Circling Stars

🌟 Chapter 41 🌟

    Sean still hadn't woken up. I wasn't sure how long we'd been here, but since we'd been taken at night and it seemed to be late afternoon the next day, it was over twelve hours. Sean's physical condition didn't seem to change he just wouldn't wake up. And to make matters worse this barn wasn't heated. Margie and I crammed the boy between us and waited. We'd been given a single blanket by Trent when we complained and it did help, but we couldn't last like this. Especially since the temperature seemed to be even colder than last night.

    The older man, Tim, hadn't came back since last night. Whenever someone entered the barn it was always Trent. I wondered what the hell they were planning to do to us.

    "You dated this guy—do have have any idea where we are?"

    "I'm pretty sure we're on the Woodard ranch," Margie mused.

    "Pretty sure?"

    "He didn't bring me out here a lot!" she hissed. "He wanted to keep up the illusion that his family had money."

    "What?"

    She sighed dramatically at my question. "The Woodards lost most of their family fortune like thirty years ago and have just been holding on. Selling whatever they can without looking like they're struggling. This looks like the right size to be the barn on the back end of their property but I've never been in it before."

    "If we scream is there a chance someone would hear us?"

    She shook her head sadly. "No, they live fifteen miles from town and don't have neighbors. You hit the highway two miles from the driveway."

    "So we're screwed? How long do you think they're gonna keep us?" Aside from the bruises we'd gotten being shoved in the truck and left on a hard floor we hadn't been hurt otherwise. We'd been brought food but unfortunately our only access to a restroom consisted of a lidded bucket and bottle of hand sanitizer in the corner.

    "They're obviously gonna try and ransom us, or at least you two. As soon as our parents pay up we'll be out of here." Honking of a car horn stopped our conversation. For half a second I hoped we were about to be rescued but Trent called out in a friendly manner that dashed my hope. I thought about screaming to get whoever's attention. It turned out the bastard wouldn't have helped us anyway; he and Trent peeked inside the barn to find me and Margie scowling at them. They laughed and went away.

    Hours passed and darkness fell again. Dogs were barking happily somewhere outside and a dim orange light could be seen through the cracks in the barn. A bonfire? Was a party going on out there?

    "I think I can pick this lock." Margie's voice brought me back inside our cage. She was examining the thing closely, having left Sean under the blanket alone. I went to my brother and cradled his head. His breathing seemed to be less deep so I was hoping he might wake soon. "It's a cheap one, probably because they keep those annoying hounds in here usually."

    "With what?" Margie produced a bobby pin and a pair of tweezers from her pocket.

    "Seriously?"

    "I used to break into my dad's liquor cabinet with this," she shot back. "I never picked a lock backwards though." She looked back at me and must have seen skepticism written on my face. "Look I don't know about you but I want to get out of here. It's fucking freezing and it seems like those assholes are taking their sweet time releasing us. You know both our families would have paid the damn money already. There's no reason we should still be here. The road isn't that far. Hopefully someone will come along and we can hitchhike back to town."

    "Go ahead. We don't have anything to lose." She was already fidgeting with the lock. The chain links were wide enough that she could slip her arm out to nearly her elbow. It got colder, darker, and more silent outside. I posted myself on the opposite side of the cage as a lookout. I wondered what my parents and Jasper were doing. Even if the Woodards hadn't asked for money yet they had to know something was wrong, right?

    Well maybe not my parents. They had sent me and Sean to a hotel and were up to their eyes in preparation for the reopening. Jasper though, Jasper would have to know. Well maybe not, he still could be on that hunting trip in Canada, and if past experience was anything to go by, his phone would be off until the trip was over. Depending on how long it took something horrible could have happened to us by then. Damn. Of all the people Alice couldn't see the future for why did I have to be one of them? If she could see my future no doubt Jasper would have busted in here to get us out. We might not have been abducted in the first place!

    Time seemed to move more slowly. I could hear Margie fumble with the lock and curse when something went wrong. She was determined though and kept going.

    "I never–" Margie began.

    "Someone's coming," I cut her off. Heavy footsteps sounded on gravel outside. I turned and saw Margie still messing around with the lock. I pulled myself over to Sean and assumed the position I'd been in last time someone had checked on us. "Margie," I hissed, "get back over here!"

    "No! I almost have it," she whispered back.

    The footsteps were getting louder and my heart was hammering.

    "Got it!" Margie exclaimed in a whisper. The door creaked and with speed Margie got under the blanket just as Trent appeared in the doorway.