The Speech

Heidi’s leg bounced up and down briskly. She winced when she bit too much of the nail off. Her gaze landed on the wide blue eyes and pale face reflected in the mirror. She shifted suddenly in the seat and brushed a hand over her face, brushing against the light sheen of sweat. Her fingers caught in her hair.

The door swung open and slammed into the doorstop. Heidi whipped around and stood up to face the sound. Her hands dropped to her side.

“Dang it, Heidi! What in tarnation was that?”

Noah Walker walked in wearing his casual flannel and cowboy hat. Her eyes collided with his green ones. They were piercing, yet warm. Heidi wrapped her arms around herself and broke from his gaze. It burned where she bit her thumbnail too deep. She decided to focus on that instead.

Heidi glanced up again and instantly wished she hadn’t. His expression was soft, and he was standing too close–well, not really. But, as always, his mild proximity was still enough to get Heidi’s heart beating faster.

“Heidi?” Noah’s voice was caring now. When she still didn’t respond, he snapped his fingers in front of her face.

She blinked and fumbled for words.

“I-I’m sorry, Noah… I–”.

“What happened out there?” His voice was louder again, but not intimidatingly so.

Heidi blinked and tried to remember. The stage lights were hot and blinding. The seats were full, and everyone was there to listen to her speak. She shook her head, trying to recall more, but her thoughts were muddled. She hugged herself tighter..

“Heidi?” Noah’s hand brushed beneath Heidi’s chin to encourage her to look at him. She did, but not for long.

“I–I don’t remember.” She knew her voice came out weak and defeated.

“What do you mean?”

Heidi racked her brain for any amount of recollection. She squeezed her eyes shut and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“I can’t remember saying anything, Noah.” She looked at him. Tears brimmed in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “I screwed it all up, didn’t I?”

“No.” Noah sat down on the bench across from Heidi. His eyes scanned her silk dress until he looked at her. She looked at him, too, and she could read worry and confusion in his eyes. Maybe a bit of suspicion, too.

“What did I say?” She whispered.

“You made it sound like we’re going to be making a profit off the needy in the area.”

Heidi winced. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Everything Mitch wants, then…”

Noah gave a subtle nod.

Mitch was in it for publicity. He was planning to run for governor, and his goal was to gain attention by making himself out to be a better person than he was. Heidi knew she wouldn’t be voting for him. Both she and Noah hated Mitch’s moral values and ethics, but the truth was, they needed him. They didn’t know what they were doing. Mitch had three successful businesses started already. He offered to help, and they accepted it.

Heidi had to sit down. She stumbled onto the cushion behind her. She bent over and fisted the hair on top of her head.

“I blew it, Noah. You can’t deny that.”

Heidi took Noah’s silence as confirmation. She felt horrible. Her stomach writhed.

“I think I can fix it,” Noah said abruptly. He blew out a puff of air and stood.

Heidi distantly looked up at Noah. Her mind reeled with confusion. Why couldn’t she remember? She’s never had difficulty with public speaking or articulating her thoughts, so this wasn’t normal at all.

Noah held out a hand to help Heidi up. Her eyes flew up to his. He squinted as if to study her.

“Are you okay?” He asked after a moment of silence.

Blast it all–Heidi hesitated before nodding. She cleared her throat and nodded again. “Yeah-yes. Sorry. All good.”

She got up to follow Noah out of the room. They were backstage. Another person was speaking. Noah grabbed a microphone and waited. A man spoke into a walkie, probably to alert whoever was stalling on stage that Noah was ready.

Heidi stood back, watching as Noah entered the stage. He made a witty remark and then went on trying his best to correct her mess as professionally as he could. Heidi wasn’t really listening, though. Her thoughts were gyrating, making it so she couldn’t focus.

Arms wrapped around Heidi from behind, and a cloth covered her mouth. She gasped in horror. Her throat burned from the chemicals that drew deep into her lugns.

“Heidi, dear. Your time has come. You're usefulness has expired. The drugs now wear off too fast.”

The voice was mangled and remodeled when he whispered against her ear. Plastic rubbed against the side of her head. Heidi tried to scream, but he muffled it, and the chemicals she inhaled sent her into a coughing fit.

The man’s stride was long and nearly silent as he made off carrying Heidi. Her vision blurred.

“Tut-tut,” he clucked his tongue and then said, “Heidi, my girl, you have been especially helpful in my cause. It's a pity your metabolism is high.”

