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FLASHBACK

Howie stands in front of his window, looking up at the sky. “Where could she be...?” he asks himself. It's been over a month since he's heard from Marie. He missed her. He even called her girlfriends and her mom. The same response: they haven' t seen her, or it's not like her to just be 'missing'. He clasps his hand around the venetian blind cord, looking down at the pane of the window. “God, I hope you're watching over her. Please, let her be safe.” Howie had an idea; he decided to call Nick, since he's the last known person to see Marie. He quickly sits down and takes his cellphone out, speedialing his number.

“Hello?”

“Nick? It's Howie. How are you?”

“Swell. You.”

“Good. Listen, I was wondering if you've heard from Marie
lately? She's been MIA for weeks.”

“Oh, gee. No, I haven't. In fact, she hasn't called me in a long while.”

Howie sighs lightly, looking up at the ceiling. “Alright then. I wonder where she could be?”

“Maybe she's been busy with work?”

“Strange. Marie quit her job last September.” he thought. Was Nick fibbing?

“Oh, yeah. Work always consumes you, but it doesn't explain why she hasn't been home in over a month?”

“Maybe she just needs time to herself, Dorough. Why don't you leave her alone?”

“What? I'm only concerned for her welfare, as YOU should be. You sound so damn calm.”

“I AM concerned, alright? Now, what you need to do, is stop worrying about her, and let ME do that. Alright?”

“I refuse. Her family and friends are worried about her as well. Not just you; you're so Goddamn conceited, you know that?”

Nick scoffs, and continues to play it cool. “Whatever, D, ok? I gotta go.”

And he hung up.

“Damn him...” he says to himself. He looks up at the ceiling again, and holds his hands together.

“Marie...where are you?”

That very same night, Howie lies in bed, completely naked with his arms behind his head. His thoughts shot directly towards Marie, and where she could be in this world.

“Marie...if only I had the chance to tell you how I really felt about you...I love you...God, if only you could hear me...”

Minutes passed, and his eyes grew to be too heavy for him to hold up. The only thing he could do at this point was sleep, hoping and praying that his beloved will come home.

Marie managed to escape his surroundings. How, you ask? He forgot to lock the windows. She snuck out, and slid down a gutter, and landed onto the plush green grass.

Freedom.

She decided to run to Howie for help and comfort, so she darted down the empty street, her heart racing, her breathing completely erratic. His condo was about 8 miles away, but with her speed, she was able to make that long distance. “Thank God....I'm almost there...”

Howie's eyes sprung open. “Marie...” he thought to himself. He knew in an instant that something wasn't tight, he knew in his heart that Marie was in some kind of trouble from the moment he saw her with Nick that day. “Nick has been lying to me from the START...I have to get over there...”

As he grabbed his shoes and coat, he heard banging from the front door. He drops everything, and rushes to the door. “I haven't the time for visitors, and—Marie....?” She stood there with tears welling up in her eyes. Without her knowing, she enveloped him in a tight embrace, crying her eyes out.

“Marie, what happened to you?”

“It's...it's Nick...Howie, he's a maniac!”

He looked her over, and sees that she's been bruised and pale. Her physique even changed; her weight depleted.

“My God...what did he do to you?”

“He...he kept me in his house for months...making me do things I didn't want to do...hitting me when I did something wrong. I tried to call everyone, but he took my phone, and disconnected his house number...I tried sneaking out on numerous occasions, but he would ALWAYS catch me! I didn't know what else to do...So, I got out of there when I had the chance...”

Howie clung onto her, telling her that she's now safe with him.

“I should have known something was up...I'm so sorry, Mar--”

“Just....just hold me...please...”

He runs his fingers through her hair as she cries her eyes out. Her head was snuggled against his chest as she did so.

“Shh.....you no longer have to cry, sweetheart...I'm here. You're safe now...”

Nick was on his way back to his apartment, when his alarm in his phone goes off. “What the hell?” he took the phone out, and looked at the screen. “Escapee Located at 3460 Clearstone RD, APT # 652.” He parks the car in an abandoned alley, and turns the car off. “Well, what do ya know...?” he reaches into the glove compartment, and takes out a pistol. He holds it up, cocks it, and looks at the street sign which reads, “21st and Clearstone.”

“I'm long overdue for a good hunt.”