Unanticipated Turn

TWENTY THREE

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Fariq walked along the side walk million thoughts racing in his mind. He broke into a jog to clear his mind and not cry. Maybe Meenah needed time, and he would act that way if he was told that something is wrong with his brother.

He stopped running and resumed walking. It was a bit hot. The clothes he was wearing weren't ideal for jogging. He took off his jacket and held it.

Leaving his car at the restaurant, the streets were quiet. The lights were on, but not too bright. He didn't spot a soul as he walked. As much as he needed fresh air, walking alone in the middle of night wasn't safe, he should have take his car.

He looked behind him cautiously and spotted a black car. It was slow at first but soed past him. He released a sigh of relief. Maybe it was about time, he should go back and take his car.

He did, and walked for only a few seconds before he heard the sound of a car honk behind him. It startled him, and his heart beat at an uncomfortable rate. He out a hand to his chest, foolishly hoping that it would slow his heart down.

Fariq looked to where the sound came. It was the black car. The driver's window rolled down. He wondered if he should run. He didn't get to instruct his legs as a man greeted him.

"Hi!" The young man said enthusiastically.

"Hi." Fariq said, trying to match the man's enthusiasm but failing miserably.

"Do you need a ride?" The young man asked smiling at him.

He seemed nice. Bet he couldn't trust him. Fariq could remember the number one rule that had been echoed during kindergarten- Don't get into a stranger's car.

He shook his head politely.

"Hop in. I'm guessing you're going to the restaurant I passed earlier, I kinda saw you there. I can drop you there." His smile was warm and kind.

"No thanks, I prefer walking. It's nice out here." Fariq said.

The man stepped out and checked his trunk."It was nice meeting you."

"You too." Fariq said as he started walking away.

"Hey wait!" The young man called out. Fariq stopped and groaned, as the man caught up to him.

"Do you know....?" The man said intently

Fariq listened intently, but before he knew it, the man had his hand tightly around his neck. His other hand grabbed his waist from behind tightly. He didn't a second to react before the man put a piece of cloth over his mouth and nose. Fariq struggled against him but to no avail. He knew what the piece of cloth was soaked in, and so he tried not to breathe. All the while, he thought about how this couldn't be happening. Terror gripped him and he grabbed his assailant's hand. He couldn't allow himself to think of what awaited him if he give in.

The sweet and pungent smell of chloroform hit his nostrils, making him struggle even more. It was like fighting with a brick wall. He couldn't resist anymore. He took a much-needed breath. Within seconds, his extremities began to go numb. He could no longer hold onto his jacket. Neither could he support his weight.He slumped against the guy. Seconds after that, he couldn't see or hear anymore, he couldn't do or feel anything.

~

It didn't take much to keep the boy steady. His struggles weren't enough to release the man's strong hold on him. That he had time to struggle told the man that Fariq is feistier than he had anticipated. He potentially knew what was on the cloth covering his nose.

Chloroform only took seconds after inhalation to knock someone out. If had taken the boy longer, telling the man he resisted taking a breath. But he'd eventually taken a huge one. Sadly for him, oxygen wasn't the only gas that flooded his lungs.

He relaxed against him shortly. Now that he wasn't supporting his own weight, he was heavy. The chloroform had totally knocked him out.

The young man turned him around, supporting him while he opened the back passenger door. The man looked around briefly, making sure no one was watching. He dragged Fariq into the car, placing him haphazardly on the seat.

He retrieved a few items from the trunk. He was anxious to make his getaway, but he couldn't do it with the boy out on chloroform only. Chloroform, as good as it was, wasn't long-term. It couldn't even be described as short-term. Its effects didn't last without continuous use.

The man got into the driver's seat and lacked the car. Leaning over the back, he pulled the boy's arm from underneath him. He located a medication vial from the things he had taken out from the trunk, all thrown on to the front passenger seat. Ripping out the wrapping around an injection needle he'd brought with him, he filled the syringe with just enough sedative to knock the boy out through the drive to his brother's hideout house. He didn't know what his brother need from the poor kid, but if he would give him what he promised then he would definitely obey him. He knew it was about his new girlfriend, because he heard him saying something about stopping the girl from dating the poor boy.

Fariq's arm was limp in the man's hand, making it easier to locate his vein. He pushed the needle through and drained the syringe.

If the man did his last minute calculations right, the boy won't be up in about an hour and a half. That was enough to get to the house and properly secure him. But to keep to the time constraints, he had to get moving.

The drive to his brother's house was shorter than he expected. He kept to the limits to avoid traffic coos, but there was no traffic, which made things. The hideout house was almost the last house on the edge of the town. The area was secluded and no neighborhood could be located.

A few seconds after parking the car in the massive garage, he looked at his companion. He was still completely out, to the point where he almost fell off the seat. Music started in the garage, and as the man looked around, he realised it was coming from the boy's phone.

The boy didn't stir. The man let the phone ring until it stopped. Reaching in the back, he emptied the boy's pocket, switching the phone off. Only switching it off wasn't going to do though. He had to make it untraceable and he knew just how to do it.

The man carried Fariq to the house's basement, saying hello to gang members, stopping to unlock the code-operated door. The basement was cold, dark and dingy. There was a chair at he fair end.

He placed the boy on the chair and his head slumped forward and cuffing his wrists to the chair. He threw his phone somewhere and left the boy alone in the cold basement

*

Word count-1188

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