The Gamble of The Hunted

Aaden and Tara were walking along the sidewalk at around ten o’clock at night. The girls walked close together and shivered slightly in the cold, crisp air of the night. Exchanging glances every now and then they would giggle at the silence. It wasn’t all silent though. Sounds of the city of New York consisted of cars passing by and the quiet chatter of the people the two would pass. They were on their way back to the hotel room they shared with Carlie.

“What do you want to do when we get back? Carlie will probably be passed out drunk at this hour.”

Aaden laughed mentally visualizing the woman passed out face down on top of the bed with her hair flowing everywhere, and an empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the floor beside her.

“Yeah probably so. I don’t know. Wanna watch a disney movie?”

Tara looked up at Aaden and smiled, her eyes seemed to glisten in the moonlight and she looked like a little girl. Technically she was still a little girl mentally, but she was very powerful and smart as well.

“Anything you want. Beauty and The Beast again?”

Aaden knew which movie Tara was most likely going to pick as she loved the movie. But, to her surprise, Tara shook her head.

“No I wanna watch the Little Mermaid tonight!”

The two began laughing again and glanced at the hotel they were staying in. Tara spotted an odd person standing across from their hotel staring directly at the two. She squinted her eyes at the figure. A person wearing a black hoody, black pants and black shades over his or her eyes. He walked backwards and faded from view making Tara shiver in awkwardness.

“Hey are you okay?”

Aaden asked noticing the odd behavior her friend began to show immediately.

“What?”

Tara turned towards the worried brunette and gave a smile.

“Yeah I’m fine. Just thought I saw something.”

Aaden put an arm around Tara’s small frame and the two began walking into the building. Tara glanced back only to see the person back in sight, still staring at them. She shrug it off and convinced herself she was making a big deal out of nothing.

…

The man watched as Aaden and Tara entered the hotel and began slowly walking across the street behind them. He pulled out his black iPhone and pressed the dial button on a speed dial contact.

“You trailing them?”

He heard through the speaker.

“Yeah. They're coming up now. Just entered the elevator.”

The man replied with a sense of hate in his voice. He didn’t want to get these girls involved in anything but was outvoted.

“Good. Hurry up and get up here.”

There was a beep and the man hung up the phone before chasing into a elevator that was about to close. He ignored the polite smiles of Aaden and went to press the floor 5 button forgetting it was the same floor. Tara was frozen and staring at the man, she remembered seeing him outside staring at them. Now he was going to the same floor. Tara cuddled close to Aaden and held her hand. A child she was sometimes.

When the elevator stopped, Aaden and Tara happily exited the elevator and walked towards room 34A. Aaden glanced behind her and the man was out of site. Tara swiped the keycard and opened the door before the two entered the room. Carlie was sitting on the couch facing the door with her hands behind her back. She was shivering, sniffing, and had tears running from her eyes.

“Oh my God Carls! What’s-”

Aaden was cut off by a man lunging towards her and forcing her against a wall. The three girls screamed instantly and Tara tried to run out of the door as the man from the elevator abruptly stood in front of her and turned her against the same wall beside Tara. The girls now understood why Carlie was acting so scared as their hands were cuffed behind their backs as if they were prisoners.

“You got her?”

The man from the elevator glanced over at a newly appeared man standing behind Carlie.

“Yep lets go.”

The three men aggressively pushed them all towards the staircase outside the room.

“Any of you scream and youre dead.”

They heard someone whisper. None of the girls even dared to say a word as they walked down the stairs and out of the back exit into an alleyway where a large black van was waiting. The doors flew open and they were literally picked up, and thrown into the back. Falling onto each other with a thud the girls heard the doors slam shut and the men gather in the front of the vehicle. They were too exhausted to try to sit up while their hands were still clasped behind their backs. All that could be heard was the sobs of the three girls, the laughter of the men up front, and the screeching of the tires of the van speeding off in the night.