Everything seemed to darken–like a shadow over her vision. There was a shout behind them, but she was fading. Cold air brushed over her, then someone thrust Heidi onto something hard. A door closed above her. Tires squealed. That was the last thing Heidi recalled before she succumbed to the call of unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heidi blinked. It was pitch dark. Her lungs burned with every shallow breath. There was a sort of goo on her arm. It burned from where it was seeping out. The taste of blood perfused her mouth when she bit down to stop from crying out in pain. Floorboards groaned. Heidi's eyes snapped toward the far end of the wall. She could barely make out the silhouette that stood in the doorway.

Heidi opened her mouth to speak, but fear and pain stopped her from making a sound. Her throat was raw. Even the thought of speaking sent pain searing down her throat. She whimpered.

“Ah, you’re awake.” The toothy grin was all Heidi could make out of his features.

Heidi’s heart leapt further into her throat as he stepped closer. Gravel crunched beneath his feet. He stopped, crouched in front of Heidi. His voice sounded normal now. Familiar, too. Heidi couldn’t stop the tears that sprang into her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself as goosebumps engulfed her skin.

A cool hand caressed Heidi’s face. Her features contorted, and nausea seemed to swirl in her stomach.

“What do you want?” She choked through tears.

“Ah, the tears, child. Your fear feeds me, and I will consume it like a vulture.”

The man planted a kiss on Heidi’s forehead. Stubble scratched against her skin. His breath was warm. He kissed her again and pulled her into an embrace. Heidi’s repulsion grew. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat and sat frozen.

“You’re sick,” she whispered..

The man released her then. His fingers pinched the back of Heidi’s neck. He bent her head to face him, and she whimpered.

“Sick?”

Heidi didn’t respond. Her eyes were wide as she stared at him, and she hoped he couldn’t see her fear. She clenched her hands into fists in an attempt to stop the trembling.

“I may be a lot of things, but sick is not one of them, my love,” the man spat.

A beeping came from the back of the room, and he whirled around before turning back to Heidi. He looked into her eyes; she could see nothing but the glint in his. It was searching. Longing. Hopeless.

“We’ll pick this back up later.” He gave her hand a squeeze and then turned to leave the room.

There was a creaking as he strode away. Upwards. Heidi was in a basement, she realized.

“Mitch,” another man said.

Heidi’s eyes widened in horror, and realization flooded her. Repugnance nauseated her. The door creaked upstairs and closed with a thud. Any amount of light disappeared.

There was scuffling upstairs. A thump and rattle of something, then glass shattered.

There was shouting.

“Help, please,” Heidi whimpered. Her throat burned, and the words came out weak.

Heidi tried to push herself up, but the effort caused her head to spin. Her arm gave way, and she slipped down again. Metal rattled as Heidi’s head collided with it. Sparkles dotted her vision. She tried to blink it away. Her ears rang.

Light stretched across the basement. Heidi’s vision was blurred and darkened even through the light emanating from the top of the stairway.. She felt a hand on her forearm. It pulled her up and against a dense chest. She could feel the strength in the hold. Heidi swung out to ward off Mitch, but he caught her arms. It didn’t stop her from trying to fight more. He wasn’t rough, though. In fact, he was gentle--caring, almost. There was a deep rumble as he spoke. She couldn’t comprehend his words, but they didn’t sound heinous. For a moment, their eyes locked.

She stopped thrashing. It wasn’t Mitch. It was Noah. She blinked. Her head throbbed in sync with her arm. The pain didn’t stop her from leaping into him and holding onto him like a lifeline. Heidi’s legs gave way beneath her, but Noah caught her. He held her close for a moment before pulling back to check for injury. His fingers traced the edge of the gash on her elbow.

“Are you hurt badly?”

Heidi’s breathing came in jagged gasps. Tears spilled from her eyes. She shook her head. Noah’s touch was soft. She leaned into him, and he held her close.

“I’m here,” he whispered.

Sirens sounded in the distance. They were coming nearer. Heidi’s eyes widened.

“Where’s Mitch?”

“Unconscious.”

Heidi nodded once. Noah helped her up the stairs. Despite wanting to believe she was fully capable of scaling the staircase herself, she let him help her.

Heidi turned to face him and gasped. “What about the pantry?”

“You were just abducted, Heidi, and that’s your concern?”

Heidi glanced at him and shrugged. They held each other's gaze for a long moment before climbing the rest of the stairs. Mitch was lying on the ground near the doorway. The police pulled into the driveway. An ambulance was there, too.

Noah broke the silence. “The pantry is good, Heidi. It's a go.”

It was as if a shackle fell from Heidi. Relief flooded her, and she exhaled in a rush.

“Thank you, Noah.”

Noah nodded in response and gave her a light squeeze with the arm that was wrapped across her shoulders. The police came inside. Heidi leaned into Noah, and he held her close while guiding her to the ambulance.