Based on Chowchilla School Bus Kidnapping of 1976
June 1990
Fuller took me off of Vice for the summer to go on a case as a McQuaid. The nearby high school was holding a summer camp for young students, and a summer drug class for students caught with drugs or alcohol throughout the school district was being held at the other side of the building. Strange combination, but I was slipping in just to see how this situation was working out. The school thinks I received a DUI during the school year, which is why I'm attending this program. This also means I have to take the school bus.
When I was first given this assignment, Tom was very against it. He practically pleaded Fuller to switch assignments with me, and when Fuller asked me about it, I refused. I can't be afraid of school buses forever, and this is my career. It involves facing my traumas and making sacrifices. And the odds of anything happening on a school bus ever again are one in a billion. I'll be fine.
Without my knowledge, Tom made a deal with Fuller. He had planned to join me on the bus before going to his own case. I didn't know this until Tom sat beside me the first day of my assignment. I was annoyed at first, but I really enjoyed his company. He kept my mind from running amok.
A couple weeks into the case, Tom and I were sitting beside each other towards the back of the bus. Kids around us were giggling after having a fun day at summer camp and showing one other the crafts they made. Tom and I were smiling, soaking in their innocence and pure joy.
"They're so cute," I said softly. This was not a sentence I said often. I usually found children to be obnoxious and gross. These ones, however, have shockingly grown on me.
"Yeah, they are. Did you see that little one, Monica, gave me a macaroni necklace?" He asked and picked the necklace off his neck. It was made of dry macaroni noodles with lots of glue and colorful glitter. "Adorable."
I giggled, "yeah. She's really sweet."
"She really is. Ever think about having kids?"
"What?" I asked.
"Not now, but later. Do you want kids at some point?" He asked.
I only had to think about it for a second and my lips cracked into a smile at the thought of having his children. "Why? You want to have a baby?"
He smiled. "Yeah. Yeah, I do."
The tiniest bit of hope that snuck into my heart dropped and I said lowly, "I wouldn't be a very good mom."
"What are you talking about?" Tom asked. "You'd be a great mom."
I scoffed. "No, I wouldn't. What if... what if I hurt it or—or leave it..."
"You won't." Tom's voice was sincere. He held my hand and he said, "you're gonna be a great mom. The fact that you are scared of being a bad mom just proves that you'll do everything you can to be the best mom."
I smiled sweetly. "Thanks, Tom."
Tom leaned and kissed the side of my head. I closed my eyes and smiled, almost imagining the kids laughing and talking around us were ours. That will never happen either, because Tom will soon leave and I'm not sure what will happen between us once he is gone. I am scared.
"Only if they behave like these ones. If I have a bratty kid, I'll never bring it out in public," I joked.
Tom laughed and was still holding my hand as he said, "don't worry, I think we will raise it right."
My shoulder bumped his when the bus driver pulled out from the bus stop after dropping off one of the kids. I felt bad that Tom had to get up early just to ride the bus with me, so I said, "you know, you don't have to babysit me on the bus anymore."
"Have I ever told you that you're beautiful like an autumn thunderstorm?" He asked charmingly.
I blushed but said, "you've distracted me, don't change the subject. You're babysitting me."
He laughed and said with a sweet smile, "I wouldn't call this babysitting. I'd call this keeping you company."
"At least not today."
He smiled a bit more. "Especially today."
"You should have taken today off. You aren't on a case anyways."
"Take the day off to lounge around and wait for you to come home? No, thanks. I'd much rather be right here with you."
Today is Tom's birthday. For weeks I've been asking him what he wanted to do to celebrate it, but he just wished for a quiet night in, watching movies with me. I told him that was a boring way to celebrate his 24th birthday, and all he did was laugh. He always said, "just me and you, that's all I need." This morning, I gave him a charcoal gray hat of his favorite sports team, a bottle of his favorite liquor, a new bowling ball and a bowling towel, and a couple mixtapes I made for him.
On Friday afternoon, Doug and Ioki are going to kidnap him and take him out camping for a guys-trip so they can party all weekend long without any responsibilities. Doug is so excited, he has been planning it for weeks. I think Tom will like the weekend away. The guys are planning on taking the following Monday off of work too to nurse their hangovers.
Apparently, Ioki had an idea of bringing a baseball and a bat and some mitts to their woods-weekend, despite none of them ever playing baseball. I asked Tom if he thinks he would win a game of drunken baseball against Ioki and Doug, despite not even watching baseball on TV, and all he said was, "I know nothing about baseball other than the fact that I would dominate." So I think he is pretty confident.
"I think I can handle something as simple as riding the bus by myself," I stated.
"I know that you can handle it... I'm just not sure if I can." His voice got low.
I sighed softly. "It won't happen again."
"I... I know... it's just... I can't help it."
After what happened last time, even though I was the one on the bus, I know that Tom went through a lot of trauma too. It was harrowing when I found out that they had called a search and rescue team to find my lifeless body in the lake. Tom had prepared himself in the possibility that I had died that afternoon. There have been too many close calls in our line of work, so I could see that he needed to be there. Not for me, but for him.
I took his hand in mine and his shimmering eyes met with mine once again. I promised confidently, "it won't happen again."
Tom smiled at me and discreetly brought my hand up to his lips and he kissed the back of it. It made my cheeks flex and grow warm so I looked down at my lap for just a moment. I squeezed my hand a little tighter. I never want him to let go.
