Stay Silent

Chapter 8 - The Second Attack

"Nate! Nate, are you there!?" Matt yelled at the black screen.

"I think he's gone!" Yelled Steph, grabbing her husband's arm as tight as she could.

"No, no, no! Nate, can you hear me?! Nate, say something!" Matt yelled.

Stephanie took a series of deep breaths, trying to control her panic. When she was finally able to, she cut Matt off. "Matt, he's gone." She said, as calmly as she could.

Matt's breathing turned long and shaky, as he started to realize the truth. Nate had been attacked, and now no one knew where he was. Matt almost felt a tear in his eye, but he shook his head and brushed it off quickly.

"Let's find the last of those codes." He said. Matt closed the blackened Skype screen and turned his attention back to A.N.N.

"What?! If anything, we should leave it alone!" She said.

"Yes, but now we have two friends missing. I have to make sure they're alright." He said.

Stephanie took a deep breath, then nodded. She passed him the notes.

"We're almost there. Just a few more codes." Said Matt.

After a little while, they had gotten two more codes. "That's six." He said.

Stephanie looked into the corner of the screen. "Quick, I see the arrow!" She whispered anxiously.

Matt turned off the lights and computer screen. This time around, the window opened. They could hear the kidnapper's footsteps inside the house. They held their breaths as the kidnapper walked around, looking for them.

"Videns libellos ... codicibus habent super eos. Si ego eam ?" He said over the phone. Stephanie's eyes went wide. She didn't know exactly what she had heard, but she recognized "I see some notes.... They have... codes... I take it?"

Stephanie made her way back to the desk and tried to swipe it from under him in the dark. But he had done with before. He grabbed Stephanie's wrist, and twisted her arm behind her back, holding the other arm in place at her side.

This guy was strong. Stephanie struggled, but she couldn't get free. "Let go of me!" She yelled. "Matt, help-" She tried to call out, but the kidnapper placed a gloved hand on her mouth, silencing her yelling.

Matt ran forward, and with all of his might, he threw a punch, but he missed. Instead, the kidnapper, using Stephanie as a sort of human shield, rammed into Matt, causing him to fall to the ground. Once he was down, the kidnapper kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

Stephan bit her attacker's hand, allowing her to cry out, "Matt! Wake up!" But it was pointless. Matt couldn't hear her. Step struggled wildly, kicking and thrashing, anything that would get her free, but she couldn't escape.

The kidnapper dragged his victim, kicking and screaming, out the door. Steph tried to scream, to wake up the neighbors, but her kidnapper was too fast. She had been shoved into the back of a car before anyone came out. By the time a neighbor finally looked out, the car was gone.

And so was Stephanie.