of this situation.

"I hope Martin has been treating you alright, he isn't a bad person, but I don't blame you if the kidnapping gave you a different impression"

You can't tell if she is being serious or making a wise crack.

"So the reason I am here is I'm going to babysit you today, Martin has a few errands to run and we obviously can't just leave you here alone" Jeanette explained.

"But the FBI is out looking for you" You say surprisingly with a bit of concern in your voice.

"I have...things to do" Martin stated purposely vague.

You could insist that Martin stays and Jeanette goes out to do whatever these errands are. You're not quite sure what to make of Jeanette, she could be dangerous, while you know Martin is timid and (probably) won't hurt you. You might even be able to make an escape attempt. On the other hand Martin isn't much for conversation, having Jeanette stay around would give you somebody to talk to, which would really help you keep your saintly while trapped. However Martin going out runs the risk if him being caught, which can your situation much better or way worse.
> You ask Martin to stay
You're smart enough to know the devil you know is better then the devil you don't.

"Maybe Martin should stay" you suggest.

Both Martin and Jeanette are bit surprise by your comment.

"Sorry hun, but I have a ton of work to do and so does Martin" Jeanette stated.

"If you really plan on letting me getting go by the end of the week, then it benefits me not having Martin go out and risk getting caught"

Your case doesn't seem to persuade Jeanette in the slightest, Martin on the other hand seems to take heed to what you say.

"You can do my errands Jeanette and I can do your bank statements, you'll still get the credit for doing them" Martin advised.

"Fine, I guess we should be careful"

Jeanette and Martin kiss each goodbye as she gets off the sofa, leaves the room and heads out the front door. As soon as she is gone Martin becomes his more on edge self.

"We have some work to do" Martin explained.

As before Martin grabs you by the wrist but not very tightly  leading you into the foyer and then a room on the left. It is a kitchen complete with a refrigerator, oven and stove. The appliances seemed fairly modern, although the oven and stove appeared to be a bit dirty. Next to them was a counter and sink, with dishes that needed to be washed.A sliding door on the right lead to the backyard was on the right. In the middle of the room is a kitchen table, on it is a box with a bunch of papers. You both sit down at the table as Martin takes the box and dumps the papers on the table.

"Jeanette needs these bank statements alphabetize" Martin blunted instructed.

It is a very dull affair as Martin at times seems to forget you are even there, paying for more attention to the papers then to you. You try to make small talk, Martin doesn't say much, but you manage to learn that his parents died in a car crash a few years ago and he doesn't like hot weather. Martin works at very fast pace, finishing his half of the statements and then proceeds to complete your half. By noon you are done, Martin orders a pizza, mushrooms and olives your favorite. After lunch Martin returns to the room with the love seats, lays down on one and promptly dozes off. You are now left unsupervised in the house.
> You explore the house
Escaping is way too risky, but it would be a waste to go back downstairs just yet, so you decide to have a look around. You walk into a room  that is at the opposite end of the front door. In it is a staircase leading to a second floor. When you reach the upper level you notice it is rather small, as it is just a hallway with two doors, the first one you try is locked but the second one isn't, inside you see a bed, a small nightstand, a dresser and a desk with numerous papers on it. There is little doubt this is Martin's bedroom. You head towards the desk and inspect the papers. One is the blueprints for the Destiny Hill Mall, with an a red arrow drawn from it. The arrow starts out in Zidane's clothing store, goes out the back exit, down a set of stairs and out of the employee entrance. It stops at a parking space outside the mall.

So this was Martin's escape route, you remember there were a bunch of cops guarding that entrance, how'd he get past them? You being unconscious at time, can't recall. The next item is a photo of a fancy blue sports car, on the back of the photo it says:

Leaves keys in garage, code is 0515, asleep by 11 PM.

You are bit surprised how someone who acts like his own shadow would scare him, could plan this all, maybe Jeanette had a hand you wonder. Next to the photo of the sports car is a flyer with your face on it:

COME MEET 8 TIME GRAMMY WINNER LINDA NILES!!!

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR PICTURE TAKEN AND GET AN AUTOGRAPH  OF THE WORLD FAMOUS SINGER.

ON THURSDAY AUGUST 16TH FROM 12PM-4PM AT THE OPENING OF THE NEWEST ZIDANE'S CLOTHING STORE LOCATED AT DESTINY HALL MALL  AT 219 OKONEDO STREET, IN DESTINY HILL, N.J

*limit, one photo and one autograph person, first 800 people only.

Did they really have to make this flyer so obnoxious you wonder. Moving on you see a small piece of paper with handwritten notes.

Sgt. Marcus Walker $10,000 WAY TOO MUCH!!!

Sgt. Lewis Mott $4,000. DOESN'T HAVE GOOD REPUTATION

Cpt. Harold Morowitz $3500, NEEDS MONEY, HAS A LOT TO LOSE IF CAUGHT

Ben Hinds (Head of mall security) $2000, SERVED WITH J's FATHER, TRUSTWORTHY

So cops were on the take, now things started making more sense, the final thing on the desk was another photo, it appeared it a bit more worn then the one with the sports car, on it was Martin only he appeared slightly younger, next to him was a teenage girl, it wasn't Jeanette as the girl had short brown hair and a more narrow chin, the back of the photo read:

 M+K, state fair

This photo had to be important as the creases on it showed it had been held many times. You hear footsteps shuffling around downstairs, Martin must be awake, you quickly leave the room and rush down the stairs, you manage to get back to the kitchen before Martin comes in.

"Time to go back downstairs" He says in a somewhat groggy state.

Once again he grabs you by the wrist and once again not too tightly. He leads you to  basement and back into what has become your room. Once you are inside Martin heads out. Jeanette returns a few hours later and comes into you room, holding a box of leftover pizza.

 "Thanks for doing the bank statements" Jeanette said while putting down the box of pizza.

 "Martin did most of the work" You admit.

"Maybe you didn't want Martin to go because you were worried about him, maybe you found working with him romantic"

You are taken aback by this statement.

"I'm joking" Jeanette says as soon she notices you're getting uncomfortable.

Jeanette is obnoxious and Martin is on another world, quite a pair those two are you think to yourself.

You and Jeanette spend time eating the leftover pizza and talking for a bit. You learn Jeanette's father was in the army. After you are done, Jeanette leaves taking the now empty pizza box. You watch some primetime TV and then fall asleep.
> Next morning
You wake up the next morning and the smell of pancakes is in the air. You sit up to see that another tray of buttermilk pancakes and orange juice on the floor, there is also a small hand written note on the tray as well. You get up, walk towards the tray and read the note:

I just realized  you haven't had a change of clothes since you got here, there's a fresh pair in the bathroom, I borrowed them from Jeanette, I hope they fit alright, once you have eaten and changed, meet me in the backyard. -Martin

You find it a little creepy that Martin was walking around in here while you were asleep, no point in stressing over it now through. Suddenly it dawns on you that wearing the same clothes for two days, including to bed, can't be good hygiene. You enter the bathroom and find the clothes the note mentions, which consists of a pair of loose fit jeans and a navy blue tank top. In addition a pair of fresh socks are sitting next to them. After a relaxing shower, you change clothes, and head upstairs. You remember the sliding door in the kitchen, you go through the foyer into the kitchen and out the door.

    When you head outside, you take a moment to bask int the sunlight, you've been couped inside for two days and you now you have the chance to savior the sunlight beaming down your skin, a gentle breeze touches your face and feels so comforting.  You take off your socks and shoes to feel the grass on your feet, enjoying the feeling of each blade. if someone was watching you, they'd think you'd suffer some sort of brain injury, but right now you simply don't care.

   As you walk further into the back you see tall wooden fences on both sides of yard, preventing the neighbors from looking in. At the opposite end of the lawn you see that there are tall trees, there are so many that it appears dark despite being early in the day. In the middle of the area  you can see a lawn chair, with Martin laying in it, dozing.  You'll have to wake him up, although you could run into woods and make your escape or you could turn around go back in the house and out the front door.
> You wake up Martin
You've stuck around this along you might as well find out you were kidnapped in the first place. You walk up to Martin and gentle nudge his shoulder, he wakes up startled but calms down quickly. He notices you standing beside him and gets up from the lawn chair.

"How Jeanette's clothes?" He asks

"They're fine" you reassure.

"I suppose now would be a good time to tell you why I went through  the trouble of brining you here"

"You did say you'd tell me today"

"I have a sister named Kate, she's fifteen and the only family I have, a year go she got diagnosed with liver cancer and it quickly became terminal"

Martin begins to choke up, but regains his composure and continues

"Tomorrow she is being released simply so she can enjoy the final days of her life. I own a place called the Whishaw theater, you are going to give her a concert"

You're not sure what to make of all of this, the story of Marin's sister is sad, but this man has kidnapped you and held you against your will for two days, does he deserve this act of kindness?
> You agree to do the concert
Kidnapped or not, it just wouldn't be the right thing to do to turn Martin down, if not for him then at least for his sister who is dying of cancer and wasn't part of your kidnapping int he first place.

"I'm in" You tell Martin.

Martin faces quickly turns from sad, to surprised to overjoyed in a span of five seconds. He puts his arms around and hugs you.

"Thank you, Linda" He responds, still holding on, the nervousness you've seen in him appears to have melted away.

He eventually realizes what he is doing and let's go, his face has a flash of embarrassment.

"So, Kate is coming home later today, you can meet her, talk to her and in the evening you can go down to the Whishaw and give the concert"

"Sounds good"

 Martin walks back to the house, seemly forgetting the fact you are left outside without anyone watching. You sit down in the lawn chair he was sitting in earlier and enjoy the fresh air. After an hour or two of lounging you hear footsteps approaching, you turn to see Jeanette standing nearby.

