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How’d I End Up in Here?

Be careful what you wish for.

By Adam David.Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 10 min read
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How’d I End Up in Here?
Photo by Arun Raj on Unsplash

My eyes rip open as fast as wrapping on a new present. My struggled screams are muffled by the cloth entrapped within my mouth. No windows. No doors in sight. My arms and legs? Tied as tight as a triple knot. Large Thud. My eyes roll back and slowly power down, as my lone question remains…

A few weeks ago.

Alicia, Johnathan and I under the dimming lights that surround our kitchen table, discuss going on a family trip since Christmas break was just around the corner. The soul music of the background lingers in the room as a freshly lit candle, and acts as adlibs to our round-the-clock conversation.

Alicia, 38, brown-skin, natural curly dark hair, with a smile that could blind you for months and Johnathan, 39, dark-skin, bald, with muscles that can’t be contained in a mere shirt and a personality that could place him in a psychiatric ward. Although they aren’t my biological parents, being adopted before I can even remember life, they’re all I know. They sacrificed and comforted me through my unknowing, now daunting fear of being abandoned to fend for myself. For that very reason I don’t hesitate to call them mom and dad, and if it ever came down to it I would risk my life for their well-being.

At times, I wish I could meet my biological parents and even drool at the thought of how their personalities and traits meshed to create me. Other times, well, I don’t necessarily care for the idea. I probably won’t ever get over the unresolved feelings that dwell in my mind. Oh well.

Never being on a cruise, Alicia, Johnathan and I came to an agreement it would be a thrilling experience. We all rested our eyes for the night, and Mom jumped out of bed to book the tickets the next morning. For the next three weeks, the dynamic duo of words “cruise ship” was more common than waking up and brushing our teeth.

Twenty-one days move at the speed of light and could not have elapsed any quicker. The day we have all been longing for has finally arrived. We place our jam-packed bags in the trunk and are on our way. Ever-changing thoughts bolt through my mind as I gaze upon the moon. My toes begin to wiggle as I can’t sit still. “Your destination is on the right” Siri says. My eyes continue to wander. Along with my mouth they spring open at the very presence of such a ship. “Ne peut pas s’échapper” it reads. Alluring. We pass by car after car between the white lines then find a parking spot of our own and hop out. I stand and marvel for a split second, but as we continue to move closer something changed.

The fog that surrounds the ship is intimidatingly complimented by the crashing waves and numbing breeze. Cheeks red. Eyes teary. Each breath appears as smoke.

“Hey mom—” “Shh. No time for your silly little questions. Grab your stuff and come on” she strongly states. My dad turns back to look at me with a smirk and then proceeds forward as well. For the woman who calls me the “greatest thing to fall into her hands” this attitude was not new. She tries something for the first time and forgets how to think for herself. I was just trying to let her know her shoe was untied.

As we pile on the ship, are welcomed aboard and anxiously search for the lobby, a couple seemingly doing the same approach us with smiles I only see in my nightmares. They introduce themselves as Adaliah, 36, straight dark hair with glasses and Harvey, 34, temp-fade with a massive beard. Last names not stated. The conversation lasts around two minutes and not a sound uttered from my mouth. My heart begins beating irregularly as I notice, at least one hundred out of those one hundred and twenty seconds their eyes were solely on me. My parents thought nothing of it. Am I over-exaggerating? Probably.

We finally receive our keys and head to our room. The moment the scent of freshly washed sheets attacked my nostrils and before I could even lay my luggage down, my stomach growled. Everyone heard it but no one said a word. I’m surprised the people across the hall didn’t come put my stomach out of its misery. Breaking the silence, Dad asks “well, what are we going to eat?” “They have a seafood restaurant downstairs we can give a try” Mom answers. My luggage and the remote in my moms’ possessive hands, get thrown down as we collectively walk out the door.

Elevator doors squeak open, the unavoidable shrimp aroma and blinding lights are almost more shocking than seeing so many individuals board, but none at dinner other than one couple seated seemingly miles away. Odd. “3. Table or booth?” the waiter asks. “Booth” I reply. I slide into the cushion-filled seat as we are handed menus and asked for our beverage selection. Mom and dad order water with a lemon slice, while I prefer lemonade. “Didn’t expect to see you all here” says Adaliah in a disturbingly calm tone. After taking a sip, I nearly spit out my drink. Where did she come from? I didn’t even hear her approach us. Mom and dad glance in my direction, portraying they are only here because of me. Yea right.

“I’m going to head to the bathroom.”

Before I can even hop out my seat Adaliah’s eyes seem to pierce through my skin as she says, “First door on the right, sweetie.” Her smile faker than grandma’s teeth, I nod nervously and speed past her. Who is she? Does she work here? A plethora of questions appear in my subconscious mind as I turn the corner and bump into her peculiar husband. Not surprised. He gives a small smile, hurried gaze, and an embarrassing attempt at a wave as he walks by. Something is not right. I feel the cruise ship’s continuous motion beneath my feet as I use the restroom and wash off. The hot air consumes the water from my dampened hands and a quickly screamed “help" catches my attention.

