~*~

  "Come on, kitten, you need to earn your food, come and play." Slade called out from the speakers. Nadia's body had gone stiff and still a long while ago; she did not want to keep playing this game. He was feeding her raw mice like she was a cat, and it disgusted her. She refused to eat, refused to give into this disgraceful illusion he had of fun.

  "I said go to hell!"

  "And I said, if you don't stop being a little bitch, I will turn you into fried pussy cat, now EAT!"

  "A real man would come face me, not toy with me from behind the speaker. This is the real world, not some sick, twisted movie; don’t you know that?" She hoped she could bait him out, like he was trying to do to her. Maybe if he wasn't as smart as he let on, maybe.

  "Little kitten, come now, I don't mean to upset you; I just want you to eat. Is that so wrong? Come on, just once, for me. I want to see you play with your food. Then I'll let you go."

  "Oh, I don't believe that for a second, Slade, not one second!"

  She could hear him grumbling into the microphone attached to the speaker. She knew she was getting to him. It was only a matter of time. She would outlast him, she had to. Help would be there soon. Her family wouldn't let time pass too long before noticing her disappearance, and Gabe for sure would have Kevin on the trail.

  Think, Nadia, think. What would Kevin tell you to do in this situation? 'Don't get in it.' That's what he would tell me. Yeah, yeah. Hindsight, twenty-twenty and all. She walked along the outer walls of this room and felt along the edges, looking for some sort of break in the wall. Maybe there would be an exit or escape door along the path at some point. Most modern day facilities needed them to be up to the code of standards and she was praying that this was a modern day facility. Chances were, if there was a speaker system installed and it worked, there was a possibility that this could be the case.

  "Oh Nadia, I see you trying to escape, but dear, that won't work…"