I take in the two angry men who are still holding him back ... and it finally starts to fall into place.
I walked into something awful.
This is bad, so very, very bad!
I shake my head as shock ripples over me like tiny thorns pricking at my skin.
“Josh.” The whisper comes from far away, as if it’s being dragged through a wasteland of despair as the reality of what’s happening slams hard into me, making me hiccup with fear.
My pulse speeds up until it makes my blood rush through my veins.
My mind switches over to a higher gear, until all my thoughts are a blur.
The man’s fingers dig painfully into my bicep as if he can feel the realization seeping into me. He yanks harder and as I lose sight of Josh, fight finally explodes inside of my chest.
“No!” I jerk my arm free and rush forward. I run into the living room where I’ve spent so many happy nights laughing with my brother.
The men are busy pulling him to his feet.
“Let him go!” I scream at them and in this irrational moment I actually believe I can take both of them down.
The man holding Josh’s right arm actually smirks at me, as if I’m nothing but a pesky fly.
I reach out and just as I’m about to grab hold of Josh, arms come around me. My eyes meet Josh’s and I see nothing but dismay and despair reflected back at me. I don’t understand why he’s not fighting.
I try to yank free from the tight grip, but it’s useless. I’m just not strong enough.
The man who was smirking just a minute ago moves his right arm and only then do I see the flash of metal. A gun. For a stunned second I frown, but then I notice the other gun, glimmering in the hand of the man holding Josh’s left arm.
These men are armed!
Gears click into place and my mouth dries up with terror. My body goes stiff from the sudden wave of tension that hits me.
These men are going to hurt us badly. I have to do something. I have to get help.
I turn around to run but I’m stopped dead in my tracks as a fist slams hard into the side of my head. The pain is sharp, burning a scorching path down my cheek and into my neck. My whole body flies back from the unexpected blow. I try to reach out … to grab hold of something, anything. But there’s nothing. My shoulder blades hit the floor first, jarring my upper body. The back of my head slams into the side of the wall. A dull ache creeps down my neck and then my vision blurs.
Chapter Two
Riley~
Dreams offer us a way of escaping when there is nowhere to run to, when there is nowhere left to hide.
If only I could dream us to safety.
My memory is a foggy mess. I can’t remember everything that happened. I don’t know who has us. I don’t know why we were taken.
I remember getting the pizza and driving to Josh’s house. I remember the smell of the pizza … but nothing else. My last clear memory is of parking my car behind Josh’s.
I’ve tried calling out to whoever has us, but there has been no response to my pleas.
I have cried.
I have begged.
I have groveled.
I have even prayed.