Don’t go in the basement

Cate works as a waitress at a quaint cafe in uptown New York. As a 23 year old woman living alone, no family or friends, all she focused on was work. She'd work wearisome, nine hour shifts, sometimes even working over time to cover the cost of her drab, 350 square foot apartment. She'd always been a hustler, she grew up with her dad, after her mother died in child birth. He'd been pretty hard on her and constantly berated her, stripping her of her confidence. He harbored a bit of resentment towards her, blaming her for the death of her mother, who was her beloved, high school sweetheart. She suspected his feelings towards her were unsavory, but he'd always shut down when she tried to broach the subject. Their relationship was turbulent and at times abusive. His comments were gut wrenching, but his disciplinary actions were worse. He'd lock the refrigerator and pantry for weeks at a time and make her run laps around the neighborhood. "Maybe you'll learn now, you fatass!" "You're not cute enough to fuck up as much as you do!" "The world accepts less shit from ugly women!". Cate was 5"3 and weighed 130 pounds soaking wet, but she was never good enough for her father. She even attempted to play sports to please him, but it still wasn't enough. She'd developed multiple eating disorders as a result of his piercing words, she new she needed to leave. She wasn't allowed to work, her father didn't trust her to go anywhere other than school, so she'd skip and to work odd jobs, saving up the money she made over time. By the time she reached 18 she'd packed her bags decided to leave her life in Marfa, Texas behind. She fled from her father while he was at work and immediately moved to New York, a place she'd romanticized and dreamed of being since she was 12, she hasn't seen or heard from him since. 

She'd had a long day at work. She couldn't wait to go home, decompress, and stretch across her her mattress, despite how dingy it was. But that night wouldn't go as planned, as she walked to her car from work Cate trudged through the dimly lit streets of New York City, her footsteps echoing off the graffiti-covered walls of the alleyways. The city was alight with the glow of neon signs and the distant hum of traffic, but here in this seedy part of town, the atmosphere was tinged with an unmistakable sense of danger. She clutched her purse tightly to her side, her eyes darting warily from side to side as she hurried towards the parking lot where her car awaited.

As she turned the corner onto a desolate street, a figure emerged from the shadows, their face obscured by a menacing mask. Before she could react, strong arms seized her, muffling her cries as she kicked and struggled against her captor. Her screams echoed through the empty streets, but they were swallowed by the night. The assailant swiftly subdued her, and soon Cate found herself bound and gagged, a heavy cloth bag pulled over her head.

When she awoke, the acrid stench of mildew and mold assaulted her senses, causing her to cough and sputter. She lay on the cold, damp floor, her wrists bound tightly with heavy-duty zip ties. Panic surged through her as she realized the gravity of her situation. Where was she? Who had taken her?

A sudden mechanical whir broke the eerie silence, and the sound of running water grew louder. This seems to be a basement, Cate thought to herself. Then, from a corner of the dark room, came the unmistakable sound of retching. Cate strained to see through the darkness, but she could'nt make out a thing. A male voice groaned in pain, and then she heard the rumble of an empty stomach.

"Hello?" Cate called out tentatively.

The voice hesitated before responding. "Who's there?"

"I'm Cate. Are you okay?"

The voice belonged to a 20 year old man named Kyle, who, like Cate, had been kidnapped and confined to this dismal place. He recounted his own terrifying ordeal, having been snatched off the streets after a night out. He was stumbling around in the depths of the night I'm an inebriate state when he tried to flag down a low riding car, with tented windows, thinking it was an Uber. Then he found himself here. 

Kyle had been in that cold, desolate place for days. Their captor would bring him mysterious liquids that clearly weren't water. He'd stand there in the darkness waiting to hear kyle's gagging as he forced him to drink. He'd laugh as he heard him cough and through up. That's the only way he's been able to survive. He'd been there for at least a week. Initially he was hesitant to converse with Cate, he'd rather stay to himself. He felt as though if he'd done that in the first place, instead of uncharacteristically going out with people he barely knew, he might not be in this predicament. But Cate's voice was sweet and comforting, he could tell she was just as afraid as he was. 

