This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/02321 on 2024-10-08 18:32:56+00:00.

Lately, I’ve barely been able to keep my head above water financially. For the past two years, I’ve moved around chasing job listings and low rent. I’ve sank low enough to accept a door-to-door sale job. It had something to do with a water filter. I doubted the services were legit, but I got paid per sale. After three days of getting the door slammed in my face, I got desperate to head into a neighborhood with longer lawns and cracks in the sidewalk. I just needed one more sale and I swore I would quit this awful job.

The sun had started to set by the time I arrived at the last house on the block. I considered not bothering with it. One of the front windows was broken with nothing but cardboard keeping the insects out. I regret ever going up the wooden front steps to knock on the door.

A few seconds passed of silence after my short knocks. I had turned to leave when the door opened a crack. Inside was too dark to see the man’s face fully. I was so surprised someone actually answered I fumbled with the papers in my hands.

“What are you selling?” The man asked in a deep voice.

“I’m with the Clear Waters Filtration Systems. If I could have a moment of your time, I would like to display how dirty your tap water is.” I said, my voice as tired as I felt from being on my feet all day.

The man didn’t move for a few seconds. He kept looking over me, trying to see if I was a threat. Finally, he opened the door the rest of the way to let me inside. I paused debating on how much I needed this sale. The fact I hadn’t had a meal in two days was the factor that made me follow the owner of the house.

Inside was dark and smelled musty. I expected it to be dirty, but there wasn’t much inside. The old floorboards creaked as he led me to the kitchen. The room was almost bare. A table with two chairs took up most of the space. There was a full knife block, a microwave, and a fridge. No dishwasher. No plates, or mugs. Not even any trash.

“May I have a cup of water to test?” I asked.

My stomach turned. My body knew something was wrong before my brain caught up. The man was taller than me and well-built. He looked well-fed compared to my thinner frame. I wasn’t always like this. Years ago, I was in shape but not having reliable meals hit me hard. By the time I clued into my situation; it was far too late. I had already walked into a trap.

Instead of getting a glass of water, the man took a step closer to me. I raised my clipboard as if they would protect me. He took me out with a single punch to the face. My body hit the ground hard, my nose bleeding. Panic started to set in. I shook my head trying to clear my racing thoughts. I cursed the idea that I could have taken this guy in a fight a year ago and just how much I let myself go.

His hands fell on me causing me to struggle. I yelled as I kicked his legs. With some effort he got me pinned down to the floor. He painfully pulled my arms behind my back. My wrists were held together with one hand as he used the other to slam my head on the ground hard enough to make my vision go black. In the few seconds I was out, he put a zip tie painfully around my wrists.

I felt him lifting my body to my feet. I needed to do something. I jerked back out of his grasp to land hard against the counter. The knife block fell causing a few of the blades to slide out. I grabbed a handle of one with my bound hands. I had a weapon, but no way to use it.

A knock at the door made us both freeze. I almost screamed for help. A barrel of a gin pointing directly at my face made my mouth close. I let him force me into a chair, my hands still gripping the knife he hadn’t noticed.

The man didn’t need to say anything. His eyes told me everything I needed to know. I watched as he walked out of the room towards the door to a new victim. I heard muffled words as I frantically got to work cutting at the zip tie. I sliced open my fingers trying to use the knife. I felt the zip tie snap just as my attacker came back inside the room with someone new.

I froze again. If I made a run for it, I would get shot. I needed to wait for the right moment to get the jump on this man praying the element of surprise would beat his trigger finger.

The new person had wavy black hair and a bright dimpled smile on his face. His pressed white shirt and sharp dress pants looked out of place in a house like this. He held some booklets in his hand. My face dropped when I read the words ‘The Watch Tower’ on the front. This poor guy was just trying to spread the good word only to get caught up with all of this. His smile faltered when he saw my face. His eyes followed the blood from my nose to my now-stained shirt.

“Is this a bad time? I can come back later…” The newcomer spoke in a softer tone that matched his appearance.

