Episode XXIV

After an initial quick exploration, Marla started more thoroughly looking at her prison. The door hinges were on the other side of the door, so she couldn’t take them off. There were no screws in the door handle. Desk drawers were empty and the only things under the bed were dust bunnies. The coats hanging in the closet were also empty. So far, nothing she could use to escape. That left only the bathroom to search.

At first glance, this room wasn’t going to help her either. Sink, toilet, shower. At least I have a bathroom, Marla thought.

Wanting to look everywhere, she looked under the sink. There were two bottles down there, bleach and ammonia. Something triggered in the back of her mind. She knew something about them. Mix them together and …what happens again?

Looking at the bottles more closely, she saw expiration dates. The bleach had expired two years before, and the ammonia six months later. Obviously cleaning supplies left over from a previous owner. Whatever I can’t remember about them, must not be anything important, she decided, and closed the doors again.

For the next couple hours, Marla paced her prison. She tried the door, but it wasn’t moving. She racked her brain, wishing that she had some training on how to get out. You’d think this would be part of the witness protection program. How to escape when captured. Of course, most of the time they just kill you on the spot.

This only made her more frantic. Relocating may be a pain, but it sure beat death. Of course, this was one story they would find hard to swallow.

Finally, she couldn’t take it any more and returned to the bottles. Taking them out again, she brought them into the main room and set them on the desk. I know this mixture is bad. You don’t want to do it. Does it create something that eats through substances? Yeah, that must have been it. And it could be my ticket out of here.

Excitedly, Marla removed the caps and poured the contents of the bottles together. This may not do anything since they’ve expired, but at least it’s worth a shot. To her surprise, the mixture started to fizz almost immediately.

Carrying the bottle to the door, she poured it on the handle. Nothing happened. She splashed a little on the door. Again nothing. By this time, the odor in the room was getting to be pretty bad. That’s when it hit her; this mixture was deadly. It would kill her unless she got to a well-ventilated area.

Moving quickly, she took the remainder of the bottle into the bathroom and dumped it down the sink. That only seemed to make it worse. Even running hot water didn’t help, and by now, Marla was feeling rather woozy.

The odor was everywhere, with the main room just as bad as the bathroom. Out of desperation, she tried the door again. Still nothing. Quickly, she tried the closet. It didn’t seem as bad in there, but by this point, she was close to blacking out anyway. Lying down on the floor, her last thought was I might have saved the gangs and that monster from doing the job of killing me off.

******

Marla awoke to darkness and a splitting headache. It took her a full minute to remember what had happened to her and where she was. At least I’m still alive, she thought as she sat up slowly. She sniffed the air, and it seemed cleaner then it had been before. Or maybe I’ve just gotten used to the smell.

She grabbed the door to open it, and the handle came off in her hand. That’s odd. She pushed on the door, and it came off the hinges and fell into the room.

Marla was truly puzzled by this turn of events. Maybe I was wrong about the mixture after all. It really does dissolve stuff. No, I didn’t put it on this door, but the main one. What’s going on?

Never one to just leave things alone, she went over to the bed, and lifted it off the ground without even trying. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, I guess. Marla smiled at her own joke. Moving quickly, she went over to the locked door and pushed. The hinges tore right out of the wall and the door crashed into the living room of the cabin. Marla quickly stepped out and over to the front door. Working carefully, she opened the unlocked door without breaking anything. This will take some getting used to, but at least I won’t destroy everything I touch.

Marla stepped onto the porch and breathed in the clean air. The sun was on the horizon, and judging from the temperature, it was probably morning. She had been right; she was in a log cabin at the end of a road right on a lake. If she had known where she was, it would have been beautiful. But right now, her only thought was how to get home.

Even that thought was replaced a moment later when a van drove up the road. Thinking fast, she stepped back inside and carefully closed the door. She then stood against the wall so the door would hide her when the men entered.

The two men must not have noticed the movement, because they came in carelessly. One of them was carrying a tray of food. Both stopped short when they saw the broken door to the room where she’d been held prisoner.

"Lord Acidity will not be pleased," said the one holding the tray. "We must recapture her."

The second one started to turn and spotted Marla semi- hiding behind the now opened front door. Reaching quickly for his gun, he pulled in out of its holster. But Marla was ready for this. She was close enough she reached out and grabbed his hand. With a cry of pain, he dropped the gun as his hand shattered.

The first guard was shocked by this turn of events. In the moment it took him to recover, Marla bent down for the dropped gun. By the time he dropped the tray and dove for the weapon, she had already retrieved it. Not wanting it used on her, she grabbed the barrel and bent it down so it couldn’t fire.

Food Guy stopped in his tracks when he saw this. Looking from the ruined gun in Marla’s hand to his companion writhing in pain on the ground, he couldn’t decide what to do.

Marla, on the other hand, didn’t hesitate. She grabbed the guy’s shirt and held him off the ground. "Where are the keys to the van?" she demanded. Food Guy was only a couple inches off the ground, but his eyes just got wider. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

"Fine, we’ll do this the hard way." Marla marched out the door. Grabbing the man’s feet, she turned him upside down and dangled him over the porch. Then she started shaking him until a key fell out of his pocket.

She turned him right side up and set him on his feet. "Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to tell Lord Acidity that you were most cooperative." She took a step off the porch then stopped. "On second thought, I’ve always wanted to do this." Slipping the key into her jeans pocket, she grabbed the man by the shirt again and took him the half a dozen steps to the water’s edge. Grabbing his pants so she was holding him horizontal to the ground, she flung him into the lake. To her pleasant surprise, he splashed down in the middle. "Just seemed like such a shame to waste a perfectly good lake," she said to herself as she turned and got in the van. She figured both of these goons would be busy for a while. It would give her plenty of time to get some breakfast and figure out what to do next.

Only as she drove away did she realize one thing she should have thought to ask the goons. What did the monster want with her?