"It's time meet Kate, Martin and I are heading out" Jeanette says as the two of you walk back to the house.

Once back inside, Jeanette heads out the front door while you see someone sitting in the room with the love seats. This is no doubt this Kate, she is about five feet tall, has short brown hair and a somewhat narrow chin. Upon seeing you, a huge grin appears on her face as she runs towards you.

"Oh my god, it's you, it's really you, sorry I'm acting like a total weirdo. I mean part of me was thinking Martin had simply lost his mind when he said you were here" Kate says excitedly.

Her outgoingness makes you surprise she is related Martin.

"It's alright, I'm human like everyone" You reassure.

Almost as she soon she gets up, she goes back to sit down on the love seat, no doubt all she going through is leaving her with limited energy. You go and join her on the love seat.

"I know Martin kidnapped you" Kate's tone becoming more serious.

"I imagine it's all anyone is talking about for past few days" You responded.

"My brother is a good person, sure he's an oddball but I love him, I just don't want you to think he's a monster, please forgive him and try to understand why he did what he did"
> You forgive Martin
You've been fortunate to have never had to deal with the pain of loss, let alone the loss of someone so young, you can't begin to imagine the pain Martin is in. Once Kate dies, Martin's pain will only get worse, but at least he can take comfort in the fact that he made his dying sister happy. Maybe that isn't enough of a reason to justify what he did, but you understand why he did it and holding a grudge against him just felt wrong.

"I forgive him" You tell Kate.

Kate's face lights upon hearing this. You spend the next few hours talking about a variety of subjects like music, movies, TV shows and more specific topics such as why sliced cheese is better then cubed cheese, the right amount of ketchup to put on a hamburger, and why sticks will always be superior to stones. You're not quite sure what to think of that last topic, so you just go along with her opinion.

"I want to show you something" Kate says with excitement.

 She gets up and walks over to the flat screen TV.  She then turns on the DVD player, while rummaging through a pile of DVD's. She opens one with a clear case  and puts it the DVD player. A huge grin is once again on Kate's face as she hurries back to the love seat and sits down next to you.

"Wait until you see this" Kate says with enthusiasm as she use's the remote to turn on the TV.

The TV shows a slightly grainy image of a street that you can immediately tell is New York City. On video you see a girl you're sure is a slightly version of Kate walk up to a fancy hotel, with the cameraman following her.

"This is the place" Kate tells the cameraman.

"Are you sure she'll be here?" the cameraman asks, you recognize the voice as Martin's.

Suddenly two people walk out of the hotel, one is a very large, muscular man the other is you.

"Linda you're awesome" Kate shouts at you.

You give a quick wave, while the man glares at Kate. You then get into a waiting limo and drive off.

"She waved at us, did you see that?" Kate says with an abundant amount of energy.

The movie then cuts to static and Kate turns off the TV.

"You don't remember that do you?" Kate asks with a bit of sadness.

"I'm sorry kid, I won't be forgetting this that's for sure" You say with a mix of truth and dry wit.

Around noon, Kate orders a pizza, unlike the one from yesterday, it's not your favorite of  mush and olives, in fact it's your least favorite anchovies. You assume this must Kate's favorite as her eyes get wide eyed at the sight of it. Despite that she only manages to eat one or two slices. Despite her limited energy and lack of an apatite that is no doubt caused by her cancer she remains in good sprites. You manage to eat a few slices, although it is not a very fun experience.Shortly after lunch. Martin and Jeanette walk in through the front door. When they walk into the kitchen, Martin grins upon seeing the pizza.

"Anchovies" He says with delight as he grabs a slice.

"We just got back from Luca's" Jeanette scolded her boyfriend.

"Always room for anchovies"

Jeanette rolls her eyes, while Kate finds the situation quite amusing, letting out a small giggle. Once Martin is done with the slice he turns toward you.

"So now we're off to Whisaw" Martin says as he takes a piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to you.

"These are the songs you're going to sing"

You look at the note and sure enough it has the names of the songs you're going to sing. There is about ten of them and  you know them all by heart, there is no need to rehearse. The four of you head outside and into Martin's car. It looks a bit old and is the color of walls in the basement. You all manage to squish in, with Martin driving, Jeanette in the front, and you and Kate in the back.
> You to the concert (Happy Mood)
Martin drives the car into the parking lot of  the Whishaw theater. The building is about two stories and made out of bricks. Giant gray metal letters spelling out the word "WHISHAW" are above the front door. The parking lot itself needs a few repairs as grass is beginning to grow in the cracks of the pavement. As you get out of the car you look at the people across the street, walking to and from the various shops. You get a bit a worried that someone will see you, but they seem busy with their lives that if anyone did see you they wouldn't notice you were the famous Linda Niles who got kidnapped. You, Martin, Jeanette and Kate walk towards the entrance of the theater.

"So how does this work, is there a band or something?" You ask, knowing you've should ask this when you first agreed to the concert.

"It's like karaoke, the music of your songs will play and you do the lyrics" Martin explains.

The four walk into the building. Inside you see posters for plays, singers and bands you've never heard of. On the opposite wall, two sets of double doors leading into the auditorium. There is a concussion stand advertising food that may or may not have expired long ago.  A ticket booth on the right looks like it is in need of a good dusting. The carpet looks a bit dated and while the wall color is not nearly as bleak as the ones in the basement, it is beginning to peel.

"She's really something isn't she" Martin says marveling his theater.

"It's something alright" You respond.

Martin doesn't seem to pick up on your sarcasm, but Jeanette does as she lets out a snicker.

The four of you head into the auditorium, the stage has a microphone with a spotlight shining on it

"I've got to get the music on, good luck" Martin bluntly states as heads off and goes through a door to the right of the stage.

You walk up a set of steps and onto the stage. Gently you tap the microphone to see if it's working. The tapping sound echoes throughout the theater, confirm the mic works. Jeanette and Kate take their seat as the music for the first begins to play. Shortly after you begin singing Martin comes in and takes a seat next to Kate.

The concert goes to perfection, you can confidently say it is the best performance you ever gave. It's ironic that it's also the smallest audience you ever had. After the show, Kate stands and applauds excessively. Martin and Jeanette also join in the applause. You walk off to the stage and approach the trio.

"That was awesome, beyond awesome, awesome just isn't a strong enough word" Kate rapidly.

"What happens now?" you ask, slightly afraid of the answer.

"Now we say goodbye, if you leave here and walk down three blocks, you'll find the police station" Martin explains.

"It really means a lot to us that you did this" Jeanette thanked.

"Thank you for everything" Kate says while hugging you and squeezes tightly.

When Kate finally lets go, you head to the front door, you turn around and wave to them as they wave back. Once outside it occurs to you that none of them are concerned about you reporting to the police. Perhaps it didn't matter to them, you gave the concert for Kate and that's all they wanted. It also crosses your mind that you are free, the whole situation is over, although you doubt you will forget this anytime soon. The sun has nearly set as you head for the police station.

> A few weeks later
Finally you are back home in Los Angeles, the press had been hounded you non-stop. Granted as an A-list star, they hound you all the time anyway, but after the whole kidnapping event, they have been doubling their efforts. Thankfully your house has the best security money can buy and you don't have to worry about them for the moment.  You never turned in Martin and Jeanette, you even begin to see them as good people. Soon your kidnapping isn't the top story and it gets less and less media attention. After a month the news stops talking about it altogether, some other celebrity is caught in a scandal and the world turns their attention to that. Another month later you learn through sources that Kate has died from her cancer, you wonder if should attend her funeral or not

> You attend funeral
It may be risky but something is compelling you go back to Destiny Hill. You've avoided the press before and you can do it again. You arrive back in Destiny Hill in a inconspicuous car, similar to the one you were in when you had the meet and greet.  At the church you recognize Martin's car. Rain begins to drizzle as you park the car and head in. There are a  few people inside and most pay no attention to you. In front pew you see Martin and Jeanette sitting with their heads bowed down. They don't notice you as you head to the front and sit near them. You tap Martin on the shoulder and he jumps slightly upon seeing who are. Jeanette eyes widen when she sees you.

"What are you doing here?" Martin says in a mix of sadness and confusion.

"I came to pay my respects, I only Kate for a day, but I know she was a good kid". You answer.

"You don't have to do this, you're risking your career by being here" Jeanette says with concern.

"I want to do this"

Martin hugs you in way his sister did back the concert.

"It'll be alright" You comfort Martin.

After the funeral, the three of you head back to the house, Martin goes over his favorite memories of his sister. You learn that Jeanette's father had also died of liver cancer and she and Martin meet at a support rally. By the end of the day you head off but remain in close contact with the two of them.

You make it an annual tradition to head out to Destiny Hill and visit Martin and Jeanette, also putting fresh flowers at Kate's grave every time you are there. A few years later Martin and Jeanette get married, while you don't attend as you don't want the attention on you instead of them on their big day, you foot the bill so they can have a very large and extravagant wedding.

The events that happen give inspiration and  another year later your next album is called "Stockholm Syndrome" which gets universal acclaim. You dedicate the album to Kate, people begin talking about who this Kate could be. The rest of your career  continues in this fashion. Decades pass and soon you are in inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. You are considered one of the greatest singers of all times. Long after you're gone, people continue to talk about your legacy and the influence you had on music.


