When I came to, the warm ocean water was already around my knees.
As my head and vision started to clear, I began to remember what had happened the night before. I blinked the fog out of my eyes and as my memory came back, I realized just how much trouble I was in.
Last night was a celebratory evening. I had just cracked a story on political corruption that led me to this small, Caribbean island where the main industry was banking. A lot of dirty money became clean here and the lead I had brought me here. Once all the facts came into place, I wrote my story, edited it loaded it onto a memory stick. The island was remote enough that I couldn't just send the story out by email; I had to wait for the satellite for the connection.
So, after I wrote the story, saved it, I ordered room service and got a bottle of champagne. After the servant left, I poured a glass of Armand de Brignac brut champagne and changed into my silk, black, nightie. I like to be comfortable when drinking very expensive champagne...besides, my editor was paying for it.
There was a knock at the door and room service was back again. Only it wasn't the young man from before. He was much taller and didn't look very friendly. But he said that he needed to check on some plumbing as there was a problem from the floor below.
As I turned around to look back a the room's bathroom, he grabbed me by the waist and lifted me up. I hitched in a breath to scream, but his other hand clamped over my mouth with a damp cloth. He kicked the door closed behind him and manhandled me into the room.
There wasn't much I could do. His one huge arm had my small arms pinned to my side and I was having trouble breathing. Not just because his other hand was so large that it covered both my nose and mouth, but that the damp cloth was soaked in chloroform.
I knew I had only a few seconds left to get free. I struggled as hard as I could. I was kicking my legs up and high, trying to come back on his shins; I think he just laughed. I tried wrenching myself out of his arm by twisting my shoulders violently, but that just made me take in more of the sweet smelling chloroform I made a gamble and screamed..but his hand simply muffled me.
I felt my body growing weaker and my eyes weren't staying open. As I started to go under, I could feel my arms flail limply around. I was able to reach up and lightly slap at the arm holding me, but it was useless. I blinked, trying to stay awake and I was moaning into the cloth.
Finally, my body stopped listening to me and my eyes closed for the last time....
It's always disconcerting waking up after being chloroformed. You have no idea what has happened to you while you were under. You have no idea where you are or what your immediate predicament is. That's probably why it took me so long to figure out how much trouble I was in.
As I came to, I took stock of my clothes. My nightie was still on me. My panties seemed to be on as well. I didn't feel any bruising or sore spots and there didn't seem to be any violations; in other words, no stick stuff between my legs. So, whatever happened, the worst was probably some groping, but no rape. I closed my eyes briefly in thanks and opened them again.
I realized that I could just see the dock from the hotel in the distance. The sun was on its way down, but I had plenty of time before darkness. So I screamed for help.
And realized I was gagged.
Being chloroformed can really mess up your ability to think. Only then did I take stock of the situation.
My mouth was cleave gagged with a knot going past my teeth. And over that was a very tight gag covering the cleave gag and my mouth, pinching into my cheeks. I screamed again. I was pretty well silenced, no way they could hear me way over on the dock.
I looked around and discovered that I was in the water. Only, the water had now risen to my thighs and my nightie was starting to float on the water. What was worse was that I was tied to a post. From the looks of it, the post was part of an older dock that had burned down long ago. I was pretty far out. And I just felt the water creep up another couple of inches.
The tide was coming in.
My legs were tide together at my ankles, and lashed to the post, the knot uncomfortably resting on top of my feet. My wrists were tied behind me, with the post coming up between my arms. My arms were pulled back enough that I couldn't pull myself too far forward. And now the water is at my waist; the tide is really coming in quick and soon...I would be underwater, drowning...
Pulling myself forward, I grunted with effort. I panicked and just simply twisted my wrists a little, trying to get free. Once the warm water came up just under my breasts, I tried to push myself up the post. I was hoping that the water would provide enough buoyancy that I could just slip myself up and over...but my ankles were too well-lashed to the post.
The water slipped over my breasts. I could feel my nightie billowing in the water. The crowd on the dock had absolutely no idea that I was going to die in a few minutes. I leaned against the post and the water came up a little further....
I relaxed my body and tired to clear my mind. I was trying to figure way out when I noticed a little slippage of the rope on my wrists. I paused for a moment and did a slow twist of my wrists.
The rope loosened a little!
The only problem was that the tide was just about done. In a minute or so, My head would be completely underneath the tide and I would drown, mere inches away from precious air.
I calmed myself down again and worked my wrists slowly. The rope was coming undone, but too slowly. The ocean was rapidly rising. I had to tip my gagged face up, the water was just under my chin.
The rope was almost off and I started to panic; the water was sloshing into my nose. I whimpered and squealed and for a joust a couple of seconds I thrashed and screamed for help. Head tilted up, nose and eyes just above the waterline, I calmed down and took a breath and felt triumph; the rope came undone and my arms were free!!!!
The ocean slipped over my head just as I took a gulp of air. I was completely under water and I made to kick up and with horror I realized that I had forgotten.
My legs were still tied to the post.
Blinking, I looked down and could see my toes wriggling next to a starfish. I looked up, my hair billowing around my eyes and then almost screamed as my vision went black, but it was just my nightie floating upwards.
My lungs started to burn a little and my heart began to pound a little harder. I bent over, pushing my nighties down. The water slowed me down some, but I was able to reach the knot with my hands and start to undo it.
As I fumbled with the knot, my lungs were in pain, an my heart was trying to pound right through my chest. Withing moments, my fingers seemed to get clumsy, and I noticed bubbles floating up my face.
The light hitting the water was beautiful. It was so warm, the water felt so lovely. I started to calm down and my hands seemed to rise on their own. Everything seemed to feel okay...I was getting sleepy and all I had to do was let my breath go....
I shook my head quickly, blinked, and realized how close to dying I was. I had no more air left. But if I let it out, the ocean water would come in and that would be it. I could hear myself squealing involuntarily.
My hand slapped at the knot and I forced my fingers to work and I finally got the knot undone. I turned in the water, grabbed the post and started to kick up when my lungs forced the foul air out of my body, through my nose and as I ascended rapidly, water poured down my throat choking me.
I blindly groped upward, my moans sounding weird underwater until I hit the surface. In my panic, I struggled towards shore. Whimpering, choking, moaning slapping at the water with my hands, kicking hard, keeping my head up high, until I felt sand on my stomach.
The weak surf helped to push to the beach. Still not believing that I was really safe from drowning, I clawed as far up onto the beach as my body would let me. Exhausted, I had to stop and I collapsed.
It took forever to pull the pull the gags off my face. I lay huffing on the sand, my pulse pounding in my head. My head laying on the hot sand with my eyes closed. My breathing eventually became regular, and I was starting to feel better. But, I really wanted to sleep, but suddenly a pair of flip flops and a pair of boots came into view.
I slowly looked up, and my heart sank. Standing over me was the guy who kidnapped me and the guy in the flip flops...he was the subject of my article. I knew I was about to faint, but I looked up and said, “I hid it.”
And as I laid my head back down on the sand, I heard the villain say to his henchman, “OK, search the room for it. Oh, and Robert?”
“Yes, Sir?”
“Next time...use chains.”
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Was thinking about this scene while at work today. Hope you enjoyed the story!!
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