My Best Friend, My Kidnapper

When she got to the car park, she received another text message saying Lorraine was outside because she hadn't wanted to pay for parking. This was a little weird but sure, Jean's wine-soaked brain didn't think it over too much. Now she just wanted to get back to the party, but she exited the car park and looked around the street, very cold in her cocktail dress. She didn't see Lorraine's car at all. Her phone rang. Another text.

"My car's parked in the alleyway between the hotel and the store. Love L <3"

Even then, Jean had known she should just return to the party. Whatever stupid prank Lorraine had been trying to pull wasn't worth standing out in the night air for. Except...she was her best friend...and whatever she had planned would be pretty cool. Maybe she was doing an edgy Batman thing? Ooh what if she'd got her a Catwoman outfit!? Curiosity spurred her on, so she ventured towards the alleyway.

To her relief Lorraine appeared just as she turned the corner,

"Oh thank God," she'd laughed, "I thought you were secretly an axe murderer or something!"

Lorraine laughed in return but it seemed a little forced. She was dressed in a hoodie and a dark pair of pants. Jean started to wonder what was really going on, but before she could say anything Lorraine looked Jean up and down and said,

"You're stunning, Jean. I'm so happy for you." Tears appeared in her eyes,

"Oh Lorraine..." Jean embraced her best friend and held her tight, "thank you so much!"

"I have something I want to show you," Lorraine whispered into her ear,

"Only if you promise to come to the party," Jean giggled,

Lorraine gestured at her car, which was parked just behind her. The trunk was open,

"It's in the trunk," Lorraine said, "I hope you like it."

"Ooh mysterious," Jean had teased. She was excited to see the surprise and stuck her head into the shadowy compartment. Except...the trunk was empty? What was going on? Suddenly a hand closed over her mouth! She struggled and tried to scream, but she quickly felt very woozy. There was a strange smell coming from the hand, it was intoxicating...she remembered losing focus, and then nothing. Out like a light.

Jean didn't remember what happened next, but over the years Lorraine pieced together the gaps for her. Once Jean had bent down to look inside the trunk, Lorraine quickly prepared her cloth and chloroform. She reached around and pressed the cloth firmly against Jean's mouth, holding it in place until the struggling stopped. She gently allowed Jean to slump into the trunk, then lifted her legs up to fit her inside. Now she had to work quickly. She'd doused the cloth awash with chloroform but she couldn't be certain how much it would take. First thing's first. She placed Jean's phone on the ground and proceeded to smash it into little pieces. She picked the pieces up, slammed the trunk shut, got into the car and started driving.

It had been a rental, under a false name and ID. She couldn't risk using her own car for this. She pulled her hoodie up and wore sunglasses, making sure that if anyone did see the car on CCTV, they'd assume it was a mysterious man, and not a 23-year-old brunette. When she'd learned about the hotel's location she'd scouted it out, and determined that the alleyway was free of security cameras. The last the world ever saw of Jean Havers was in the car park, drunkenly stumbling about into places unknown.

Lorraine never told Jean this, but the room was actually in her family home. She'd discovered it after her mother died and she'd inherited the house. It was an old fallout shelter, built during the Cold War when whichever previous occupant had freaked out about nuclear war and built a miniature bunker under their house. It was below even the basement, underneath a trap door which you needed a ladder to climb down through. This led to an impressively long concrete corridor until finally you reached the room, which could be sealed with a large metal door. Besides a toilet and a light-bulb, the room had been pretty sparse, but it did have an air-filtration system that made it all breathable.

Upon finding this, Lorraine had hit upon a revelation. Jean had just started dating Simon and there was no way in Hell that Blonde Bimbo would steal him from her! She began to prepare the room, sawing a small hole at the bottom of the door for her to fit a slot onto. Then she removed the toilet, leaving the hole in its place. She'd actually been impressed by that: the toilet led straight into the main network of pipes in the community. To the outside world, it just looked like any other normal plumbing.

In any case, she wasn't going to give the bitch the luxury of a toilet! So off to the local dump it went! Finally, she fitted a heavy anchor point to the wall, preparing the chain she would use upon Jean's arrival. She was very proud of herself, getting the place prepared by Jean's birthday. She was angry that they'd already announced the wedding, but she'd just have to make do with the mourning would-be widower. He'd forget about her eventually, she told herself.