Finally you are back home in Los Angeles, the press had been hounded you non-stop. Granted as an A-list star, they hound you all the time anyway, but after the whole kidnapping event, they have been doubling their efforts. Thankfully your house has the best security money can buy and you don't have to worry about them for the moment.  You never turned in Martin and Jeanette, you even begin to see them as good people. Soon your kidnapping isn't the top story and it gets less and less media attention. After a month the news stops talking about it altogether, some other celebrity is caught in a scandal and the world turns their attention to that. Another month later you learn through sources that Kate has died from her cancer, you wonder if should attend her funeral or not

> You do not attend funeral
Going back to Destiny Hill would just be too risky, if you caught being there, the rumors will start again that you staged everything and this time people would start to believe them. Not to mention you'd be putting Martin and Jeanette at risk. You send them flowers and a sympathy card signed "L.N.", you also have the funeral coasts taken care of. Your career goes back to way it was before. A year later your next album is called "Stockholm Syndrome" and gets positive reviews. You dedicate the album to Kate, people begin talking about who this Kate could be.


Kidnapped or not, it just wouldn't be the right thing to do to turn Martin down, if not for him then at least for his sister who is dying of cancer and wasn't part of your kidnapping int he first place.

"I'm in" You tell Martin.

Martin faces quickly turns from sad, to surprised to overjoyed in a span of five seconds. He puts his arms around and hugs you.

"Thank you, Linda" He responds, still holding on, the nervousness you've seen in him appears to have melted away.

He eventually realizes what he is doing and let's go, his face has a flash of embarrassment.

"So, Kate is coming home later today, you can meet her, talk to her and in the evening you can go down to the Whishaw and give the concert"

"Sounds good"

 Martin walks back to the house, seemly forgetting the fact you are left outside without anyone watching. You sit down in the lawn chair he was sitting in earlier and enjoy the fresh air. After an hour or two of lounging you hear footsteps approaching, you turn to see Jeanette standing nearby.

"It's time meet Kate, Martin and I are heading out" Jeanette says as the two of you walk back to the house.

Once back inside, Jeanette heads out the front door while you see someone sitting in the room with the love seats. This is no doubt this Kate, she is about five feet tall, has short brown hair and a somewhat narrow chin. Upon seeing you, a huge grin appears on her face as she runs towards you.

"Oh my god, it's you, it's really you, sorry I'm acting like a total weirdo. I mean part of me was thinking Martin had simply lost his mind when he said you were here" Kate says excitedly.

Her outgoingness makes you surprise she is related Martin.

"It's alright, I'm human like everyone" You reassure.

Almost as she soon she gets up, she goes back to sit down on the love seat, no doubt all she going through is leaving her with limited energy. You go and join her on the love seat.

"I know Martin kidnapped you" Kate's tone becoming more serious.

"I imagine it's all anyone is talking about for past few days" You responded.

"My brother is a good person, sure he's an oddball but I love him, I just don't want you to think he's a monster, please forgive him and try to understand why he did what he did"
> You don't Forgive Martin
After all the terror Martin has put you through, you still manage to have a heart and put on the concert, but forgiving him is just simply asking for too much. You want to say you will because that is what Kate wants to hear, but a comforting lie is still a lie and you're the not kind of person who would lie to a person with cancer.

"I'm sorry I can't" You truthful tell her.

Kate stares at you the way a kid does when their parent tells them there's no Santa Clause.

"You'll still get your concert"

 The next few hours are the longest and some of the most painful hours of your life. You try to talk to Kate about a variety of subjects, but she always just responded with one word answers. You get a little annoyed how you're the one who gets kidnapped but you're the bad guy.  The torture comes to end when Kate goes and orders a pizza, you remain in the room with the love seats with Kate eats the pizza by herself in the kitchen. You don't have any lunch and you wonder how you will do the show on an empty stomach.

Finally Martin and Jeanette come home, Kate walks to over to them, putting on a facade.

"How are you two getting along?" Martin asks completelyobvious.

"Doing great" Kate says with a very convincing fake happiness.

You join the three in the foyer ad Martin turns his attention to you.

"So now we're off to Whisaw" Martin says as he takes a piece of paper out of his pocket and hands it to you.

"These are the songs you're going to sing"

You look at the note and sure enough it has the names of the songs you're going to sing. There is about ten of them and  you know them all by heart, there is no need to rehearse. The four of you head outside and into Martin's car. It looks a bit old and is the color of walls in the basement. You all manage to squish in, with Martin driving, Jeanette in the front, and you and Kate in the back. The car ride is filled with awkward silence.
> You to the concert
Martin drives the car into the parking lot of the Whishaw theater. The building is about two stories and made out of bricks. Giant gray metal letters spelling out the word "WHISHAW" are above the front door. The parking lot itself needs a few repairs as grass is beginning to grow in the cracks of the pavement. As you get out of the car you look at the people across the street, walking to and from the various shops. You hope that someone will see you, then you could get out of this mess without feeling even more guilty but they seem busy with their lives that if anyone did see you they wouldn't notice you were the famous Linda Niles who got kidnapped. You, Martin, Jeanette and Kate walk towards the entrance of the theater.

"So how does this work,?" You ask, your mind focused solely on getting this over with

"It's like karaoke, the music of your songs will play and you do the lyrics" Martin explains.

The four walk into the building. Inside you see posters for plays, singers and bands you've never heard of. On the opposite wall, two sets of double doors leading into the auditorium. There is a concussion stand advertising food that may or may not have expired long ago.  A ticket booth on the right looks like it is in need of a good dusting. The carpet looks a bit dated and while the wall color is not nearly as bleak as the ones in the basement, it is beginning to peel.

"She's really something isn't she" Martin says marveling his theater.

"Yeah" You respond, not really paying attention what he just said.

The four of you head into the auditorium, the stage has a microphone with a spotlight shining on it

"I've got to get the music on, good luck" Martin bluntly states as heads off and goes through a door to the right of the stage.

You walk up a set of steps and onto the stage. Gently you tap the microphone to see if it's working. The tapping sound echoes throughout the theater, confirm the mic works. Jeanette and Kate take their seat as the music for the first begins to play. You can't help but notice Kate is giving a rather nasty glare. Shortly after you begin singing Martin comes in and takes a seat next to Kate.

The pain in your stomach from not eating greatly effects your ability to think straight. You give without a doubt the worst performance of your career, thankfully it is also the almost audience of your career and you doubt they will ever tell anybody. After the performance is over the three just stare at you.

"Well, thank you for doing that" Martin says unsure of how to handle the situation.

Jeanette is at a loss of words and Kate flat out ignores you.

"So what happens now?" You ask, eager to get out of here.

"Now we say goodbye, if you leave here and walk down three blocks, you'll find the police station" Martin explains.

You walk out of theater without looking back, you inhale deeply after you're outside. You don't plan on turning them in, you just want to put as much distance between you and this town as you can. The experience you have at Destiny Hill is so dreadful you want nothing to do with singing ever again. Over the next few months you become reclusive and live your life in solitude. People begin to talk about the successful but short career of Linda Niles.


You've stuck around this along you might as well find out you were kidnapped in the first place. You walk up to Martin and gentle nudge his shoulder, he wakes up startled but calms down quickly. He notices you standing beside him and gets up from the lawn chair.

"How Jeanette's clothes?" He asks

"They're fine" you reassure.

"I suppose now would be a good time to tell you why I went through  the trouble of brining you here"

"You did say you'd tell me today"

"I have a sister named Kate, she's fifteen and the only family I have, a year go she got diagnosed with liver cancer and it quickly became terminal"

Martin begins to choke up, but regains his composure and continues

"Tomorrow she is being released simply so she can enjoy the final days of her life. I own a place called the Whishaw theater, you are going to give her a concert"

You're not sure what to make of all of this, the story of Marin's sister is sad, but this man has kidnapped you and held you against your will for two days, does he deserve this act of kindness?
> You refuse to do the concert
Two wrongs don't make a right, it is tragic what is happening to Martin's sister, but that's no excuse for holding someone against their will.

"You have my sympathy, but I'm not going to do this for you" You firmly tell him.

Martin's face appears to be on the brink of tears.

"I had a feeling you'd say that, I suppose there is no point in holding you here, you can leave"

You are bit shocked how easily Martin gives up.

"You're not worried I'll turn you in the police?" you say, instantly realizing that wasn't the smartest question to ask.

"Soon my sister will be dead,being free or in jail won't change the grief I will feel"

Martin sits down on the lawn, coming to terms with reality. His goal was to make his dying sister happy and he had failed. He doesn't pay any attention to you as you make your way to the road. Eventually you come across a police car and flag them down. You are rushed to a local hospital, with full police and FBI protection of course. At the hospital, you are checked to see if you have physical wounds or emotional trauma. Physical you are fine, mentally you are worn out and have anxiety, which you can't say surprises you. The root of your anxiety isn't actually the kidnapping but the decision to turn Martin in or not, before you would have turn him in a second, but now that you know the situation he is facing you don't know.
> You turn Martin in
Martin broke the law and dealing with a personal tragedy doesn't change that, you tell the FBI about Martin and Jeanette. Although they only have first names to go on, finding Kate is rather easy she is the only teenage patient at the local hospital with liver cancer. From there they learn where Martin lives and are able to arrest him along with Jeanette, after a few days you are back home in Los Angeles.

Over the next few months you learn while awaiting trial, Martin was unable to attend Kate's funeral after she dies. Eventually he is convicted and sentenced to twenty years in jail, a bit of a harsh sentence, but the fact that he kidnapped someone so popular really worked against him. Jeanette is also convicted and sentenced to five years. The public learns during the trial why Martin kidnapped you and many begin to see him in a sympathetic light. You get some heat for turning him and refusing to do the concert.

