Them

Detective Lauren Gilbert had been instructed not to reply to any additional messages she found suspicious. She was to forward them to the tech team immediately. So far, nothing has been traceable. Not even her online journal, if you could call it that. It was more like the ramblings of a madwoman who had long since gone insane. She shook her head, both sadly and scarily, at just how out of her mind the woman truly was. Sometimes she used to journal for what most people used it for. For the most part, however, it was just another weapon to lash out against those she perceived as evildoers. Lauren had been lucky in one aspect. Tragedy often tore couples apart, but it only brought her and Heidi closer. She was aware that she wasn't the same Lauren. She was also aware that others could see that as well. She wished she could jump back into her old self and her own confident mindset, but she couldn't. She had heard countless tales of PTSD and how it changed a person, and now, for the first time in her life, she had firsthand experience with it. She didn't like it one bit, and she wondered if she would ever go back to who she was prior to being kidnapped and held hostage. Seriously, how did one come back from such an awful ordeal? She felt so degraded and so angry. Maybe a comeback just wasn't possible. Intimacy was hard. Every time Heidi wrapped her loving arms around her, all she could do was remember the guys who had taunted her. She lived in terror that she would be raped, but if there was any good to her ordeal, it was that it hadn't happened. But that didn't mean she hadn't been sexually harassed, and not just verbally. They gawked at her as she showered and even ran their slimy fingers down her bare skin and that was bad enough. She had wanted to claw at the areas they had touched, but that wasn't very possible when you were chained down. Also, many times during the night, she would see Janelle's evil, bloated, ugly face hovering over her, screaming insults at her, and she would bolt wide awake, sweating and breathing heavy. When she awoke the next day after a horrible night of poor sleep, she booted up her laptop. This was something she had come to dread doing. But then there was that part of her that hoped there was something from Janelle that they would finally be able to trace and use against her. She just wasn't sure how in a country that refused to cooperate with the US. She was pretty sure it had to do with the fact that the US had the death penalty, and if anyone was eligible for that, it was Janelle Stone. People often asked her if she liked the idea of her being executed or having to sit and suffer in prison for the rest of her life. She definitely liked the latter option. She just wanted her back in the US, somehow, and caught, no matter what the outcome would be. When she finally logged into her email account, sure enough, there was something waiting from Janelle, and once again it would be turned over to the tech team. Lauren told herself not to let any bullshit Janelle spewed in the message get to her, but this time, that would be easier said than done. Much easier. A chill ran down her spine as she read the words before her. Good morning, Detective. While you were busy getting the promotion you didn't deserve, I was forced to rebuild my life from scratch. Sure, the money I was rewarded helped, but because of you and other corrupt law enforcement officials, I was forced to come to a country I didn't even know with people I didn’t know, and that spoke a language I also didn't know. Initially, I did go to Florida since I didn't get back with my husband. You know, the place you didn’t think I’d get to so soon, telling me that life wasn’t always about beaches and pizza? But oh, what beautiful beaches Florida does indeed have! Great pizza, too. So while the shit I've gone through wasn't entirely on account of you, do you really think you deserve to be a detective? Do you really think someone who lies through their teeth and deliberately makes someone feel uncomfortable and butts into their medical care deserves to be detective? Detectives are supposed to be about helping people, right? Well, you did anything but help me, Lauren. You made me feel like complete and utter shit, and that's why you got what you got from me in the end. Hopefully, it will serve as a reminder that you can't just go around doing whatever the fuck you want to people without expecting consequences of any kind. When you play God with people, they just might play God with you right back. Anyway, I like the new house color. The soft mint green is much more appealing than the dull gray it used to be. Do you think the couple inside those mint green walls is going to live happily ever after? Will their beloved son be successful in life, or will he turn out to be the control freak who thinks he owns people and the world in it, as per the example you’ve set? Oh, and I really like your wife's yoga classes that she attends. Seems like it’d be a lot of fun. I loved the colorful, floral athletic wear she wore just the other day. With shaky hands, Lauren immediately contacted the guys in the digital forensics unit.