Between the seaside town and Lorraine's house was a long stretch of forest which the main road cut through. The perfect place to hide her own car and destroy the rental. She removed Jean's still-slumbering body and placed her in her own trunk. Then she'd doused the rental in gasoline and set it alight, leaving the pieces of Jean's phone inside to crackle and burn. There would be some suspicion but the rental company would move on when they realised she'd used a fake name. She'd even worn a wig when she'd picked it up! Once the car was ablaze, Lorraine continued to her home in her own car.

It was dead-of-night when she arrived back and quietly parked her car in her old family home garage. She breathed a sigh of relief. The hard part was over. She'd not passed anyone on the road and no cops had stopped her. It was all so perfect, like the Heavens themselves supported her actions. Well why wouldn't they? Simon and her were destined for one another, not this free-loading bitch!

God she had been such a heavy skank, like a sack of potatoes. The hardest part had been lowering Jean's unconscious body down into the bunker, it taking all of Lorraine's energy not to drop her. She'd hate for the bitch to die cracking her head on the concrete when she'd had this all planned out for her. Thankfully, she was able to place the body down gently, then followed after her down the ladder. Once there, she dragged the body into its new home.

Jean had cried when Lorraine told her the next part. Inside the room, Lorraine immediately began to tear apart Jean's satin dress. It couldn't be neatly cut up, she needed it shredded and torn. It took some doing as she tugged at it, but soon she heard the satisfying rip of the soft material. Lorraine breathed in the sweet jasmine smell of Jean's perfume. Enjoy it while it lasts, she'd sniggered. You won't be smelling that sweet for long. With the dress off, Lorraine tore off Jean's expensive silk bra and panties. Again she sneered at the little tramp's pretensions: how could she possibly think she was good enough for the finer things in life? She'd been a dumb bitch at school, coasting along on her good looks while Lorraine practically got her through their exams. And then Jean gets to be rich? Fuck that.

Lorraine took a moment to gaze at Jean's totally nude body. She hated how jealous she felt of Jean's bust breasts and curvy hips, her beautiful blonde hair and long, smooth legs. Yes, she would enjoy this next part.

The chains had been lined out prepared on the floor, and Lorraine relished the moment she collared Jean to the wall. The shackles on her wrists and ankles were screwed on one by one, then she connected the chain links together, so one chain connected from the collar to the leg irons, and a chain looped around Jean's waist and connected to the front chain and Jean's wrists. The bitch was not going anywhere anytime soon.

After that, Lorraine gathered up Jean's clothes and shoes. The shoes she left in the concrete corridor. She couldn't risk anyone coming across them and recognising them. The underwear she burned in her fireplace. The dress would be a little more tricky.

Alarms had already been raised about Jean's disappearance, as she had quite literally vanished from her own party. No one suspected foul play yet, but there was concern about where a drunk woman might end up in a seaside town. Lorraine knew it would be suspicious if her car was seen in the middle of the night, so she slept the rest of the night in bed, dreaming pleasant dreams of naked women screaming in captivity.

The next morning she got up, went out and did some grocery shopping, the shreds of satin dress in her handbag. She made sure to say hello to the shop girl, mentioning how much better she felt after her illness the day before, then took her car and drove several miles down the coast, to a beach that took all sorts of flotsam from the tide. That's where she deposited the satin dress, letting the fragments drift away in the shallow salt water to be dredged up who knew where?

She drove home and realised with some morbid delight that there was a young woman in her basement, trapped and helpless without her! It was wonderful! She owned another human being! And not just any human being, but the so-called "best friend" of hers that had stolen the love of her life! If she hadn't been on high alert she'd have cracked open a bottle of wine. No. That day she had to be vigilant.

At 11am Simon called, asking if she'd seen Jean. Lorraine thrilled at the sound of her love's voice over the phone,

"No, I haven't seen her," she said, sounding concerned, "everything okay?"

"Well...we don't know yet..." Simon stuttered, clearly worried, "no one's seen her since last night...she'd had a drink..."

"Oh God..." Lorraine feigned, "this is bad. I'll come over now."