  You become overrun with guilt which affects the quality of your songs and preferences. After a few years the world turns its attention to another singer, while you start taking pills to deal with everything you're going through. Pills lead to stronger pills and after a few months you have a fatal overdose. Ten years later the movie: "The Rise and fall of Linda Niles" premiers in theaters, it gets positive reviews.


Two wrongs don't make a right, it is tragic what is happening to Martin's sister, but that's no excuse for holding someone against their will.

"You have my sympathy, but I'm not going to do this for you" You firmly tell him.

Martin's face appears to be on the brink of tears.

"I had a feeling you'd say that, I suppose there is no point in holding you here, you can leave"

You are bit shocked how easily Martin gives up.

"You're not worried I'll turn you in the police?" you say, instantly realizing that wasn't the smartest question to ask.

"Soon my sister will be dead,being free or in jail won't change the grief I will feel"

Martin sits down on the lawn, coming to terms with reality. His goal was to make his dying sister happy and he had failed. He doesn't pay any attention to you as you make your way to the road. Eventually you come across a police car and flag them down. You are rushed to a local hospital, with full police and FBI protection of course. At the hospital, you are checked to see if you have physical wounds or emotional trauma. Physical you are fine, mentally you are worn out and have anxiety, which you can't say surprises you. The root of your anxiety isn't actually the kidnapping but the decision to turn Martin in or not, before you would have turn him in a second, but now that you know the situation he is facing you don't know.
> You don't turn Martin in
You are overcome with enough guilt over refusing to do the concert, you don't need more by having Martin arrested. Besides you figure Martin is already suffering enough You lie to the police saying you don't know the name of the kidnapper and don't remember the house. After a few days you are back home in Los Angeles. A few months later you learn through sources that Martin's sister, Kate has passed away, you anonymously send flowers.

As for your career, the guilt continues to haunt you effecting the quality of your songs and future performances. In a few years the world turns its attention to a new singer and you are labeled a "has been". Luckily you've always been good with your money and enjoy a good if obscure life.


You wake up the next morning and the smell of pancakes is in the air. You sit up to see that another tray of buttermilk pancakes and orange juice on the floor, there is also a small hand written note on the tray as well. You get up, walk towards the tray and read the note:

I just realized  you haven't had a change of clothes since you got here, there's a fresh pair in the bathroom, I borrowed them from Jeanette, I hope they fit alright, once you have eaten and changed, meet me in the backyard. -Martin

You find it a little creepy that Martin was walking around in here while you were asleep, no point in stressing over it now through. Suddenly it dawns on you that wearing the same clothes for two days, including to bed, can't be good hygiene. You enter the bathroom and find the clothes the note mentions, which consists of a pair of loose fit jeans and a navy blue tank top. In addition a pair of fresh socks are sitting next to them. After a relaxing shower, you change clothes, and head upstairs. You remember the sliding door in the kitchen, you go through the foyer into the kitchen and out the door.

    When you head outside, you take a moment to bask int the sunlight, you've been couped inside for two days and you now you have the chance to savior the sunlight beaming down your skin, a gentle breeze touches your face and feels so comforting.  You take off your socks and shoes to feel the grass on your feet, enjoying the feeling of each blade. if someone was watching you, they'd think you'd suffer some sort of brain injury, but right now you simply don't care.

   As you walk further into the back you see tall wooden fences on both sides of yard, preventing the neighbors from looking in. At the opposite end of the lawn you see that there are tall trees, there are so many that it appears dark despite being early in the day. In the middle of the area  you can see a lawn chair, with Martin laying in it, dozing.  You'll have to wake him up, although you could run into woods and make your escape or you could turn around go back in the house and out the front door.
> You escape into the woods
Who knows what Martin and Jeanette have in store for you or even if they are actually going to let you go. You decide to go into the woods to make your escape. Quietly you walk to the woods edge to avoid waking up Martin, once there you make a run for it. After several minutes of running you slow down to so you don't trip over any roots or hidden tree stumps. You think to yourself once you're on the other side of the woods, it'll be easy to find help.

Several hours later you come to conclusion that you are most likely lost, you wish you knew how to get back, as Martin and Jeanette don't seem so bad compared to your current situation of being, tired and hungry. At this point it's best to keep walking and eventually you'll be out of here, at this point you're probably one or two towns away from Destiny Hill. Hours turn into days as you are exhausted, starving and your mind is beginning to crack. You are convinced you are in the largest forest in the world or you're walking in circles, it's hard to figure out which theory is right. Days turn into weeks as you collapse in front of a large tree, dying is far less painful then you thought it would be.

Your disappearance becomes one of the biggest mysteries of all time. Destiny Hill become a tourist attraction as people come all across the globe trying to solve the disappearance of Linda Niles. Martin and Jeanette move away several years later to small town in Pennsylvania. No one ever suspects them. Twenty years later, lumberjacks find your remains while clearing out the area to make room for office buildings. The mystery deepens.


You wake up the next morning and the smell of pancakes is in the air. You sit up to see that another tray of buttermilk pancakes and orange juice on the floor, there is also a small hand written note on the tray as well. You get up, walk towards the tray and read the note:

I just realized  you haven't had a change of clothes since you got here, there's a fresh pair in the bathroom, I borrowed them from Jeanette, I hope they fit alright, once you have eaten and changed, meet me in the backyard. -Martin

You find it a little creepy that Martin was walking around in here while you were asleep, no point in stressing over it now through. Suddenly it dawns on you that wearing the same clothes for two days, including to bed, can't be good hygiene. You enter the bathroom and find the clothes the note mentions, which consists of a pair of loose fit jeans and a navy blue tank top. In addition a pair of fresh socks are sitting next to them. After a relaxing shower, you change clothes, and head upstairs. You remember the sliding door in the kitchen, you go through the foyer into the kitchen and out the door.

    When you head outside, you take a moment to bask int the sunlight, you've been couped inside for two days and you now you have the chance to savior the sunlight beaming down your skin, a gentle breeze touches your face and feels so comforting.  You take off your socks and shoes to feel the grass on your feet, enjoying the feeling of each blade. if someone was watching you, they'd think you'd suffer some sort of brain injury, but right now you simply don't care.

   As you walk further into the back you see tall wooden fences on both sides of yard, preventing the neighbors from looking in. At the opposite end of the lawn you see that there are tall trees, there are so many that it appears dark despite being early in the day. In the middle of the area  you can see a lawn chair, with Martin laying in it, dozing.  You'll have to wake him up, although you could run into woods and make your escape or you could turn around go back in the house and out the front door.
> You go out the front door
You decide now is a good opportunity to leave and that the woods are too dangerous so you sneak back inside, into the foyer, and out the front door. Once out you decided to run off as fast as you can after exiting the house.  You run, run some more and keep running, you never stop to look back to see if Martin  is following you. After maybe an hour your legs simply don't have the energy and you collapse on someone's yard. Luckily the owner is home and when they see you on the ground they quickly call the police. When cops get there you explain who you are and they rush you to a local hospital, with full police and FBI protection of course.

 At the hospital, you are checked to see if you have physical wounds or emotional trauma. Physically you are fine, mentally you're a little out of it, not surprising after what you've through, after a few days you are sent back to your home Los Angeles. The police try find Martin or Jeanette, but  you were in such a rush when you ran out that you can't retrace your steps from where you were found. You never looked back at the house when you escaped that you have no idea what it looks like, let alone the street you were on.

The only info the FBI have to go on is their first names, it takes a while to comb through the hundreds of Martins in Destiny Hill but eventually they figure out which one kidnapped you. It turns out his last name is LaRosa, he owned a theater and has a little sister with terminal cancer. This process takes about a week and by the time the FBI arrive at the house it is long abandoned. They also find out who Jeanette is, turns out her last name is Richards and lives in an apartment, which has also been abandoned. Soon they are put on FBI's most wanted but they are never found.

As for your career, you become a bit withdrawn and it is a very long time before you have meet and greet or anything that involves directly interacting with the fans. At future concerts you have a few more guards around. People notice all of this and you face some criticism, however just as many people defend you considering what you went through, rumors of your kidnapping being a publicity stunt die down, although the occasional internet troll mentions it. In several years things return to the way they were before, and incident just becomes a chapter of your long career.


You're smart enough to know the devil you know is better then the devil you don't.

"Maybe Martin should stay" you suggest.

Both Martin and Jeanette are bit surprise by your comment.

"Sorry hun, but I have a ton of work to do and so does Martin" Jeanette stated.

"If you really plan on letting me getting go by the end of the week, then it benefits me not having Martin go out and risk getting caught"

Your case doesn't seem to persuade Jeanette in the slightest, Martin on the other hand seems to take heed to what you say.

"You can do my errands Jeanette and I can do your bank statements, you'll still get the credit for doing them" Martin advised.

"Fine, I guess we should be careful"

Jeanette and Martin kiss each goodbye as she gets off the sofa, leaves the room and heads out the front door. As soon as she is gone Martin becomes his more on edge self.

"We have some work to do" Martin explained.

As before Martin grabs you by the wrist but not very tightly  leading you into the foyer and then a room on the left. It is a kitchen complete with a refrigerator, oven and stove. The appliances seemed fairly modern, although the oven and stove appeared to be a bit dirty. Next to them was a counter and sink, with dishes that needed to be washed.A sliding door on the right lead to the backyard was on the right. In the middle of the room is a kitchen table, on it is a box with a bunch of papers. You both sit down at the table as Martin takes the box and dumps the papers on the table.

"Jeanette needs these bank statements alphabetize" Martin blunted instructed.

