Run Like Hell (13 page)

A soft breeze greets me as I step outside. A light shiver runs down my spine from the cool nip in the air. Several neighbors stroll along the sidewalks with their dogs on their evening walk. Tiger sniffs bushes and trees and but obediently follows when I tug his leash.

My legs follow a familiar route. I’ve taken this path to the park hundreds of times, starting from a young age when I used to enjoy the thrill of being pushed on a swing or going down a slide. These days, my visits to the park entail hanging out with friends or walking my dog.

I’ve agreed to meet Ricky but have no idea how he plans to locate Caroline. For some reason, he’s convinced we’ll be able to find her. How am I involved in his scheme? Am I baiting Brian? And why is Ricky afraid of his brother? Is he bullied or beaten at home?

Tiger walks beside me tonight. It’s as if he understands he’s here for support tonight and to back me up if needed. As we enter the park the sun casts a low light, enough for me to recognize Ricky. He watches from his perch on top of a picnic table as I approach.

“Do you take him everywhere with you?” he questions, indicating Tiger.

“Only when I suspect I need him to defend me,” I answer with a snarky smile.

“Fine,” he jumps off the picnic table. “Let’s go.” He heads toward the woods bordering the other side of the park.

“Where are we going and what’s the plan?” Are we walking into a trap? I want to avoid an ambush.

“My brother lives at home but he’s rarely there,” Ricky explains. “I know where he hangs out when he’s not home. We’re going there.”

“So we’re going to his friend’s house? And you expect him to be happy to see us and invite us in?” I’m already regretting this adventure.

“He’s not going to know we’re there.” Ricky glances at me in the waning dusk.

“So we’re spying on him?” Will Tiger remain quiet while we lurk around the house?

“Yeah, and we’re looking for Caroline too.”

We cut through the woods and even in the dim light Ricky appears to know where he’s going. Tiger and I follow him but as the nocturnal animals awaken so does Tiger’s interest in them. I hold his leash tight to prevent him from chasing an animal foraging nearby. As we near the edge of the woods, the shape of some residential homes appears.

We exit the woods on a well-worn path located between the properties of two small, homes. The sun has set and the moon provides a slight glow over the quiet neighborhood. Several homes have their windows cracked open, welcoming the cool, evening breeze. I can hear the sound of a television from one of the homes we pass by and a loud guffaw as the resident laughs. Several street lights illuminate the block of small homes. The street is quiet at this hour. Glancing at my cell phone I note its eight forty-five pm. Most families are probably getting their kids ready for bed or watching TV.

Ricky continues walking ahead and I follow. I text Traci to let her know what street I’m on, just in case. I also send a short text to my parents, telling them I’m was looking forward to seeing them tomorrow night. Mom immediately replies with a smiley face. That’s weird of her.

Ricky signals me to slow down. I kneel down and explain to Tiger we have to be quiet now. He licks my face in understanding. How I love him!

Ricky slinks beside a brick home and motions for me to follow. Jogging over to him, I push my back against the side of the house and wait for his instructions. What we’re doing still doesn’t make sense to me.

“I’m going in,” Ricky whispers.

“Where are you going? In the house?”

“Yeah. You and the dog wait here and don’t come in no matter what,” Ricky warns. “And I mean no matter what.”

Before I can respond he disappears behind the back of the house and I suddenly hear a loud voice.

“What the hell, Ricky? I warned you never to come here.”

Is Brian yelling at him?

“Where’s Caroline?” Ricky demands loudly.

Ugh. This is not the covert operation I expected. Confronting the suspect and demanding where the missing person is will result in—

“Oww!” Ricky groans, followed by a distinct thud.

I suspect Brian punched him and Ricky, sporting a black eye now, landed on the ground. So, it’s up to me now to rescue the little runt and find this missing girl? Fine.

“Tiger go!” I command. He stares at me for a second, then tears around the house, barking. As Tiger creates a diversion in the backyard I run to the front of the house and ring the doorbell several times, then disappear around the other side of the house. I peek into the backyard. Ricky’s lying on the ground. Brian’s nowhere to be seen. He must’ve run inside. I hurry over to Ricky and haul him up from under his arms and drag him into the neighboring yard. Tiger follows us.