"Happy birthday," I whispered softly.
"Thank you. I love you. This love that I have for you will be yours until the day that I die. I'm going to love you forever, and ever," he grinned without looking away from me. His face lights up when he looks at me, like I'm the sun.
The bus began to slow down and I heard the bus doors opened with a hiss. Frank leaned over and asked loudly, "does anyone need any help?"
Frank is the bus driver. He's a bit older, his hair is gray and there are smile wrinkles by his gentle eyes, but he is so incredibly kind. Every day he greets me with a friendly smile and a "good morning". He gives everyone a high-five, and it's easy to tell that the kids adore him. He was very nice, sweet, clearly loves kids, and he obviously cares about them.
Tom and I peered at each other before we sat up a little straighter to look out the windshield. There was a white van that was parked across the road, blocking our way. The hood was up, so they must have been suffering some sort of car trouble. And Frank was kind enough to offer his assistance.
Before I knew it, three men with pantyhose over their heads boarded the bus with sawed-off shot guns in their hands. My eyes were immediately drawn to them. My breath halted in my throat when they pointed them at this amiable bus driver and a bus full of young, innocent children.
All happy noises from the kids immediately stopped. Tom's arm wrapped around me to keep me close, but my eyes were frantically darting back and forth between the guns, the men, and Frank. The fear in Frank's eyes was magnetic, and every kid fell completely silent as they tried to understand what was happening.
One of them pointed his gun at Frank and shouted, "go to the back of the bus!"
With no other way to express their fear and confusion, the kids erupted into a screaming panic. This annoyed the men because one shouted, "shut up and follow our orders!"
Frank lifted his shaking hands up off the wheel and kept his eyes focused on the barrel of the gun in his face. He slowly walked down the bus and sat in the back.
Tom whispered to me, "do you recognize them?"
I looked at the men and hoped that something about them looked familiar. A voice, a tattoo, a stature... anything. Perhaps I had class with one of them. Maybe they're here for me and Tom. But, I shook my head and said, "no. I don't."
"No talking!" One shouted.
The kids were still freaking out so Frank said in a calm, collected voice, "just be quiet. I need you all to sit down, and do what they say."
Frank spoke in a harsh tone, which I had not heard from him before. Frank was just trying to calm them down, and he had to be more firm to make the kids listen. If they don't listen, then this can get really bad really fast for everyone.
"Listen to what I say," the tallest man shouted from the front of the bus. One of them jumped off the bus while the third sat in the drivers seat and closed the door. The ringleader continued while stepping up closer to us, "no one is going to move. Close your mouths, and get to the back of the bus. Now!"
All the kids who were sitting at the front of the bus all scurried back to the rest of us. Tom and I moved back to try to welcome as many kids onto our seat as we could. They were all trembling, with tears and snot running down their terrified faces.
I made a quick count and saw that there were twenty-six children in the bus. Twenty-nine bodies were clustered in the back on this boiling bus with a man with a shotgun pointed at us, standing in the middle. The bus began to chug down the road, making us all jump and sway to the jerky movements of the bus.
April was just five years old and she was the youngest on the bus. She was sitting beside Tom, and she peered at the men with shotguns in their hands, and pantyhose over their faces with her big brown eyes. They wore them in a way so that the legs of the fabric were dangling down next to their heads, like bunny ears. She innocently asked the man, "are you the Easter Bunny?"
The man's featureless head slowly looked to April, and she immediately sunk closer to Tom. Tom picked her up and placed her on his lap to comfort her. He said to her softly, "no, sweetheart, that's not the Easter Bunny."
"Then who is it?" She asked with pure curiosity.
Tom didn't want to scare her. He looked back at me before he said to her softly, "he's just a man with... with a mask on."
"Like a costume?" She asked.
Tom nodded and his smile sent a tear to slowly travel down his cheek. "Yeah. Just a man in a silly little costume."
"He scares me."
My heart literally fell to my feet and broke into a million pieces.
"Don't be scared. I'm right here, and just remember that it's only a mask," Tom reassured her.
There wasn't a single thing that we could do with shotguns in our faces. Me, Tom, and Frank were all trying to keep the children calm and quiet for the duration of the drive. It became increasingly difficult because the children were getting restless, and they were scared. Hell, I was scared.
When I looked out the window, all I saw was dirt and sand. The bus took a turn and began off-roading. Everyone was jolting around and being thrown around the bus very aggressively and bouncing at every bump we drove over. Some bumps were so big, my butt would come off the chair and crash me right back down.
The man slowed down and slowly drove the bus into a big groove of bamboo that was taller than the bus. I glanced out the window and got Tom's attention. There was another white van waiting for us.
They pulled the van up close to the bus and they opened the doors. My heart was rapidly beating again, and fear crept back into my throat. The men had a brief meeting together before one of them walked down the isle of the bus and began picking who was going into the van.
They separated us into two groups. One group was going into one van, and the other group was going into the second van. I quickly realized that me, Tom, and Frank were going in the same vehicle, so the other kids were going to be alone with no authority figure. I couldn't even imagine how scary that would be.
They had started rounding up the first group to leave the bus, so I stood up and bravely walked straight up to the man while Tom was telling me to sit back down. He tightened his grip on his shot gun, and he stared right at me. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I knew they were cold and soulless.
"What do you want?" He grumbled.
I demanded, "put me in the other van."
"No. You'll go in this one," he said sternly.