It is a very dull affair as Martin at times seems to forget you are even there, paying for more attention to the papers then to you. You try to make small talk, Martin doesn't say much, but you manage to learn that his parents died in a car crash a few years ago and he doesn't like hot weather. Martin works at very fast pace, finishing his half of the statements and then proceeds to complete your half. By noon you are done, Martin orders a pizza, mushrooms and olives your favorite. After lunch Martin returns to the room with the love seats, lays down on one and promptly dozes off. You are now left unsupervised in the house.
> You escape
You realize that you will never get an opportunity like this again, you head to the front door, unlock it and quietly sneak out. Knowing that Jeanette could be home any minute, you decided to run off as fast as you can after exiting the house. You run, run some more and keep running, you never stop to look back to see if Martin (or Jeanette) is following you. After maybe an hour your legs simply don't have the energy and you collapse on someone's yard. Luckily the owner is home and when they see you on the ground they quickly call the police. When cops get there you explain who you are and they rush you to a local hospital, with full police and FBI protection of course.

At the hospital, you are checked to see if you have physical wounds or emotional trauma. Physically you are fine, mentally you're a little out of it, not surprising after what you've through, after a few days you are sent back to your home Los Angeles. The police try find Martin or Jeanette, but  you were in such a rush when you ran out that you can't retrace your steps from where you were found. You never looked back at the house when you escaped that you have no idea what it looks like, let alone the street you were on.

The only info the FBI have to go on is their first names, it takes a while to comb through the hundreds of Martins in Destiny Hill but eventually they figure out which one kidnapped you. It turns out his last name is LaRosa, he owned a theater and has a little sister with terminal cancer. This process takes about a week and by the time the FBI arrive at the house it is long abandoned. They also find out who Jeanette is, turns out her last name is Richards and lives in an apartment, which has also been abandoned. Soon they are put on FBI's most wanted but they are never found.

As for your career, you become a bit more withdrawn and never have a meet and greet again. In fact you rarely do anything that involves interacting directly with the fans. Your future concerts all have a beefed up security presence. At first people sympathize with you, considering what you've been through but over the years the sympathy slowly turns to criticism, this hurts your career, but you're able to handle it.


You're smart enough to know the devil you know is better then the devil you don't.

"Maybe Martin should stay" you suggest.

Both Martin and Jeanette are bit surprise by your comment.

"Sorry hun, but I have a ton of work to do and so does Martin" Jeanette stated.

"If you really plan on letting me getting go by the end of the week, then it benefits me not having Martin go out and risk getting caught"

Your case doesn't seem to persuade Jeanette in the slightest, Martin on the other hand seems to take heed to what you say.

"You can do my errands Jeanette and I can do your bank statements, you'll still get the credit for doing them" Martin advised.

"Fine, I guess we should be careful"

Jeanette and Martin kiss each goodbye as she gets off the sofa, leaves the room and heads out the front door. As soon as she is gone Martin becomes his more on edge self.

"We have some work to do" Martin explained.

As before Martin grabs you by the wrist but not very tightly  leading you into the foyer and then a room on the left. It is a kitchen complete with a refrigerator, oven and stove. The appliances seemed fairly modern, although the oven and stove appeared to be a bit dirty. Next to them was a counter and sink, with dishes that needed to be washed.A sliding door on the right lead to the backyard was on the right. In the middle of the room is a kitchen table, on it is a box with a bunch of papers. You both sit down at the table as Martin takes the box and dumps the papers on the table.

"Jeanette needs these bank statements alphabetize" Martin blunted instructed.

It is a very dull affair as Martin at times seems to forget you are even there, paying for more attention to the papers then to you. You try to make small talk, Martin doesn't say much, but you manage to learn that his parents died in a car crash a few years ago and he doesn't like hot weather. Martin works at very fast pace, finishing his half of the statements and then proceeds to complete your half. By noon you are done, Martin orders a pizza, mushrooms and olives your favorite. After lunch Martin returns to the room with the love seats, lays down on one and promptly dozes off. You are now left unsupervised in the house.
> You go back to the basement
If something seems to good to be true then it probably it is. You head back to the basement and back into what has become your room. Jeanette returns a few hours later and comes into you room, holding a box of leftover pizza.

"Thanks for doing the bank statements" Jeanette said while putting down the box of pizza.

"Martin did most of the work" You admit.

"Maybe you didn't want Martin to go because you were worried about him, maybe you found working with him romantic"

You are taken aback by this statement.

"I'm joking" Jeanette says as soon she notices you're getting uncomfortable.

Jeanette is obnoxious and Martin is on another world, quite a pair those two are you think to yourself.

You and Jeanette spend time eating the leftover pizza and talking for a bit. You learn Jeanette's father was in the army. After you are done, Jeanette leaves taking the now empty pizza box. You watch some primetime TV and then fall asleep


 After waiting for an hour the door opens and the man appears.

"Come on" he shyly says while sticking out his arm.

You walk towards him and he grabs hold of your wrist. He heads out while tugging you along, he is obviously trying to make sure you don't run for it, he also seems to be trying to avoid hurting you. You walk into the next room which is basically just a larger version of the room you were just in, carpeted floor with dust bunnies, bleak white walls and no windows. In the middle of the room is a staircase which you and the man walk up. Upstairs you discover you are in a foyer in what appears to be a residential house.

You eye the front door at the end of the foyer but the kidnapper tugs you in the other direction. You enter a room on the right which has two loveseat sofas, a large flat screen TV on stand with a DVD player and several DVDs. On the floor is a carpet that doesn't have dust bunnies, walls that aren't so bleak as the ones in the basement, and more importantly for you windows. You never thought you'd be so happy to see sunlight, but after almost a full day without you'll never take it for granted again.

While you're staring outside you almost overlook that there is a women sitting on one of the love seats. She looks around your age, has almost waist long blonde hair, jean short shorts and a red tank top, she looks far more confident then the kidnapper ever did. She notices you are looking at her and begins to talk.

"I can't believe you pulled this off Martin" the women begins.

"Yeah, I made a promise and I don't break my promises" the man replied as he sat down next to her.

You notice the man is far more relaxed when in the company of this women.

"So you're the world famous Linda Niles, I'm Jeanette" the women introduces herself.

"Nice to meet you" you respond. You suppose being polite will improve your odds of getting out of this situation.

"I hope Martin has been treating you alright, he isn't a bad person, but I don't blame you if the kidnapping gave you a different impression"

You can't tell if she is being serious or making a wise crack.

"So the reason I am here is I'm going to babysit you today, Martin has a few errands to run and we obviously can't just leave you here alone" Jeanette explained.

"But the FBI is out looking for you" You say surprisingly with a bit of concern in your voice.

"I have...things to do" Martin stated purposely vague.

You could insist that Martin stays and Jeanette goes out to do whatever these errands are. You're not quite sure what to make of Jeanette, she could be dangerous, while you know Martin is timid and (probably) won't hurt you. You might even be able to make an escape attempt. On the other hand Martin isn't much for conversation, having Jeanette stay around would give you somebody to talk to, which would really help you keep your saintly while trapped. However Martin going out runs the risk if him being caught, which can your situation much better or way worse.
> You have Jeanette stay
You decided to go with their plan, it's not likely the would change it if you wanted them too anyway.

"I'm heading off now" Martin said as he got off the loveseat and headed towards the front door.

"Aren't you worried he'll get caught?" You ask Jeanette.

"He'll be fine" she responded not the least bit concerned.

"So why did Martin kidnap me?"

"I'm sorry Martin asked me not to tell you, just don't worry, we won't harm you and in a few days you'll be let go and can go home"

You figure it was no use to keep trying to get info out of her, something about her makes you think she can rather stubborn.

"So to help pass the time, you're going to help alphabetize some bank statements" Jeanette said in way she already assumed you would agree.

"What do you mean" you responded quite puzzled.

"Well the old manger of the bank I work at decided it would be fun to have bank statements in random order, so they fired him and if I fix this mess I got a good shot of getting his job, with you I can get it done even faster"

You decide not to argue partly you're a bit afraid of what would happen if you said no and partly because sitting around doing nothing couldn't be good for your mental health. Jeanette heads off into the foyer and you follow her into a room on the left. It is a kitchen complete with a refrigerator, oven and stove. The appliances seemed fairly modern, although the oven and stove appeared to be a bit dirty. Next to them was a counter and sink, with dishes that needed to be washed. A sliding door on the right lead to the backyard. In the middle of the room was a kitchen table,on it is a box with a bunch of papers.You both sit down at the table as Jeanette takes the box and dumps the papers on the table.

"You know the alphabet?" Jeanette sarcastically asks you.

"Well if I didn't, now would be a good time to learn" You reply in equal wit.

Jeanette smiles briefly at the remark, staying on her good side would be the best course of action.

For next several hours you and her organize the files, it isn't so bad as you and her talk during the process. You learn that her father severed in the army and she lost her mother at a young age. You also learn she and Martin have been going out for two years. Around noon Jeanette orders a pizza, mushrooms and olives your favorite. By late afternoon you and her all done.

"Alright, if you ever get tired as a singer, I'll hire you as my assistant. Jeanette compliments.

 A short while later Martin returns home and Jeanette greets him with a kiss.

"Everything is all set for tomorrow" Martin confirms.

"Great, Linda was a valuable help to me" Jeanette responds in a rather cheerful tone.

 Martin turns his attention to you.

 "Tomorrow I will explain everything to you, for now I'm afraid you have to go back to the basement"

You comply and head back downstairs, for dinner you have left over pizza and after watching some prime time tv you fall asleep.


