What Breaks Us Down

Faye opened her eyes once again and contemplated the fight. She’d thought the guy had been from the party, but that was obviously wrong, and now she wondered where he HAD come from. She hadn’t seen any vehicles parked close by. How had he transported her to wherever she was now? The main thing that bothered her, though, was that the guy hadn’t said anything. He’d just jumped her and knocked her unconscious. This led Faye to believe that there was something bigger going on here, which worried her even more than if it had been a random act. Another glance at her surroundings affirmed this belief.
She was in a bedroom that could have come straight out of a design magazine. The full bed she was lying on was in the center of the room, and there were nightstands to either side of her. On the opposite wall there were two doors, one of which led to a bathroom. The other was a closet. The wall to her left held a large curtained window, and to the right was another door, locked.
At first, Faye couldn’t believe her abductor had put her in such a normal room. Maybe it was unrealistic to expect being chained up in a dungeon, but it certainly would’ve made more sense than this. Didn’t they worry she might escape?
Faye quickly discovered the answer to that was a big no. The door was made of thick, sturdy wood. The window didn’t open, and was made of thick glass. Everything in the room was too big or unwieldy to use as a weapon. She could only rely on her own body, if it had been working properly. She still felt weak from the effects of the drug she was given.
Faye was contemplating reasons for her being kidnapped when she heard the lock on the door being undone. Now or never, she thought as she hurriedly got up and pressed herself against the wall by the door. It opened and a man started to step inside when Faye kicked the door as hard as she could and sent it crashing into him. The man howled in pain and blindly stumbled into the room, holding his face. Faye kicked him out of the way and ran out the door into the hallway. She turned left and sprinted along the corridor, ignoring the doors along the way. When she reached the end, she discovered a staircase and stumbled down it, sighing with relief. I can’t believe it, she thought, I’m actually going to get out of here.
It was at that moment a man appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Faye’s momentum sent her crashing into him. They both fell to the floor and the man used his body to pin her to the floor. She kicked and struggled, but the man just weighed too much; she couldn’t get out from under him. He leaned one arm against her throat, blocking her airway. She was beginning to panic, breath coming in short frantic gasps as she struggled to get away. The world started spinning and she was getting dizzy from lack of oxygen. No, no no! she thought. I’m never going to have another chance like this. If I don’t get away now, who knows what’s going to happen? Her eyes darted anxiously as she searched for something, anything to help.
Then she saw the end table settled against the wall on the opposite side of the stairs. She kicked out with her free leg and hooked a foot around the table leg to pull it closer. The sudden movement caused the antique, but more importantly, heavy vase to fall onto her attacker. He jerked from the impact and Faye used the distraction to push him and roll away. She stumbled to her feet and took off, knowing he’d be right behind her.
She ran down another long, furnished hallway and made a sharp left turn, followed by a quick right and another left and down another set of stairs. She heard her attacker’s footsteps fade as he tried to figure out where she’d gone. She stopped running, knowing noise would get her caught again, and tried to get her bearings. She appeared to be in a large living room, decorated with beautiful mahogany table sets and plush polyester couches. The walls were lined with full bookcases, and neat little reading nooks were scattered about the room. There were windows to the left and she padded quickly to them.
Looking out, she saw there was an attached balcony that looked out over the extent of the grounds, a great sprawling lawn that rolled delicately into the horizon, ending in a thick wood about a mile away. She was about to turn around and try to find her way to the first floor when she heard someone coming down the stairs, calling her name, saying no one would hurt her if only she would come out now. Yeah right, she snorted, I may not know exactly what’s going on here, but I’m not a complete idiot. The last guy was willing to strangle me to keep me here. Who knows what this one will do? She quickly but silently slid the balcony door open, squeezed through, and eased it shut. Outside, she realized the balcony extended farther than she’d realized. There was a potted plant to her right, and standing behind it would just put her out of the range of sight to anyone who looked out the window. She darted over and crouched behind it, hardly daring to breathe. She heard footsteps approach the door and stop, but retreated after a few seconds.
Faye let out a small sigh of relief and leaned back against the wall. She couldn’t believe how close a call that had just been. But she knew that she wasn’t yet safe; she still had to find her way out of the house and away from it. Judging from the maze of corridors inside and the sprawling grounds outside, both were going to be extremely challenging. She looked around once more and saw she was actually pretty close to the ground; she was just on the second story. As she looked at the wooden railing next to her, the wheels in her brain kicked into high gear.
If she just went over the rail and dropped to ground here, she’d be able to avoid not only getting lost inside but also the chance of running into another guard. She could slip away into the countryside and hide in the forest when they realized she was gone. Decision made, she stood up and climbed over the rail so she stood on the ledge. Only once she looked down did she begin to have second thoughts. If I land the wrong way and hurt myself, there goes any chance of escaping on foot, she thought. I can’t afford to be reckless here. She was standing there wondering what to do when a low voice spoke directly beneath her.