Chapter 20: Patricia Unbound

It was after 5pm Saturday when Patricia began to feel restless about the chains that bound her. The raw steak that she had eaten earlier satiated her hunger to a small degree, but the effect was temporary. The full extent of her hunger was starting to return, and it was that sensation that had her eager to escape the chains. After several attempts to slip her left foot out of the noose, Patricia flopped back down on the floor in resignation. She laid there fuming with frustration for more than a minute. Suddenly, Patricia grabbed the span of chain between her and the basement support pole with both hands and began to pull out of pure rage. When her footing began to slip, she closed the distance between her and the pole, braced her feet against the stanchion and began to push with her legs while pulling with her arms. After several seconds of effort, a link in the chain began to bend open. Patricia was shocked by the sight of the loop spreading apart and paused to verify that metal was really bending. She then went back to pushing and pulling with a new determination. Shortly into this new effort, the link split wide open and the chain came apart into two pieces.

Driven by hunger, Patricia raced up the basement stairs with a portion of the chain still attached to her left leg and clanging against the steps behind her. When she got to the top of the stairs, Patricia found herself in the kitchen. Instinctively, she went to the refrigerator, threw open the door and began feasting on the stock of raw meat she found inside using just her hands and teeth. It took Patricia a little more than forty minutes to satiate her hunger consuming three steaks and whole a pitcher of water. As Patricia gorged herself, her gaunt appearance began to transform into a healthier looking physique.

With her drive to feed gone, Patricia’s curiosity took over. She was casually examining her location and situation, when she spotted keys hanging from the wall by the basement door. She suspected one of them would be a fit for the padlock that was holding the chain around her ankle. With her first try she found the right key. After removing the lock and chain, Patricia fled the house at half past 6pm, Saturday, and began her journey home.

When Patricia left Jerry’s house, she was feeling exhilarated and full of energy. She gave no thought to the fact that she did not know where her purse was and that she had no money. Despite her situation, Patricia began her long walk home without regard for distance or the sun overhead. Her strides were long and fast, and her spirit was high. When she arrived at her apartment complex it was 8:12pm, the sun had set, and she was exhausted.

“Holy shit, where have you been,” Sandra Moore yelled at first sight of Patricia.

“I don’t know,” Patricia complained as she slowly walked through the doorway of their apartment. “Some asshole had me chained to a pole in his basement,” she continued while ambling into the center of the apartment.

Sandra stood back and looked over Patricia’s haggard appearance as she passed. Sandra closed the door and hurried after her with a pained and worried expression.

Sandra Moore was Patricia’s roommate and friend. They shared a two-bedroom, one bathroom, third floor walkup apartment. They were both native New Yorkers who moved in together to escape the cramp homes they shared with siblings and to free themselves from their parent’s dominion. Their friendship was not a long one. They met as employees of a fast-food restaurant as teenagers. Their shared interest in music, tattoos, clothes and boys were the bonds that maintained their friendship.

“Oh no,” Sandra exclaimed while racing in front of Patricia.

Sandra seized Patricia by the arm before she could go into her bedroom.

“Did he do anything to you?” Sandra asked with worry.

“Nah, he wanted to, but I got away from that pervert,” Patricia spat out with disgust.

“Oh, baby,” Sandra cried as she threw her arms around Patricia and gave her a hug. “We were so scared. We’ve been looking all over for you.”

Patricia endured Sandra’s hug with indifference. Her thoughts were directed at getting out of her clothes, taking a shower and going to bed. Sandra was a couple of seconds into her hug when Patricia noticed an aroma that excited her senses. She suddenly pushed back from Sandra, held her by the shoulders and then leaned in toward her roommate and took a sniff.

“You smell good,” Patricia whispered.

“Do I?” Sandra responded with a confused look at her roommate. “I'm not wearing anything,” she continued.

“You smell like food,” Patricia countered after another sniff.

“What?” Sandra queried with a look of astonishment. “Are you okay, Pat?”

Sandra quickly put her hand to Patricia’s forehead to check her temperature. Patricia exploited this act to continue savoring the smell of her roommate.

“Oh, you do feel warm,” Sandra announced in a voice laced with surprise. “Maybe—maybe you should take a Tylenol,” she continued.

“No,” Patricia sharply countered while taking a step back. “I just need to get out of these clothes and take a shower,” she insisted.

“Yeah,” Sandra agreed with a startled bob of her head while Patricia was turning away. “You do that. I’m going to make some calls and let everyone know you’re okay.”

Patricia ignored Sandra and went off to take her shower. After 20 minutes, she emerged refreshed in a bath robe and with towel around her hair.

“Are you Patricia Boyd,” one of two large, uniformed police officers gruffly asked as Patricia stepped out of the hallway leading to the bedrooms and bathroom.

Patricia stopped dabbing at her hair and looked up at the police officers in astonishment. For a couple of seconds, she did not know what to say. The last thing she expected and the first thing she did not want to see were police officers standing in her apartment. Instinctively, Patricia feared the police. She remembered the conversations Jeremiah, Lola and that other guy had in the basement. She believed the police would turn on her. Patricia was dubious of Jeremiah’s claim that she had been changed into a vampire, but she had no doubt that something was different within her.

“Miss, are you Patricia Boyd?” The First Police Officer asked again in a stronger voice.

“What’s going on?” Patricia challenged in a shocked voice.

“They’re here about the kidnapping,” Sandra quickly explained.

“Miss,” the First Police Officer barked again.

“Yes, yes,” Patricia quickly answered. “I’m Patricia Boyd, but there was no kidnapping.”

Sandra was astounded by Patricia’s statement, but the two police officers were unfazed.

“You’ve been reported missing, and no one has seen you at home or your job for three days and three nights. Where were you?” The First Police Officer challenged.

