The first thing Jim felt when he woke up was the rough rope against his wrists. Rope? When did he do anything that involved rope? He thought back to last night. He and Pam had watched a movie, (27 Dresses, it was Pam’s choice this week) and then they had fallen asleep on the couch. The last thing he remembered was his face buried in Pam’s red hair, and his arm curling over her stomach as the credits had played. But nothing involved rope.

Curious now, he opened his eyes. With unusual calm, he scanned over his surroundings. He was in what looked like a broken down, bare apartment, with walls torn and glass all over the floor. He noticed that besides his wrists, his ankles were also bound, and his arms, waist and legs were all tied to the too small chair he sat on.

As he scoured his memory for thoughts of the past night that could have lead to him being tied up in a messy apartment, he suddenly remembered Pam. What if something had happened to her? He had just assumed that it was just him in this apartment, but what if Pam was in another one of these rooms, also tied up? It was then that the full momentum of what was happening began to occur to him, and he felt his heart begin to race.

He was trying to take deep breathes to calm himself, when he heard a familiar voice. “Look who’s up.”

Jim turned to see Toby walk towards him. What was Toby doing here? Did he know where Pam was? Did he get called here to help Jim because he was HR or … Nothing was making sense anymore.

“I’ve been waiting forever for you to get up Jim.” Toby’s voice didn’t exactly sound like the one Jim had been used to for all these years. It was slightly more high pitched, and it was full of self-assurance.

“Toby? What’s going on?” But Toby didn’t answer Jim, it was almost like he didn’t hear him.

“You had Karen, you know? She’s such a beautiful woman, smart, bold, kind…well, maybe not too kind.” Toby chuckled to himself. Then his face went serious again. “You seemed happy. But that wasn’t enough, was it? You couldn’t just stand being happy, you had to crush other peoples’ chance for happiness.”

“Toby, I really have no idea what’s going - ” Jim was cut off by Toby’s hand smacking his face. It was harder than Jim could have imagined.

“You’ll talk, when I say you talk.” Toby snarled, and for the first time since he woke up, Jim felt a rush of pure fear.

“Yes, you killed Karen’s chance for happiness. You broke up with her. You broke her heart. And then you killed my chance for happiness. You took Pam.”

“What?” Jim whispered so softly Toby couldn’t hear him. He decided to take a chance again and spoke louder. “Are you – you’re in love with Pam?”

Toby laughed. “I’m not just in love with her, I am her. I know things about her that you’ll never know. I’ve studied every detail of her over the years, longer than from when you’ve ever known her. And you just think you’ll take her away from me? NO! SHE’S MINE! SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN MINE!”

“Toby…” But Jim stopped, because he saw Toby pulling something from his pocket. But it was just a piece of paper. Toby unfolded it, and then put it on Jim’s lap. Jim had to squint to make out the words that a heartbroken Pam was reading miles away from him right at this very moment.

Pam

I don’t know why I tried to do this. I’m not in love with you. I’ve never been in love with you. I was just confused about my feelings, but they’re clear now. I’ve already turned in my resignation to Dundler Mifflin, and I’ve left town by the time you read this.

Don’t try and come after me, you won’t find me, and even if you do, nothing will happen. I just can’t find anything to love about you, no matter how hard I try.

Jim

“I left an identical copy of that right by Pam, so it’s the first thing she’ll wake up to. Nobody will ever believe that you’ve been taken against your will, because Pam knows that you didn’t truly love her. In a way Jim, I was just writing out your feelings. I’ve just sped up the inevitable.”

The rest of Toby’s words grew mute as Jim stared at the letter that Pam was currently holding in her hands at this moment, crunching it up as she laid her head in her arms.

And at exactly the same time, their tears began to fall.

Pam knew nothing except for darkness. It crept in on her, absorbed her. She knew nothing but the darkness, and was wrapped in its muffling presence. Nothing seemed to make sense and life itself had no flavor.

It was even worse than when Jim had left before, because she thought that he had at least loved her and left because of that love. But now she knew the truth and all she wanted for the rest of her life was to remain limp, unmoving, trying to numb herself of feeling, so that she possibly could get through the coming days and years without him.

“Pam?” Couldn’t they just leave her be? It wasn’t Jim, couldn’t be him, because she would recognize that soft, warm voice better than anyone.

