Needless to say, my plan to stay in the van and refuse to follow him out lasted for less than two minutes.
He tried to coax me into stepping out of the car with an inviting smile and the promise that nothing bad was going to happen. Yeah right! I've heard enough true crime podcasts to know that some guy tossing you in a car and driving you to the middle of the woods was a red flag, to say the least. When that didn't work, he got impatient, saying he didn't want to make a scene. As if I cared! I'd make a scene - Hell, I'd make a whole theater play complete with musical numbers and a live orchestra, if that meant not getting dismembered in the forest in the middle of nowhere. He firmly pulled me out of the car and slung me over his shoulder again.
As I flailed around as much as I could, I realized why he said he didn't want to "make a scene". This wasn't just some random secluded spot in the forest. It looked like a village. A few wooden cabins formed a half-circle around what looked like a common area with a few benches, tables, and some kind of circular stage in the center. There were even people around. This was my chance! Oh, I was SO going to make a scene.
"HEY! YOU OVER THERE" I yelled, trying to make eye contact with someone. "HELP ME! THIS GUY IS KIDNAPPING ME! DO SOMETHING!"
My shouts disrupted the otherwise tranquil atmospheres and soon the eyes of every bystander were on me. Some looked shocked, some looked vaguely concerned, but none of them made any kind of move to help. No one even got their phone out to dial 911. So much for human compassion and solidarity!
"I'LL EXPLAIN EVERYTHING LATER, DON'T WORRY" my captor yelled over me while walking faster.
For some reason everyone accepted that as a reasonable answer to their concern, because they all stayed away. Some even turned around and started walking again, going back to their business as if nothing happened. What was wrong with these people?
And just like that, he took me to the biggest house in the little clearing, the one right in the middle, and shut the door behind us.