Cryptic Sister

Sensitive subject matter. Indications of abduction and human trafficking.

Before she could force her eyes to focus, Hallie sensed she was in a hospital, or at the very least, some type of medical facility. There was a strong scent of disinfectant and oddly enough faint notes of jasmine and vanilla. Perfume maybe, but who’s? Darkness was right in front of her, yet a bright light lived and breathed just a few feet away, providing Hallie with a strange sense of hope. Her arms and legs were weak, and a distinct pinching sensation in her left arm tethered her to reality in spite of the obvious cocktail of drugs coursing through the same vein that needle was pinching. She looked down, it had to come out, she had to get up; she was in danger. She may have made it out of the compound, but this was far from over. Hallie opened her eyes, peeled the surgical tape from the crook of her arm and pulled the needle free as swiftly as she could. Blood trickled down her elbow; she pressed the corner of her sheet to the tiny puncture, and folded her arm. 

Raising her head caused pain in her neck and shoulders; Hallie winced. She tried pushing herself up to a seated position, but her muscles could not bear her weight. Damn it! There just had to be a way out of this room, time was running out and they were closing in, fast. No one would believe her, no one but Delaney. Hallie wracked her troubled thoughts for a way to contact her sister. She knew the phone in her room was not an option; they would be listening; they were always listening, and watching, which is why she was so confused as to how she got here, wherever here is. The bright light drifted further away as Hallie struggled to stay focused. She leaned her head back on the propped pillows behind her and concentrated on controlling her breaths. Her heart raced and every inch of her body began to ache, as the blood rushed back into her extremities. She heard a voice in the distance, it was unfamiliar, but the woman's words were non-threatening; almost friendly. She entered Hallie’s room. Walked toward her and let out a shriek, like an animal caught in a trap. “You’re awake!” 

The nurse pressed a red button on the side of Hallie’s bed. A muffled tone emanated from somewhere in the room, alerting doctors and nurses of the change in her condition. Within seconds, several hospital personnel entered Hallie’s room and immediately took to task. Some wrote, some checked, while others muttered quizzically. Apparently, Hallie being alert sent the staff into what she could only describe as controlled chaos. One nurse dressed in pale blue scrubs reached over and across Hallie causing the phone in her front pocket to lean from its flimsy confines. The top of the phone brushed Hallie’s hand and as if by divine intervention, slipped easily into her fingers. Hallie pushed the phone under her backside and prayed no one wanted to prod or probe that particular area. She fought the urge to close her eyes in favor of deciphering the visual and verbal information intermingling among the doctors and nurses.” Stay alert, your life depends on it.”

There was an accident, she was found unconscious. Coma; a week, no identification. They called her a hooker; someone was emphatic about contacting a woman named Nancy. Hallie didn’t know anyone by that name, but apparently Nancy was her only visitor. One doctor asked a barrage of questions while another demanded everyone leave her to rest. Hallie silently agreed with the latter; “Yes, everyone out. I have to formulate my escape plan now, thank you very much.”  

Her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated. “Well, what the hell? I just woke up from a coma.”  She stared curiously, remaining silent, still assessing her current situation. She was brought in by a passerby; maybe Nancy, yes, she vaguely remembered a woman helping her into a car. She heard the words, “head injury”; no real surprise there; Hallie was hard pressed to keep focused through the dull, yet consistent pain. No one seemed too concerned with her overall well-being, just the fact that she woke at all. Surely, she was identified by now, someone must have called the police and taken her prints. A week was entirely too long to lay in a hospital bed, as an unconscious “Jane Doe.” As Hallie worked to piece her fragmented memories into a truth, her mind would not let go of one single thought, “Call Delaney.”

“Can you swallow these, honey?” a doctor asked, handing her a tiny paper cup with three pills inside. 