"I've been here for days" he said in a defeated tone 

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry" Cate replied 

"Where are you?"

"Don't come over here!" He said he yelled out

"I'm disgusting, you don't want to be anywhere near me"

"Listen, I don't care. It's freezing in here. I'm afraid and until just now I thought I was alone!" Cate cried

"Do you have restraints on?" 

"Just on my legs" Kyle said hesitantly 

"Can you help me get this shit off my wrist?"

"Please?" Cate cried

Using the echo of her voice, Kyle felt his way through the gloomy room and suddenly felt Cates bare leg. It's so soft and smooth, he thought. After finding her, he refocused and used all his strength to break her out of her restraints. 

"Thank you!" Cate said 

Though she couldn't see, she felt her way into an embrace with Kyle, to express her gratitude. Though he hesitated, Kyle reciprocated her affection, holding her close tightly. As the two prisoners huddled in the darkness, they found solace in each other's company, sharing their fears and vowing to survive this nightmare together.

The next morning, they woke to find the lights had been turned on. Cate peered around the room, trying to find possible ways to escape. Kyle with his ankles still bound, just watched her in awe. She's so beautiful, he thought. He couldn't help but notice her beautiful eyes and creamy skin. She looked over at him. Noticing his gaze, but ignoring it in favor of paying head to the zip ties that still burdened his ankles. 

"Why didn't you tell me you were still restrained?" Cate asked hurriedly as she tried to get them off

Just as she rushed over to Kyle. They heard footsteps. She froze with fear and Kyle looked at the door, shaken with anticipation for what was to come. Their assailant, still masked walked in dawning gloves, blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt. His eyes widened after seeing Cate was no longer restrained. He grabbed her, punching her with so much force he passed out, then stood over her, studying her face and body. He then sat her up, dropping to his knees to caress her face, just as he was about to touch her body, he seemed to feel Kyle's eyes glued to every action he took towards her. The masked man then turned around and kicked Kyle in the stomach until Kyle started to couch up blood. He then walked away, leaving them with no food or water, turned off the light and locked the door behind him. Though Kyle could barely move and was in immense pain, he crawled towards Cate, to make sure she was okay. He dragged and dragged across the cold, damp floor until he finally made to her. He felt is way around her body, and sat himself up next to her. He gently laid her had on his shoulder and fell asleep next to her.

Days turned into a bleak routine of hunger and uncertainty, they never knew what kind of abuse they were in store for, but Cate and Kyle drew strength from each other. Their conversations and whispered encouragements became a lifeline in the suffocating gloom. As they struggled to maintain hope, an unspoken bond grew between them, transcending the confines of their grim captivity.

Their captor, a deranged individual driven by twisted desires, grew increasingly possessive and jealous of Cate's growing closeness to Kyle. One fateful night, he made a brazen attempt to take advantage of Cate, but Kyle, despite his weakened state, summoned every ounce of strength to protect her. In a desperate struggle, he managed to create a diversion, allowing Cate to slip out of her restraints and flee from the basement.

With trembling hands, Cate fumbled for her phone and dialed 911, her voice shaking as she relayed their location to the dispatcher. Police sirens wailed in the distance, drawing nearer with each passing moment. As the authorities stormed the decrepit building, the captor was apprehended, his reign of terror brought to an end.

In the aftermath, Cate and Kyle found themselves free at last, but the ordeal had taken a heavy toll on Kyle. The police rushed to get Kyle to their police car as they waited for the ambulance to pick him up. Cate didn't want to leave his side, but the police wanted to take her in for questioning to help identify their captor and to give an accurate idea of what had taken place in that basement. While in questioning the another police officer came to deliver some news regarding Kyle's condition...