"Are you really so heartless to let those kids be in there by themselves?"
He took slow, deep breathes but he didn't answer me. That was enough to tell me that he really was that heartless. I looked back at the remaining kids and saw a few older boys were going to be in that group. One of them nodded at me, telling me that he was going to take care of them. I felt a little better, but those boys are still kids too.
I didn't have a choice. The kidnappers herded us to the open doors so we could board the van. They forced us to jump from the bus to the van so we wouldn't leave any footprints in the dirt. My stomach was twisting into knots when I let myself think about how meticulously planned this was.
Tom and I were the first to get into the van, while Frank was the last. The best chance we have of escaping is during transportation, but it was impossible when our kidnappers were standing at the bus doors with sawed off shot guns in their hands.
"Hey, sweetie, come here," Tom said to a little girl who was crying and he extended his arm out to her. She crawled up beside him, and he held her close.
The van was outfitted with wood paneling, and the windows were blacked out. There were no seats, so I sat down on the ground and Tom was soon beside me. The kids filled the rest of the van so when Frank sat down, they shut the door.
A few kids screamed, but we quieted them down quickly. With all of us crammed into the back of this van, it got hot and stuffy very fast. We were consumed in pitch black, and it was like the darkness was trying to get us. Even when I closed my eyes, I was still in that van.
"Where are they taking us?" A little voice broke the still air.
"I-I... I don't know," Frank answered. I could hear it in his voice that he was just as scared as I was.
The van wiggled as we began our drive. Even though we didn't have guns in our faces anymore, this felt worse. With no windows to look out of, we couldn't see where we were going. And with so many bodies in a closed space in the dead of summer, I could feel my back dripping in sweat. My red, yellow, and white striped t-shirt was clinging to my skin from my sweat, and my knees were slick since I was wearing shorts.
It was too dark to see the hands of my watch, so I had no idea how long we were in that tiny van for. There was nothing in here besides us. There was no food, no water, and all the kids were hyperventilating, screaming, and crying. I felt like I was losing my mind. My head was aching, so I rested my head against my knees to also ignore the cramping in my stomach.
There was no end in sight. There were no bathroom breaks, so it didn't take long for the van to gain the stench of urine. Everyone was dehydrated, and soon the sound and smell of vomit filled the stiff air.
If this was happening here, what was happening in the other van? I didn't know what was going to happen, but we were going to have to come together and let these kids know that everything was going to be all right. And I don't know if everything is going to be all right.
"How long do you think it's been?" I asked Tom in a whisper. I didn't want the kids to be able to hear us and get scared.
"A few hours. Probably more. I'm not sure," he responded. I could barely hear him over the cries of the kids.
"Tom, I don't feel very good," I said. My dry mouth was suddenly filling with saliva and my stomach was flipping around. I felt clammy and I was sweating out of every pore in my body. My breathing was rapidly getting faster, along with my pulse, and I knew I was going to get sick.
"You're not feeling good?"
"No." I dropped my knees and I leaned forward and felt myself gag. With nothing in my stomach, I had nothing to throw up so I dry heaved a few times. Tom's hand rubbed up and down on my back to help comfort me.
When I was done, I leaned back against the wall of the van. I felt dizzy, and my stomach still felt sick.
"Are you okay?" Tom asked, still holding me.
"No." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
Franks voice overpowered the sounds of the kids crying and he said, "hey, kiddos, how about we sing some songs?"
A lot of the chatter and screaming had started to die down, but a few kids were still crying. Frank's rich, gravelly voice began singing Old Macdonald Had a Farm.
"Old Macdonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O,
And on his farm he had a cow,
E-I-E-I-O,
With a moo moo here,
And a moo moo there,
Here a moo, there a moo,
Everywhere a moo moo,
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O."
A lot of the cries turned to sniffles and a few children had started to sing along. I heard Tom's husky and raspy voice, and soon I joined. It didn't take long for all the kids, through their sobs, to sing this song that brings comfort and nostalgia to all ages.
"Old Macdonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O,
And on his farm he had a pig,
E-I-E-I-O,
With a oink oink here,
And a oink oink there,
Here a oink, there a oink,
Everywhere a oink oink,
Old MacDonald had a farm,
E-I-E-I-O."
Listening to all of them sing brought goosebumps down my arms. The only way we can survive this is if we come together. I might die, but I need to pretend that I'm not afraid for these kids.
Fuller's POV
I was on my way home from a long day at the chapel. Hanson didn't come back to the chapel after taking the bus with Gregg. Tomorrow, I'm going to have a talk with him. I won't let him tag along with her anymore if he's going to blow off his other duties.
They are two of my best officers, but I should have had a mind to fire one of them when I had the chance. Preferably Hanson. I like the kid but if I had to choose between the two, I'd pick Gregg. She's got a spunk that lightens up the ole chapel. She's the golden child, as it were. Anyways, they work together too well to separate them. I guess I have to pick and choose my battles.
I was sitting in my car at a stop light when I heard "... Metropolis High... school bus... missing..." on my police scanner. I promptly sat up straighter and turned up the volume to hear, "... last seen on Hawkins Road traveling south. One adult, twenty-eight children."
"Son of a bitch," I muttered and quickly whipped an illegal u-turn and flew back to the chapel. Two of my officers, Gregg and Hanson, are on that bus. I just know it.
