Sadistically Sweet (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

As A Snowflake Falls

“Help!” I screamed.

I stood on the side of the road with my arms waving wildly. I knew the driver had to see me, but that meant that in the matter of seconds I would be encountering either a nightmare or a dream come true.

“Help me please!” I yelled so loudly that blood roared in my ears.

The headlights approached hastily while I continued to yell for rescue. The closer they got the more anxious I grew; that person could be Francis, ready to punish me, but I would risk it.

I strained to see the vehicle behind the headlights, but a glare blocked everything out. When the vehicle squealed to a stop, my heart began to pound through my chest, but the combination of the glare and fading light disabled me to get a clue as to who was getting out of the vehicle.

Waiting for the person to reveal their identity, I bit my tongue in intimidation. What if the person was another kidnapper or a drunk driver looking for companionship or, even worse, Francis? My breathing intensified as my fight or flight instincts started to kick in. 

“Haitlin?” an unfamiliar voice questioned.

The sound stopped me cold in the track. Whoever it was knew my name, but I certainly did not recognize their voice. Was it a real savior or just Francis going incognito?

Slowly, the person walked into the brightness of the headlights and was engulfed by the light. At first I could only see their silhouette, but it was enough to tell me everything I needed to know; it wasn’t Francis. Whoever stood in front of me was muscular and tall, but not nearly as gigantic as Francis. 

“Haitlin?!” the masculine voice asked urgently.

“Haitlin!” the voice repeated in joy.

The person began to run up to me, but stopped a few feet short. Now I could make out the details of the young man’s face. He had to be older than me, but not by much. His handsome features held shock and disbelief as he shook his head from side to side. 

“We have to get you out of here, now. Get in my car,” the stranger demanded gently.

For a second I stood firm in my stance, unable to follow him. The last time I got in a stranger’s vehicle I ended up kidnapped, but was this a special circumstance? It had to be. 

With my mind made up, I quickly ran to the passenger door and climbed in.

Once both doors were closed, the person began to speed off down the road. With large, terrified eyes I stared up at my new captor. I still had no idea whether to trust him or not, so I tried to keep my distance. 

“I can’t believe I found you,” the guy said softly as he glanced at me.

“We have been looking for you for months. Are you alright?” he asked worriedly.

I ignored his question and instead focused on his first sentence. 

“We? Who’s we?” I questioned, failing to sound threatening.

“Your dad, brother, police, FBI; everyone,” he concluded.

“And who are you?” I asked.

“Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Wyatt, Bud’s son. Remember?” 

He took his eyes off of the darkened road for a second to look at me with his warm brown eyes. 

Wyatt? Bud’s son? In the back of my mind the name seemed familiar, but I hadn’t seen that boy in years. How could I be sure if it was really him? Especially since I last remembered him in college.