Little Girl Lost.
005.
The sound of gravel popping, crunching and crackling beneath car tires slowly pulled me out of the dark hole my conscious had fallen to. My head throbbed, pounding against the walls of my skull and making everything around me spin and sway.
"Where..what..a car?"
I tried to make sense of my surroundings, but the world around me felt so far away; as if I was underwater. It was dark, I couldn't see and my breath was hot, sticking to my face and hair. My throat was dry and dusty, my tongue felt like a cotton ball and everything smelled like dirt and sweat. Something sharp was piercing my back, digging into my skin at a jagged angle.
"Get up...move." Something inside me urged, but I couldn't lift myself. It was then I realized my hands were bound behind my back; shoulders tingling and arms beginning to go numb.
I felt the car beneath me jerk, punctuated by a few more loud pops of small rocks before coming to a halt. The fog I was swimming in began to lift, and was replaced instead with a sudden rush of adrenaline as I became more aware.
"Kidnapped." The syllables echoed in my thoughts, sending a frigid shiver down my spine.
"Go inside, check in with the infirmary. Your face looks...bad." I heard come from outside the vehicle. They punctuated their remark with a throaty chuckle, "I'll take care of the cargo."
The click of a door handle opening sent me into a panic. I had no use of my arms but gymnastics hadn't failed my legs. I kicked and screamed, flailing about desperately. A few, stray blows landed on what felt like upholstery and seat-belts but I felt one finally hit home when my shoe connected with a jawbone.
"I am not in the mood for this," He barked gruffly, grabbing my ankles in a tight grip and pulled me out of the vehicle. My head clunked against the metal edge of the door and I cried out in pain. Gravel dug into my wrists and bare hands, pricking at several spots that were already sore.
"Kick me again and I'll give you a better reason to cry than a simple goose-egg." He hissed in my ear, grabbing a hold of my hair and dragging me off the ground. My body was slammed into the car, the hard surface bruising my side.
"You won't get away with this," I hissed under my breath, into the dark fabric still enshrouding and obstructing my vision.
My attacker didn't reply, instead I heard him shuffle about inside the vehicle before slamming the doors shut. The loud noise made my head spin again and I leaned against the car for support to keep myself from collapsing to the ground beneath me.
"Now, I'm going to be real nice to you and take that hood off. In return, you won't try to bite, spit at me or scream your bloody little head off. Understand?"
I paused but nodded slowly. I may not have the upper hand now but I'd get it eventually.
"Good girl." His voice was nauseating, and his words dripped from his mouth like poison.
A cord or string was untied from my neck and the hood was pulled off my head. I expected sunlight to hit my eyelids, burning them; but instead the skies looming above me were dark and filled with stars. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust my vision. I spun my head, trying to look around to catch a glimpse of a potential escape route.
"Don't even think about it, princess." He laughed, as if he read my mind, "You aren't getting out of this."
"We'll see about that." I snapped back viciously.
His eyes darkened and his jaw jumped. His hand grabbed my hair again and propelled my head to the left, "See that? That's an 18-foot fence. At the top, a nice big bunch of electric, barbed wire waiting for ya'. He paused, licking his lips as if he was enjoying this, "And those nice men over there are holding AR-15s, " he pointed to the high gate that I didn't notice until now, two men standing on either side of the entryway.
"And baby, outside of all that is 200 acres of nothing but forest. Are you ready to take your chances against all of that?" He sneered, ogling down at me.
Another chill ran down my spine, leaving my entire body feeling very cold and very..alone.
"Walk." He spat, pulling me along the rocky clearing away from the car.
"Where are you taking me?"
The entire field was empty, aside from the car we arrived in and the guards standing by the gate. Rocks and gravel were scattered everywhere, there was no grass and the only trees I could see lay beyond the fence surrounding the entire scene; their dark, ominous tops stretching up to the massive, dark sky above us. Everything around me was so dark and menacing, it hammered more fear into me with every moment.
Then something dawned on me. "Night..I was taken in the morning. How long...Rodney."
My heart sank to my toes, what was Rodney doing? Was he looking for me? Was anyone looking for me?
"Come on, I don't have all night." The man grumbled, pulling me towards a small set of stairs that were cleverly disguised to blend in with the scenery around us. At the bottom, three walls rose up, from the dirt, around a solid metal door.
"Where am I?" I swallowed, trying to gulp down the fear quaking in my throat.
He grunted; retrieving a small, white card from his pocket and ran it along a scanner built into the cement wall. A green light flashed, accompanied by a beep and a loud 'click' noise came from behind the barrier.
Before continuing, my captor turned and waggled his finger in my face, "When you're on my watch, you behave. I am not in the mood to put up with any more of your bullshit tonight. Behave and you can get some rest and be out of my hair."
