Serial Killer
It had probably been months now that Alicia was missing. The cold was seeping in to the trailer and Andy kept it warm by using the propane stove. Sometimes he slept in the bed with her at night for warmth.
She didn’t want to admit the fact that she liked having his arms around her. She didn’t like the idea that it was comforting to her to feel him warm against her back. For so long it was just the pair of them.
She no longer feared he was going to kill her. In fact, she didn’t fear him at all anymore. She knew he would not hurt her. He cared for her, he made sure she ate and drank. He hooked up a solar water dispensing tank to the restroom so they could take warm showers.
However, she was still chained. He still updated her statuses online, though less frequently. No one reported her missing, or even knew she was.
Alicia began to think about her situation from a more practical point of view. He obviously desired her. Perhaps if she encouraged that he would think of her less as a captive and more of as a girlfriend, and remove her chains.
Alicia snuggled her back against him in a desperate attempt.
He hugged her tight for a second, just enough to let her know he got the message.
Alicia waited, but nothing else happened. She tried again, but this time she got a different response.
Andy got up from the bed and walked over to his recliner. He pulled a small ring box out from under the seat cushion. He walked over to the bed and opened it up to reveal a solitaire diamond engagement ring.
He questioned her bluntly in a matter of fact tone. “You want to have sex with me? Then I believe we should be engaged.”
“You can’t be serious.” Alicia looked at the ring.
“I didn’t drag you out here to marry you. But if you insist.” He set the ring down on the table, “Any time you feel like taking this relationship to the next level, you can just put that on and message received.”
“Will you take the chains off me?”
Andy laughed thinking of the invisible chains marriage creates. “The chains you will no longer see after we’re married.” He reached over and held her chain in his hand, “But I wasn’t planning on keeping you here indefinitely. I always planned to let you go.” He dropped the chain and started making coffee.
Alicia looked at him and then the ring.
“I promise you.” he stated to her as she stared at it. “I will never make an advancement on you until you wear that ring.”
She looked up at him, it was almost as if he didn’t want her to put it on.
Several weeks passed, the ring sat on the table undisturbed. True to his word, he never even made mention of the ring’s existence nor did he put it away out of sight.