You lay down on the sofa, wondering what lays in store for you. No one would go through all this trouble for no reason and you dread learning what that reason is. Does the kidnapper simply want a ransom or do they have something more sinister in mind? You notice there are no windows in this room and the bleak white walls are not helping you stay positive. You can't let fear overcome you, only by thinking rational will you get out of this.

Suddenly the door that was locked opens up and the man who kidnapped you appears, he is holding a tray with a paper bag on it, he appears nervous and is looking down at the tray and not you.
> You say nothing
You say nothing, you are way to nervous that saying the wrong thing will angry him and make your situation worse. He also says nothing and the two of you stare at each like 5th graders at their first dance. Finally the man gets the courage to speak up.

"I'm sorry about this, I promise everything will be explained in time, just relax I have no intention of hurting you and by the end of the week, you'll be home". The kidnapper explains

You stare at the bag on the tray.

"Oh, this is dinner, I got it from this deli called Luca's, the internet said you liked pepperoni calzone and diet soda so I got you that" The kidnapper says while putting down the tray.

"Now that sofa opens up into a bed and in the morning, you'll meet my girlfriend, it won't be so bad"

The man quickly left, closing the door behind him and locking it. You wonder if he is afraid of being caught by the FBI or if he is always like that. You pick up the bag on the tray and take out the contents, sure enough it's a pepperoni calzone and a diet soda. Your stomach growls at the sight of the meal, you are too hungry to care if it's poisonous or not and begin wolfing the down the food. After you've finished you put the tray in a corner and pull the bed out of the sofa . As you lay down, the events of the day race through your mind and  you wonder if you'll truly leave this place alive. However you are exhausted and soon you fall asleep.


You awaken in a small room with a throbbing headache, it takes a moment for things to come into focus. When they do you see a beige sofa and a flat screen tv on the wall. Dust bunnies are on the carpeted floor and there are two doors leading out the room. You try the first door and it is locked, while the second door leads to even smaller bathroom complete with a toilet, shower and sink. You're not quite sure what to do next.
> You shout for help
"SOMEONE HELP" you shout at the top of your lungs.

You scream several more times until you are too tired to shout. After a few minuets nothing happens and you are convinced either no one heard you or if anyone did hear, they have no intention on helping you. You'd figure that was a long shot but was worth a try. So now what?


It’s officially winter break. You stumble toward your dorm room, brain turned to mush from taking five exams in three days.

All you have to do is grab your suitcase, and then you’ll be on your way to NYC to stay with your boyfriend, Keith, and his parents for Christmas. You’ve never met them, but he’s told you that they have a large, luxurious apartment with a pool--which sounds awesome, but intimidating.

Anyway.

Keith, the lucky son of a gun, has already flown out. (He’s a creative writing major. His exams consist of writing poems about his childhood and writing essays about the meaning of life.)

You pause in the hallway (which is empty--almost everyone else has finished exams and gotten the heck out of here.) Like every college dorm room in every movie ever, there's a whiteboard on your door.

Now there's an "I Heart NY" magnet on there. The magnet holds a postcard with a photo of the Statue of Liberty. You're pretty sure it wasn't there when you left this morning.

> You probably for your roommate. Go in your room without looking at it.

You go in, shut the door, and finish packing.

As you roll your suitcase down the deserted hallway, you see something disappearing around a corner: a figure about three feet tall, with green skin.
> You follow it.

You peek around the corner. Just a maintenance guy. He seems surprised there are still students here.
> You speaking of which, CRIMINY, let's get going.

The airport is hella crowded, and of course every single face you see is pinched with anxiety, like flying home for Christmas is the most horrific event of their lives. You aren't usually one to use the word vibe, but the whole atmosphere gives you a slightly sick feeling, as if your body is absorbing their stress.

You board the plane for the six-hour flight to your connection, Atlanta. Halfway through, you use the lav.

When you return, there's a postcard on your seat. This one shows a picture of the Empire State Building. You turn it over.

Black, scrawling letters read:

Dear Clara,

When you get off, that’s when I’ll find you.

When I find you, that’s when I’ll kill you.

When you run, better run fast.

When you hide, better hide good.

When you tell, it makes things worse.

Panic clenches your throat. Is this real? Does someone actually want to kill you?

What should you do? Tell the stewardess? Or follow the advice on the postcard?
> You tell

You make your way to the galley and show the head flight attendant the postcard, explaining how you came to receive it.

She smiles, turns it over. “The Empire State Building. I’ve been there.”

You snatch it back and flip it to show her the message again. “Yeah, but someone’s threatening to kill me.”

“I love New York.” Her eyes are glazed. “It’s my favorite layover.” She turns to smile at you. Her white teeth glitter.

You show another flight attendant with similar results.

Okay, this isn’t going so well. What should you do? Start screaming for help, or just sit there, like, well, a sitting duck?

> You scream.

Immediately, the co-captain comes out and helps the flight attendants handcuff you. You try to show them the postcard, but it slips out of your hand.

They lecture you about causing a panic to the other passengers. The escort you to an empty seat and check your vital signs to rule out medical issues, as they are trained to do, and then bring you a glass of wine to help you stop panicking (as they are also trained to do). You don’t drink it, of course--you need your wits about you. Because something is seriously screwed up.

When the flight attendant returns to collect the still-full wine glass, you ask her if you’re on some kind of list now, or if you’ll be allowed to board your next flight.

She smiles. “ Don’t cause another disturbance, or there will be consequences.You must continue with the itinerary on your ticket.”

Her tone is different--still creepily calm, but less robotic. There’s more of a sense that she might actually have a soul. This leads you, of course, to ask more questions, but she cuts you off saying she must clear the cabin for arrival.

The plane lands. What should you do--go to the TSA and tell them what’s going on, or just run and hope the killer doesn’t find you?
> You inform TSA.

You go to your airline’s main desk and ask to speak to a TSA agent.

The uniformed attendant, who isn’t much older than you but looks like she has a ton more responsibility, smiles briskly and pulls something up on her computer. “Yes, Miss Conner--we were wondering if you’d stop by. Follow me.”

She leads you into what looks like a small conference room. Four leather chairs are arranged around a shiny wooden table. At one end of the room is a Keurig machine, a small fridge, and a bowl of apples. “Would you like something to drink while you wait?” she asks. “The agent should be in here shortly, and he’ll explain everything.”

You meant to ask her some questions, but the kindness in her voice--as well as the promise that everything is finally going to start making sense--almost brings you to tears. You accept a bottle of water and sit quietly.

The man who comes in is holding a manila file folder. He has no face.

Well, he has eyes, a nose, and a mouth, but they have no distinguishing features. He’s like a mannequin, except there’s nothing mechanical about his movements. He’s clearly real, just blank.

“Hello, Ms. Conner.”

Fear is rising through your throat like smoke.  This is a trap--this is just what the killer wanted.

He smiles comfortingly. “Oh, no, Ms. Conner--I’m not here to kill you. That’s not my job. Shall I leave the door open? You may leave whenever you like.” He props it open and takes the seat opposite you, leaving you closer to the exit. A flat laugh. “Of course, leaving would mean starting the running part, which you may not be ready to do. I’m not sure I blame you there!”

It’s the same tone you use with your boyfriend’s parents on Skype. Jovial, polite. A voice for small talk.

“Anyway, while you’re here, I’m supposed to go over the rules with you.” He opens the folder. “Rules are optional…” he reads, almost to himself. “We went over that. Okay, here we are. ‘If you are being briefed, you have been exceedingly stubborn in contacting the authorities. Stubbornness has both benefits and drawbacks, which we will discuss at the end.

“The following are the rules: you will run. They will try to catch you. You can run, hide, or fight. If they catch you, if they overpower you, you will die.

“But you will not ask for help from people of higher authority than yourself. If you continue to fail to accept the situation, you will lose, and losing this game will not be pleasant. You are safe when you cross the threshold of 333 Madison Avenue.”

He looks at you. “Do you need any part of that repeated?” he asks politely. “Or some coffee?”

“But why is this happening? What’s the point?”

He shrugs, eyes flitting over the documents. “I don’t see a point.”

Right. Let’s try another tack. “What do I have that they want?”

He reads from the paper again. “'You can run, hide, or fight.'”

Not helpful. “Can I see what else is in the folder?”

“Of course.”

He slides it across the table. On top is the paper he just read, typed in ordinary Times New Roman.

Behind that is another sheet with what appears to be a dossier on you--your full name, birthdate, social security number, height, weight, hair and eye color, GPA, hometown, high school, and a short medical and dental history. The GPA is current as of the exams you just finished taking.

Personal life, it says, like on Wikipedia.

Conner is of Irish, Scottish, and American Indian descent. She enjoys photography, reading, and hiking. She is affiliated with no particular religion. Her flaws include an irregular flossing routine and passivity.

That’s it.

“This is crazy.” These aren’t really the right words, because actually these papers are boring--pointedly boring, like they’ve been created to mock you.

You ask more questions--why you, why the teeth, how did they get this--but Faceless guy just gives you more polite non-answers.

Suddenly something rather obvious strikes you. You’ve been dealing with this like it’s an airport emergency, but it’s bigger than that. You have your phone, and it’s got plenty of charge. Why not call the police?

> You get Faceless Guy to leave, then call the police.

“Thanks,” you manage, trying to imitate the polite, professional tone he’s been using on you. “This is all...very strange. Could I just have a cup of coffee and process this for a few minutes?”

He smiles, says that’s fine, and reminds you your connection is at Gate 4C. Then he shakes your hand and leaves.

Finally. You take out your phone and dial 911.

Out of area, says the screen.

The desk attendant appears at the door.

She is no longer friendly. Her face is vacant, like a part of a machine no one is bothering to operate. In her hand is a ball-peen hammer.