“Pamela?” And suddenly saw Dwight poking his head into her bedroom. She felt no shame, still dressed in the outfit as when she had received the letter 5 days ago, her hair almost out of its original ponytail.

“Pam? Michael was worried when you didn’t report in for work, so…You look like a dead cow waiting to be shot.”

“Dwight.” Pam said, her voice bare of emotion. Why couldn’t everyone go away and let her be?

“Pam, Michael wants to know why you are missing your work…” Dwight stepped towards her, and then heard a crunching sound. He looked down and pulled up the note. Jim’s note.

“No.” Pam said, but she didn’t have the energy to get out of bed. What did it matter, anyway? It was bound to get out sometime. Soon enough, everyone would know she wasn’t good enough for Jim.

“Pam, who wrote this?” Dwight’s brow furrowed.

“Jim.” Didn’t he know that Jim wrote it? It was painfully clear.

“Pam.” Dwight’s head snapped up, but Pam was already retreating beneath the covers. “PAM! Jim did not write this.”

“What?” Pam mumbled, but felt her breath catch, a spark of hope.

“Jim’s handwriting is always large which is irritating to read. This is very small which means it is neat to read. Much like a good businessman’s. In fact, I could have written this…”

Pam shot out of bed and read the letter again. It was true. While every letter was identical to Jim’s, the letters did not match Jim’s usual handwriting size at all. But then the excitement faded away, and Pam put the letter back down. The words carried their meaning, no matter what the handwriting said.

“Dwight, just go. The handwriting is identical, just because the letters are smaller...” But Dwight had raced out of her bedroom, and Pam, with a last longing look at her bed, dragged after him.

“Dwight...” He was darting all over her apartment, looking at everything. He stopped when he saw the wine glasses that Pam and Jim had drinking out of a few days ago. Pam just now noticed them out. After she had read Jim’s note, it had been like she was in a haze. She remembered crying in her living room for a long time, soft and gentle. Then, in pain, she had walked to her bed, and had remained there since.

“Look.” Dwight whispered, bending down. He held up one of the glasses to Pam’s eye, where she saw a white crusty powder sticking to the glass.

“I’ve seen this in my days as a Lackawanna Volunteer Sheriff. It’s a simple, non lethal powder that leaves victims unconscious for at least 4 hours, sometimes more.” Pam’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” She asked disbelievingly. “That Jim and I were drugged?”

***************************************************************

“Pam didn’t show up at work again today. Michael asked Dwight to go check on her. I would have gone, but then I probably would have given away our little game, wouldn’t I have Jim? I’m not sure I could stand being that close to Pam alone…Without kissing her, touching her hair, looking into her beautiful eyes... In a few more months that’ll all come true for me. She just needs to get over her disgusting obsession with you.”

Jim closed his eyes, choking back the fear and disgust that threatened to overwhelm him. He just wished he had a sign that Pam was alright. For the past 5 days, he had been locked up in this room. At least he was untied from that chair. For lack of anything to do but listen to Toby, Jim looked around his room once again.

Toby seemed to have planned everything out. The door, walls, even the floor was sturdy, and no matter how hard Jim pounded on them, he couldn’t make a single dent. The windows and air ducts had been cemented shut, so there was no light in the room except for a single, bare bulb hanging from the ceiling. Off to the side, there was one of the smallest and dirtiest bathrooms Jim had ever seen. The only good part about it was that when Jim went inside and shut the door he could barely hear Toby.
Jim was trying his hardest to get out, but his depression and lack of food was beginning to overwhelm him. Toby came in everyday, with a gun held out for protection, and small plate of food, but it was just enough to keep him from passing out from hunger.

Pam was the one keeping him alive right now. As he waited everyday for news from Toby, he thought of what could be happening to her right now, and his reminisced on his favorite memories of her.

But what if something had happened to her because of him, because of his letter. Or at least the Jim that Toby had invented. Cold, cruel, hurtful. Jim wanted to find Pam and reassure her that it wasn’t him who wrote those things to her. To hold her and comfort her. But instead, he was left with the visions of her brilliant red hair, small body, sweet smile. It was the only thing keeping him alive right now. Pam. He needed her.

On the other side of the door, Jim heard Toby gloat on about how no one suspected his leave of absence, how they had all eaten up Toby’s false tales.

Jim closed his eyes and thought only of Pam. Toby’s voice fell silent. Pam. The room disappeared. Pam. Everything fell into the darkness, and so did Jim.

Pam.