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We drove for several minutes, or perhaps it was hours, I wasn’t sure. I think I blacked out for a little while.
Then the van stopped, and my heart sped up. This was it. The next steps were crucial. If my friends and family were to ever see me again, I had to fight for my life right now.
I rubbed my wrists together, which was pointless because I knew they would have to cut the cable ties off of me. Shaking my head, I tried to loosen the blindfold. If I could see where I was, maybe I could escape later.
I violently tossed my head from side to side, then back and forth, but it was no use.
I sighed and wracked my brain with what I could do next. The only thing I thought of was to listen to my surroundings. Listen for other voices perhaps, some clue to tell me where they had taken me.
“Come on,” said the man next to me, as he grabbed my arm and pulled. I shuffled across the van floor. When someone else opened the van door, a strong breeze pushed my hair back from my face. The cold wind struck against my hot face. A burst of adrenaline hit me and I broke free from the man’s grasp and started running blindly.
“Shit! Stop her!”
Footsteps raced behind me, and while I couldn’t see where I was going, I knew anywhere was better than staying with them.
A few seconds later, what felt like a large boulder blocked my escape as I ran into a hard chest lined with a soft fabric. A warm wool coat engulfed me and pulled my head down inside. Hidden from view, the man held me tightly to his side and stepped forward. I tried not to walk, but he dragged me along, anyway.
“Hurry up before people notice,” that deep voice whispered harshly behind us.
“Jake,” I shouted, hoping he had followed the van and was here somewhere. But the man smothered my face into his side. The scent of his expensive cologne clogged my nose, and I screamed into the smooth fabric.
“Shh,” the voice above me commanded.
I screamed louder.
“Get her out of sight!”
My captor lifted me off the ground and jogged down what sounded like a wooden walkway. His footfalls echoed against the planks.
He carried me down three, or perhaps four steps, turned, and climbed down a narrow staircase. I knew it had to be narrow as my boots scraped across the wall while my head was protected against his chest.
Perhaps this was just going to be a ransom. Maybe he wouldn’t hurt me after all.
The tiny hope buoyed me above my drowning fear. He threw me onto a soft mattress and I bounced once before falling back onto the silk pillows beneath me.
A door slammed, and then I heard nothing but his panting breaths.
“Are you all right?”
The voice was muffled, as though his face was still covered.
I said nothing. I wanted to shout, ‘Of course, I’m not alright. You kidnapped me.’ But I wasn’t sure who I was dealing with and I hesitated to worsen the situation.
He swore softly. “That was a stupid question. Are you hurt?”
I remained silent. It was the best thing I could think of. When the police arrested someone, they told them to remain silent. For some reason, that popped into my head and I thought it was a good idea here, too. Besides, he was the one who should be talking, not me.
“Damn it,” he muttered.
Then a brisk breeze hit my thin blouse as he swiftly turned away, opened the door, and left.
The room was eerily quiet. No traffic outside, no horns honking, and no children screaming. They couldn’t have taken me into the city.
Was I still in Wellington, then?
No, they had driven further than the town limits.
Hadn’t they?
