The Fun House

Reilly woke to a throbbing head and blurry eyes. A bright light hung above her head, swaying back and forth. She squeezed her eyes shut then opened them again but it didn’t help. She could barely make anything out. She began to lift her hand to her head, but stopped with a jolt. She tried lifting her head, and moving the rest of her body, unsuccessfully. Panic began to take over, but she reined it in just as she’d been trained. Panic didn’t belong in bad situations.

“Detective Reilly,” a maniacal male voice said. “You’re awake. I was starting to worry that I’d overdosed you.”

“What?” Her throat constricted when she spoke. She swallowed. “Who are you?”

“You can’t see me?” She could hear the man moving around, but everything was too bright, too blurry to see what he was doing. “I have overdosed you,” he said sounding disappointed. A hand touched her face tenderly, caressing it. “Well, that’s no good. Won’t do at all. How will I have my fun with you and Mr. Bell, if you’re not conscious enough…”

Somewhere in the depths of her mind she knew exactly what was going on. When she’d gotten to her car, after talking with Bell in the parking lot, she’d been tasered from behind. She could still feel the pain of the electricity shooting through her body, the stiffening of her body before she'd gone limp. She’d fallen to the pavement and watched as a fist slammed into her face.

She wiggled uncomfortably, and knew she should fight, that she was in grave danger, but she was tired, too tired. Her lids were heavy and despite her efforts to keep them open, they slowly shut, blocking out the light and trying to rid her of consciousness yet again.

“Reilly,” a kind female voice called out to her. “Open your eyes. Can you see me?”

She forced her eyes open with everything she had in her, and gasped at the effort. She could faintly hear a male voice talking to her somewhere in the back of her consciousness, and could feel course hands on her face, stroking it, but she ignored him. She looked around trying to close in on the female voice she’d heard and found her after a moment. The woman was pale, but her skin was glowing, she had big green eyes, and caramel colored hair. The woman really was a sight to behold.

“There,” the woman’s face looked relieved as she stared down at Reilly, “you see me. Good. That will make this much easier.”

Reilly cleared her throat. “Make what easier? What’s happening?” Reilly’s lids began to droop again.

“I don’t have much time,” the woman told her a small quaver in her voice. “You have to tell me what to do?”

Reilly forced her eyes open again. “Tell you what to do?”

“Yes. How can I get you out of here?” The woman began ringing her hands together. “What do you need?”

Reilly’s mind raced. What did she need? She was drugged, she was sure of that much.

The woman spoke again, “Please, you have to hurry.” 

Reilly tried thinking through her options. There was no way she’d be able to get out of here by herself. She needed help. She opened her mouth, started to form the name “Bell,” but stopped herself from saying it out loud. It still rang out loud and clear in her mind.

The woman smiled and the light around her increased tenfold. “I was hoping that’s what you’d want.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Reilly managed to get out.

“But your wish was clear as day,” the woman said anxiously. “I’ll get him here.”

“Get who here? Who are you?” she sounded panicked even to her own ears.

“I’m someone who knows how much you care about him, and who knows how much he cares about you.” The woman had tears in her eyes. “He couldn’t save me and it was almost the death of him, if he lost you too…” She looked around as if a voice only she could hear had called out to her.
          
          Reilly blinked with a sudden realization. “Elizabeth?” she asked softly. The woman returned her gaze to Reilly and smiled weakly. Reilly could feel panic building in her core. “No, don’t bring him here,” she yelled, but it was too late the woman disappeared in front of her eyes.

A sleazy looking man, lanky body, greasy brown hair, wearing a medical mask appeared in front of her.

He was smirking down at her. “Mr. Bell?” the man questioned. “I won’t bring him here. It’ll be much more fun to send you to him, piece by piece.”

“Why…who…” she could feel her arm getting very cold; the drugs were taking her down again. She tried to fight it, but it was too much, too strong.

Her eyes closed against her will and just before she lost consciousness she heard the man’s voice trill in her ear, “Welcome to the fun house.”