Heart's Ease

Charles woke up and rolled out of bed. His neck ached and he was groggy. He must have slept in. The sun was already high in the sky. It was late. And too quiet.

Chantelle.

She’d gone downstairs for a drink of water. Why hadn’t he followed her? He shook his head. When she didn’t come back after a few minutes, he planned to go downstairs and to talk to her. Maybe she just needed some time.

He tried to stand up but he fell back on the bed. He was dizzy. Moving slowly, he stood up again. Holding on to walls and doorways, he made his way down the hall. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he shook his head. He was still groggy.

“Chère?” he called. No answer. Something is wrong. Fear knotted his insides as he hurried into the kitchen. No Chantelle. The dinner dishes were still on the counter, and boxes of tea were on the floor. He struggled to keep the panic from taking over.

He tried the walkie-talkie but there was no answer from the concierge. Nobody answered the comms for the security team. Where were Dominick and Derrick? He had to check on the others and see if they knew what was going on. Pulling on boots and a coat, he opened the door. Footprints in the mud led away from the chalet. In the parking lot, he saw a set of tire tracks that hadn’t been there yesterday. This was bad. His stomach flip-flopped. He had to get to Dominick and Derrick.

He leaned against the door frame as another wave of dizziness passed through him. He had to do something. Adrenaline kicked in and he raced to the chalet next door, stopping once to put his head between his knees. Reaching their room, he burst in. Both men were still in their beds.

“She’s gone.” He shook them awake. It was hard to say it out loud, but he knew he had to get them moving. They rubbed their eyes and sat up, holding on to their beds as their heads spun.

“She’s gone,” he repeated. His heart was racing as he struggled to keep calm. It wouldn’t help if he panicked.

Dominick focused his eyes on him. “That’s impossible!”

“What happened?” Derrick sat with his head in his hands.

“Get some clothes on. Whatever they did to us is still in our systems.”

“We have to get moving before the trail is dead,” said Dominick.

Charles tried to slow his breathing and wiped at his eyes. Keep it together for her. “A few more minutes won’t matter. I need you both on top of your game. I’ll go make coffee. Meet me in ten minutes.”