Body, Mind and God

Chapter 11: Diana

Chapter 11: Diana

The bus jolted and bumped as it weaved it's way down the anonymous gravel road. The two men had long since disposed of the bag of phones - on to the deck of a passing truck - as well as the body of the driver - the poor guy ended up on the side of the road - and they were now chatting amiably as they trundled their quarry into the middle of nowhere. They still gave the kids a chilling look every now and then, when one of them was too rowdy, or said something stupid to one of them, but for the most part, they left them be. It wasn't as if any of them had the guts to do anything about their situation with the guns that the masked men had.

Diana was still chatting with Emma, and she found out that Jayne was Emma's completely opposite. The two girls provided a much needed cover for Diana to give the operative - which she hoped was still on the line - information on their surroundings and their route. At one stage Emma had stopped talking for a while, and just stared at Diana while she gave the 911 person some info under the cover of Jayne's babbling story about an ex who had stalked her for two weeks after the break up. Diana had, of course noticed Emma's silence, and asked if she was okay.

"You're talking to someone else, aren't you?" She had murmured quietly. Jayne had ceased her blithering and had looked at Diana as well. Diana had nodded, and had told them to go on. Five minutes later, her words masked by a loud belch from the sub-human in front, she had told them that she had 911 on the line. This was met by smiles, and from then on, a camaraderie formed between the girls, bound as they were by their secret. So when Diana suggested they play I-Spy, they were more than happy to oblige, aware that this would give anyone listening a deeper insight of their location.

"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with.... L!" This was Emma, and her voice was triumphant. It was obviously going to be a good clue to where they were. Diana and Jayne looked around eagerly, trying to identify the landmark.
"It's a lake." Diana jumped at the unexpected voice. She turned around, ready to have a go at whoever had interrupted, and found herself face to face with a senior boy - was his name John? Jake? - and she immediately forgot what witty retort had been on her tongue.
"What are you doing Jack?" This was another adolescent male behind him. Diana praised whatever gods were out there that she hadn't called the boy Jake, and then turned her attention back to the boy himself, who was talking to Emma.

"It's Lake Nox. My parents used to bring me out here all the time as a kid. I'd bring a mate and the annual campers would tell us ghost stories until we jumped at every noise." He paused, and seemed to reflect on this. "They were pretty good story tellers too. Even they seemed scared half the time." He laughed at the memory, and Emma and Jayne joined in. Diana, however, had had enough.
"Fascinating." She said in a cold tone that rivaled their captors. "I wish I gave a damn. Please go back to your hole or wherever you came from." She turned back around, pleased that she had been able to say something this time, and saw that Emma and Jayne's mouths had dropped open at her rudeness. Jack, however, just laughed.
"Whatever you want, Luv." He chuckled and then the first man who had ever left Diana tounge-tied crossed the isle back to rejoin his mates. Diana fumed. How DARE he call her 'Luv'. What on earth was he thinking? It was in that moment that she resolved that if their captors didn't kill him, she sure as hell would.

"What was that for?" Emma's voice pulled Diana back to reality. Awww crap. If Emma and Jayne stopped talking to her, how on earth was she supposed to detail the scenery to the operator - if there still was one - on the other end of the phone?
"Sorry, Emma. I... I don't like guys very much, and he gave me a fright, which doesn't really excuse my reaction, but it made me so - Arrrgh! - and well, the rest just kinda came out." She tried to look sheepish at her behaviour, and they bought it.
"Wow. I knew you didn't like guys, but that was just cold!" Jayne made a joke out of it, in her carefree, easygoing way, which didn't offend Diana as much as it would have two hours ago. Jayne laughed at her joke, as did Emma, and Di just had to join in. Their camaraderie was back, and their sneaky location revealing went on.

They must have only travelled for another twenty minutes after that before the bus came jerking to a none too gentle halt.
"Alright! Everyone off!" The raspy guy called. The kids went instantly silent, and they started trooping slowly down the isle. Diana, thinking quickly, grabbed the phone out the back of the seat in front and put down the side of her hunting boot, checking at the same time that the call was still connected. It was, thank goodness. She went to exit into the isle, but instead slammed into a girl who had been delayed as well. In fact, everyone had been stopped. A chill ran down Di's spine. Had she been seen?

"I want everyone here to note that school bags and other belongings, will NOT be allowed off the bus!" This was the one with the cold voice that had been driving. A rush of relief swept over Di. She hadn't been caught after all. The guy held up a bag in demonstration, and chucked it violently back into the bus, causing several people to duck for cover. With the lack of a bag freeing up his hands, the man moved his arm back, and then slapped the girl who had tried to bring her bag with her. The sound of flesh hitting flesh rang out in the enclosed space, followed by the girls small cry. Diana's blood boiled. This was why she didn't like or trust men. They were all the same. Scum.
"That was a warning! The next one who tries to trick us..." The raspy man spoke this time, running his hand over his gun for emphasis. The kids were still and silent, a crowd of statues. 
"Well? Get off the damn bus already!" The chilling voice of the driver sent the students into a frenzy to obey.

The fresh air of outside was a welcome relief for Diana, who hated the stale sweat smell and closed in feel of the school bus. she gulped in great lungfuls of the stuff, hoping that they would get to stay outside for a while, despite the clear autumn day turning into a typical, overcast, post-winter day. Unfortunately they were pointed towards a barn set near the lake only 300 yards away, and told to get moving, and that they would be 'tested' when they got to the barn. Diana hoped that this didn't mean that they would check them for devices and weapons, but she had a feeling that her luck had run out there. Fortunately, their trek lead them down the side of a ravine, which held a raging river at it's base that fed the lake - Lake Nox - and under the pretense of getting a stone out of her shoe, like so many other students, she was able to slip the phone into her sleeve.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to disconnect." She told the operator as she scratched her head. "It's too risky for me to have the phone. Sorry." And with that, she subtly swung her arm in the direction of the drop, and let the phone slide out of her sleeve, into the ravine below, dropping with it their only connection to the outside world, and possibly their last hope of being rescued. three paces on she turned around to see if she had been spotted. The fact that their gaolers wern't staring at her made her feel better, but the resigned and grim looks on Emma and Jayne's faces made her feel bad enough. She let the brown haired twins behind her catch up.

"I'm sorry, guys. I had no choice. If they found me with the phone, I would have been killed." Her new found friends nodded subtly, and Emma's reply was one of praise.
"I know. You did well getting it this far. Thank you, for trying." This raised Diana's spirits a little, although a shout from behind brought her down to earth quickly.

"Get your lazy butts moving!" The raspy-voiced one called out. The kids in front picked up the pace, some stumbling as they tried to keep up with the new speed, their feet fumbling dangerously close to the edge of the path. Diana kept pace easily, her feet automatically feeling for secure footholds and moving past loose rock which could cause her to slip. As it was, she needn't have worried about her own footing, because it was poor Emma, who, harried by the now-constant calls of the men behind, misplaced her foot, and slid on the loose rock, her foot going over the edge of the path, and her arms pinwheeling in a sad attempt to regain her balance. Jayne screamed.

Diana grabbed Emma's arm, and pulled her towards the saftey of the path. For a moment, both of their lives seemed to hang precariously in the balance. Then Emma finally toppled into her, both of them sprawling safely onto the path.

They were safe.