I kick the door open and turn the corner, only to find two glasses of water with a lemon slice and lemonade waiting for me. This has to be a joke, right? I creep towards the booth. No sign of a struggle and not even a strand of hair could seem to be located. My phone coincidentally has no service now. My stomach then roars, similar to the king of the jungle. I decide to order a to-go box and head back to the room. Hopefully my parents are awaiting my return and can thoroughly explain why I was left stranded at an unfamiliar restaurant. The room door clicks. Nothing. Everything just as we left it.

The door closes behind me and all of a sudden, I can’t control my breathing. I hasten to the room phone to call 911 only to remember I’m on board a cruise ship. The wires hanging out of the circuit wouldn’t allow me to make the call regardless. Curtains closed, door boarded with luggage, what have I gotten myself into? Knocks parade the door and the voice of my mom follows. My feet hit the floor, I lean into the eye of the peephole and only the carpet stares back at me. My mind must be playing tricks on me already.

The bathroom and bedroom lights flicker uncontrollably. The ship fights with the jabs of the vicious waves and I’m struggling to keep my food from ejecting out my stomach. The knocks resume. This time simultaneously from the door and oddly the window. I open the curtains to the darkened sky, the sea acts as a mirror while the moon’s reflection sways with the waves. Praying for protection is the only option I have at this point.

The door wiggles. The knocks increase in volume. I grab the closest object to me, Dad’s pocket knife. I flick it open as I wait. Whatever pops through that door is in for a rude awakening. The wooden platform between me and the unseen future springs open. I duck. The luggage flies over my head. It’s... A woman. The pounding of my heart decelerates. “Mom—” it took me a second to realize, but this. Is not. My mom. Adaliah’s wicked grin as she stands over me almost leads to a heart attack. Her arms protrude my personal space. “Hey, sweetie.”

Deafening thunder. Lightning bashes. Raindrops pummel the outside of Ne Peut pas S’échapper, and the same drops seemingly make euphonious percussion as both waters combine.

The ship tilts, I trip and nearly fall into Adaliah’s outstretched arms. My reflexes rise to the occasion just in time to propel her arms towards her face, so I can scurry backwards and regain my balance. The knife I now wield is my sword and the luggage my shield. Man, I really wish I would of took those fencing lessons serious. A blank expression followed by a slight smirk stretch the surface of Adaliahs’ face. My palms begin to moisturize on their own command. I struggle to swallow and for some reason forget how to breathe out my nose. She takes a step closer with open arms and says, “I don’t want to fight you sweetie, after all, I am your mother.”

What? Is she crazy? My life flashes before my eyes. Have I even seen this woman before this trip? My stomach twists in knots. My eyebrows drop and my jaw clenches. I refuse to believe this lady is even human. Her straight hair frizzes up, she stares down at her wiggling toes and proceeds to chuckle under her breath. In the blink of an eye, the knife switches wielders from me to her and I find myself palms up backing into a corner. I let my guard down. She’s smart.

Her smirk transforms into a scowl and she strikes. I dodge. I then roll the luggage into her ankle and strike underneath her wrist to expel the knife from her grasp. We both freeze for a split-second and side-eye the knife now on the ground. The silence is loud. I never understood why wiggling my toes came as a uncontrollable habit, until now. I finally realize who this woman truly is. Why did it take me so long? I guess because I thought the first time seeing my biological mother would be different, and she wouldn’t be trying to kill me. I should’ve known from the first glance, or even the second. I break the silence.

“Where. Are. My parents… Mother?”

Flesh deeply ingrained into her nails, “You don’t really want to know the answer to that now do you? I’ve been searching for you, for 16 years and this is how you treat me?” she responds. Her calm demeanor then turns to anger. “I never wanted you anyway.” She twitches, then springs forward and as I go to dodge her predictable move, the ship tilts once again. I jump up from the ground and sprint for the door. My foot gets clipped by a handle. Who knew my own suitcase would be the cause of my downfall in this situation? I glance back to see her not pursuing. She’s letting me go.

I run through the hall banging on door after door to no avail. The blood stained carpet allows me to discern, I might be the lone survivor. I make way to the elevator only to be met by Harvey. Not surprised. My legs move like something out of a cartoon and I flee to the staircase. Locked. Now, I am faced by my two psychotic biological parents. I accept my inevitable fate.

Darkness consumes my eyes.

Adaliah and Harvey grab my unconscious body and travel down to the secret bunker of their ship. “What do we do now?” asks Harvey. “He’s still our child.” “Tie the kid up. We’ll hear the screams when he’s awake” she responds. A week passes by.

My eyes rip open as fast as wrapping on a new present. My struggled screams are muffled by the cloth entrapped within my mouth. No windows. No doors in sight. Arms and legs? Tied as tight as a triple knot. Large Thud. My eyes roll back and slowly power down as my lone question remains…

Horror
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About the Creator

Adam David.

Follow my Journey!

IG: @hallofad

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