were water pipes, hung useless below a small window with a torn lace curtain that was now brown from years of neglect.
Calm, I told myself, remain calm and think it through. I knew I’d fit through the small window, but judging from the consistent lack of use, it would probably be incredibly hard to get open, and even if I did open it, where would I go from there? I closed my eyes and tried to think beyond the forest I had seen in front of the house. Had I heard any other cars? Were there any other houses?
Just outside of the window, I tuned in to the men’s voices from the SUV and the mystery man. It sounded like there were two or three more voices out there, so I strained against the bungee cord and pushed my feet on the radiator again, only this time I turned my head in an attempt to see anything from the new angle. The frustration was building again, and despite my instructions, I screamed inside the tape, hoping the owners of the new voices would bring help. As I did, however, the voices grew louder and more aggressive. One voice in particular raged above the others and seemed to echo in the stillness of the broken, old house.
“What did I tell you? What did I say?” The door slammed and running footsteps trailed behind, getting closer. My hands shook as I pulled at the ropes, the logic of it not lost on me—just misplaced. My brain called out to me and told me to get out. Danger flared my head, commanding me to leave immediately, yet I was stuck. I broke out in a fresh, cold sweat—the new terror strapped to my chest like a paperweight.
Suddenly, a large, muscular man stood before me. Trailing behind him, I caught a brief glimpse of Polo and some others, but my attention was focused on the man’s fist as it hit me.
I flinched at the impending blow and covered my head as best as I could—which was actually only raising my elbows like chicken wings. The pain would come. So far it had mostly just been awkwardness and fear, but now it would get physical. Really, it was almost a relief to know I wouldn’t have to wait anymore for my demise. But it was difficult not to imagine if they would torture me before they killed me.
I didn’t want to think how painful this would be for Dad; how much it would age him.
However, the most remarkable thing stopped the fist just before it connected with my face. And I was completely sure the fist was coming because I even felt the breeze as it moved by.
Then there was a lot of noise and several voices swearing all at once. My insides were shaking again and as I slowly opened my eyes, I realized my body was shaking as well. I was too afraid to turn my head, although I had an idea what I might see.
“I said no.”
Wallace was bent back behind some of the broken countertop, his chest heaving. My abductor was standing in front of me, staring at him with a steadiness in his eye that both frightened and calmed me significantly.
“Charlie’s right, Wallace,” said one of the men from the corner. I noticed how they remained at a respectful distance while my abductor and Wallace had their stare-down. “Let’s just wait to hear what Ben says.”
Polo pushed his way up to the front. “Did I miss something good?”
Wallace smiled and stood up in one fluid motion. His eyes left my abductor’s and fell on mine, and although I wanted to look away, I couldn’t manage it. Briefly, I was reminded of the eyes of road kill or frogs that get dissected in science labs. Like them, his glare towards me was indifferent and empty. I’m not embarrassed to say the lack of human acknowledgement in the moment frightened me more than anything else so far. Killing me would mean nothing to him—a mere inconvenience, like stepping in something that might mess up the bottom of his shoes.
“Yeah,” he scoffed. “All right, then, boys—whatever you say.”
Although his fists remained clenched at his sides, my abductor said nothing as Wallace stood up and brushed some dust from his pants. Standing at full height, I realized he was larger than I had originally thought, being easily over six feet tall. He was also abnormally shaped with muscles that didn’t look fit for the