Some of my officers were still at the chapel, but I was too focused to greet them again. I think I heard them ask when I was doing back, but I didn't respond to them if they did. I've got other things to worry about. I did ask if anyone had heard from Gregg or Hanson yet, and when I received my bundles of 'no' answers, I immediately zoned back into my own thoughts of panic.
I marched straight to my desk and picked up the phone to call Captain Briody at headquarters. Once it stopped ringing, I didn't even wait for a greeting. I shouted, "mind telling me what's going on with Bus 76?!"
Briody was calm, so he said, "parents had been calling us frantically because their children never came home from summer camp being held at Metro High School. They were waiting for a bus that never came."
"Two of my officers are on that bus."
Briody fell silent.
"My other officers are gonna aid in finding that bus. Hopefully wherever the bus is, they are," I said sternly.
"We contacted the FBI just a few minutes ago, they're on their way from the field office now. Captain, they've been missing for about nine hours."
My jaw clenched, so all I said was, "I'll have my guys drive out and I'll contact the Eugene Police Department. If they're going south, they're probably headed that way."
"Sounds good. Talk later."
I put the receiver down on the base and put my face in my hands. Not only do I have my officers, but I also have one civilian and twenty-six children to find safe and sound. There are lots of terrified parents who just want their kid home safe. This is nothing like I've ever had to deal with before.
This was mayhem.
Mickey's POV
"If you're sad and you know it clap your hands,
If you're sad and you know it clap your hands,
If you're sad and you know it,
And you really want to show it,
If you're sad and you know it clap your hands."
Clap clap
The nightmare continued. There was no way to see how long we had been sitting in that tiny van for, but hours had passed with no water, no bathroom breaks, and the smell of vomit and urine was still prominent but I had slowly gotten nose-blind to it.
Sometimes the kids would erupt in another screaming and crying panic, but the singing was helping tremendously. Us adults and some of the older kids were just trying our best to console all of them.
When our depressing version of If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands ended, the van was silent for a bit. There was no crying, no screaming, and no fear. Just a tranquil moment.
"What should we sing now?" One of the kids asked.
I spoke up, "it's Tommy's birthday today. Why don't we sing him Happy Birthday?"
It took just a moment for all the children to come together to sing Happy Birthday to Tom. All their voices were chilling to listen to, as some of the kids' voices were still trembling with fear but they were all putting on brave faces. But it was too dark to see.
"Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday, dear Tommy,
Happy birthday to you."
Silence once again filled the van, and everything about our situation had finally settled in for everything.
I exhaled softly and twisted my back to crack it. Sitting in this position for so long was making my back ache terribly. I could feel sweat beading down my face and back. My skin was hot to the touch. I couldn't imagine how this could get any worse. Then, Frank began to sing another song. Just his calm, tranquil yet rugged voice filled the van, but it was a comfort that I really needed.
"Love will keep us together,
Think of me babe, whenever,
Some sweet-talking girl comes along, singing her song,
Don't mess around, you've just got to be strong, just stop,
'Cause I really love you, stop,
I'll be thinking of you,
Look in my heart and let love keep us together."
This soft rock song was being sung in an acoustic way, just soft and sad. I closed my tired eyes and put my head on Tom's shoulder, and just listened to him sing. Soon, Tom began singing along, and I could feel his shoulder vibrate.
"You belong to me now,
Ain't gonna set you free now,
When those girls start hanging around talking me down,
Hear with your heart and you won't hear a sound, just stop,
'Cause I really love you, stop,
I'll be thinking of you,
Look in my heart and let love keep us together."
This was almost like a lullaby. I couldn't hear any snoring, but my ears were getting fuzzy. Everyone was quiet. Maybe this is just a nightmare, and I'll wake up in my own bed. This could just be a stress-dream of having to be on a school bus again. Yeah... that's it.
Without warning, the bus jumped and jostled everyone around again. My head snapped up so fast it made my neck crack. This woke everyone else up too, because the crying commenced again and everyone started talking in anticipation of what was going to happen to us next. This was the same feeling as when the bus was driving off the road, so I could only imagine that we were doing that again.
"I feel like we've been in here for days," I said with a yawn.
"Me too. God, I just want some water," Tom said.
"I want to go home."
"I know. Fuller has to know that we are missing by now, and he won't stop until he finds us. And all of these kids have their parents looking for them. I wouldn't be surprised if they've already alerted the FBI."
"I hope you're right," I sighed.
"Hey, hey. We are gonna get out of here." He put his arm around me again and pulled me close to him. He blindly kissed the side of my head, and his hand rubbed up and down on my arm.
The bouncing stopped and it didn't feel like we were moving at all. Everyone got quiet, and my stomach was still flipping from the heat, and the putrid odor.
The door suddenly opened and we were once again face to face with our kidnappers. Their eyes were hollow; it was like looking at death itself. The sky was dark, but I was finally able to check my watch and see that it was midnight. They reached in, dragged Frank out of the van and immediately shut the door.
"Oh my god," Tom mumbled. We heard a brief struggle on the other side of the door, but then silence.
We were so silent, you could hear a pin drop. We had no idea what just happened. The unknown was inescapable. It felt like an eternity, but then they'd open the door again and grab another kid and shut the door, leaving the rest of us in the darkness.
They were doing this one at a time, again and again to every single child in our van. We had no idea what was happening. As far as we knew, they were being taken out to be killed. We didn't hear or see anything else. It was utterly terrifying.
