Taken - Before her very Eyes (6 page)

Summer raised the mud covered
accessory to her face. “Great. Just fucking great!” She shook off the mud then
slid it up high on her arm. As she reached the top of the hill, she looked out
over the dark empty cornfield, seeing only a few headlights slicing through the
darkness at the bottom of the slope. Summer spotted the highway and wondered if
he’d taken Sabrina on there, because if he had, then she didn’t have a hope in
hell of finding them.

Staggering on her next step,
Summer noticed the glow of lights to her left, in the direction she’d been
driving. They were definitely car headlights illuminating the thick of trees.
She felt relieved knowing that he hadn’t disappeared down the highway, but the
relief turned sour when she realized the headlights weren’t moving. He’d
stopped the car about a mile down the road. But why?

“What the fuck’s he doing,
playing another game? Catch me if you can.” Summer broke into an awkward run
across the field as her feet continued to sink deep into the mud. When she hit
a low area, her right foot sank below the ankle. She fought, pulling hard
against the suction, losing her shoe in the process. She stumbled backwards, working
her way around the small depression in the field. Hobbling through the mud, she
hardly noticed the missing shoe as she was too busy concentrating on the
illuminated forest in the distance.

After glancing back at the Volvo,
she realized just how much the mud was slowing her down. Quickly she headed
toward the dirt road, sure that she’d make better time on a stable surface.
Summer grasped onto a small bush poking up on the hillside and struggled to
cross a wet depression. Her feet sank deeper with each step and it took every
ounce of her strength to continue. Her legs burned and her back ached, but she
forged along, knowing that relief was just ten feet away.

When her hand gripped the bare
brittle branches of a gooseberry bush, she placed her left foot close to the
roots, getting a sure footing and pulled her right foot free from the mud. It
held for a second, then gave way with a loud slurping noise.

Summer smirked remembering how
that always made Sabrina giggle, but her reprieve ended when the reality struck
hard. Down the slope she ran, her right foot limping over the sticks and rocks
until she hit the dirt road and broke into a full out run.

She rounded the corner of her
shortcut and followed the direction that the kidnapper had disappeared. She
started to slow, the exertion of the mud taking its toll on her, but with the
memory of Sabrina’s red swollen eyes pleading for help, Summer found a little
reserve of energy and pushed ahead.

She continued her awkward one shoed
gallop around the bend and spotted the taillights in the distance. They looked
like evil red eyes waiting to disembowel the innocent, but Summer shook the
thought from her mind and hobbled toward the human monster. As her sock covered
foot continued to pound the rough gravel, Summer was glad it was numb. She knew
she’d pay for it tomorrow—if there was a tomorrow. The pain would be intense,
but like she’d come to understand, pain meant you were still alive.

The red Mercedes was parked in a
tiny alcove to the side of the road. It looked like he’d parked it there,
hoping to hide it from the road—but with the lights blazing away. As Summer
approached, she couldn’t see any sign of Sabrina or the kidnapper. She ran
through a mental list of her purse’s contents, then cursed that there wasn’t
anything more dangerous than a nail file inside.

That’s okay. Her hands were
trained to fight. She’d beaten some of the biggest and best at the station, but
as she glanced down at her trembling hands, she knew she wasn’t the same person
she was five months ago. Pushing the thought aside, she approached the car. It
was still running. The cloud of exhaust hanging in the cool air.

As she neared the driver’s door,
she could see it sitting ajar. The interior light had been turned off, but the
glow from the headlights on the naked trees was enough to tell he wasn’t behind
the wheel. She came up cautiously beside the car, reaching to her side for her
gun, but it wasn’t there.

With no sign of the kidnapper or
Sabrina inside the car, Summer turned quickly, scanning the woods for an
ambush. Her head whipped from side to side, taking in every hiding spot.

Satisfied that the surrounding
area was secure, she opened the door and fumbled to find the interior light.
She flicked it on and her heart caught momentarily. She froze in terror at the
sight of the dark splotch on the back seat as it triggered her greatest fear.
She staggered, then grasped hold of the car for support.

