Maple

Ch14

Maple

It was dark, not just because it was night, but because they had blindfolded me. I couldn't swallow because the rag in mouth tasted horrible. I could tell that there were two of them because of their panting as they ran, dragging me between them.  My hands weren't tied, but that didn't come as much of a relief, since the men were each holding one of my arms so hard that I could already feel the bruises forming beneath their fingers.

I was done. That was all I could think. There was no way out of this one. I couldn't even call for help; I was doing all I could not to choke, and there was no way to get away from the two gang members. The sound of sirens, which had been my lifeline, started fading as we ran further and further.

I wriggled in their grasps, trying to get away, but to no avail. Sweat and tears mixed in the blindfold until it was damp. Fear and adrenalin coursed through my veins, driving me on, but I could feel my body tiring, stumbling. It was getting harder to breath and my jaw began to ache.

"There!" the one to my right yelled through pants. We took a sharp turn to the left. I could hear commotion, engines, most likely of motorbikes, and people.

"Took you long enough," someone said from a few meters away. "We caught the other one." My blood froze and my heart sank. The other one? That could only mean Megan. I fought harder, dragging my feet against the ground and pulling my hands with all my might.

"What is wrong with you? Can't you just move without causing trouble?" shouted the one to the left.

"You're just wasting your energy and making this harder for yourself," said the other. I shook my head, refusing to give up. Suddenly, unexpectedly, they both let go simultaneously, causing me to fly backwards. I hit the floor hard and struggled to get up.

"Get her!" someone yelled.

There was a loud bang as something hard collided with my head. A flash of blinding pain coursed from my right temple. I fell onto the cold ground, numb. Pain, utter pain, radiated from my head.

I groaned and reached up slowly. Something warm and wet oozed from my right temple. Blood. I felt anesthetized, numb. One of them must have hit me, I realized, as I mind drifted in and out of consciousness.

I felt them bind my hands, but I didn't move, didn't fight. It was as if I was there, but not. As if none of this was real, it was all just a dream. The only thing that was real was the pain. They dragged my limp body across the pavement. I groaned as the pain in my head intensified, but they took no notice.

My body was on a motorbike; I could hear the whir of the engine beneath me and feel the man behind me, keeping me on. I could feel the wind on my face, whipping my hair around. But my mind was elsewhere. When the pain was too much to handle, I drifted into a state of not-being, of unconsciousness. Then there'd be a bump on the road, or a sharp turn, and I'd be jolted back to my dream-like state, of pain and blood and fear.

Eventually, thankfully, I succumbed to the never-ending reverie of darkness. Unfeeling, unconscious.        

David

I was irritated and feeling useless in the police car on the way to the hospital. I had asked—begged—Officer Chloe to allow me to help in the search for Maple and Meggs, but she had firmly refused. As soon as she saw my wounds she had put her foot down the way women do and practically shoved me into the police car with Max. She even gave the policeman driving orders to watch over us so we wouldn't do anything 'unreasonable'.

I knew she was right, but that didn't stop me being annoyed. I guess it's the rebellious nature resurfacing from back when I was a Blood Hound. Then again, it never truly disappeared to begin with. So, for the second time since I met Maple, I arrived at the hospital in a police car. It was even the same hospital Maple's brother was being kept in.