She remembered feeling very anxious that day, but not for the same reason everyone else was. What if she'd missed something? What if the police found some evidence? What if they linked the burned-out car to Jean's disappearance? She knew she had to play it cool but any one thing could go wrong and blow her whole plan sky-high.

She'd held Simon's hand as they reported Jean missing to the police. That evening there was a news broadcast asking anyone if they'd seen Jean Havers? Footage of her stumbling through the car park was shown, with one confused partygoer stating that she'd heard Jean say she was going to the bathroom, so why had she been in the car park? That had been the most dangerous part, potentially having Jean mention that she was going out to see Lorraine, but she knew Jean. She wouldn't break their trust if she asked her to keep something secret.

Resting with her feet up in her living room, Lorraine laughed... Oh Jean...if only you hadn't been so trusting!

She'd looked at the time, Oh wow it was almost midnight! She should probably, finally, check up on her new acquisition. She shivered euphorically just thinking about it, like a kid after their first successful shoplifting!

The experience had been a little different for Jean of course. When she woke up, she was struck by a horrific headache. She blinked, her groggy eyes trying to focus in the oddly bright environment. She'd felt...cold...like her body was pressed against marble? She'd tried to move around but just...couldn't? There was something on her neck, and something cold running against her breasts and stomach. She'd taken about a minute to realise what was happening, and let out an almost guttural shriek of fright. WHAT THE FUCK?! WHAT ARE THESE CHAINS?! WHY AM I NAKED?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS ROOM?! OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHIT! She hyperventilated, taking in breaths a mile a second.

What's going on oh God I'm naked why am I naked did someone kidnap me I saw Lorraine I was looking in her car someone grabbed me oh God was Lorraine okay what if they got Lorraine too oh God oh fuck!

Her mind had raced with the horrible possibilities. Was it some kind of sex pervert, or serial killer? Was this some kind of sick experiment, had she been abducted by the government? Or aliens? Why had she been chained like this? She couldn't even stand up properly!

She had screamed and cried and wailed for hours, tugging at her chain and banging on the door, but no one heard her. No one came in. She could just about reach the wall with the air vent, but with her arms chained behind her back she couldn't actually touch it. She noticed the hole in the floor. Oh God that wasn't what she thought it was for, was it? After all the excitement of the night before, she desperately needed to pee.

Feeling humiliated at the thought of squatting like an animal, she attempted her first urination in the room. She completely missed the hole and her piss puddled all over the floor. Oh God Oh God Oh God Oh God this wasn't real, this was all a dream! It had been her birthday, she couldn't go from the best birthday party of her life to being naked in a room with her own piss?! This could not be real!

She'd collapsed on the floor from exhaustion and realised with horror that she was hungry. They weren't going to starve her to death were they? Whoever "they" were? Why go to all the trouble of chaining her up if they just wanted to kill her? This was her only comfort as she lay on the piss-soaked concrete floor.

That was how Lorraine found her when she finally returned, almost exactly twenty-four hours after she had brought her there. Naturally she had been not impressed by Jean's complete inability to piss in the hole. She made a mental note to punish her for that later. Her first infraction in the room.

Jean had been so fatigued from the previous day she barely registered who it was that had entered the room. Only when she heard Lorraine's voice did she brighten up. Oh thank God! Lorraine's here! She's somehow found me and she's come to rescue me! I knew I could count on my best friend! She forced herself up, beaming from ear to ear when she saw her bespectacled captor,

"Oh Lorraine! Thank God you're safe! I was so worried they'd got you too!"

She noticed Lorraine smirk, which took her aback a bit, but figured she must have just been laughing at her appearance. Yes she must have looked pretty ridiculous all chained up like this,

"This is so crazy right? I don't know what's happening but I'm so glad you found me! We better get out of here though! Do you have a key for the chains?"

Lorraine was still smiling at her, an eerie, disconcerting smile that left Jean feeling perturbed. Was Lorraine okay? What was wrong? Why was she looking at her like that? Like she was a piece of prime cut steak she was about to dine on?

"Lorraine? Are you okay?"

Her best friend finally spoke,

"From now on, you will only refer to me as Goddess."