He pulled the door open and dragged me along behind him; the large, metal block sliding shut with a dull echo.
"Where..what..a car?"
I tried to make sense of my surroundings, but the world around me felt so far away; as if I was underwater. It was dark, I couldn't see and my breath was hot, sticking to my face and hair. My throat was dry and dusty, my tongue felt like a cotton ball and everything smelled like dirt and sweat. Something sharp was piercing my back, digging into my skin at a jagged angle.
"Get up...move." Something inside me urged, but I couldn't lift myself. It was then I realized my hands were bound behind my back; shoulders tingling and arms beginning to go numb.
I felt the car beneath me jerk, punctuated by a few more loud pops of small rocks before coming to a halt. The fog I was swimming in began to lift, and was replaced instead with a sudden rush of adrenaline as I became more aware.
"Kidnapped." The syllables echoed in my thoughts, sending a frigid shiver down my spine.
"Go inside, check in with the infirmary. Your face looks...bad." I heard come from outside the vehicle. They punctuated their remark with a throaty chuckle, "I'll take care of the cargo."
The click of a door handle opening sent me into a panic. I had no use of my arms but gymnastics hadn't failed my legs. I kicked and screamed, flailing about desperately. A few, stray blows landed on what felt like upholstery and seat-belts but I felt one finally hit home when my shoe connected with a jawbone.
"I am not in the mood for this," He barked gruffly, grabbing my ankles in a tight grip and pulled me out of the vehicle. My head clunked against the metal edge of the door and I cried out in pain. Gravel dug into my wrists and bare hands, pricking at several spots that were already sore.
"Kick me again and I'll give you a better reason to cry than a simple goose-egg." He hissed in my ear, grabbing a hold of my hair and dragging me off the ground. My body was slammed into the car, the hard surface bruising my side.
"You won't get away with this," I hissed under my breath, into the dark fabric still enshrouding and obstructing my vision.
My attacker didn't reply, instead I heard him shuffle about inside the vehicle before slamming the doors shut. The loud noise made my head spin again and I leaned against the car for support to keep myself from collapsing to the ground beneath me.
"Now, I'm going to be real nice to you and take that hood off. In return, you won't try to bite, spit at me or scream your bloody little head off. Understand?"
I paused but nodded slowly. I may not have the upper hand now but I'd get it eventually.
"Good girl." His voice was nauseating, and his words dripped from his mouth like poison.
A cord or string was untied from my neck and the hood was pulled off my head. I expected sunlight to hit my eyelids, burning them; but instead the skies looming above me were dark and filled with stars. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust my vision. I spun my head, trying to look around to catch a glimpse of a potential escape route.
"Don't even think about it, princess." He laughed, as if he read my mind, "You aren't getting out of this."
"We'll see about that." I snapped back viciously.
His eyes darkened and his jaw jumped. His hand grabbed my hair again and propelled my head to the left, "See that? That's an 18-foot fence. At the top, a nice big bunch of electric, barbed wire waiting for ya'. He paused, licking his lips as if he was enjoying this, "And those nice men over there are holding AR-15s, " he pointed to the high gate that I didn't notice until now, two men standing on either side of the entryway.
"And baby, outside of all that is 200 acres of nothing but forest. Are you ready to take your chances against all of that?" He sneered, ogling down at me.
Another chill ran down my spine, leaving my entire body feeling very cold and very..alone.
"Walk." He spat, pulling me along the rocky clearing away from the car.
"Where are you taking me?"
The entire field was empty, aside from the car we arrived in and the guards standing by the gate. Rocks and gravel were scattered everywhere, there was no grass and the only trees I could see lay beyond the fence surrounding the entire scene; their dark, ominous tops stretching up to the massive, dark sky above us. Everything around me was so dark and menacing, it hammered more fear into me with every moment.
Then something dawned on me. "Night..I was taken in the morning. How long...Rodney."
My heart sank to my toes, what was Rodney doing? Was he looking for me? Was anyone looking for me?
"Come on, I don't have all night." The man grumbled, pulling me towards a small set of stairs that were cleverly disguised to blend in with the scenery around us. At the bottom, three walls rose up, from the dirt, around a solid metal door.
"Where am I?" I swallowed, trying to gulp down the fear quaking in my throat.
He grunted; retrieving a small, white card from his pocket and ran it along a scanner built into the cement wall. A green light flashed, accompanied by a beep and a loud 'click' noise came from behind the barrier.
Before continuing, my captor turned and waggled his finger in my face, "When you're on my watch, you behave. I am not in the mood to put up with any more of your bullshit tonight. Behave and you can get some rest and be out of my hair."
He pulled the door open and dragged me along behind him; the large, metal block sliding shut with a dull echo.