The kids began to cling to me, Tom, and to an older kid named Jeffrey, who was a freshman. When the door opened and they were reaching for one of the kids, Jeffrey went ahead of her. He pushed her behind him and I took her under my arm as the door shut.
"Tom..."
"Yeah?"
I didn't want to admit that I was scared, but I was. I didn't want the kids to hear me, or seem vulnerable. My grip on the remaining children was tight, but the kidnappers kept coming to take them away from me.
"I don't know what to do." I could feel my heart in my throat. In situations like this, I just have myself to think about and it often makes me reckless. But now that I have so many innocent children to think about, I have to think about them first.
"Me neither," he said honestly.
The door opened again, and the kids clung to us for dear life. I couldn't bear to hand them anymore kids. With no idea what was going on on the other side of that door, I was petrified.
The man pointed at Tom and said, "you. Now."
A little gasp escaped my throat and I turned to look at Tom. His glossy eyes met mine, and I shook my head frantically.
"No, no, no, no, no," I said quickly.
Tom's hand cupped my cheek and he leaned to give me a kiss. I felt his tear press against my hot cheek and when he pulled away he said, "I'll be right there, all right?"
I sniffed and begged, "please, don't go."
"I'll see you soon, okay?" He promised.
"No. Don't leave me. Please, don't leave me, Tom."
There was no choice. Tom was dragged out of the van and the door slammed closed. I tried hard not to cry out so I pressed my wrist into my mouth and squeezed my eyes shut. As far as I know, he could be dead. I took a few deep breathes, but then I felt little arms wrap around me.
I opened my tear filled eyes and saw that the last few kids were trying to comfort me. I sniffed and pulled them in as close as I could, and I bit my lips together to keep them from trembling. Her head rested against me, and I rested my head on hers.
"Why are you sad?" One of their little voices asked me in the dark.
I cleared my throat and wiped my hand against my face. My voice was weak but I managed to say, "I'm just scared."
"Why are you scared?"
Oh my god.
"I'm scared because I don't know where we are."
"Just like you and Tommy said. Everything is gonna be okay."
I smiled softly at her words and said, "you're right. Everything is going to be okay."
The door opened again, and again. Soon, it was just me and April left. I didn't have the heart to give her to these men, but I didn't want her to be afraid here in the dark all alone. I didn't know which was worse.
When the door opened again, I already knew what I had to do. It broke my heart, but I pulled her into a hug and said to her softly, "don't be afraid. I'm right there behind you, okay? It's going to be okay. Go with them."
"I don't want to."
"It's going to be okay."
"Don't make me go, please. Please, Mickey, I don't want to go," she cried softly.
"I'll see you in a minute," I promised.
April cried, but the men grabbed her from me and shut the door. Now, I was all alone in this van. I had never felt so alone in my life.
A few minutes later, the door opened again for the last time. I got out of the van and I was hit with the fresh, warm air. The stars twinkled above, and my eyes landed on the moon. One of the kidnappers asked for my name, so I said, "Mickey McQuaid", my age, "17", and my address, so I gave them Fuller's address.
They held me still and one of them ripped off the sleeve of my striped t-shirt. They nodded to each other, and then they guided me through the dark of the night to a nearby hole in the ground. They ordered me down the hole, and I couldn't say no. I saw crosspieces of a ladder that led down deeper into the narrow hole in the earth, so I squatted down and climbed down the ladder. Soon, I was reunited with all the children, and Frank.
I cannot explain the relief I felt seeing all of them down there alive. I genuinely believed that we were all being killed one at a time. A few of the kids ran to my legs and hugged me, which made me fight the tears that had begun streaming down my face.
The structure looked like a van that was buried about ten feet under the ground. I glanced around and on one side there were dirty mattresses, water, some peanut butter, bread, and cereal. Not very much, just enough for everyone to have one meal. There were holes cut into boxes on the other side, it was obvious that they're supposed to be used as make-shift toilets.
All of us were stuffed in this little van that was buried at least ten feet under the earth, packed like sardines. It was too dark outside to see anything that wasn't directly in front of me, but in here we had a little lamp that gave us a little sliver of light.
Only one horrific thought crossed my mind: we are in our coffin.
I glanced around the van with a little scowl on my face. I looked at Frank and asked, "where's Tom?"
Frank's thick eyebrows furrowed over his dreary eyes and then he said, "I thought he was with you. Is he still in the van?"
I shook my head and the fear crept right back into my heart. My hand started to shake and my chest trembled. "N-no, he left before I did."
Frank looked at me softly and he said in a gentle tone, "he never made it down, darling."
"Oh my god," I said. My hand flew up to my heart and I felt lightheaded again. I thought I was going to be sick.
In that moment, I heard a clatter so I turned around and saw that the men were pulling the ladder back up. We all stared at it in confusion, and my heart dropped to my stomach.
"We'll be back for you," one of the men shouted.
Then, they shut the top.
My jaw slacked in disbelief. Even after all of this, I could not believe that these monsters trapped us underground. I was unsure about a lot of things, but I knew that they were never going to come back.
One of the little girls innocently asked, "are they gonna come back?"
No one had an answer to that. I didn't want to tell her the agonizing truth, and I'm sure no one else wanted to either. Then, all we could hear was the dirt and gravel being thrown on top of the roof. It was like nailing out coffin shut. Over and over and over. We were being buried alive.