Blood
?

Summer leaned in closer and
caught the distinct smell of urine in the air. Feeling so relieved, she feared
she might pass out. It was only understandable that Sabrina had wet herself.
Hell, most people would’ve in that situation.

As much as Summer didn’t want to,
she had to search the car for any sign of Sabrina. Fighting the urge to throw
up, she bent and pressed the trunk release. It opened with a pop and Summer
could see the light illuminating the area behind the car. She had to check—had
to know for sure. Summer found it difficult to move. As much as she needed to
know, she didn’t want to see her baby girl’s body sprawled out in the trunk of
a car.

Thinking about their trip to the
library last week, Summer used the memory to busy her mind from thinking bad
thoughts. Slowly Summer staggered along the length of the car, picturing
Sabrina reading a page during story time.

Summer kept her eyes focused on
the trees in the distance as she slid her fingers along the car roof, but when
her fingers touched the raised trunk lid, her good memory was replaced by
reality.

 
“Maybe this is all a
dream?” She closed her eyes and stepped around the back of the car. “No,
definitely a nightmare!”

After taking a deep breath and
counting to five, she forced her eyes open. They were barely more than slits
when bile surged up her throat, causing her to gag. Her stomach churned. Her
head pounded. She felt like she was going to faint. Unable to keep control any
longer, she doubled over and lost her breakfast.

The trunk was empty except for
some shipping slips, empty boxes and the emergency kit she’d bought Dean last
year. Summer couldn’t believe her reaction. She could understand if Sabrina had
been inside, but to lose her breakfast from pure nerves was terrible.

The wind blew the shipping slips,
sending a few cascading from the trunk, out into the brightening morning.
Summer bent and gathered a few from beside the car and noticed the set of fresh
tire tracks. He had a getaway car stashed here. He drove slow, enticing her to
follow, toying with her the entire way. He knew exactly which way she’d go and
planned everything perfectly. But how would he know her moves. How…

Summer stood, her eyes following
the tracks around the bushes. She reached inside the trunk and grabbed the
flashlight from the kit then followed the trail around the bushes and onto the
ancient driveway. It appeared to be the remains of an old farmhouse, completely
shrouded in overgrown trees and bushes. There were so many hiding places the
kidnapper could be waiting behind, but she was sure he was long gone. Summer
stared at the hanging shutters and smashed windows and couldn’t believe he’d
led her here to this place when he could’ve easily just taken off and outrun
her.

His whole planning process seemed
intent to get her here, to this old farmhouse. But why?

Summer navigated the puddles in
the yard and headed straight for the weathered front door. She knew there would
be nobody living inside. Knew there would be no phone to call for help from,
but still she had to enter. She had to know why the kidnapper had led her here.
This had, after all, been part of his master plan.

The stairs to the front porch
sagged under the weight of her feet, dipping down, threatening to snap in two
at any quick movement. She grabbed the handrail, then quickly let go as it
tumbled off the side of the stairs. “This house needs to be condemned and
burned, so why lead me here?”

Summer turned, glancing back at
the Mercedes sitting behind, illuminating the bushes, and wondered if she
should go back for help instead. She was about to leave when a glint of metal
at the bottom of the door caught her attention. It wasn’t the fact that
something could still be shiny in this rotting mess, it was the colour that
froze her to the spot. The gleam of gold caused the flashlight to shake across
the porch. Summer grabbed the light with two hands and steadied it on the shiny
metal. She felt her stomach lurch again and understood why she had been brought
here.

Slowly as if she was caged in a
dream, she climbed the remaining steps and stood before the front door, eyes
locked on the object as if it were some rare foreign artifact never seen before
in the existence of mankind. But she had seen it before and she could never
forget the first time she’d set eyes on it.