Hallie shook her head, took the pills and a small sip of water. No one checked, no one had a reason to doubt her. They left, she spit, just in case one of those pills was indeed another sedative. Bitter lingered on her tongue where the uncoated tablets began to dissolve. Hallie gagged. She was afraid to even drink the water that had been left for her. She reached for the sequestered phone, praying it hadn’t been locked. She touched the home screen. The phone lit up and came alive in her hand. Hallie punched in an eight-digit code followed by the pound sign and waited. She pressed the phone to her ear attempting to muffle any resonating sound. “Verification.”

Hallie entered another code, four digits this time, assigned exclusively to her. Immediately a voice responded. “Hal, it’s Ainsly; stand by for Delaney. We have a secure connection. We cannot be traced or recorded, however, you can be overheard and deciphered, so be aware of your words.” 

She said nothing, waiting to hear her sister’s voice. “Hallie, are you safe?”

“No.” she whispered.

“Can you talk?”

“Yes.”

“Is someone listening?” 

“Certainly.”

“Is there anyone you can trust?”

“No.”

“This isn’t your cell, where did you get this phone, Hallie?”

“Janie Tambo’s fuzzy pencil.”

Delaney smiled, “You stole it. My sister, the genius.” 

Hallie remained silent for a moment. Delaney assured her they had a lock on her location. “Hal, we know where you are. The phone you swiped gave us all the information we needed. You’re just a few minutes away in Mercy Medical. Are you hurt?”

“I don’t know.” 

“Someone on staff must be compromised. We have been frantically searching for you and no one reported an unidentified patient, and certainly no one has you in the system under your real name. Did anyone working in the hospital seem familiar to you?” 

“Cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms.”

“Don’t worry, we will find them. Sweetie, can you leave the room you’re in and get to an empty room to hide?” 

“Yes.”

“I want you to keep talking to me like we’re playing that game we used to play when you were younger. Give me the clues like you just did with Janie Tambo’s pencil and the thunderstorms. If anyone can hear you, they won’t understand, just like our conversations when you knew Mom was eavesdropping. Whoever may be listening, cannot know we’re on our way, so can you do that for me, Hal? Can you help me protect our position and maintain our advantage?” 

“Yes.”

“Ok, now go. Leave that room and find a better place to hide. Do not hang up, just let me know when you’re secure.” 

Hallie opened her door just a crack, looked out, left, right, straight ahead. The elevators were directly in front of her, and the nurse's station to her far right. No one walked the corridor; she would be in an elevator within seconds.

Ready, Set, Go.

The doors opened, Hallie stepped in and hit the button for the first floor. She had no idea what she would find there, but somehow, knowing she was closer to the exit comforted her. The doors slid open, no one was paying attention. Hallie managed her way into a dark room, hoping it was unoccupied. A body lay in the bed nearest the window, completely concealed by a sheet. Hallie quietly gasped. “They’re dead.”

“Ok, honey, you’re safe for the moment, but eventually someone will come for that body. Go into the bathroom and keep the lights out.” 

Hallie complied with her sister’s direction. She crouched into the corner of the tiny shower stall and once again pressed the phone to her ear. “Del?” 

“I’m right here”

“Remember when I was about six and you and your dad took me to the Barnegat Bay?”

“Yep.”

“I was so freaked out by the horseshoe crabs. We were by the lighthouse, right?”

“Yes. You don’t remember what happened to put you in the hospital?”

“Not well.”

“But you were with people who frightened you before that, and you never stopped looking for your way home."

“Yes.”

“Are they in the hospital now, the bad people?”

“Yes. I’m old enough now to know the difference between donkeys and horses.”

“Do they know you’re my sister?” 

“It’s not like I read Dr. Seuss books anymore.”

Delaney had to admit, that clue was not as obvious as Hallie had hoped. Her tech. Specialist, Agent Ainsly Ellis chimed in, “Hallie, they assume but cannot confirm you’re related to Delaney, they’re still looking for the right sister, like “Are You My Mother?” 