“I was out—partying,” Patricia answered on the fly. “Time got away from me. I was having too much fun.”

“Why didn’t you call?” The Second Police Officer asked.

“I lost my phone,” Patricia quickly returned. “Look, I was wasted, okay?” She continued with a frivolous shrug. “There was no kidnapping.”

“So, this story about a man chaining you to a pole in his basement is a lie?” The First Police Officer challenged from behind a scrupulous stare.

“Hey, if some guy had me chained to a pole in a basement, would I be here now?” Patricia returned dismissively.

The two police officers looked at each other with exasperation, and then turned back to Patricia.

“Next time find some way to call someone,” the First Police Officer lectured. “We take false reports seriously,” he finished with a glance toward Sandra.

Sandra was in a state of shock as she showed the officers to the door. She returned to Patricia in confusion and anger.

“What? You were lying?” Sandra loudly asked as she stormed back into the center of the living room.

Patricia showed no sign that she was perturbed by her roommate’s angry outburst.

“Get over it,” Patricia returned with a placid expression.

Patricia then turned and walked away as Sandra hurled appellations of bitch, cunt and more at her back. When she got to her bedroom, Patricia went inside and closed the door behind her, but she did not go to sleep. For the next several hours, Patricia listened to music, smoked up all her marijuana and danced around her room at irregular intervals. Sleep was the last thing she wanted to do. It was approaching 2am, Saturday Night, when Patricia’s revelry was disrupted by the sound of knocking on her bedroom door. She quickly opened it.

“Toby!” Patricia cheerfully exclaimed just before reaching out and pulling him into a passionate kiss.

Toby Kennedy was Patricia’s boyfriend of choice for the past five months. He was a tall, lean, long-haired tattooed guitarist who worked full time as a stockman in a warehouse. Despite his unsuccessful pursuit of being a professional guitarist, Toby was Patricia’s rock star boyfriend.

“Come in,” Patricia gleefully encouraged while pulling on Toby’s arm.

Toby’s expression was a mixture of surprise and confusion. At this moment, he did not know what to say. Patricia’s cheerful disposition was the opposite of what he was expecting at that moment. When he was through the door, Patricia slammed it shut and quickly went back to kissing him frenetically. Several seconds later, Toby pushed Patricia back, grabbed her by the shoulders and held her at arm’s distance.

“What happened to you?” Toby demanded.

“Nothing, baby, I’m fine,” Patricia declared dismissively and with a wide smile. “Hey, you got some grass on you?” She continued with a giggle while pushing against his restraining arms.

Toby’s thinking immediately went to the possibility that Patricia was already high on something, and in this he was not wrong. It was the mixture of marijuana and her new vampire senses that had her giddy. It was also her vampire biology that was dissipating the effect quickly, making her crave more.

“Hold on,” Toby commanded while keeping Patricia at a distance. “Where have you been?” He asked in a stern voice.

“What does it matter?” Patricia countered with a smile. “I’m back, and I’m happy to see you,” she continued while trying to get closer.

“Well, what is this I’m hearing about some man chaining you to a pole in his basement?” Toby queried back in a gruff voice while giving Patricia a violent shake to emphasize his determination to get an answer.

Patricia took an immediate offense at being physically manhandled. With a quick and powerful upward thrust of her arms, she dislodged Toby’s grip from her shoulders.

“He’s nobody,” Patricia angrily declared with a step back and a scowl. “He’s a regular at the restaurant. Some little nobody who was dreaming about me.”

“Then why did you tell the police it was a lie?” Toby hollered back.

“Relax,” Patricia encouraged dismissively. “He’s nobody.”

“Or is it that you’re lying to me?” Toby asked accusingly.

Toby stepped forward and leaned in with his head and shoulders. His face was fixed into a grimace of outrage. Patricia inched back in response to his anger.

“I told you, he’s a nobody,” Patricia insisted with defiance.

“Bullshit,” Toby vehemently returned, pointing his finger in Patricia’s face. “You were out screwing someone else, and you made up this lie thinking I would believe it,” Toby roared.

“I told you,” Patricia countered with more defiance. “He’s just some loser that comes to the diner.”

Before she could finish her statement, Toby slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. Physically, Patricia was barely fazed by the slap. Other than a turn of her head in the direction of the blow, her body did not move, but her eyes turned into pools of light. Her expression instantly turned into a mask of death. Within the span of two seconds, Patricia reached out, grabbed Toby by the throat, lifted him off the floor and tossed him over the bed and across the room. Toby landed with a thump on the floor in the far corner furthest from Patricia. His face was an expression of shock and disbelief. His attention was so fixed on Patricia’s expression of rage, that he barely noticed the tiny pools of light in her eyes. After he hit the floor, Patricia reached down, grabbed the bed and threw it over on its side to clear a straight path between her and Toby. In the time it took him to get back on his feet, Patricia closed the distance between them, grabbed him by the neck once again and threw him up against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Toby was physically intact and mostly alert when he fell to floor next to the bedroom door. Without hesitation, he jumped to his feet, opened the door and fled from the room. Through her light reflecting eyes Patricia watched him run away while heaving out her rage in long deep breaths. Several seconds later, she went to the open door and saw Sandra standing at the end of the hallway looking back at her. The pools of light in Patricia’s eyes had Sandra transfixed with amazement. Patricia returned her gaze for a moment and then slammed the door shut.

It took Patricia a few minutes to calm down to stop her pacing. When she was settled enough to breathe normally again, she went to work arranging her bedroom back into a usable configuration. No effort was made to situate the mattress back into the frame. When the mattresses were lying one atop the other on the floor, she flopped down onto them and fell into a deep sleep.