Bending down, Summer plucked the
badge from the soft bed of rotting wood at the base of the door. She knew it
was hers even before she read the name. Knew the kidnapper had placed it there
deliberately earlier this morning. But why? Why, unless…

Summer gagged and fought back a
dry heave. Could this be the place? Could this really be the hide out that John
Scott had taken her to and… and…

A shutter racked her body at the
memory of that night. As hard as the cops had searched, they never found where
John Scott had held her. She knew she’d been inside a structure. A rotting
musty building, smelling of mildew, but she’d been forced to wear that hood,
never privileged to even the sight of the place or her captor. Hell, the last
thing she’d seen was that evil look on John Scott’s face when he’d stuck her
with that needle.

After placing the badge in her
pocket, Summer reached out and turned the doorknob. The squeal of rusted hinges
echoed through the house, sending a flurry of tiny feet running for cover.
Summer swept the light across the entrance room and saw the set of fresh
footprints in the thick dust on the floor. They headed straight for the stairs
and Summer ignored her training and followed them blindly, knowing where they
were heading. Half of her didn’t want to see where she’d been held captive, but
the other half—the cop half—needed to know for sure. She needed to answer one
of the many questions from that night. Needed to finally put to rest the nagging
mystery of where that bastard, John Scott, had beat and raped her.

These stairs, although squeaking
and worn, were in better condition that the ones on the front porch. Summer
climbed carefully, placing her foot in the exact spot the kidnapper had taken
earlier. The grime covered window in the room straight off the stairs was now
glowing red as the early morning sun broke free of the horizon, illuminating
the old farm house and taking some of the mystery and seclusion away. An old
fashioned cast iron bed sat squarely in the middle of the room with straps of
cord still hanging from the head and foot boards, each covered in dried blood.

Summer stood at the threshold of
the room, unable to enter as memories flooded her mind. Her throat suddenly
felt raw and swollen. She remembered how much she’d screamed and cried that
night and even though it seemed like a life time ago, fresh tears were flooding
her eyes, spilling down her cheeks at the sight of her cage.

Over in the corner in a pile of
chewed blue clothes, a nest of newborn mice were squirming. Summer recognized
the city issued blue uniform and knew if she’d rustled the mice from their
nest, she’d find her name stitched on the front pocket.

The footprints continued inside
the room and ended at the side of the bed, then retreated. A white envelope had
been laid out directly in the middle of the bed, on the dried bloodstain.
Summer knew it was the ransom note. Knew she had to get it and read his
demands, but just the thought of stepping foot inside this room was too much to
handle. Her heart was racing, her palms sweating as every muscle in her body
began twitching at the thought of getting close to that bed.

One shaky foot entered the room
and froze in the kidnapper’s footprint as the mice scattered into their hiding
places.

“I… can’t?” Summer wrapped her
arms around her body, squeezing her shaking chest, trying to control the
tremors inside. “I…” She saw the white swatch of silk underwear in that mouse
nest and concentrated on building her fury at the memory of being dumped naked
in the ditch to die. She found a trace of hatred for John Scott, grasped onto
that thread and closed her eyes, taking two more steps into the room. One last
step and Summer slowly opened her eyes. The white envelope sat on top of the
crusted hard bed sheet, with her name printed carefully on the front. It looked
so beautifully done, so inviting, like a wedding invitation, but she knew what
was inside was anything but a cordial invitation to a party. It was an
invitation to her horrid past.

Summer reached out a trembling
hand, plucked the envelope from the bed then turned and raced from the room.
Feeling lightheaded, she stopped momentarily at the top of the stairs and knew
she had to get outside.

With the cool morning air
cleansing the musty smell from her lungs, Summer leaned back against the wall
and tore open the envelope. The paper inside was thick and expensive. As she
slid it out and started to unfold it, she expected to see an amount for the
ransom, but there wasn’t any. The kidnapper wasn’t demanding any money at all.
All that was printed was one perfectly scripted line. One simple demand. One
that could cost her life.

Summer limped down the front
stairs, her right foot aching with every step she took. In the time she’d been
inside the farmhouse the weather had changed completely. The rain had ceased
and the sky was turning a brilliant rosy glow, chasing away the dark clouds to
the east. As the sunshine caused every last raindrop, which clung to the leaves
of the overgrown trees to sparkle like gems, Summer marvelled at how everything
could look so beautiful when inside she felt like such shit.