“Shh,” I warn the bruised freshman. Thankfully, he’s a wiry kid so I’m able to pull his weight easily. I know Brian will be looking for him soon, and Tiger. He’ll know I’m here too because of the dog.

“Your heroism is impressive,” I whisper to Ricky. “Too bad I didn’t get to see your moves.”

His lips curve into a slight smile. “You know, I did take Tai Kwon Do—”

“Maybe when you were four. Besides, your moves got you knocked out and now you’ve pissed your brother off. Let’s get out of here while we can.”

He tries to sit up but winces and clutches his ribs. Damn. What did his brother do to him?

“Surprise, surprise,” a voice croons.

Through the shadows emerge three tall guys, one of which is Brian. They break through the line of arborvitae trees we’re hiding behind and surround us. Tiger immediately begins to growl and confronts them.

“Of course I knew you were here too once I saw your dog. But we love your dog, don’t we AJ?” Brian looks at his friend who’s smiling broadly. Neither of them looks intimidated by Tiger who’s snarling and barking viciously at them.

AJ holds a box of Milky Beef-Bones and shakes it enticingly at Tiger. Milky Beef-Bones is Tiger’s favorite doggy treat. Our best defense has now sided with the enemy. Tiger stops barking and turns his attention on the box of treats. He cocks his head to the side and whines like a puppy.

“How do you think we lured him from your house?” Brian smiles knowingly at me.

AJ extends a dog treat to Tiger and he happily eats it from his hand, allowing AJ to grab his leash and lead him back to the house. The other two guys loom over Ricky and I and order us to get to our feet. Ricky struggles to stand so I offer him a hand and help him up. The guys flank either side of us and push us toward the house.

“Help!” I scream but then a hand clamps over my mouth, muting my cries. I struggle, kick and flail, trying to wriggle free from Brian’s arms locked around me. He pulls me against his chest and my breath is caught in my lungs.

“There will be none of that,” he snarls and shoves me inside the house.

I fall onto my hands and knees on the linoleum floor and hear the lock click as the sliding doors close. I’m yanked to my feet and dragged through the dark house. Ricky and I are thrown into a small bedroom. I grasp the handle on the closed door and rattle the knob but it’s locked from the other side. Ricky slumps onto the twin mattress and lies on his side in a fetal position. He groans softly. He must have one or two broken ribs.

I begin to pace the confines of the small room. I should have dialed for help before running toward the backyard. Another failed move on my part. I’ve been making a lot of bad decision lately – too many to keep track of. Instinctively, I reach into my pocket to retrieve my cell phone. Then I remember Brian confiscated it before his friend tossed me in this room. I press my ear to the door, trying to overhear any conversations.

Their muffled voices aren’t clear over the loud music they have blaring from the stereo in the living room. I don’t hear Tiger either, but he’s probably still munching on doggie treats. There’s a small window in the room but it’s covered with metal bars on the outside. I always wondered why people install these window cages on their homes. I feel like I’m in a prison cell.

“Well, Caroline isn’t in this room,” I say, masking my fear of being held hostage in a house with three grown men. “What were we thinking?” Ricky’s watching me helplessly from the bed. “You need a doctor and I don’t want to think about what they’re going to do to me.”

He isn’t leaving this house without my help. Our escape is resting on my shoulders. I need to keep a clear head. I have to act fast.

Panic, fear, and adrenaline tingles in the pit of my stomach the same as it did the night I was in Brian’s car. Do or die. Putting thoughts of Caroline aside, I focus on my own situation. He’s trapped me twice and he’s stolen my dog twice. Plus, I don’t know how many times he’s beaten his younger brother. Tonight, after I escape, I’m calling the cops and reporting him.

All my mistakes will be corrected this evening – all my bad decisions rectified. I don’t care if my parents ground me for the next two years. My social life isn’t more important than protecting myself, my dog, and my new friend, Ricky. He’s worked his way under my skin and I’ll help him at all costs. There’s a reason he reached out to me after school. Fate intervenes in weird ways and I know we’ve been thrown into this situation for a reason. Perhaps I’m the first person to want to help him.