Lorraine was finished connecting the new links to Jean's chain,

"Now, bitch, why don't you try walking around?"

"Thank you, sweet Goddess. I...I will try."

Jean wasn't sure she'd even be able to stand, it had been so long since she had. Gently pressing herself up against the wall, she straightened her back higher and higher. It clicked and cracked, making her wince with pain, but she couldn't disappoint Lorraine. She hoisted herself with one last push and almost groaned with agony. Despite that, it was worth it. She was standing! She was actually standing straight again! She wasn't in the perpetual stupor she'd been in for years. This new mobility was so freeing, so intoxicating, Lorraine really was a Goddess!

"Oh thank you my Goddess! Thank you so much for my birthday present!"

Lorraine returned her pet's adoration with a strange affectionate glance. It was nice seeing her bitch so happy, especially on this day,

"Now remember bitch. Just because you can stand up straight now doesn't mean you can ever look me in the eye."

"Of course my Goddess, of course," Jean hastily lowered her eyes,

"And just because you can stand doesn't mean you're human. You will always be less than human."

"Yes my Goddess. I am worthless trash. You have saved me from my miserable existence."

Lorraine reached up and stroked Jean's cheek,

"You have been very good lately. It cannot be said that I am not a kind and rewarding Goddess."

"Yes my Goddess. You are so beautiful and loving."

"If you continue your good behaviour, I might have some more surprises for you in the future."

"Thank you Goddess! Thank you!"

"Now kneel. I have given you this one moment to stand by me, but if you ever stand at full height in my presence again, you will be punished. Understand?"

Jean fell to the floor immediately,

"Yes dear Goddess!" she started kissing Lorraine's trainers again, "I love you, my wonderful Goddess!"

The satin dress had been discovered a week after the search for Jean began. It was washed up on the shore several miles from where Lorraine had dumped it, apparently pulled back and forth by the tides. Once it was confirmed as Jean's the search for her was called off. Whether it was suicide or a drunken accident, it was clear to everyone that the unfortunate Jean Havers had fallen into the water and drowned. Her body could have easily been swept up in the currents, so it was likely that they'd never find her. Hell it was incredible that they'd even discovered the dress!

Simon was distraught, and so was Lorraine. She had lost her best friend in the whole wide world. There they were, two people bound together by grief. Both of them spoke at Jean's memorial service, with Lorraine talking about all the wonderful shared memories she had with Jean. She had been like a little sister, she'd said. She would never fill the hole that this loss had punctured inside of her.

She cried to Simon, saying how, if only she'd been at the party, if only she hadn't been ill, she might have stopped Jean! Simon hugged her, consoling her in tears, telling her it wasn't her fault. How could she have known? How could any of them have known that that day would end in tragedy?

Lorraine howled with laughter when she showed Jean the newspaper headline pronouncing her dead. The now battered and bruised Jean could only stare and listen in horror as her "best friend" read out the articles, saying how she'd committed suicide or fallen drunkenly into the sea. Lorraine's favourite had been an entire column written about how we should all think about others more, how we should consider ways of showing our appreciation for one another, because we never know what they might be feeling inside,

"You're dead now Bitch. From now on, you belong to me."

When Lorraine left the room, Jean immediately gulped down the bowl of pasta she'd been left. She couldn't believe how kind Lorraine had been. Now with a bit more strength from the leftovers, she was able to force herself up to her full height again. It was painful but worth it, she couldn't believe how just a few extra links of metal could grant her so much more freedom! Lorraine was so good to her! Jean walked around, play-acting like she was walking down the street,

"How do you do, sir," she nodded as she strolled, "oh excuse me, miss..." It was like she was human again!

Hang on a second. She paused. You are human. Just because Lorraine put you in this room doesn't mean you're no longer human! That was true...but Lorraine...

You told yourself at the start of this that you would always call her Lorraine in your mind because you refuse to let her take that away from you. Don't you remember?

Yes...yes she did remember. It must have been a few weeks in, and Lorraine had just instructed her again on always calling her Goddess, that she had resolved to never think of her as anything other than "Lorraine". The moment she started calling her Goddess in her head, was the moment she was truly lost. Jean breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, she was still "Lorraine", which meant that she was still human.