Snatched

Part 39 - Maddie and Antoines House

'Daniel! Daniel!' Antoine cried out. But there was no reply. Maddie was still sat in a heap on the living room floor, barely able to speak or move. Antoine began to run around the house, shouting the little boys name, but there was no reply. He ran up the stairs, into the twins bedroom and looked under the bed. Daniel had been known to hide here before, but there was no sign of him. After thoroughly searching around the house, Antoine ran back downstairs and grabbed his car keys.
'We have to go! He can't have gotten very far!' Antoine ran over to his wife and tried to pick her up from the heap she was lying in on the floor. She just stood there, eyes glazed over in a daze.
'My darling' Antoine said, 'we have to go. Are you coming with me?' Maddie still didn't say anything, but she walked over to the door, opened it and walked out to the car. Antoine followed her, got into the front of the car and drove off.
After a few minutes of driving down the road in complete silence with no success, Maddie finally spoke up.
'We'll have to call the police' she said, matter of factly.
'No, no, he has to be around here somewhere' Antoine replied, 'he's a little boy, he can't have gotten very..'
'Pull over!' Maddie shouted, making Antoine jump out of his skin. Antoine begun to swerve the car to the side of the road and looked at where his wife's outstretched arm was pointing to. A middle-aged man was carrying a small toddler.
'Are you sure that's him?' Antoine said, as he pulled up at the side of the road. It was hard to make out the little boy, as he was wearing a dark black coat and was facing away from them.
'Yes, have you seen his socks!' Maddie shouted at her husband, 'they're the bright blue ones I put on him this morning! Plus why would someone take their child out of the house with no shoes on!'
Before Antoine had managed to switch off the car engine, Maddie had jumped out of the car and was running down the road. Antoine immediately jumped out and ran after her.
'Stop, please!' Maddie was shouting, 'I'll call the police!' But the man just carried on, quickening his pace.
'Daniel! Daniel!' as Maddie started to shout the little boys name, Antoine thought he'd heard a little squirm, but he might have just been imagining that.
Convinced that something more had to be done, Antoine begun to run faster than he'd ever done before, past his wife and towards the man in front of them. When he finally reached the man, Antoine grabbed the hood of his coat, causing him to choke slightly. Them man slowed dow, allowing Maddie to catch up and take Daniel from his arms. No longer conscious of hurting Daniel, Antoine put one foot out in front of the man, causing him to trip as he tried to get away. He fell face forward onto the curb in front of him.

Antoine walked over to wear Maddie was stood, holding Daniel closely towards her chest.
'Look at you!' she nudged her husband. He just winked back at her. They were both too breathless to speak, so they took each others hands and started to walk at a pace, towards the car.

Suddenly, Maddie stopped.
'What's that?' she asked, pointing towards a black van in the distance.
'I don't know' Antoine replied, 'but we have to go and get this little boy safely inside. Then we'll make a plan'. He tugged at his wifes arm, but she wouldn't move.
'Wait!' she said 'we have to investigate. There must be some reason that man was trying to take Daniel and the answer could be in that van'. She hurried off in the direction of the van, so Antoine had no choice but to follow her.

As Antoine approached the van, he noticed that the door was wide open. Maddie quickened her pace. Within Daniel still in her arms, she edged closer and closer towards the door.
'Maddie! Don't go inside!' Antoine began, 'or at least pass Daniel to me if you're going..' Before Antoine had finished his sentence, he saw a hand grab his wife and the little boy and pull them inside the van.
'Ma mere!' Antoine heard Daniel scream, as the van sped away.