Reflections

The fog that seems to be permeating my mind and thoughts is beginning to clear a little now.  Where I am, and how long I was out for, I have no idea of.  In fact, everything still seems to be a blur. As if I have been in some sort of dream and I’m finding it difficult to wake up again.

I feel myself shake my head to try and wake more, but it seems to have no effect.  Opening my eyes slowly, I am greeted by darkness – a great black band that seems to be blocking everything.  There is a pressure around my upper face, as if there is something blocking my view and preventing me seeing, but that doesn’t seem to register completely with me.

My mouth feels as if it has been stuffed with cotton wool, so furry and dry does it seem to be.  Despite that, I try to say something and hear nothing but a low moan.  Maybe I’m just not awake enough yet to talk clearly, but how can that be when I don’t even remember falling asleep?  So hard to think, so hard to……….

A sound brings me back to awareness.  Did I fall asleep again?  It sounded as if somebody was kicking against a door or a wall, but as I open my eyes there is still that band of blackness.  What is it that’s blocking my eyes, preventing me from seeing?  If I can just bring my hand up to rub my eyes into a state of wakefullness……

Strange – I can’t move my hands.  I can feel them, even with my fingers numbed and acting like limp sausages, but something is preventing them from coming up, holding them fast against my back, and……  Is that wood I can feel against me?  Yes, it is – my hands are between my back and something wooden, and I can’t move them.

In fact, I can’t move my arms either.  Something seems to be holding them against my side, and I have no idea what it is.  Panic starts to spread through me, and I try to call out, but nothing is escaping from my mouth.  That dry cotton wool feeling – there’s something in there stopping me from talking, and when I try to move my mouth there’s something pulling at it, preventing me from….. Oh my god, oh my god, I’ve been gagged, what’s going on, what’s……..

Calm yourself, calm yourself, girl.  You’ve read the stories of people how have been gagged and start choking – the last thing you want to do is to be in that position.  Think, think – can you move your legs at all?  You haven’t tried yet, so maybe, just maybe…..

Hey, I’m not the only one here!  That sound I heard earlier has just come back – and it’s someone else trying to talk!  So, if I’ve been tied up and gagged, I must have been blindfolded as well.  That would explain the wall of black in front of me.  And if I have been, then so has someone else, but who, who?  Think, think, think – what happened today?

I left home this morning, I remember that – and I got into the office at my usual time.  At least, I think it was today – I’ve no idea how long I’ve been out.  Anyway, I got into the office, and my two friends arrived soon after me.  I went to make coffee for us all, and we sat talking…..

The coffee – that was it.  I felt so drowsy after it that I must have fallen asleep.  But that would mean that…….  Yes, there are two other muffled voices I can hear now.  They must have been knocked out and are coming round too.  Oh my god, what are we going to do?

I try to pull myself forward, but whatever is around my chest is digging in and pulling me back.  Probing with my fingers, I can feel what seems to be rope, so it must be rope that I’ve been tied up with.  Very tightly as well – I can hardly move at the moment.  Maybe if I rest up for a minute or two……

What was that?  I heard a scraping sound, as if something was been moved across a wooden floor.  But what direction did it come from?  I can hear someone trying to call out, but nothing is making sense.  I try to call out in response, but all I can hear is a muffled cry, so I hope it makes sense to somebody.

Wait a minute – whoever it is getting closer.  If I keep calling then maybe they can hear me and come towards me.  It’s worth a try at any rate, so I keep calling and calling and calling……

Ouch!  I would have screamed if it was possible, but I just had a chair land on my foot!!

But that means – yes, there is a chair next to me, and I feel somebody push their side into mine.  I can’t tell you how good it feels to know I’m not alone in this, and I try to say hello.  It comes out as “mll”, but they seem to understand.  I hear in return “r u l rght” and I say “ys”.

I try to wriggle around again, in an attempt to loosen whatever it is that is around me, but nothing seems to be giving.  By the sounds of the scraping chair, whoever is behind me is doing the same, and I call out to see if our other friend is nearby.  The muffled reply, however, is coming from the other end of wherever we are, and I don’t think she can come.  Instead, I try shaking whatever the blindfold is, and – my god, it is starting to slip down!!  I can see a little light at the top of my eyelids!!

I start to try and shake my head to see if whatever is over my eyes will fall down some more.  While I’m doing this, I start to wonder just who did this to us.  It’s a Saturday, and we only came in because there was a backlog of paperwork to clear up.  We’re a technical company, for god’s sake – what would be here that people wanted?

Whoever it is that’s next to me is encouraging me – at least, I hope its encouragement that I’m hearing.  Gag talk was never exactly something I felt I needed to learn, after all.

That band of light is getting bigger and bigger, until something soft falls down over the bridge of my nose and I have to blink to let my eyes adjust to the light.  The sweat is starting to roll down my cheeks and back – whatever was tied there was tight, and it’s taken a lot of effort, but at least I can begin to see now.

As my eyes adjust, I can see that the whole room has been trashed – papers and files have been thrown all over the place.  On the floor, I can see one of my friends, with her legs pulled up behind her and rope around her wrists and ankles.  A white scarf has been tied over her eyes, and there’s some sort of tape over her mouth.  She’s struggling, trying to get free as well, but her short skirt has ridden up so much I can see the white panties she’s wearing.

Looking to my side, I can see the other girl tied to one of our office chairs.  I guess I’m tied the same way, as she’s leaning forward and straining against the ropes around her chest to give her wrists some relief.  Her ankles are tied to one of the legs, and the tape is still over her mouth, but the blindfold has slipped down around her neck.  Looking down, I can see the same type of scarf hanging loosely around my neck as well.

We look at each other with looks of relief mingled with fear.  What do we do now – neither of us can get our hands free, so trying to free each other is out of the question.  Maybe, just maybe, someone will……

Hang on – there’s someone at the door!  Good god – it’s the police!!

Our boss follows them in, asking us if we’re all right – it seems he called and didn’t get an answer, and then when he saw the door open he called the local station.  The tape is taken off our mouths, and we both spit out pieces of cloth as well, grateful to be able to breath, and soon to move again.  Our friend is released, and stretches out as she is cut free.

How long – six hours?  I never want to feel like that again, ever ever.