I leaned against the wall and sank down to my butt. All I could hear was our own death, and I couldn't get it out of my head. It will forever haunt me. I rested my head against my knees, and tried to take deep, shaky breathes to calm myself down.
"Hey," I heard. I looked up and Frank had a little paper cup of water and another cup of cereal, and a peanut butter sandwich in his hand. He gestured them to me and said, "you need to eat."
I sniffed and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I readjusted my brown belt I had around my waist as I said, "no, that's okay. The kids need it more than I do."
"You need to eat," he reiterated.
"I'm okay."
"Hon, I'm not gonna eat until you do."
I looked at him with a soft sigh. He was right. I was so hungry, I didn't even have an appetite anymore. My stomach was cramping, and I lost all my energy. I gave in and took the food from him and started eating the flavorless sandwich by taking small bites. It burned my throat to swallow.
"Thank you," I said softly and sniffed.
He smiled at me and sat down on a little crate beside me. We both looked at all the kids who were eating for the first time in almost twenty hours with tear stained faces and puke and urine covered clothes.
"Why are they doing this?" I asked softly and took a sip of the warm water.
"I'm not sure."
"If it's a punishment, it's worse than hell."
"Whatever it is, it is not a good enough reason." He sighed and looked over at me. He offered me his hand and said, "I'm Frank."
"Mickey." I shook his hand.
"It's unfortunate we got to properly meet under these conditions."
"Yeah."
"You weren't part of the summer camp, were you?"
"No, sir."
"Lloyd's class, huh?"
Mr. Lloyd was teaching the drug and alcohol classes that I've been attending. I nodded and said, "yeah."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Actually, I'm a cop, sir. I've been going undercover the past few weeks." I figured that I'd tell him the truth about who I am. If we are going to die anyway, might as well. Honestly, I have nothing left to lose.
"Oh." His eyebrows raised. He looked more hopeful, but I didn't want to give him any false hope.
I laughed humorlessly and said, "I wish I could confidently say that we will be getting out of here... but I just don't know. It's not looking good if I'm being honest. I'm sure you know that."
"Yeah, but they don't." He looked out to the sea of terrified kids that surrounded us.
Our conversation came to a halt when one of the little girls came up to us. I asked how she was doing, and she responded with, "I just promised God that if I survived this, I would be the best little girl. I'd be the best little girl my whole entire life."
I sank further against the wall of the van and let my head rest back against the metal bars that outlined the walls. I had no words. I was feeling sick again.
The hours that followed were awful. The kids were utilizing the boxes and soon the entire place stunk of urine and feces. The sound of vomit spewing into the ground and in the boxes were constant, and a lot of the kids were showing obvious signs of heat stroke. They were crying for their parents, which broke me. I could not imagine being a parent and know that my child was crying out for me.
It did not take long for all the food to completely disappear. If they fed us, they were obviously looking to keep us alive for some period of time. But now, that time was running out.
Are they holding us for ransom? Just for fun? I had no idea, and the unknown of it all terrified me. Tom was still missing, and I could only imagine that the worst happened to him.
Tom is dead. He died. He never made it down to this bunker. He was shot. He was probably killed out in the woods. Most likely execution style. Right now, he is alone in the darkness. If I ever get out of here, I'll find him and properly put him to rest. He doesn't deserve to have a tragic end like that. But if I don't, then I'll be reunited with him and we can truly spend eternity together.
Just me and you...
I didn't even have the energy to cry. I felt so weak already, I could just curl up on the floor and die. I checked my watch and saw that it had been over twenty-four hours since we were abducted on that school bus. I sighed and blew a raspberry out my lips.
"I can't believe this is happening," I said to Frank. "I just can't believe it."
"These kids don't deserve any of this," he agreed and looked out at all of them.
"I'm afraid that my friend is dead," I admitted with a trembling voice.
Frank was silent for a moment, and I knew it was because he probably felt the same way. He said, "when we get out of here, we will find him. I-I bet he got out and is getting help right now."
I looked up at him and asked, "you think so?"
He smiled down at me like how a grandfather would. "I know so."
A long creak made everyone look up at the roof. From the tremendous weight of all the dirt and gravel that they piled on top of the tin foil van, the roof was starting to cave in. We could all hear the creaking with pieces of dirt falling into the van.
"Oh my god," I whispered. My jaw was trembling. "We are literally going to be buried alive."
Frank stood up and said bravely, "if we are going to die, we're going to die trying to get out of here."
His motivation flipped a switch inside of me. We need to get out of here. Despite my burning throat, hot skin, and aching stomach, I got up on my feet and asked, "what do you have in mind?"
"We need to move the cover. Here, Jeffrey! Come here, help me." He started to stack the mattresses, so Jeffrey and I helped. We placed them directly underneath the hole, and I stood on top of them and looked up.
"Jeffrey, get down on your hands and knees. Mickey, stand on his back and try to move the cover."
Jeffrey got on his hands and knees on the filthy mattress and I took Franks hand to help step up onto his back. I slowly stood up and put my hands on the cover of the hole.
I pressed up and tried to move it, but it wouldn't budge. I grunted and groaned in an attempt to use all my muscle, but I felt so weak. It was so difficult, but then, the kids started to cheer me on.
"Come on, Mickey!"
"You can do it!"
"We all believe in you!"
Their words of encouragement honestly helped me so much. The motivation from their enthusiastic voices gave me the strength to try to save us. It reminded me of how delicate and precious they all are. My main goal was to get these kids back to their parents, and that was exactly what I was going to do.