You stand up automatically. But she keeps coming.

You shove the table at her, but it’s too heavy to do more than make her back up one step, then keep coming. You throw a chair, and she catches it. You rush to the right, but she always manages to stay between you and the door.

She closes in. You try to kick, but she doesn’t react. She bends low and, without breaking eye contact, smashes the hammer into the bone of your left ankle.

Colors swim against the sides of your skull, pain radiating through you like electricity.

“This office closes in ten minutes,” she says. She turns and leaves. The folder is still on the table.

You decide to stop fighting the rules.

You accept that they--the goblins or whatever they are--are after you. So what should you do--run or hide?

> You run.
You've decided to run with a broken ankle...so...let’s see how that works out.

After about thirty feet, the goblins catch up. One hard bite to your abdomen (they’re only about three feet tall) and you’re down. They slash your throat--quick and painless, but you're still dead.


“Thanks,” you manage, trying to imitate the polite, professional tone he’s been using on you. “This is all...very strange. Could I just have a cup of coffee and process this for a few minutes?”

He smiles, says that’s fine, and reminds you your connection is at Gate 4C. Then he shakes your hand and leaves.

Finally. You take out your phone and dial 911.

Out of area, says the screen.

The desk attendant appears at the door.

She is no longer friendly. Her face is vacant, like a part of a machine no one is bothering to operate. In her hand is a ball-peen hammer.

You stand up automatically. But she keeps coming.

You shove the table at her, but it’s too heavy to do more than make her back up one step, then keep coming. You throw a chair, and she catches it. You rush to the right, but she always manages to stay between you and the door.

She closes in. You try to kick, but she doesn’t react. She bends low and, without breaking eye contact, smashes the hammer into the bone of your left ankle.

Colors swim against the sides of your skull, pain radiating through you like electricity.

“This office closes in ten minutes,” she says. She turns and leaves. The folder is still on the table.

You decide to stop fighting the rules.

You accept that they--the goblins or whatever they are--are after you. So what should you do--run or hide?

> You hide.

You limp along for a few feet, then dart into a gift shop. You browse behind a high shelf, waiting to see if anyone (or anything) is following you. Nothing looks suspicious, and no one seems to be paying you any particular attention.

You buy a dark blue Atlanta Braves sweatshirt and pull it over the cashmere J Crew sweater you got from the thrift shop in order to impress your boyfriend’s parents. Then it’s too hot, so you stuff it into your bag--your bright red bag. After checking your surroundings, you limp over and find a tote bag that says Hotlanta! And buy it (the clerk is, by now, looking at you like you’re a freak). You step behind the shelf and transfer everything in your large purse into the tote bag.

Holy damn, your ankle hurts. Every pulse of pain reminds you that this is real.

Suddenly you see them. Two...things. They’re about half your height, with green scales and large yellow teeth. They walk on two feet like a person, but they move like lizards.

And no one notices.

People move around them automatically, like they do for plants or luggage, but their eyes never focus on them.

The goblin’s eyes are small, soulless, but peering everywhere. Their little nostrils--their snouts are shaped like an alligator’s, but shorter--are twitching. They’re sniffing for you.

You step back, trying to move gradually in case fast movement kicks your scent into the air. Sweat pricks your underarms--a result, no doubt, of both your nervousness and the extra layer you’ve put on.

But when you peek again, they’ve passed by.

You pull off the sweater under your sweatshirt and manage to yank it off through the neck.

Maybe the smartest thing would be to keep them in front of you. After all, your gate is all the way on the other side of the airport, and you only have four hours to get there. The only way out of this nightmare is to get on that plane to New York.

You wait for them to get about fifty feet ahead, peek out of the store, and, seeing nothing amiss, begin slowly following them, dragging your sore ankle as you walk toward the center of the airport. Along the way, you throw away the purse and sweater, and stop in the bathroom and cover yourself with sickly-sweet strawberry soap--anything to hide your natural scent.After a few minutes, you reach an escalator, which will take you down to the tram area, where you will get a ride to your terminal.

As you near the bottom, suddenly there is a slap-slapping on the marble floor, like someone in thin wet socks.

You turn. There are creatures behind you, weaving around the people at the top of the escalator.

You hurry down the escalator, biting back your yelps of pain. The tram to Gate C has arrived. Should you try to catch it, hoping the doors will close before they can follow you(or if they do, that you can hop out before they do) or turn and fight?

> You try for the tram.

You limp onto the tram just as the doors close.

You aren’t stupid--no way is this hell over with. But at least you’re safe for now.

The tram slows at B Gate. Will any of them get on? You edge toward the doors, ready to leap out, but it's just a group of middle schoolers in matching sweatshirts and their chaperone. The tram ambles forward.

At the next stop, a guy about your age, tall and skinny with a t-shirt advertising a Dropkick Murphys show from eight years ago, gets on. He notices you.

Huh. Come to think of it, not many people have done that since you found the first postcard. You’re no Megan Fox, but you are a reasonably attractive twenty-year-old girl, and you’re accustomed to a moderate amount of male perusal while in public. And yet people’s eyes have been sliding past you all day. Only airport employees have acknowledged your existence. Weird.

This guy, however, sees you.

Probably not good.

You edge a little closer to the doors. What if he’s one of them? A normal college-age boy outside, a goblin inside? Maybe that’s the next level--at first the monsters are easy to spot, and then they’re in the form of fairly cute guys.

He walks up to you. “Hi.”

This close he looks familiar. Familiar like a human I’ve seen before, or familiar like a goblin?

“I think we went to camp together.”

His eyes are a yellow-striped green--what color were theirs? Damn. You were too panicked to notice.

“Guess not,” he says. You must look pretty freaked out, because he starts backing away slowly.

And then his face clicks into place. Triple R Ranch. Summer before fourth grade. His name is Dmitri, and the reason you still know that is that he was almost your first kiss. (Instead it was this loser named Jason in sixth grade. He told everyone you tasted like bubble gum--which doesn’t seem that bad, but somehow he made it sound absolutely disgusting. What a prick.)

“Wait,” you say. “Dmitri, right?”

“Yeah. You’re Claire.”

“Clara, actually. That’s my real name.” You like Claire better, but it was too hard to keep telling everyone to call you Claire. They kept forgetting, and finally you just gave up and went with it.

He asks where you’re going, and you tell him. He says he’s going to Philadelphia to spend Christmas with his dad--he’s headed to the same terminal you are.

His eyes move over you, but not in a flirtatious way. “Are you okay?”

You look down. In addition to the sloppy-looking sweatshirt and the way you're holding your foot, you are sweating profusely. “It’s been...a stressful trip,” you finish lamely.

“How so?”

He seems to know there’s a deeper meaning to that--which isn’t itself strange, Dmitri has always been able to read people pretty well--but you can’t shake the feeling that running into him is a little too coincidental. Should you trust him enough to tell him you’re being stalked, or just politely brush him off?

> You trust Dmitri.

You make up a story about an old boyfriend who is stalking you and has threatened to kill you. You say the authorities won’t do anything because the threats are all verbal, and there’s no evidence, and he has a perfect record. Dmitri is skeptical at first, but when he sees that your fear is real, he starts to believe you.

“So what are you going to do?” he asks.

“Get off at Terminal D, I guess. He's got to be watching Terminal C, since he knows my itinerary.”

“Yeah, but he’s watching for you, right?”

“Yeah…”

“So let’s be a couple. He’ll be looking for someone alone, and that terminal should be pretty crowded since it’s a Delta one.”

Should you agree to this, or stick with your original plan of going to D Terminal?
> You go to D Terminal.

The second you step off, they're there, and you barely stumble backward into the tram in time. As you do, you hit your head on one of the light poles.

"Was he out there?" Dmitri looks skeptical again. Probably because from his perspective you just leapt about two feet backward at the sight of a woman with a stroller.

"Yeah." The pain spiking through your head makes you want to kill people. "Let's go with your idea."

> You try terminal C.

Reluctantly, you agree.

“Here.” He takes off his sweatshirt, which is light gray, and you switch wit him. He turns the Braves one inside out so the logo isn’t visible, since they’ve seen it. You switch bags. He has a carryon, and he unzips it and yanks out a scarf his grandmother just gave him as a Christmas present. You loop it around your face.

When the tram slows at C, you look out the windows. Two of them are at the edge of the crowd, about ten feet away. There are about seven tram doors opening.

“He’s here,” you mutter.

“Too close for us to go?”

Dang, it would be easy to say yes. But you don’t. “No, we can probably make it.”

He puts his arm around you, and you put the hood up, making sure none of your hair is visible. You begin walking, heads turned toward each other.

“We’re deep in conversation right now,” you say.

“Yes,” says Dmitri. “And we’re not walking too fast.”

“Because we’re so absorbed in our deep conversation.”

A businessman barrels past you, giving you a look like you’re both idiots. He lets his overly large carryon run over Dmitri’s foot.

But no slappy-slap-slap.

You make it to the escalator. You make it up the escalator. You make it to terminal C, and duck into a bookstore. There is a closed sandwich stand, and you duck behind the counter and sink onto the sticky tile floor.

“So....” says Dmitri. “You’re just going to hang out here for the next two and a half hours?”

You nod. Compared to being violently murdered, it sounds like heaven.

About half an hour before your flight starts boarding, Dmitri goes to get you guys something to eat. When he comes back with Qdoba, he says, “the strangest thing happened. I just got a notification on my phone that my flight is canceled, and I’m rerouted through La Guardia. So I’m on your flight. Weird, huh?”

A shiver of suspicion runs through you. “Yeah, weird,” you say, unwrapping your burrito.

