Kidnapped

Chapter 24

Chapter 24:

A car engine. Loud and rumbling beneath me, vibrating through my bones. My initial thought was, Where am I? But that was sort of a stupid question, because obviously I was in a car. But how did I get here? And who's car was it?

I opened my eyes to find myself staring at the back of a seat. I sat up instantly, remembering the events that had occured just before I'd passed out.

"Jake!" I said, my eyes widening and my heart accelerating.

"You're awake!" A voice said from the front seat. The man breathed out what sounded like a sigh of relief. I didn't recognize the voice.

"Who are you?" I asked, forgetting about Jake for the moment to focus on whatever situation I would have to get myself out of at the moment.

"A better question would be, who are you?" The man asked, turning left at the stoplight we'd just reached.

"What do you mean?" I replied, turning my head around to get a better look at our surroundings.

"I mean, my friend Leo stuffed your unconcious body in the back of my car back at the hospital and told me to take you to his house. Good heavens, I was too afraid to even look back at you laying on the seat all hunched over like that! I thought you were dead!" The man told me.

"Leo?" I asked.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"You mean the police officer?"

"Yeah, brown hair, kinda short?"

"Yeah, I know him." I replied, picturing the officer's face in my mind. "Where is he?"

"Well, I guess he's still at the hospital. He just laid you down back there and then went back inside. Said he had some business to take care of." The man said calmly. His voice was friendly, almost joyful.

My thoughts instantly turned back to Jake. Had I really seen him back at the hospital? Or was it just my imagination? What if I had? How was that possible?

"You okay?" The man asked. I cleared my mind and nodded.

"I'm fine." I replied. "Just confused."

"You and me both."

As  we drove on, I stared out the window. We were driving through a thick forest on a narrow, bumpy road. Obviously it hadn't been re-paved in a while.

Suddenly the car jerked to a stop, sending me flying forward out of my seat. I quickly got back into my seat and looked out the front window, wondering what horrible misfortune was about to be cast upon me.

I sighed as I saw two deer bold across the road into the woods, missing the car by a few feet. In an instant I wished I could be like the deer. They had so easily escaped danger; fled out of the car's path. I was nearly the opposite. Wherever I went, danger and misfortune seemed to follow. I could never escape it.

I wished I could be a step ahead of everything, like how the deer had been able to make it across the road without getting hit. I needed to think ahead, and see the bad things before they came. That way, maybe I could prevent them.

I was so deep in thought that I almost didn't notice that we had come to a stop in front of a big house nestled deep in the woods.

"There's a key under the mat, you can let yourself in. I don't know what Leo expected you to do. The maid will be back shortly. She can get you anything you need." The man said.

"You're not going to come in?" I asked.

"No, no. I have somewhere to be about now. Just ask the maid if you need anything." He told me.