Kidnapped

Chapter 22

Finally finished!! I changed the ending part of Chapter 21, so if you haven't read that you should :)

Chapter 22:

"Open the door!" A voice said, muffled through the barrier that separated us. "It's the police!"

I didn't move. I was overtaken by anger and fear. I stayed right where I was next to the bed, my head down while the tears fell and my hand gripped Dave's. I repeated his name over and over, holding on to every last bit of hope that I had inside of me. Wishing with every bit of strength I had left that he would wake up this very moment. That everything would be alright. That this pain and suffering would go away.

It was useless.

The banging grew louder. Then there was a shuffle. A screech. Another bang. Then the sound of a chair hitting the floor followed by the creeping open of the door.

I saw his gun first.

"Step away from the bed." The police officer ordered as he entered the room swiftly.

I tried to move, but I couldn't. I counted to ten over and over in my head, trying to find the strength to move. It was in that very moment, that piece of time, that everything that had happened replayed in my mind. The alley. The emptiness left behind after Jake's death. Being kidnapped. The van. Jail. The fire. Dave. It was overwhelming.

Unbelievable.

"Ma'am, step away from the bed with your hands up." The officer repeated.

I finally was able to do what he said, but I didn't look at him. I didn't look at anything. I just stared, my eyes looking at everything yet seeing nothing. Blind.

The officer checked me for weapons, then, to my surprise, he closed the door cautiously and peeked out for the window for a moment. When he turned around and spoke, his voice was low and wary.

"I'm here to help you." He said. Instantly I didn't believe him.

"I'm sure you are," I replied sarcastically. Why would anyone be trying to help me? Why would anything good happen to my pathetic self?

"I mean it. If you'll just do what I tell you to do-"

"Why should I believe you?" I asked, looking up to meet the officer's eyes, which stared back at me seriously.

"Because I'm trying to help. I have a plan."

"A plan? To do what? Kill me?"

"No! I'm trying to keep you alive!"

"They sent you, didn't they? Because they want me alive!"

"No! I swear to God! The only thing they've told me to do is to come arrest you! They've got a trailer and-"

"They're going to shove me in it, right? And you've come up here to do exactly what they wanted you to do! So why trust you? Why should I?" I shouted. He shushed me.

"They're going to take you to the factory. From there, there's no escaping." The officer said.

"My brother escaped!" I told him.

"No, I let your brother out!" The officer replied. I think that time slowed down for a moment as I gaped at him, my eyes wide and my heart accelerating.

"You-you let him out?" I asked, my voice shaking. I was thrown into a state of shock; unable to speak or move.

"Yes. I tried to save your brother, I did." The officer said, turning around and scratching the back of his head. "But listen. If they take you there, I won't be able to let you out! They-"

"Wait." I said, finally regaining my ability to speak as a new emotion took over. "If you could save Jake, why didn't you save any of the others? Why didn't you-"

"It's more complicated than you think it is. Listen, you don't-"

"No! You could have saved all of them, couldn't you? Why would you let-"

"The system is very secure! You don't understand!"

"What system? What are you talking about?" I asked, the anger continuing to build up inside me like acid, eating away at anything it touched.

"It's complicated! Right now we need to focus on getting you out of here." The officer raised his voice a bit at first, but quickly lowered it as he realized he was talking loud.

I stared into the officer's eyes for a moment, searching them. Was he telling the truth and actually trying to help me? Or was he just setting me up?

"Trust him." A whisper, somewhere from in the back of my mind, told me. "Erica. . ." The whisper said, but I soon discovered that it wasn't my mind. It was coming from behind me.

I spun around like lightning, facing the hospital bed where Dave lay, unable to believe what I was hearing. I froze.

A slight movement. Just a small twitch of his fingers, was what allowed me to move again.

I rushed to Dave's bed and watched as his eyes opened slowly.

"Dave!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around him.

"Erica. . ." He barely managed to say. I could see that it took him quite an effort to even get that out. "Trust him." He told me.

I glanced at the officer. Then back at Dave. In an instant, I knew I had to trust him.

"I will." I told Dave. "Dave, I'll trust him, okay? I'll do exactly what he says. But you have to do something for me, okay?" I said, feeling my emotions take over my body again. Why did I have to be so weak?

"Anything." He choked out.

"Don't die." I ordered. A weak smile spread across his lips before he replied.

"Not even when I'm old?" He asked. His voice was barely a whisper.

"No. Not even when you're old." I even smiled myself.

"Okay." He agreed. "But you have to promise me something, too."

"Anything." I said.

"Anything? Well then. . . That changes things." He said, another smile appearing on his face, this time more of a smirk. I rolled my eyes. "Erica. . . Promise me you won't die either."

"I promise." I said.

"Erica, we have to go!" The officer said, his voice full of urgency.

"What about Dave?" I asked, turning to face the officer.

"He'll stay here, not that he can go anywhere else at the moment." The officer said.

"But what if they-"

"They don't know he's here. As far as they know, he's dead." The officer explained. "He'll stay here. When he's better I'll take him to wherever you are. Don't worry." The officer said.

"Okay." I said, worrying regardless of what the officer said.

"I love you, Erica." Dave's weak voice said to me.

"I love you too." I replied. "And remember your promise."

"Always."

The officer led me to the door quickly. "Just follow me." He instructed. I nodded.

The second he reached his hand out to open the door, there was a knock.