“I’m starving. I want the biggest lobster in the tank, help me choose the best one?” 

Agent Delaney Keenan caught on. “Clever, kid. If they knew for sure, you’d already be dead. You’re worried about the others, how many Hallie? How many girls do they suspect may be my sister? How many big lobsters are in the tank?” 

“We can take our whole family to dinner.”

“Five? There are five? Including you?”

“Yes”

“Hallie, we are ten minutes out. What else can you tell me?”

“I want to go bike riding.”

“There was an accident?”

“Yes. Can I borrow your blue jacket?”

“You were dressed in someone else’s clothes that made you look older.” 

“Oh, and wouldn’t it go well with my AC/DC t-shirt?”

“Highway to Hell, you were on route 70, got it, you’re doing great. If someone can hear you, this won’t make any sense to them.” Six minutes, Hallie, and we will be in the building. How’s your physical state now?” 

“That nasal spray helped me stop sneezing.” 

“Good, honey, good, you’re feeling more like yourself. Was there anyone else with you when you had the accident?” Delaney felt encouraged as Hallie’s confidence and courage grew with each cryptic bit she delivered.

“My Brownie Troop was fun, wasn’t it?” 

“You and Mom were the only ones who showed up for that first meeting. So, you ran on your own?” 

“Yes.”

“Were you driving?”

“Not well.”

“Another car hit you?”

“No. I was listening to your old Bon Jovi CD.”

“Got it, you slid off the road. Were you being chased?”

“Yes.”

“Someone saw you and helped you before you could be captured again”

“Two truths and a lie.” 

“Ah, that is your best guess. Mine too.”

“I will never feed the ducks at the lake again.”

“They weren’t ducks, I remember those nasty geese. You didn’t know the difference. Hallie, this was not your fault. How could you know that you’d be abducted by people who seemed so harmless? They are criminals, manipulators disguised as innocent and friendly ducks. Honey don’t let your head go there. This whole nightmare is my fault, I am so sorry Hallie, they took you to get back at me. We are so close to busting their whole sick and twisted operation.”

“I love The Lion King.”

 Four minutes; I am entering the building now and. I have your location. Do not hang up until I get to you Hal, do you understand? Stay on the line.”

Silence.

“Hallie”

Dial tone.

Footsteps. Sweat stench. Heavy breathing. 

“Come out from there.” The voice was depraved and menacing, like the devil himself. 

Hallie knew the cavalry was minutes away. She gathered her courage and stood. “Get out of my way.” she managed. 

“Like hell. You are coming with me. Your little stunt cost me a shitload of money and the trust of one of my best customers. The way I see it, you’re almost worth killing right here and now, but I’m going to drag you back to the commune and auction off your pretty pathetic ass to the highest bidder, and you’ll say nothing if you want to stay alive.” 

“You are about to regret your entire life.” Hallie spoke with conviction. This, she wanted him to hear. 

“You’re crazy, I heard you talking to yourself, making no damn sense. Some of my clients like their girls crazy, might just put you at a premium after all.” He grabbed her by the arm and jerked her toward him. Hallie could see someone peering through the tiny sliver of a window above the handle in the hospital room door. She breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed him by both shoulders and thrust her knee into his groin, leveling her assailant with one fluid motion. 

“Bitch!”

She stepped over the writhing man and reached for the door handle. He tried for her ankle, but Hallie brought the heel of her right foot down hard on his fingers. He screamed, the door flew open and Agent Delaney Keenan, followed by her tactical team, infiltrated.

“Get my sister out of here.” she ordered. 

Agent O’Brian led Hallie from the room into the corridor. “I’ll get you out of here as soon as that asshole is secure. I’m not taking any chances. You were awesome, kid. Ever think of joining the agency?”

Delaney shot him a look as she passed by with her culprit in cuffs, “I heard that loud and clear, and if you want to keep your job Agent O’Brian, never let me hear you say that again.”