I kneel beside Ricky and hold his hand. His eyes cloud with pain and I vow to protect him. “I’m getting out of here to find help. You need to stay here and rest. I’m not abandoning you. Trust me.”

He nods his head weakly and remains quiet. His condition could be worse than just a broken rib or two. He could be bleeding internally. I have to get out of this room, this house.

I bang on the door. “Hey, I need to pee! Let me out of here!” I yell and bang harder. The door shudders under my fists but the music is blaring and I want to ensure they hear me.

AJ opens the door. He’s tall and heavy-set with sinister, beady eyes and thin lips. “What’s all this noise about?” he grumbles and sticks his head in the door to investigate.

Instinctively, I launch my fist at his face. I cringe as my fist connects with his nose and blood splatters. He groans and stumbles forward in a daze and he reaches for his nose. Without hesitating, I grab the side of the door and slam it against his head. He bellows loudly and tries to tackle me but I step aside and shove him to the ground. As he’s on his hands and knees I give him a swift kick in the groin from behind. He crumples onto the floor beside the bed. Ricky cocks an eyebrow at me and I watch him reach for the lamp beside the bed. Before I run out of the room Ricky has the lamp poised over AJ’s head, ready to strike. I turn and leave but hear the whack of the lamp against AJ’s skull and the shatter of glass breaking.

I tear through the house. Brian and the other guy aren’t around. As I’m searching for the front door Tiger bounds over to me, then leads me to the front door. Yanking the door open, I’m greeted by Brian and the other guy standing on the front lawn smoking. Surprise flashes across their faces when I bolt past them. This is my only chance of escape. Tiger barks and snarls at them but follows me toward the wooded path. My legs fly over the pavement as I race down the sidewalk with the two guys chasing me. Pumping my arms, visions of Saturday night flood my head and I know if I can once again keep a fast pace I can outrun Brian, the smoker. I hope the other guy loses stamina as well.

The path comes into view. I’m leery of running through the dark woods but I have no idea what neighborhood I’m in. If I can get through the woods and across the park then I’ll be close to home. I trust my instincts on finding my way back to the park and Tiger can lead me there too. The moon offers a subtle glow to illuminate the path. My legs fly over roots and rocks but I don’t dare turn around and risk losing my footing. All it would take would be one fall to allow these two to catch up and grab me.

Their labored breath is close behind and I hope they’re tiring. I push myself harder, despite the cramp in my side and the ache in my calf from my injury Saturday night. Tiger charges ahead and I follow him as best as I can. His sense of direction is better than mine so I trust he remembers the way home. My dark clothes camouflage me but the sound of my breath and the twigs breaking under my stride give away my presence. I desperately want to stop and catch my breath but I force myself to continue running. I can’t choose to stop now with them in pursuit. In the hands of these two guys, I could disappear.

The edge of the forest looms ahead. I pray Officer Whitman is still at my house visiting with Rory. I’ll have an earful to give him once I get home. Tiger reaches the park and waits. I risk glancing back and find the guy in close pursuit. Determination is carved on his face. Brian is nowhere to be seen. I imagine him hunched over in the woods, gasping for air. This friend of his is fast though, considering his size and bulk. In the dim light I can see his mouth moving but I can’t hear a word he’s saying.

Breathless, I break through the forest and want to collapse on the moist ground. Despite the lack of air in my lungs, I push onward through the park. Tiger is once again in the lead, heading home. I envision my well-lit house, Rory and Officer Whitman inside enjoying dinner as I burst through the front door, screaming for help before I collapse in the foyer from exhaustion.

I’m jerked back from my shirt being tugged at. I fling my arm behind me, hitting at the guy behind me, forcing him to release my shirt. One false move now and the chase will be over. He’s so close I can smell his pungent breath on my back. His fingertips skim the back of my shirt, itching to grasp the material, to possess me. One more sprint. My legs run on autopilot and my heart hammers my chest. I swerve past several trees, hoping to lose the lumbering idiot behind me. Another quick glance behind confirms he’s still on my tail.