Vince could feel two cold and wrinkly hands cover his mouth, tightening its grip as it began to suffocate him. Vince’s weak and frail body danced under the attack, in an attempt to run away. He felt one hand slip out from the grip and tug onto his hair, carrying him to somewhat tree. His vision was blurred to the max, and the sweaty hands released from the grip in the spur of the moment, tying Vince against the tree with a long piece of rope.
Unable to manoeuvre from the grip, Vince’s body wriggled from the trap, although ending up nowhere but against the tree. He screamed as loud as possible, till his mouth was taped up and his hands were tied behind his back, against the tree’s blood and broken pieces of bark. Beads of sweat followed, one after the after as they trickled down from his head, down his neck and on his back and stomach, creating nothing but big, smelly sweat patches on his shirt.
Vince squealed until a blobby figure came in his focus, unable to become clear. Vince couldn’t tell if it was smiling, upset or even crying - but he already knew who it was. He settled down in the tangled mess, only to realise there was no way out at all. He was going to be tortured. Or even be killed. He could just feel it in the adrenaline rush passing through his bones.
“Now,” the man said, speaking slowly and steadily. Vince kept his view on the ground, watching as his tiny feet hid behind twigs and rocks. The man grunted under his breath, smacking something black against his hand with another hand. Vince gulped, wondering where in the world the others were.
“Obviously you know you’re alone here, even without your glass-.” Vince ignored and cut the man off in the middle of his sentence, already kicking off on the bad side.
“Where are they? What have you done to them?!” Vince interrupted, his voice turning deep and mean. He didn’t look up, although there was no point considering he felt blind.
“Ha. I see what’s going on here,” the man laughed, his voice low and painful in Vince’s mind. The man continued to smack the heavy black thing on his hand, shaking it wildly in Vince’s direction not long after. Vince scoffed, unaware to figure out what the black thing was.
“You think I have finished your friends off, don’t you? But don’t you worry, they were too quick. But you.....you weren’t quick at all. That’s what brought you here. Your glasses fell off too, that’s another win for me.” A long beat passed, and the man dazed off into the river that sat still behind him. His reflection shadowed off it, capturing his every lively moment with the black thing in his hands. He stuck his hand in the water, concentrating on the feel of the temperature.
Vince didn’t say anything. In fact, he didn’t want to respond. He was angry enough as he was, stuck in the woods with the kidnapper alone. The man’s voice was monotone as he rambled on and on about things that didn’t even matter.
He stood still and leaned against a tree opposite Vince as he picked at his long, coarse stubble, running his hands through it. He laid his greasy fingers amongst his tiny-growing moustache. He then snickered randomly and unexpectedly made his way back to Vince with the black thing.
“All I want you to do is tell me where she is. I know you can take me wherever they are. Just bring her back to me.” He spoke so horribly and threw his head back, flipping a few of his spikes back also. He grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit one, blowing the smoke in Vince’s face.
“Spit it out,” he finished, releasing all of the air into Vince’s mouth. Vince coughed back in his face.
“I don’t know where they are. Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. How stupid do you think I am?” Vince responded, finally building up some strength and guts. He released he bend in his back and stood straight, pulling slightly against the rope.
“Stupid enough to ignore my order, that’s for sure.” The man spat as everything turned serious and deadly. His hot breath pushed against Vince’s neck, slowly sending a chill to the rest of Vince’s body. The man abruptly took a step back, and drew in some more smoke. He leaned his hand against the tree, and chuckled crudely. He tapped his head, and shook it in shame.
“Unless you want to taste defeat, you better give up the girl,” the man explained as he threw his cigarette butt on the ground carelessly. He stepped over it and rubbed his foot against the dirt, making a hole as he eyed Vince from a metre in front.
He threw him a death glare, squinting his eyes obnoxiously. Vince’s eyebrows crinkled as he responded, “I’d rather give up myself.” He looked up anxiously, stunned to be talking to the kidnapper face-to-face. Alone.
“Oh, ok then. If that’s what you really want,” the man took a step forward and leaned into Vince’s full view. His face shadowed Vince’s sight, making it nothing but black and fuzzy. Mixed with frustration, annoyance and depression, Vince sucked up one ball of spit and spat it out on Jerry with rage. The ball pushed against his skin, sprawling all over his eyelid.
Jerry blinked rapidly, leaving his eyes shut for the next ten seconds or so. He removed it with one finger without anticipation and sprung back. The sound of metallic banging against an old copper ring on his finger loudly panged in Vince’s ear.
He drew his fingers back, with the black thing in full focus. Vince eyed the black thing in his hands, watching as Jerry held it back, and pointed it right in the middle of his eyes.
“If you shoot me, how are you going to get what you want?” Vince asked as his eyes started to water. This was the end for himself, he just knew it. The man looked at him cautiously and replied, “I always get what I want. I’ll just have to keep on looking.” The next minute, he drew back the trigger, and a loud bang filled the open space of the forest.
At least a few hundred metres away, along the river, the loud noise could still be heard. It echoed, almost giving the feeling like an earthquake was about to begin. Bushes shook and trees swayed. Jay was stone skipping with a tiny pebble, Nate was trying to keep his balance on the river bank and Sarah kept walking beside them, with a million thoughts racing through her mind once the bullet had flared. They all stopped what they were doing instantly, and faced each other in confusion and fear.
“Did you guys hear that?!” Nate yelled amongst them all, gasping almost as if he needed extra air. Jay frantically looked up at him, watching as Sarah panicked and nodded at least ten times in the corner of his eye.
“Oh my God. Vince!” She squeaked, beginning to run in the distance. The others followed, not too far behind. Nate ran from behind, slowing down every second until he felt that he couldn’t run anymore. He had lost the strength within himself. His eyes filled with bucket loads of water. He immediately fell to the ground on his knees with a hard thud, watching as Sarah and Jay ran for Vince like it was for their own lives.
YOU ARE READING
Meet Me Halfway (EDITING)
Mystery / Thriller"It's only going to be the four of us, and no one else." There was a long pause on Jay's end of the line. "Are you sure about that?" Jay scoffed, scrunching up his face. He pinched the bridge of his nose and rolled his eyes in pure annoyance. It was...