Jeffrey and I took turns trying to move the cover for hours. Either I'd step on his back or he would step on mine, so neither of us were really getting a real break. Frank helped a bit too, but I was quickly running out of steam. During our small breaks, we were hanging out with the kids and trying to distract them.
We were all sweating, and quite literally dying of heatstroke. My back felt bruised and every muscle in my body was cramping and achy. Frank was on his hands and knees with Jeffrey standing on top of him to give me a short break. I had my knees tucked up to my chest with my forehead resting on my kneecaps. Then, all of a sudden, I heard, "it's moving. I see it moving."
I slowly looked up and saw that Jeffrey had gotten the cover to move. He looked back at me with wide eyes, and I stepped up with Frank and we collectively pushed the cover out of the way.
Once that was moved, we noticed that it was so heavy because there were two truck batteries on top of it. Beyond that, our kidnappers had placed a wooden box around the entrance so it didn't go directly into the earth.
"Okay, Jeffrey, pick Mickey up and push her up into the box so we can see what we are working with," Frank advised.
Jeffrey and I nodded, and he laced his fingers together and held them out for me. I put my foot in his hands and used his shoulder for balance. I looked up and at the same time, I jumped and he lifted me up into the roof of the van where the wooden box covered the entrance to the van.
"What are we working with?" Frank asked once I was situated on the roof.
I glanced around, and it was very small and dark. I sighed and said, "I think we are going to have to dig."
Jeffrey soon joined me. We worked together and used our hands to dig as fast as we could. I kept checking my watch, which was making time go by even slower. After about an hour of digging, I heard Jeffrey gasp.
"Mickey. Look."
I glanced over at him and he pushed some dirt up and out of the way, and beautiful beams of bright sunlight came cascading down on us like butterscotch pudding was pouring into the hole.
I immediately smiled in instant relief. For the first time, I felt hope. "Oh my god. We're gonna get out of here."
The kids in the van started freaking out with cheers and happy tears. Light was pouring down onto us, as if the universe was telling us that it wasn't our time to go yet.
We didn't know where we were, or if our kidnappers were up there waiting for us. We still didn't know what they wanted, but there was nothing else we could do. We were going to take our only chance.
Jeffrey and I climbed back down into the van and we worked together to get Frank up first. Once he was up and over the earths surface, Jeffrey and I hoisted every single kid up through the hole. I was down in the van, lifting them up to Jeffrey and then Jeffrey lifted them up to Frank. Luckily, our kidnappers weren't up there so everyone was able to make it up to the surface.
When there was no one else in the room, Jeffrey reached down to grab my hands and he pulled me up onto the roof. Then, Frank helped us get out and we were finally out of that dark, dreary hole.
I got up on my feet and noticed that we were in a working rock quarry. I covered the fiery sun from my eyes. Since they were so used to complete darkness, the sun felt like it was burning my eyes out of my sockets. I could hear machinery, and the sounds of men talking. I noticed a man looking straight at us with his jaw to the ground, looking like he just saw a ghost. He had just witnessed twenty-eight people crawling out from the ground. I felt like I just crawled out of hell. We probably looked like it too.
He looked at all of us for a moment, and we looked back at him. The only thing between us was silence. Then, he finally said, "the world's been looking for you."
______________________________
We found out that we were in a small town of Oregon, about six hours away from Metropolis. The men in the quarry gave us their water and called the police for us. When the cruisers came, we were all escorted to the safest place we could possibly be: the local jail.
A few of the kids were confused about why we pulled up to the county jail. A few began to cry, because they were afraid that they were in trouble. I calmly explained to them that they were just taking us here so we were out of the heat, and that their parents would find us there.
It didn't feel like we had been rescued. I was afraid that I was going to open my eyes and be back in that underground van. But now that I didn't have the responsibility of caring for twenty-six children, I let my mind run off to think about Tom. I just wanted to know what happened to him.
I wasn't mentally present when we were put into rooms to be photographed, checked by doctors, and everyone had an interview about what had happened. I was incredibly nervous that this would break my anonymous presence, since this was probably going to be one of the biggest stories of the year. If my face gets out there, I'll never be able to go undercover ever again.
I was sitting on a chair when Frank walked up to me. He handed me some apple slices and his coat so I could hide my face. He promised me, "no one will get any pictures of ya, and no one is gonna know who you are. I guarantee ya that."
"Thank you." I smiled at him and draped the large jacket over my head to hide from the press.
Frank kept his promise. He stayed around me and whenever I heard someone ask about me, he would stop them and say that I was feeling unwell and needed to be alone. I will never forget his kindness. He is my hero. Without him, we would never have made it out.
Thankfully, everyone was physically unharmed for the most part. Most of the kids suffered heatstroke, including myself. But shock and trauma were also evident in everyone. Otherwise, we were all safe.
Well, almost all of us.
The officers were starting to shoo the press out of the jail to give enough room for the parents to come in. Families were frantic, trying desperately to find their kids after hearing that they were kidnapped and held in an underground coffin for almost two whole days. I couldn't imagine the fear they felt.
Parents were crying, and children were crying. I was watching everyone get reunited with their moms and dads as I munched on some apple slices and sipped some soda. One little boy ran straight to his mom. She picked him up in her arms and all he said was, "hi, mom," before he rested his head on her shoulder and he immediately fell asleep.