His face held a nervous smile. The man who led him inside again said nothing. When the newcomer moved to step away, he was caught in a flash. I winched at the sound of him hitting the table hard. The booklets spilled to the floor as the larger man pinned him down.

“Please! I haven’t seen anything! I won’t!-” He started begging but got cut off.

Just like myself, he had his wrists zip-tied together. When that was done, he was forced into the chair on the other end of the table, scared as hell. His entire body shook. I didn’t blame him. My heart raced as I carefully waited for the right time to act.

“I can’t believe how lucky I am. Two products just knocked on my door. Here I thought I was only shipping one today. Now, behave. You’re worth more alive.” Our kidnapper spoke as he ran a hand over his bald head.

I saw the gun in the back of his waistband. I judged the distance between us. Would I have enough time to reach him before he pulled his gun? Or should I wait until he got closer? I didn’t have the chance to think through my plan. The stress of the situation was too much for the other man. He bolted upwards trying to escape. There was a quick struggle that ended in a single gunshot.

I stared in horror as a body hit the floor. A pristine white shirt slowly started turning red with blood. I started to feel sick. My stomach turned over the simple fact that if I had acted sooner, this wouldn’t have happened. I had a knife in my hand. And yet a man was now bleeding out on the floor in front of me.

“Like I said, you’re worth more alive.” The deep voice snapped me from my shock.

Stepping over the body, the attacker took the two steps to my chair. The still-hot muzzle of the gun was pressed to my cheek. I got dizzy from fear. My hands shook so badly that I nearly dropped the still-hidden knife.

“I’ll make you a deal. Call two people over here and I’ll let you go free.” He offered as he brought his face closer to mine.

I smelled his terrible breath. I started to pull my head away, but he grabbed a fistful of short hair to keep me still.

“I don’t…” I stammered.

I was going, to tell the truth, that I truly didn’t have anyone in my life I could call. Even if I did, he would just shoot them? For what purpose? Who would pay for dead bodies? Wasn’t this all too risky? In the back of my mind, I knew the answer. One so gruesome I didn’t dare consider it until the black-haired man on the floor moved. Our eyes met mine. Then his mouth formed a smile that made my body turn cold.

“Oh, come one. No one? A handsome guy like yourself must have a girlfriend. What about a relative or two you don’t like?” The man said in a mocking tone.

I wasn’t fully listening to him. As he spoke, the person I was positive had been shot dead started to silently move. The kidnapper’s face was so focused on mine, that he didn’t notice what was happening right behind him.

“Turn around.” I hissed.

“I’m not falling for that.” He replied, his face dropping in anger.

I felt his hands start looking through my pockets for my phone. I shook my head pleading for this man to just look over his shoulder. I no longer needed the knife for him. It would be best to save it for what came next.

“Turn the hell around!” I snapped again.

“There’s nothing-” He yelled as he finally listened to my warning.

He moved to be face-to-face with the man he just shot. I watched in disbelief as the thing I assumed to be a person got on all fours to climb up the table not making a sound. It easily scaled the wall to stand on the ceiling as if that was normal. A wide dimpled smile appeared on his face when the bald man finally saw what he invited into his house. To his credit, the man raised the gun faster than expected. His wrist was caught and snapped in one fluid motion. His cry of pain was cut short. He was swiftly tossed across the room denting the cheap drywall on the other side.

I caught the eyes of the monster before me. He gave a wink before jumping down from the ceiling.

“Sit tight.” He said in a gentle voice I didn’t trust.

I needed to run. If this monster was focused on the other man, I had a chance to get away. I looked down at the blood-stained floor also covered in religious pamphlets. WWJD had been written on the top of one of them. My face twitched into an annoyed smile for a second. I hated what I got myself into.

I watched as the bald man got hauled back to his feet. His wrist was bruised and swollen. His head bleeding from going through the drywall. His body was forced into a chair by the strength of the false Jehovah’s Witnesses. The chair was spun around so they were face to face. I gripped the knife ti…

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