Chapter 24:
Kidnapped
Brian
felt the whoosh of air as the bullet whizzed past his arm. There was a thud as
the bullet embedded itself in the wall. Only a few more inches to the right and
it would have hit Brian. He had to fight to stop himself from crying out.
“Stay exactly where you are you little fucker or next time I shoot, I won’t
miss!” Dustin said.
Brian could feel his heart hammering in his chest and the trickles of sweat
under his arms. Carl had told Dustin that they needed him in one piece so it
was likely that Dustin wouldn’t go through with his threat. Was his theory
worth testing?
“Brian! Daddy!” The scream came from upstairs. Sammy.
Gun or no gun, Brian had to help him. He felt his blood run cold at the terror
in the scream. He made a run for the stairs but Dustin grabbed him by the neck
and threw him roughly into a cabinet.
The glass door shattered and Brian moaned as he fell to the floor. Still, the
thought of Sammy convinced him that he had to pick himself back up.
“Daddy!”
Brian could hear the sob in Sammy’s voice. He looked up to see Carl dragging
and carrying the terrified five-year-old down the stairs in his pyjamas. Sammy
tried to run to Brian but Carl kept a firm hold of him.
“He’s in enough trouble as it is! You don’t want to make it any worse for him!”
Carl said.
“Let him go,” Brian begged. He pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the pain
where the glass had ripped into his arm. He staggered a few steps toward Carl
and Sammy but Dustin grabbed him.
Sammy had tears on his pale, little face. He was only a baby… Why wouldn’t they
let him go?
Carl ignored him. “Put him in the van, Dustin and don’t make so much bloody
noise! Do you want the whole god damn street waking up?”
Brian felt himself seized by Dustin as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.
He heard the click as the front door was opened. He couldn’t believe what was
happening to them. They’d been so happy. This was so unreal. It had to be some
kind of awful nightmare. The fear shivering through his body convinced him that
this was hard reality though.
“Shit, there’s a house over there with lights on! Hurry up, Dustin!”
Dustin dragged Brian out of the front door. Brian put up a brief struggle but
Dustin was gripping him so hard that he could feel the bruises forming on his
skin.
Outside, there was a white van waiting for them. Carl was trying to open the
doors, but it was proving to be a difficult job as Sammy was struggling and
crying in his arms. He kept trying to reach out towards Brian. Carl clapped a
hand over the little boy’s mouth to prevent him from crying out anymore.
“Want me to shut him up?” Dustin asked.
“No! Don’t hurt him!” Brian pleaded.
“Definitely not. We were told not to hurt him, remember?” he said. “Dustin, you
get the door.”
Dustin dropped Brian onto the floor.
“Try not to kill the Backstreet Boy.”
“I don’t like their music.”
“Neither do I, but that’s not the point.”
Brian felt ill. He had never been so frightened in his life before. He was
terrified that they were going to hurt Sammy. He looked across at Sammy’s pale
face. His eyes were filled with tears. He could see him trembling. He needed
Brian’s help. He began to get to his feet.
“Don’t you even think about moving!” Carl warned. He pointed a gun at Brian.
Sammy gave a cry of fear. “I was told to bring you alive but one or two holes
won’t matter!”
Brian nodded. Carl was deadly serious and Brian knew it. But surely someone had
heard something by now…
‘Help us, please,’ Brian begged silently. ‘At least get Sammy away
from these creeps!’
There was a grunt as Dustin wrenched the van doors open. He grabbed Brian and
threw him in.
“Daddy!” Sammy yelled, as Carl freed his mouth for a second.
“Nasty habit you’ve gotten into,” Carl commented. “I wouldn’t get too attached
to him if I were you!”
Sammy’s looked even more fearful at this point. He stretched a hand out towards
Brian.
“Please let him go! He’s only a baby! I’ll pay you! I’ll pay you whatever you
want!” Brian said.
“Sorry, no can do.” Carl seized Sammy and handed him to Brian. “Here, take the
little rat before I do something I regret!”
Brian took Sammy into his arms and hugged him close, thankful that he hadn’t
been hurt. Carl slammed the doors shut and left them both in darkness. A few
seconds later, Brian heard the two front doors slam. Then the engine roared
into life. He heard the tyres squeal as they drove the van rapidly out of the
street.
“What do they want?” Sammy asked, sobbing and trembling.
“I don’t know,” Brian said, kissing Sammy on the forehead. “You’ll be okay. I
won’t let them hurt you,” he promised.
“Did they hurt you?” Sammy asked. “Your arm was bleeding.”
“It’s just a scratch,” Brian said. He had to fight to remain calm. He hoped
that Sammy couldn’t hear the pounding of his heart. It felt as if it would
burst at any second. He had to remain calm, even though it was almost
impossible in these circumstances. If Sammy saw how frightened he truly was,
then he would become even more scared.
He gently brushed Sammy’s fringe back from his forehead. “I’m sure the
neighbours heard something,” he said.
“They have guns,” Sammy whispered, his voice trembling.
“They’re not going to hurt you. I won’t let them.”
Sammy clutched him tighter and gripped one of his hands. Brian kissed him again
and promised himself that, no matter what, he would make sure Sammy got away
safely.
***