Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Her day began as any other, urged from a dreamless sleep by the blasting bullhorn beside her bed. She plunged her head deeper into her pillow, ignoring the alarm clock as it grew louder and more insistent.

She reached over and fumbled for the snooze button. Poppy was not home today. He wouldn’t be in to shut off the alarm and coax her awake. When he traveled on business, her father expected her to get up and ready for school without his help.

She hated to disappoint him, so she propped herself on one elbow and yawned. Reluctantly, she sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Dangling her feet over the edge, she rubbed her eyes until they squeaked, and still groggy, slid off to begin the day.

After cleaning her teeth and raking the tangles from her hair, she went to her closet and picked out clothes Poppy would not have permitted her to wear to school on any other day, a pink spaghetti-strap top he claimed was too showy and holey jeans. She considered this a minor act of defiance. Even though what she had picked out would not be conservative enough for Poppy’s taste, the clothes were just fine, at least compared to what other kids were wearing.

In a sleepy fog, she dressed and then plodded heavy-footed into the kitchen to make breakfast. She settled on a bowl of multi-grain cereal. Her father always bugged her to try his rabbit food, and since his instructions were to eat healthy today, she would make the effort.

That, however, was as far as her inclination for wholesome living went this morning. She needed a kick-start, so she made coffee in the single-cup brewer, as she had done many mornings for Poppy.

After doctoring it with plenty of sweetener and hazelnut crème, she sat at the table sipping the bitter concoction, trying to enjoy the stuff. Now eleven years old and trusted to stay home without a babysitter, she ought to have some adult privileges, and a cup of coffee was just the thing to impress Sophia. When the two of them walked to school, she would casually mention it to her.

Outside the gated courtyard, she paced up and down the driveway, waiting for Sophia to pass by. Each day the friends walked together the three blocks to school. On this warm, clear morning, birds caroled overhead and traffic hummed in the distance. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

A car engine sputtered to life at the end of the street, the high-pitch whine piercing the quiet. The vehicle revved and belts squealed in protest before the over-worked motor stalled. After a few grinding cranks, the ancient panel van restarted and gunned from its parking spot, a wake of dirty smoke trailing from behind.

The battered van raced towards the child and skidded to a stop, dangerously close to striking her. The smell of scorched rubber and oily exhaust fumes filled the air.

Startled, she heard herself scream, but stood paralyzed as the terrifying scene unfolded around her. She would later wonder why she had not run to safety behind the gate instead of freezing like a snowman in an ice storm. Everything happened so fast.

Two men, one monstrously large, tumbled out of the side door and charged at her. Both men wore a bandana tied across their face.

As they grabbed at her, she came to life with a surge of adrenaline, thrashing and clawing at them, fighting with wild ferocity.

The two men, grunting and sweating, wrestled her towards the van. Alongside the vehicle, the big man swept her off her feet and tossed her through the side door. He rolled in over her as the second abductor piled in on top. Before either had a chance to slide the door shut, the driver screeched off, fishtailing down the street.

As suddenly as the chaotic madness had erupted, the bedlam calmed and the neighborhood returned to quiet tranquility. No one saw a thing.

While the largest man scrambled to tie her hands and feet with rope, she struggled in heated rage, screaming for help and yelling profanities. The other man looped duct tape around her head, trying to cover her eyes and mouth. The door wheeled freely back and forth on its tracks, latching closed when the driver pounded the brakes to avoid rear-ending another vehicle.

Before the other two were able to subdue her, the girl caught a quick glimpse of the driver. With the commotion still raging behind him, the man pulled off the nylon stocking he wore over his head and turned over his shoulder to shout orders. His greasy hair was tied back in a short, stringy ponytail and she spotted a gaudy diamond stud in his right ear. She also noticed a pronounced scar across his sloping forehead. Someone had likely clobbered him, she imagined. He was, after all, a very loud, crude and ugly man, and he probably deserved it.

The loudmouth spent much of the time yelling obscenities and berating the other two men, who passively endured the verbal onslaught while struggling to keep their balance. He jerked lane-to-lane passing slower traffic and rocked the van as he sped around corners. The erratic driving tossed everyone around the van’s cargo area. The men in the back rolled on top of her, the putrid stench of their body odor causing her nostrils to burn.

Were there no cops patrolling today, she wondered, marveling at the driver’s brazen disregard for safety. This man could use a few driving tips from Poppy. He was a good example of a safe and courteous motorist. This guy was an a*****e.

Minutes and miles separated the girl from the safety of her home. She became disoriented, wilting from the physical pain of the assault while her mind raced. A tenacious spirit shielded her from complete panic, although, she began to hyperventilate. She struggled to catch her breath and slow her breathing, her heart hammering hard inside her chest.

The two who had snatched her situated themselves so they were able to sit without sliding around and relaxed the farther they got from the house. Blindfolded, she laid motionless on the floorboard trying to estimate how long they had been traveling. She never realized how difficult it was to measure time while sightless and she wondered whether there was a connection between sight and the perception of time.

The van left pavement and drove onto a gravel road, interrupting her curiosity.

A short while later, the van slowed. They passed over a rutted stretch that bounced the vehicle violently, and then came to a stop.

The driver parked and got out of the vehicle, instructing the other two sleazes to watch over her. They hated the driver and their remarks when he was out of earshot were nasty. Not one of these trolls had civilized bearings. There was absolutely no excuse to use such foul language in the presence of a child, and she would report their awful behavior to her father.