thinking that this one didn’t have good odds to make it for the long run. However, from the soft voices in the cab of the van, they sounded pretty romantic for a couple in the midst of committing a kidnapping.
The thought of kidnapping reminded me of what they’d done to Ruby. Those nail-less fingers still haunted my dreams. They’d done that to a relative, so I knew that they would have no issues in doing worse to a stranger, particularly one who was in the way and who had clobbered the guy hard enough to break his arm. If I’d have been free, it would have been a fair fight, but apparently they’d figured out my martial arts training, and there would be no more fair fights to be had.
Finally, the van pulled to a stop. I still couldn’t see through the windshield to know where we were, but I could hear the wind howl. I had taken my coat off at Melissa’s house and a quick scan of the van showed no signs of it. I’d be going out into this wind without layers of clothes to protect me. That was going to be the first issue at hand.
Both of them left the cab of the van. I could hear the crunch of snow and ice under their feet and then the sliding door of the van opened. Melissa and the man were standing there, looking down at me. Up close, he had buzz cut brown hair with just a little on top. He hadn’t put on a hat, which made me hope that we wouldn’t be outside long. He might have been an attractive man, if he wasn’t going to be killing me. He was wearing a ski parka over a jeans jacket. The cast was more visible now, black material peeping out of his left sleeve. He grabbed the front of my shirt with both hands and yanked me out of the van. Melissa shut the door, and I looked around.
We were on the banks of Lake Erie. I hadn’t been here in ages, but I knew the place well. The lake was frozen over completely, which was no surprise in this area in winter. The wind whipped across the lake in gusts that took my breath away. A shirt was no match for the icy air that blew across my skin. I shivered, but he just held on to me tighter and began to walk me to the edge of the lake.
Melissa walked behind him. Her head darted this way and that, looking presumably for any signs of other people out this way. Other than ice cubes, nothing would be out on the lake today. It was too cold. I remembered the old weather announcements where they’d tell you at a particular wind chill how many minutes a person could stay outside without succumbing to hypothermia.
I knew today that my time remaining on this earth would be less than an hour. Another gust of wind blew across me and screeched towards shore. It cut through my jeans like I was bare-legged. We’d made it about twenty yards by my estimate out onto the lake. I could still see the van, but it was smaller and more benign at this distance.
I figured that the plan was to break through the ice, which could be a foot thick and dump me into the icy waters of Lake Erie, where I’d be dead within seconds and not found until May. It could be labelled an accident if the tape that bound me had dissolved by then. I wasn’t sure how long tape lasted underwater.
I shook my head, trying to focus. The beating with the wrench had done a number on me. My thoughts flew through my head like the winds on the lake. I was just trying to formulate a plan to get help when the hands let go of me, and I fell to the ice on the lake. I was in a similar position to how I’d landed in the van. My face was pressed against the ice and my rump was stuck up in the air with my knees tucked under me.
“See you later,” the man said with a harsh laugh. “Though we probably won’t. We just need to pick up that collar at your house and then we’ll be gone. Oh yeah, and you’ll be dead.” Melissa laughed at the statement like it was a line from a comedic movie.
My thoughts went back to that collar. It wasn’t at my house. It was in my car, which was conveniently parked on the next block past
The thought of kidnapping reminded me of what they’d done to Ruby. Those nail-less fingers still haunted my dreams. They’d done that to a relative, so I knew that they would have no issues in doing worse to a stranger, particularly one who was in the way and who had clobbered the guy hard enough to break his arm. If I’d have been free, it would have been a fair fight, but apparently they’d figured out my martial arts training, and there would be no more fair fights to be had.
Finally, the van pulled to a stop. I still couldn’t see through the windshield to know where we were, but I could hear the wind howl. I had taken my coat off at Melissa’s house and a quick scan of the van showed no signs of it. I’d be going out into this wind without layers of clothes to protect me. That was going to be the first issue at hand.
Both of them left the cab of the van. I could hear the crunch of snow and ice under their feet and then the sliding door of the van opened. Melissa and the man were standing there, looking down at me. Up close, he had buzz cut brown hair with just a little on top. He hadn’t put on a hat, which made me hope that we wouldn’t be outside long. He might have been an attractive man, if he wasn’t going to be killing me. He was wearing a ski parka over a jeans jacket. The cast was more visible now, black material peeping out of his left sleeve. He grabbed the front of my shirt with both hands and yanked me out of the van. Melissa shut the door, and I looked around.
We were on the banks of Lake Erie. I hadn’t been here in ages, but I knew the place well. The lake was frozen over completely, which was no surprise in this area in winter. The wind whipped across the lake in gusts that took my breath away. A shirt was no match for the icy air that blew across my skin. I shivered, but he just held on to me tighter and began to walk me to the edge of the lake.
Melissa walked behind him. Her head darted this way and that, looking presumably for any signs of other people out this way. Other than ice cubes, nothing would be out on the lake today. It was too cold. I remembered the old weather announcements where they’d tell you at a particular wind chill how many minutes a person could stay outside without succumbing to hypothermia.
I knew today that my time remaining on this earth would be less than an hour. Another gust of wind blew across me and screeched towards shore. It cut through my jeans like I was bare-legged. We’d made it about twenty yards by my estimate out onto the lake. I could still see the van, but it was smaller and more benign at this distance.
I figured that the plan was to break through the ice, which could be a foot thick and dump me into the icy waters of Lake Erie, where I’d be dead within seconds and not found until May. It could be labelled an accident if the tape that bound me had dissolved by then. I wasn’t sure how long tape lasted underwater.
I shook my head, trying to focus. The beating with the wrench had done a number on me. My thoughts flew through my head like the winds on the lake. I was just trying to formulate a plan to get help when the hands let go of me, and I fell to the ice on the lake. I was in a similar position to how I’d landed in the van. My face was pressed against the ice and my rump was stuck up in the air with my knees tucked under me.
“See you later,” the man said with a harsh laugh. “Though we probably won’t. We just need to pick up that collar at your house and then we’ll be gone. Oh yeah, and you’ll be dead.” Melissa laughed at the statement like it was a line from a comedic movie.
My thoughts went back to that collar. It wasn’t at my house. It was in my car, which was conveniently parked on the next block past
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