Talk To Me

Chapter twelve

February thirteen

Short moments after the trunk closed, loud engine noise reached Leah. Her heartbeats held fast and concern grew more with each tossing of her body. She groped her pants pockets, realizing she put her phone into her backpack and that remained in Cassie's car when she climbed from the vehicle.

"Lily," she whispered, moving her hand against the cold metal flooring of the truck. Leah's eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, and she could see her friend more clearly. "Lily." She shook Lily's body.

Leah put her finger under Lily's jawline, trying to feel her pulse. The beats felt slow but steady. Leah rummaged through Lily's pants, apprehending that Lily also didn't have her phone. Soon she leaned on her knees and hands, trying to examine the space. Walking on all fours for a few minutes and not finding anything useful, she sat down beside her friend.

"Lily." She nudged her friend again.

After a few moments, Lily finally responded. "What?" Lily's voice sounded like a moan. "Where are we?" She yawned.

"Can you sit down?" Leah took the chilled girl's hand.

"I think so." Lily slowly lifted herself into seating positions. She moved her head, observing the new surroundings. "Leah, where are we?"

"We are at the back of the truck."

"Wait. Where is Cassie?" Lily looked around once more.

"Who the fuck knows where she is," Leah sighed. "We have been moving for a while now."

"Where are we?" Lily asked in a shaky voice.

"Like I said in some sort of truck. Are you feeling alright?"

"My head is spinning, but I'm fine." Lily inhaled deeply. "How did we get here?"

"Well, the guy carried you. The other guy forced me to climb into the truck." Leah looked around, trying to find a solution to a current problem.

"Okay." Lily drawled. "Forced how?"

"Another guy said he would shoot me if I didn't get into the truck, so I did." Leah whimpered. "What are we going to do?" She sniffled.

The fear seemed to sink in for Leah. She felt like having a bad dream before Lily woke up. Recalling the way she got here and telling the story to her friend made everything more real. Her cheeks felt strained, but not for long as tears kept pouring down toward her neck. She sniffled, wiping tears with the sweater sleeve.

"First, you need to calm down and tell me everything you know." Lily hugged Leah by her shoulders.

"Why?" Leah bent her head down as teardrops stained her blue jeans.

"So I can assess the situation." Lily stroked Leah's hair.

"Lily." Leah broke out into a sob.

"Leah!" Lily's harsh tone echoed through the metal space. "You have to calm down. We need to figure out what exactly happened. What do you remember?"

"I woke up, and the car wasn't moving." Leah sniffled. "I tried to wake you up, but I couldn't." She shook her head. "Cassie stood in front of the car with some tall guy—I climbed from the car and then this bulky guy grabbed me from behind."

"How many guys are there?"

"Two. At least that is how many of them I saw." Leah rubbed her palms just as a slight warmth rose from the action.

"What about Cassie?" Lily questioned, removing her hand from Leah's shoulder.

"When she saw me she took a bag from the guy, I think there was money in it because she said it was time to pay up."