Eight Reasons...

Chapter 1

The cool, refreshing morning breeze blows through my long burnt auburn locks as I round the corner of 46th and Elm. It is six o'clock in the morning and the city has already sprung to life as rush to the office to file the papers I neglected to get last night. It is a Saturday and only a few people work, but I am committed to my new promotion and I have to have the papers done by today, since I took off the next three work days. The sun glares off the windows of the company building. As I walk through the door I feel my phone buzz. It is John.

John: Last night was a blast, we should get together sometime. ; )

I roll my eyes and push through the door typing: Maybe, if I could ever find the time...

John: I understand.

Just as I am about to type back I hear two distinct clicks. I stop in the middle of a step, I know that sound, a bullet sliding into the chamber. I hear a few footstep and feel a hard object poke into my back, it must be the barrel. "Put your bag and cell phone on the ground and put your hands up," a man with a New Jersey accents says. I stay frozen in fear. The man pushes the gun harder into me, "Now!" I quickly drop my stuff to the ground. He grabs my arms and handcuffs my hands behind my back. Then he pushes me down the hall. As we get closer I hear the rustle of more people moving around. We round the corner into my office. The standing is another man and a woman.

"Lookie at what I found wandering around the building," the man says with his Jersey accent.

"Why on earth did you bring her back here? Now she know what we look like you idiot," the woman yells. She is tall and lanky with a hint of a New Jersey accent. Her long, thin hair is died blonde with a purple streak.

"Calm down," the other man starts, "I think this is the person we need. Sit her down over there." I look take a good look at him also. He is tall and built with short black hair and scar across the right portion of his forehead. He also sounds like he is native to New York.

I am pushed into a chair. In the movies the never show how uncomfortable it is to sit with your hands cuffed behind your back. The other man comes over to me and gets in my face, "Who are you?" I divert my eyes from him to a desk. As long as I keep quiet they have no reason to use me. "Do you think you are funny or something?" He looks at the guy who brought me in the room, "Give me her bag."

"I'll go and get it," he says. I look over at the man with the New Jersey accent. He isn't that tall or doesn't look really look built. He shares the same facial shape as the woman and has sandy blonde hair.

"You left it out there?" The man yells.

"How was I suppose to hold her, the bag, and my gun?"

The woman rolls her eyes, "Will you are useless." He walks out of the room and yells back, "Whatever!"

The dark haired man looks back to me, "You know it would make it a whole lot easier on everyone if you just gave us what we came here for." I give him a questions look, even though I am pretty sure of what he wants. The codes.

"Here," the man with the Jersey accent tosses him my purse.

He looks through it until he finds my ID badge. Dang it, I am toast. "Exactly what I thought, a computer tech." He comes back into my face, "What are the codes?" I press my lips together and look away. I can't just give them up easily even if I am scared. "Shall we try this again?" He motions and the other guy hands him the gun. He holds it to my head. "What are the codes." I swallow. I look into his eyes, he looks like he would shoot me.

I let out a breath, "I don't remember the codes in my head and if you shoot me you'll never find them."

He grins, takes the gun off my temple, and taps it on my forehead, "Aren't you a smart one."

The women comes up behind him, "Where are the codes?" I swallow. I don't have a choice. I keep quiet.

He laughs and turns his head towards the girl, "You know when she said 'if you shoot me you'll never find them.' I think she thought that I would actually kill her, but the fact is," he turns to me, "I can always shoot her somewhere less lethal to get what I need." He place the gun to my head again and runs it down my body, "Like an arm or an leg."

"What about a knee cap," Will adds.

He smiles and stops the gun on my knee cap, "That's a perfect place. It will hurt like crazy and she'll still be able to tell me what I need." I look at him, he'd do it.

I see it in his eyes. "The codes are in my office."

He lifts the gun and stands up, "See look how far we can get if you just cooperate." He gives Will the gun and pulls me out of the chair, then into the hall. "Which way?"

This is not the company policy,  but nothing like this is ever going to be able to be done by the way we are taught. Not every situation is the same and no one can ever be prepared.

"To the right." He turns and pushes me back up the hall I came down moments ago. He stops at the main room. "Left." I manage to keep it together as I am forced to navigate them through the building. We finally get to my office.

He sees the back door and grabs Will's attention, "Go get the van and pull up to that door. I will let your sister open it so you know where to come." He nods and runs out. "Where are they." I nod to the pile of papers on my desk. They are the reason I am here so early, so I could finish sorting through them. "Grab them."

I exhale and talk very quickly, "May I point out that taking them would lead the police to you."

He grins, "I knew you had some sense somewhere." He turns to the woman and throws me into a chair, "Go open the door for Will."

She does and he comes running in, "Guys the police are on their way, some noticed the door unlocked heard and there was an alarm.

"Crap, Stacey grab the folder and meet us out back," he commands.

"Han we can't access the severs from outside of this place."

He picks me up again, "We can't, but she can." He gestures to me. I just shake my head. Desperately trying to get loose of his hold. He manages to hold on to me and drag me towards the door. He grabs a cloth from Will and puts it over my mouth as he says, "Get ready for a long ride." I feel everything fade away and my body relaxes. I hear a van door shut then it all fades to nothingness.