Page 48 of Creeping Beautiful

Then… then we fought. But he pushed me down on the ground face first and cut me. And then… then I passed out, I guess. I don’t know.

…

Say something.

Sorry. I’m just thinking. How did you get away?

I didn’t get away. Adam came. I guess. I don’t know. I woke up in some creepy garage tied to a bed.

OK. Hold on. Go back. Because Adam didn’t tell me any of this. He said you got hurt, but… so… can you try a little harder to remember exactly what happened in that hotel room? What did the man say when he caught you?

…

Indie?

I’m thinking.

…

Start from the beginning. When you entered the room. What do you remember?

It was dark in the room. It was bigger than I had pictured in my head. It was a suite with a bedroom and a dining area and a bar. So when I went in I hid in a corner so my eyes could adjust. I waited two minutes and then I could see in the shadows. No one was there. I was supposed to check the bedroom first.

Who told you that?

Adam did. He said look in the bedroom first. But I decided to check the bar first.

Why?

I dunno. I just wanted to check that whole room first and none of the tables had drawers so the only place to look was behind the bar on the far side of the room.

It was a real bar? Like a big bar? Not a minibar?

No. It was a bar with shelves and stuff behind it. But no alcohol on the shelves. Just glassware. But when I went around the bar to look there was a man crouched down.

What did he look like?

I don’t know. I can’t remember his face. But I saw him and then the next thing I knew I was holding a knife and I tried to cut him, but I couldn’t.

Hold on. Did Adam give you a knife?

No. It wasn’t my knife. It was a small knife from the bar, I think.

Like a paring knife?

Yeah. Maybe.

And then what happened?

I don’t know. I was bleeding. Suddenly there was blood everywhere. All over me. And I was getting dizzy. Then I woke in that garage tied to the bed.

You don’t remember anything else? Did the man say anything to you?

I don’t know. I can’t remember.

OK, Indie. That’s all for now. We’re done talking about it.

But… what happened?