Cruel and Violent Delights

Vicious

Honey

That day looking back started out as any other day. I got up, showered, dressed, brushed my hair and my teeth. I ate my usual breakfast of cornflakes. It was slightly chillier than the day before so I grabbed a sweater. But other than that nothing
And then I walked to Fulton Campus like I do every week day.

Only today I never made it to my art history class.

And I never saw it coming.

"....hands round my neck, you know I got a lot left, can't have nobody else getting away...."

The soft soulful voice of 6lack filled my ears. The volume turned up loud. Just how I liked it.
I loved listening to my music on my way to campus. I enjoyed that 15 minute walk every morning.
15 minutes to myself. No pressure to keep my grades up. No feelings of inadequacy of not being able to keep my ex from cheating. No worries about wondering where Ryder was. I haven't seen or heard from my brother in over 3 months.
And although he came and went from my life as and when he pleased, he'd never been away this long.
I'd called, sent messages, I'd even tried to file a police report. But they weren't interested.
I'd gone to his apartment and the landlord said he hadn't seen him either and his rent was past due. I ended up leaving with his things in a box instead.
They were sat in the bottom of my closet.
I'd gone to the club he'd sometimes worked at. But he hadn't been there in over 4 months they'd said.
And the truth was I was starting to get scared that something awful had happened to him.

I'd called the hospitals in case he'd been brought in as a patient and then I'd called the morgue.

But no one had seen him.

How does a fully grown man go missing without a trace?

He'd done this before 4 years ago, when I was 16 and Gran was still alive. He'd disappeared for 6 weeks then suddenly reappeared as though it was no big deal.
Apparently he'd taken himself off to Vegas.
Can you believe it?! A 6 week bender in Vegas.

Nobody got under my skin the way Ryder did. He frustrated me to no end. But I loved him so much. More than I loved anybody else.
He was all I had left in the world.
Our parents were taken from us when I was 6 and Ryder was 9. A car jacking gone wrong.
My father was shot first, killed instantly and my poor mother was hit with the gun so hard that the injury caused a bleed on the brain. Surgery couldn't save her and my Gran had to make the awful decision to turn her only child's life support off.

We moved into Gran's house not long afterwards. She was recently widowed and now childless.
I often wonder how life can throw so much shit at good people?

And my Gran was good people. The best. She'd been a school teacher who loved working with children. She and my grandfather had tried to have children for 9 years before my mother came along. Imagine waiting all that time for a child and then having to make the awful choice of turning her life support off. It's unbearable to think what she went through.
But we never saw her pain. She worked so hard to shield us from it.

And because I was so young I adapted well to the change. But Ryder, he didn't.
He became a different person the day my mom died.
Reckless, angry, he started lashing out. His mood swings were scary.
Gran said our parents murders changed him. And deep down I know she's right. He was always such a sweet boy.

Because my thoughts were so consumed with Ryder I didn't see the minivan approaching me or the way it slowed down almost mimicking my slow movements.

And when I did finally look up from my cell and see it.
It was to late.
The minivan had stopped moving, the engine was still running but it now slowed to a stop.
The door at the side opened and that's when I saw the 2 men.
Both wearing all black, each with a hoodie to cover their hair and on their face each wore a mask.
Both of the masks were like those strange LED ones from the film the purge.
And both scared the shit out of me.

The hair on the back of my neck rose. And a shiver cascaded down my spine. I dropped my phone not caring that I could hear the screen shatter.
I turned to run but the one nearest me, was faster and stronger. He was so big. He grabbed my waist taking all the blows I could deliver to his body.
I kicked, and lashed out and even tried to bite him. The only thing I didn't do was scream.
And I have no idea why.

He picked me up as though my body was weightless and threw me into the back of the minivan. I tried to sit up and I kicked my legs wildly. Praying for some kind of contact.
They didn't say anything.
Instead the smaller one of the them delivered a hard blow to my face so hard that it stunned me.

I tasted the tangy metallic taste of my blood on my tongue and the ache from my spilt lip.
My head felt woozy and in that moment I was completely disoriented.

I rested my head back against the cool interior of the minivan. And closed my eyes.
I didn't feel too good. My head pounded and I could feel my lower face start to swell.
My blood whooshed through my ears and my pulse pounded angrily.

I opened my eyes and saw them both sat there silently watching me.
The bigger one of the two cocked his head to the side as though he was assessing me. It was unnerving. He nodded his head down towards his lap and that's when I saw the gun.

My blood froze in my veins. Terror, absolute and utter terror. My chest rising and falling erratically.
I've never seen a gun in real life before.
The silent tears slid down my cheeks.

"I don't have any money." I croaked our. My voice felt like sandpaper scraping my throat. My tongue felt heavy and thick and my heart was beating so fast I was convinced I was having some kind of attack.

They didn't speak. Instead they just sat there. Watching me silently. The bigger one of them grabbed my ankle so that I was pulled towards him.
I tried to kick out but he was suddenly on top of me. His heavy body pinning me to to floor of the minivan.
"Where is he?" His voice was deep and husky and it sent chills up the entire length of my body.
My whole body shuddered as I felt the cold metal of the gun pressed against my forehead.

I knew who he meant. I knew it was Ryder he was talking about.
I also knew then in this moment that I probably wouldn't get if of this alive.
The cold realisation of my situation terrified me. And my silent sobs were the last thing I remembered before the blackness overtook me.