The P.U.L.L || #Wattys2017

Chapter 4: Escapees

"Is that you, Rick?" Joshua asked, dumbfounded.

Rick ran towards him." I thought they got you man, well, we gotta get outta here fast. Do you know which way?"

"Yeah, just turn right on that intersection, then head straight towards that mansion of theirs." Joshua said, pointing at the intersection." You can ride on my bike's rear if you want." He offered.

"Nah, that'll just slow you down, bro. I may not look like it but I'm a fast runner." Rick went."Well, I'll go ahead now."

"Suits you," Joshua responded.

Joshua began pedaling at full speed. But still, Rick ran way faster than his bike. He surely runs fast. But his definition of fast is unbelievable! He looks like he isn't human if he runs like that. He began adjusting his gear. But to his surprise, Rick unexpectedly overtook him, waving at him to catch up, or more like, daring him to catch up if he can. Is he even human? Joshua thought.

Halfway there, Joshua stopped at a water fountain, exhausted from biking. It was more tiring than he had expected, probably because he didn't have dinner yet. Emma's house is approximately five miles from here. How did Rick run all the way there? Well, I gotta catch up before the kidnappers do!

After catching his breath, Joshua hopped on his bike. Once again, he pedaled harder, adrenaline pumped him up as he sped through the street. Slowly but surely Emma's mansion loomed ahead like an impenetrable fortress. Now that he has taken a good look at Emma's residence, it was bigger than he had expected and it certainly exceeded all the other house surrounding it. Now that Emma's house is on sight, Joshua relaxed, trying to catch his breath as he made his way towards his goal.

Then he heard it...

Tires Screeching.

Looking behind him while trying to balance his bike, he saw the car that was parked in their yard a few moments ago. The BMW ran straight towards him, trying to overtake him. Joshua pedaled harder, shaking off the thought of being trampled over by the car. As he looked at the car once more, he noticed a very obvious dent on its roof and he smiled at himself. Sorry car, no hard feelings. He thought while looking at the grim and tensed faces of the men in it. He grinned after seeing all the broken windows due to his bicycle crash. I wonder how much it would cost to repair that kind of damage.

Wait, if I head towards Emma's place, everyone would get kidnapped! I need to shake them loose before I do anything rash. I can't give them away, not if I can help it. He told himself as he crossed his fingers and hoped that he would live to see another day after what doing what he's about to do.

Pressing the brakes for the back wheel of the bicycle, Joshua drifted, spinning his bike until he was face-to-face with the black sedan.  He didn't think of what he was doing as if his body was acting purely out of impulse. Without hesitation, he pedaled towards the speeding car, getting nearer every second. A series of thought jumbled on his mind as he made this daring move. This should make them stop, just like in the movies. If it won't stop, I just need to improvise, otherwise, I'm toast.

Fortunately, the car skidded to a halt and the passengers began coming out of it. Joshua looked at each one of them. They looked like classy men in shades and suits. Each of them carried a briefcase on their left arm. Wait, has this happened before? Why am I getting a feeling of deja vu? 

Have I been hit by a car before? I can't quite remember. Joshua thought, getting a slight headache and stopping cold in his tracks.

The men didn't wait for Joshua to spur into action. They immediately opened their briefcase and took out something that Joshua wasn't expecting.

Dart guns?! They are carrying dart guns?! And by the looks of it, aren't those tranquilizers? Joshua thought, snapping back to reality and putting his previous thoughts at the back of his mind. I have to get out of here before I fall victim. Now that I know about their tranquilizer guns, I can safely assume that they kidnapped my mom. 

Joshua had no other choice. He quickly swerved his bike to the left. And he went into the narrow pathway that cuts through the sides of the houses. He cannot think of anything else to do anymore. He was trapped by a huge slab of concrete from either side and he just made himself an easy target for their dart guns. He glanced around him, feeling claustrophobic.

A manhole.

There it was, it sat right in the middle of the pathway. He quickly got out of his bike, removed the manhole cover, and he began to fit himself inside. The only way out of this mess is this manhole. I can't bike straight, it's a long way to go. And to top it all off, I can't dodge their dart guns. He reassured himself of his decision.

The stench was unbearable but because of the situation he was in, he just grinned and bear with it. I can't let myself get caught. He thought. Ugh! What's this smell?!

When he was already halfway through, he saw one of the kidnappers right ahead of him. The kidnapper steadied his arms as he pointed the dart gun at him. Then, unexpectedly, he slid right through the hole. The stench smelled more terrible than ever. The guy fired his dart gun, specifically designed for putting anyone to sleep. It whizzed right through the pathway, then above Joshua's head. That was way too close, too close! I almost got hit. He thought.

He successfully slid towards the sewers. The murky waters splashed all around him as he landed on it. His feet got covered in muck in mere moments.  And there he was, engulfed in darkness. It's more spacious than I thought. He told himself.

After his eyes readjusted, he ran towards the direction of Emma's house. Fortunately, the sewers have lots of branches, leading to all the houses in their neighborhood. Joshua squinted his eyes. This should be easy, considering what I had gone through before. He reasoned.

.....

"What?! You mean, you left Joshua out there?" Emma blurted after hearing out Rick's story.

"Well, he's got a bike. He'll be here anytime now." Rick nervously said.

"You've arrived here like twenty minutes ago! I won't be surprised if he's kidnapped by now. We should start planning right now!" She snapped.

Rick looked at Emma guiltily. He was so sure just a while ago that both of him and Joshua would be able to safely get to her house. But twenty minutes had passed, and there was no sign of Joshua anywhere. He fidgeted around nervously, trying to think of a way to reach Joshua

He stood up.

"I'm going out." Rick decided as he headed for the door.

"Are you serious? They're still outside, and you'll just endanger yourself instead of saving him." Emma said.

Just as they were discussing the best course of action, they heard a knock on the door.

"Quick! To the second floor!" Emma ordered.

Emma and Rick crept towards the second floor. They were planning to see who's knocking at the front gate. As far as they know, it could be the enemies.

Then they saw him.

Through the window, he looked like a teenage guy in rags, drenched in murky waters. He looked like a swamp monster straight right from the picture books. His body was covered in muck and grime and puddles of brown water formed at his feet. He looked like he was shivering but still,  he kept on knocking, very anxious to go to Emma's house. Emma and Rick couldn't believe what they were seeing. 

It was Joshua.