There was an old painting in my grandparents' attic. Neither beautiful nor ugly, it simply depicted an empty room with no figures, an old living room with an armchair, library, and fireplace ... [+]
Jamie finally shut her eyes after a long day of appointments and surgery. She was beginning to regret becoming a surgeon after not being able to save Tommy, the little boy with a brain tumor. As she slowly drifted to sleep, the wind outside her New York home whistled through the trees. Jamie was finally asleep when all of the sudden, a huge crash of thunder awoke her. When she opened her eyes, a frightening figure in a black hoodie and ski mask was standing over her. Before Jamie could cry for help, the tall, thin and horrifying figure stabbed her in the neck with a large tranquilizer.
“Why?” Jamie uttered under her breath as her eyelids began to feel as if there were weights hanging from them.
Jamie’s head slowly rose, she opened her dense eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She realized that she had been strapped to an old, rusty chair and that there was a unconscious man next to her. Jamie’s eyes wandered around the dark room for a way out, she noticed how the smooth concrete walls formed a medium-sized box around the pair. A small opening at the base of one of the walls wasn’t large enough for her to stick her hand through. Suddenly, the man started to yell.
“SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!”
“Shhh, you’re okay.” Jamie retorted. The man replied,
“Dr. Stratman? What’s going on?”
“I was hoping you knew that answer. How do you know my name?” Jamie asked in a tone of confusion. The man looked at her in disbelief.
“I’m Jack Thunderson, your anesthesiologist for Tommy’s surgery.” He said in a saddened breath. Jamie couldn’t believe she had forgotten about him. She opened her mouth to respond when a petrifying voice came on from the speaker above the two.
“You have 60 seconds to decide who will die if you want one of you to walk out alive.” the low, raspy voice said. A knife was thrown through the opening of one of the smooth walls. Jamie gasped in disbelief. She didn’t want to die, but she didn’t have the heart to kill Jack. By this time, they had both shimmied their way out of the old, loose and worn-down ropes.
“I will sacrifice myself Jamie, too many people need you in this world.” Jack said with a shaky voice.
“No you won’t.” Jamie said as she ran to the knife. Jamie had always been a leader and hero since she was a young girl. Jamie looked down at the knife. It’s long, sharp and silver blade was pointing at her. She observed the knife as she heard Jack’s voice in the distance.
“Don’t be dumb Jamie, you don’t need to do this.” Jack was saying repetitively with a worried look. As he blurted out for the fifth time, Jamie noticed something.
“Look Jack! The knife has Braille engraved in the blade.” Jamie said with a hint of hope and curiousness in her voice. She learned Braille for Tommy when her first patient that passed away during surgery, went blind.
“I-N-T-O W-A-L-L” Jamie spelled aloud.
“Into wall? What could that mean?” Jack questioned. Jamie scanned the walls, her eyes moved up and down looking at every detail of the smooth, light grey, concrete walls. Suddenly, Jamie stopped in her tracks. A small indention in the wall that she hadn’t seen earlier, caught her eye. She ran to the small blemish, and with all her might she forced the knife into the crevice of the wall.
“You have 15 seconds.” the voice on the intercom said with a tone of impatience. Right as the voice stopped, a small opening showed itself. Without hesitation, Jack and Jamie crawled through the opening and into the open air. The pair began to run without questioning their whereabouts. Jamie’s legs began to burn as they reached Winston Street, the street of her New York home. Jack and Jamie hugged each other and went their separate ways, knowing that they were safe now. Jamie wanted to say something to Jack, but she still hadn’t caught her breath. They both called the police on their own time, when they felt ready to talk about the horrifying incident.
A few weeks had passed now and Jamie’s life was finally getting back to normal. The New York Police Department still hadn’t caught the mystery man who kidnapped Jamie and Jack, but they had attained new leads. However, that following week, Jamie and Jack both received odd letters in the mail that said:
“You really think I would let you get away that easy? I’ll be back.”
“Why?” Jamie uttered under her breath as her eyelids began to feel as if there were weights hanging from them.
Jamie’s head slowly rose, she opened her dense eyes and looked around at her surroundings. She realized that she had been strapped to an old, rusty chair and that there was a unconscious man next to her. Jamie’s eyes wandered around the dark room for a way out, she noticed how the smooth concrete walls formed a medium-sized box around the pair. A small opening at the base of one of the walls wasn’t large enough for her to stick her hand through. Suddenly, the man started to yell.
“SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!”
“Shhh, you’re okay.” Jamie retorted. The man replied,
“Dr. Stratman? What’s going on?”
“I was hoping you knew that answer. How do you know my name?” Jamie asked in a tone of confusion. The man looked at her in disbelief.
“I’m Jack Thunderson, your anesthesiologist for Tommy’s surgery.” He said in a saddened breath. Jamie couldn’t believe she had forgotten about him. She opened her mouth to respond when a petrifying voice came on from the speaker above the two.
“You have 60 seconds to decide who will die if you want one of you to walk out alive.” the low, raspy voice said. A knife was thrown through the opening of one of the smooth walls. Jamie gasped in disbelief. She didn’t want to die, but she didn’t have the heart to kill Jack. By this time, they had both shimmied their way out of the old, loose and worn-down ropes.
“I will sacrifice myself Jamie, too many people need you in this world.” Jack said with a shaky voice.
“No you won’t.” Jamie said as she ran to the knife. Jamie had always been a leader and hero since she was a young girl. Jamie looked down at the knife. It’s long, sharp and silver blade was pointing at her. She observed the knife as she heard Jack’s voice in the distance.
“Don’t be dumb Jamie, you don’t need to do this.” Jack was saying repetitively with a worried look. As he blurted out for the fifth time, Jamie noticed something.
“Look Jack! The knife has Braille engraved in the blade.” Jamie said with a hint of hope and curiousness in her voice. She learned Braille for Tommy when her first patient that passed away during surgery, went blind.
“I-N-T-O W-A-L-L” Jamie spelled aloud.
“Into wall? What could that mean?” Jack questioned. Jamie scanned the walls, her eyes moved up and down looking at every detail of the smooth, light grey, concrete walls. Suddenly, Jamie stopped in her tracks. A small indention in the wall that she hadn’t seen earlier, caught her eye. She ran to the small blemish, and with all her might she forced the knife into the crevice of the wall.
“You have 15 seconds.” the voice on the intercom said with a tone of impatience. Right as the voice stopped, a small opening showed itself. Without hesitation, Jack and Jamie crawled through the opening and into the open air. The pair began to run without questioning their whereabouts. Jamie’s legs began to burn as they reached Winston Street, the street of her New York home. Jack and Jamie hugged each other and went their separate ways, knowing that they were safe now. Jamie wanted to say something to Jack, but she still hadn’t caught her breath. They both called the police on their own time, when they felt ready to talk about the horrifying incident.
A few weeks had passed now and Jamie’s life was finally getting back to normal. The New York Police Department still hadn’t caught the mystery man who kidnapped Jamie and Jack, but they had attained new leads. However, that following week, Jamie and Jack both received odd letters in the mail that said:
“You really think I would let you get away that easy? I’ll be back.”