Almost as weird as running into him in the first place.

You put down the burrito. You don’t trust Dmitri.

Actually, you do--you trust the weird little kid you met at camp. You’re just not sure if this guy sitting with you on this disgusting floor is actually him. This whole crazy day has been like something out of a twisted fairy tale, and isn’t there something in fairy tales about not taking food from strangers?

At the same time, you skipped breakfast this morning. You’re so hungry you’re slightly dizzy, even sitting down. You doubt you’ll be able to run or think at your best if you don’t get some nourishment.

Should you eat or not?
> You eat.

Your stomach starts to churn. There’s nothing magical or enchanted about this nausea--it’s identical to the last time you got food poisoning. You turn and hurl the contents of your stomach onto the grimy floor.

It smells. It smells like me, you think. Like my insides.

The sound of running.

You leap up, and vault over the counter almost effortlessly--only later you remember Dmitri’s hands under your ribs, propelling you--and run.

You only have to elude them for twenty minutes. Twenty stupid minutes is all that’s between you and being okay.

You see an opening in the crowd and dart through. Without your heavy bag you must be faster than they are, because the space between you and them is widening.

Should you keep running, or find a place to hide?
> You hide somewhere.
You duck into a large, crowded restaurant and hide at a table in the back. Ten minutes before your flight takes off, you slowly come out.

Dmitri is still by the empty deli counter.

“What,” he says, “was that? It looked like you were having a seizure. Except no one even saw you. I could barely see you.” He shakes his head, as if something has been fogging his vision.

“I’ll explain on the flight,” you say.  “If I ever actually get on there.”
> You to the planemobile!

Your damp, shaking hand holds out the ticket. The agent smiles--a real, human smile--and tells you to have a nice flight. You walk past them and get on the plane. Their eyes never leave you, but they don’t move. Apparently you’ve earned the right to get on the plane.

As you get into the cabin, you halt. There's a goblin in an empty seat. (An empty first-class seat--pretty bloody annoying.) It’s somehow wearing what looks like an expensive pinstriped suit, and the stupid flight attendant is handing him some wine.

In the pocket of the seat in front of you is a postcard showing Times Square. You slide it out and flip it over.

Rest and eat.This ain't finished yet.

Well, isn’t that great. You’d love to eat--if you had any friggin’ food.

This is just so stupid. What’s even the point of it? Goblins. Gremlins, or whatever they are. They’re bright Crayola green--they don’t even look realistic.

Dmitri appears in front of you. “Hi,” he says, but he’s talking to the guy in the middle seat beside you. “I have an exit row seat--would you mind switching so I can sit by my girlfriend?”

The guy is only too happy to switch to an exit row, and soon Dmitri is settled beside you.

“I’m not your girlfriend,” you say. How are you even going to explain this whole crazy debacle to your boyfriend?

Easy: you won’t. How could you? It’s unexplainable. You’ve become good at knowing which things not to bother Keith with, and this is definitely one of them.

“I know,” Dmitri said. “But I didn’t think he would switch if we were just friends.”

“Well, that’s really stupid.” You probably shouldn’t be taking this out on him, seeing as he rescued you and all, but you are hungry and exhausted and you know he’s about to ask a bunch of questions you can’t answer and you just want this stupid trip to be over already. “So the only good reason to sit beside someone is if you’re having sex with them? So what if we’re friends? Friends talk. Is having a conversation not a good enough reason to sit beside someone?”

“Clara,” he says. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. It just happened.” You explain what you can about the postcards and the goblins. You hand him the postcard, but he finds the handwriting impossible to read--which makes no sense, it’s sloppy, but not that sloppy.

“Do you think they’ll actually kill you?”

“Yes,” you say. “I do.”

He takes your hand.

Not long after, you fall asleep.You wake up to the stewardess’ voice.

“Miss Conner, here’s the meal you ordered for this flight.” She seems to be in a hurry, and pulls your tray out for you so she can set it down and attend to something else.

It appears to be a chicken salad sandwich and some chips. Which you definitely did not order.

You realize you’re nauseous, and incredibly hungry again.

Should you eat this incredibly sketchy food?
> You um, no. It's from the friggin' goblin club.

As the flight goes on, you get more and more nauseous. Soon you are shaking all over. You wretch a few times, but there’s nothing for you to throw up, so you don’t.

When it’s time to get off the plane, the goblin is already gone, just like all the other first-class passengers. A glass with a few traces of red wine sits on the tray beside his seat.

You walk through JFK with Dmitri. He holds your sweaty, shaky hand, watching your face for any sign of them, but there are no goblins.

You get your luggage from baggage claim and turn toward the exit. Outside is a long line of taxis.

In front of the door is a huge goblin. Taller than you. Taller than any human who's not in the NBA.

“There’s one there,” you say dully to Dmitri, pointing toward it. His eyes follow your finger. He squints hard.

“I think I see a--a shadow.”

There are about ten sets of doors to the taxi line, so you turn toward another one and start trudging toward it. It probably won’t work, but hey, what do you have to lose?

It doesn’t move. “Go ahead.”

You turn, shocked. They’ve never spoken before.

“If you do, I’ll follow you. I’ll never kill you, but I’ll keep following you for the rest of your life.”

You can’t fight him. You’re tired and shaking, and at some point you must’ve banged your right knee on something because it hurts like hell. But you also can’t let him follow you around forever.

What should you do?

> You ask Dmitri to fight him.

As soon as you ask him, the goblin laughs. It’s a liquid, disgusting sound. “What kind of story do you think this is? I’m not his goblin. Also, it's 2016--fight your own battles, missy.”

> You fight him--hey, maybe you'll win.

Okay, what will you fight him with?

You now have your heavy, hard-sided suitcase, with a large textbook and the statue you planned to give to Keith's parents inside. Despite its weight, you could probably get it over your head, and since it's already in your hand, speed would be on your side.

Nearby is a frail old lady carrying a long umbrella with a fairly pointy metal tip.

Also nearby is a large, heavy metal luggage cart, which you definitely couldn't lift over your head but might do some serious damage if used like a battering ram.
> You hit him with the suitcase.

In your weakened state, you can barely lift the suitcase. It doesn’t even slow the goblin down. He swats you like a fly, and the last thing you see before your head hits the floor is Dmitri reaching out his hand, trying too late to save you.


Okay, what will you fight him with?

You now have your heavy, hard-sided suitcase, with a large textbook and the statue you planned to give to Keith's parents inside. Despite its weight, you could probably get it over your head, and since it's already in your hand, speed would be on your side.

Nearby is a frail old lady carrying a long umbrella with a fairly pointy metal tip.

Also nearby is a large, heavy metal luggage cart, which you definitely couldn't lift over your head but might do some serious damage if used like a battering ram.
> You ram him with the luggage cart.

You grab one--uh-oh. They’re the kind you have to put coins into in order to make the brakes unlatch. It does almost nothing. The goblin leaps onto the cart and bites your head off.


Okay, what will you fight him with?

You now have your heavy, hard-sided suitcase, with a large textbook and the statue you planned to give to Keith's parents inside. Despite its weight, you could probably get it over your head, and since it's already in your hand, speed would be on your side.

Nearby is a frail old lady carrying a long umbrella with a fairly pointy metal tip.

Also nearby is a large, heavy metal luggage cart, which you definitely couldn't lift over your head but might do some serious damage if used like a battering ram.
> You grab the umbrella.

You pull it out of the old lady’s hands. (She starts going after you, but Dmitri intercedes.) It’s light enough that even as jelly-like as your limbs are, you can lift it easily and aim it toward the goblin’s eye. You miss, but you still give him a hard poke in the forehead--not enough to break the skin, but enough that he toddles back a few steps, tiny eyes blinking.

You use the opportunity to whack him again.

Unfortunately, this seems to wake him up. He comes toward you.

Your friend had a Komodo dragon once. She loved to rub its belly--beneath the scales it was softer than its back or head. You stab his middle with all your might.

Sticky yellow blood gushes out, but he’s still coming. One more hit and he wobbles, then smacks onto the floor.

He’s dead. You’re free.

You feel nothing. Why should you? You should've been free all along.

You and Dmitri step outside. It’s raining, and the only thing out here that isn't gray is the long line of taxis. Ready to take you to the Upper East Side. Except you don't want to go there anymore--if you ever did.

“Where are you headed?” Dmitri asks. He has no bags. He’s going to miss his flight to Philadelphia.

“I don’t know,” you say. “But do you want to come with me?”

The two of you get a taxi and choose a different adventure. Which is, it turns out, the happiest ending of all.


As soon as you ask him, the goblin laughs. It’s a liquid, disgusting sound. “What kind of story do you think this is? I’m not his goblin. Also, it's 2016--fight your own battles, missy.”

> You nope, not dying here. Let him follow you.

So he follows you. He follows you to your boyfriend’s apartment--to the living room where you make small talk about your trip, into the bathroom while you pee, to the dining room where there is a lovely dinner prepared, into the bedroom where you and your boyfriend sleep. He follows you everywhere, little eyes tracing your every move.

Finally, you decide to fight him. It’s like fighting air.

You try to ignore him. Sometimes it works, but mostly it doesn’t. You can’t sleep. You can’t relax with friends. You can’t even kiss Keith without getting uncomfortable.

Your friends notice your awkwardness, and Keith gets tired of being pushed away. Your grades suffer. You’re alone more and more--alone with it. After about a year, your mind can’t take it anymore. It lets go.

With medication, you become a mindless--if peaceful--mental patient. But whenever they take you off it enough for you to notice your surroundings, what you see is the goblin. Because he never leaves.