Suits and Bondage

Part 1

It’s a chilly afternoon in San Francisco, trying to finish up work at the office before the 3-day holiday weekend begins. I power off the laptop, clock out of work and head to the elevator.

“Bzzz Bzzz” “Someone from Recon” shows up as the contact trying to call me.

“What the? Why would I even save a contact as Recon,” I mumble to myself. I ignore the call and the elevator door opens. As I proceed to enter the elevator my phone vibrates again.

“Ugh, the same number!” I answer the call.

“Hello, this is Denny, can I help you?”

“Hello, it’s Tyler! Long time, no see. I was just wondering if you would like to meet and catch up by the old abandoned mall for some bowling?”

@tyler-lawson and I have a long history of playing together. Several months ago, he abducted me from a train underground parking lot that was completely unknown to me as to when it would happen. Then, we played a scene at a gym membership where he pushed me into his car, wearing nothing but my workout clothes.

“Um, sure, but isn’t that bowling alley closed, like the abandoned building?”

I hear a pause for a few seconds as I hear his BMW power up and accelerates from 20 to 80 down the freeway.

“You ask way too many questions like you don’t trust me. See you at 8:00 p.m. Don’t be late. Remember, I follow you always on your iPhone.”

The call disconnects. “Beep, beep beep”

This guy thinks he is an angel, but there is absolutely no halo above his head. In fact, I can already picture a tail and horns. I start getting anxious about his plans, but maybe he wants to actually bowl and hang out? Maybe I do ask too many questions.

I am not far at all from the old mall and bowling alley, so I take a walk instead of catching an Uber, thinking I will have calmed down before I reach the mall. The further I walk, the more nervous I get. As I finally reach the parking lot, as I suspected, there are only a few lights on inside the mall.

“Buzz, buzz”

My sweaty palm hands reach for my phone inside of my pocket. My eyes unlock the phone and it’s Tyler.

“Welcome. There is a door unlocked in the back of the bowling alley. Come through the small corridor and I have a game already set up for us.”

I walk around the back and I see no vehicles and only a few lights on inside. I find the door behind the blowing alley and turn the door knob. It’s a very heavy door and closes right behind me with a slam.

“SLAM! Click.”

My hand reaches the door knob behind me and it will not open and no way to unlock the door.

I follow the dark hallway and I walk behind the bowling alley and see the pins all laid down on the alley tracks and the machinery. I’ve never seen behind the scenes of how this actually works. I find the door that takes me into the bowling alley and there are very few lights on except for one lane where the lights completely eliminates the bowling lane with “Denver vs Tyler” on the computer screen.

“Tap tap tap, Oh hi Denny, there you are! Welcome to MY game,” he says through the intercom. I can literally hear his giggle when he welcomes me and trying not to laugh hysterically.

“Alright, where are you at and what are you going to do to me?”

It was freaking creepy inside. There was silence for about 2 minutes, suddenly a ball rolled out of the machine. It was a blue, heavy ball. It looked like it weighted a ton.

“This is how the game is going to work. I am going to give you two chances. If you can get a strike or a spare, then you are free to go. If you don’t… well… good luck.”

I am trembling from excitement but also all other types of emotions. Yep, he has no halo…. Just horns and a pointy tail. Innocent my ass.

I pick up the ball, and OF COURSE, it’s heavy. I am 140 pounds and this thing feels like it weighs half of my weight. But, I have bowled several times, he just doesn’t know that I have a decent bowling average.

I wipe the sweat off from my hands and I regain composure. I bend my knees a little bit and wind up my right arm and quickly walk up to the lane and release the ball. It’s absolutely beautiful… it rolls straight down the middle of the alley at the right speed and approaches the pins.

“CLASH!” 1..2.3…4..5..6..7..8….UGH NINE PINS. One pin is standing, which makes no sense. The ball went directly down the middle of the lane so that pin should have tumbled to the floor.

<Evil Laughs> “Looks like you left one pin. This is your final chance.”

I compose myself as I wait for the ball to return. I pick up the ball and take several deep breaths and try to meditate. My knees and legs are very wobbly but I am determined that I am going to prove to him that I can do this.

I regain my composure, take several steps back and wind up my hand with the ball. I use the same forward speed as before and the ball once again rolls right down the middle of the lane. It reaches the pin…

“SLAM!”

The bowling ball hits the pin but the ball goes sideways and hits the gutter and the pin remains standing.

“NO, THIS IS COMPLETELY RIGGED,” I scream loudly as my voice echos through the entire abandoned bowling alley.

“Click. Click. Click.”

All the doors suddenly lock and lights turn out. I can hear the echo of each locking sound as they are activated.

“Welcome to my game. You are going to be here for a while. There are 50 closed stores inside this abandoned mall. If you can find a way out, you are free to go, but if I catch you, no one is going to see you for a very long time. I have lots of chain and locks to start my own Home Depot.”