My little smile faded when I thought of Tom. I felt so alone with him gone. I needed him here, now, with me. I didn't want to believe that he was actually gone, because I would never be able to handle it. I couldn't live without him.
"Mick?! Mick!" I heard.
My head shot up and I could see Tom navigating his way through the sea of parents. He looked just as rough as I felt. His hair was messy, he had sweat on his face and his light shirt was shadowed with sweat on his chest and back. He wore the same clothes as I saw him in last, and I immediately shot up to my feet.
"Tom!" My hoarse voice croaked out.
Tom's eyes met mine and then he frantically pushed his way through. I ran straight into his arms and I felt myself relax for the first time since yesterday morning. He wrapped his arms around me tightly and didn't let me go. I never thought I could love someone this hard.
"I-I-I didn't know what happened to you. I was so scared. I—" I rambled with my mouth against his shoulder.
"It's okay, I'm here now. It's okay."
"I'm sorry," I said and squeezed him tighter.
"About what?" He asked as he rubbed my back.
"That was the worst birthday ever."
"It's definitely the most memorable," he said to make it lighthearted.
"Oh, man, I have never been on a school bus and not regretted it," I said with a little laugh to cope with the trauma.
Tom smiled and gave me a kiss. He's always been there for me as the world is falling down. I was back in his arms, and I finally felt safe for the first time in nearly 48 hours. I felt myself gently relax and I fell asleep in his arms.
Later, Tom told me that when they took him off of the van, they had planned to pin the entire crime on him. They were holding all of us for a $5 million ransom. They had been planning this kidnapping for over a year, and they buried that van in the quarry months ago. We were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.
It took a while for these men to be caught. During this time, it was unbearable because I was always afraid that I felt like they were going to come back and get me. I kept having vivid nightmares of being buried alive, or lined up and shot by these guys.
I started sleeping with a night light, because I couldn't bear to be in the dark. Even with Tom there, it was hard for me to sleep for a while. Whenever I woke up in the middle of the night, he would pull me close to him and whisper about how I was safe, and lull me back to sleep. I also started suffering from claustrophobia for the first time in my life. Hopefully it'll get better with time.
When homes of the men who kidnapped us were searched, they found a literal document labeled 'Plan' which detailed the entire kidnapping, along with a ransom note. It was explained that they needed multiple victims to get multiple millions of dollars, and they picked children because children are precious. They stated that Evergreen State would willingly pay a heavy ransom for them, and children are vulnerable, they don't fight back, and they will listen. It was one of the most sickening and twisted things I've ever heard.
The worst part of it all is that it was entirely pointless. They were all trust fund babies, all wanting to make a quick buck. I hope their trust funds pay for my therapy.
They were never planning on coming back for us.
______________________________
After those men were arrested, Tom and I were called to the station in Oregon to identify them in a line-up. We drove the six hours back to the station, because we wanted to see these men put away for their crimes. This was not something we were going to let get brushed under the rug.
We were greeted by every single child that was on the bus, including Frank. Jeffrey was the first kid I hugged, and April was the second. All the kids were exhilarated to see me and Tom, despite the monsters we were going to have to face.
We were all brought into a room where there was a giant window. On the other side of the glass, stood three men with their heads just grazing above the 6-foot mark on the wall behind them.
The kids were silent. We all had to look our kidnappers in the eye and listen to them repeat horrible phrases that we had all reported that they said to us during our abduction.
"Shut up and sit down."
"Listen to what I say."
"Get to the back of the bus."
Tom held my hand and we supported each other while facing our abductors. Seeing their faces for the first time, I saw that they were our age. They were young. They're college age. It made them less scary and more human.
We all identified them easily. They aren't the kind of people that anyone will be able to forget. I will always remember those faces for as long as I live. The memories of torment will live inside of us for forever.
None of us stuck around for the arrest. We left the room, but all twenty-nine of us got together again to say our final goodbyes.
"Will we ever see you again?" April asked with her big eyes on us.
Tom squatted down to her eye level and said, "we will always be there if you need us."
"We will always need you." She wrapped her little arms around Tom, and he hugged her back tightly.
One of the parents cleared her throat to gather all of our attention. Her kind eyes were welling up with tears and she said, "we all got together and brought something for you guys. Go ahead, give it to them."
Every child grabbed cards from their parents and gave them to us. Every single child made an individual card for me, Tom, Frank, and Jeffrey. I put my hand in my heart and hugged every single child. I could feel tears threatening to spill onto my cheeks. I had never felt such warmth toward children before, it almost made me want one of my own.
Once they were all gifted, the mom continued, "we just wanted to thank you for protecting our kids. We appreciate what each of you did so very much. There is nothing we can do to express how thankful we are."
When we all had armfuls of thank-you cards from the kids, I knew that these kids would be a part of our lives for forever. There was not going to be a goodbye. We will definitely see them again soon.
Tom and I left the station, and began our long drive back home. It was pretty quiet between us, but it felt nice. It felt like that horrific chapter was finally closed after all this time, and we could finally relax and move on.
I wish I could block out our abduction for the rest of my life, but I know that it will follow me forever. One thing is for sure, I am never going on a school bus again for the rest of my life.
When we got home, we decided to open our cards together on the living room floor. With the first card I opened, I immediately had tears spring from my eyes. Just a few simple words were written in blue crayon, with a little drawing of a stick-figure in a cape standing on top of a school bus.
"You'll always be my hero."