The class is just what I needed to clear my mind. Spending time with children always lifts my spirits. At eight the class finishes, and I pull out my phone to call the taxi.
I'm standing in the parking lot, beneath a lamp post. The parking is filled with parents picking up their children,
"Bye Sofia!" the cutest voice of a six-year-old girl calls, I smile at my dance student and give her a big wave,
"See you next week Ollie!" I call back, her mum smiles and waves at me. That's the last thing I see before a large dark grey van stops right in front of me. A masked man jumps out, hits me hard across my temple with some sort of metal object. The pain rings through my ears, I lose my footing, I scream, I fight. The attacker slaps me across my face, my teeth cluck together. People around us are screaming, yelling for help. The man pulls me up by my hair and hauls me into the car. He jumps into the driver's seat and drives off. I force my body to function, I go to open the door. The attacker turns around and grabs me by my hair, he pushes my head into the seat, and holds me like that so I can't move. I can barely breathe as he's pushing my head into the leather. I struggle to get free, the more I struggle, the less air enters my lungs. I feel like I will suffocate, but I do everything to stay awake.
Be calm. Breathe. Breathe. Slowly, my senses return. I stop struggling, and focus on my breathing. In, out. In, out. I can tell he's driving very fast, I can feel each time he turns. I can feel each bump on the road. Breathe. Breathe. His grip slightly loosens, maybe thinking I am unconscious. Let him think that. Breathe.
When I feel like I've regained my strength, I push up with all my force, my head flies up. He swears and breaks really hard. The van swivels to a hard stop. I go to open the door, he exits the van. Just as I open it, he appears on the other side. Face to face with a masked monster. I lunge backwards, kicking at him with my legs. But he is ready for the attack, he moves out of the way, then tries grabbing my legs. I kick harder, he yells out a hurt grunt, but manages to push my legs down with his body. He grasps my hair once more and pulls me forward, he punches me, I squeal in pain. He grasps my wrists and quickly tapes them together. Then throws a black plastic bag over my head, I feel like I am losing air once more.
I kick at him even harder, this time I succeed in kicking where it hurts and he cries out in pain. A voice so familiar. So familiar...
"George?" I cry, "George? Is that you?"
The man responds in a deep, unnatural voice that I can't place,
"You want to fight? Huh? How does this feel?" he punches me right in my stomach, my legs curl up defensively, my lungs cry for air. He uses the moment to clasp my knees together and tape around them with duct tape, just like he did with my hands. He then does the same to my ankles. When done, he leaves me curled up on the back seat and slams the door shut. Without another word, he turns the van on and drives.
I am in so much pain, mu head is killing me. My body feels like it's bruised all over. I've never been hurt like this. No one has ever been this rough. Not even close. Except when this same man punched me in that forest. But then I had Wolf. He saved me. Now? Now I am alone. I am so hurt, that I can hear myself moaning in pain. I can't stop it. I can feel the distinct metallic taste of blood in my mouth, my temple feels like it's bleeding too.
Focus. I try to tell myself. Focus. Breathe. Focus. Stay awake. Breathe.
I try to work my hands, but the duct tape is wound around extremely tight. I'm laying on my side, my back towards the drivers seat. I try freeing my hands again. No use. Too tight. Slowly, so he doesn't notice, I raise my tied hands towards my head, pulling on the bag to get it off. Not fully off, as I don't want the driver to nice, only far enough to push my hands to my mouth. I bite down on the tape, trying to tear it off. I grunt loudly. Then freeze. But he doesn't notice. Or he might think I am grunting from the pain he inflicted.
I bite down hard, the adhesive sticks to me lips as I yank my head back. After a long while, I feel the tough material give way slowly, until it finally tears with a sharp rip. I freeze once more, waiting for the driver's reaction. But he doesn't react at all. He's focused on driving. I feel chills run through me at the thought of where he might be taking me, and what he wants to do with me once we get there. My hands are free, but my legs are wound tightly together, around my knees and ankles. Slowly, I start working on the tape around my knees. Once I find the start, it can peel off easily. The problem is the sound it makes, so I have to do it extremely slowly. Bit by bit.
To my utter horror, the car slows down. No. Please no. Drive. Please Drive. I beg mentally. The car stops. I stay still pretending I'm unconscious. The man pulls the hand break, exits the vehicle. I wait. Nothing. Where is he? Slowly, I pull the bag off my head. Darkness. I push myself slightly up, look out the window. I see him. Tall. Dressed in a puffy jacket and black jeans. His cry of pain comes back to mind. George? Is it George? I stare at the man as my hands work the tape, now quickly. What is he doing? How long was the drive? Where are we? Then I realise, the man is pissing on the side of the road, his back to the car. Or... is it a road? Yes. Gravel. Surrounded by woods. All trees. No houses, no people, no lights.
While still looking at him, I struggle to free my legs. Somehow, even with all my shaking, I manage to pull the tape off. I'm free. What next? If I just exit the car, he will come after me. Am I fast enough to outrun him? I can't risk it. But what other option do I have? If I wait in the car, he will take me wherever he wants. And then it's too late. Obviously even the fact he's free enough to stop and piss shows how unconcerned he is about getting caught. He's certain he got away. The man straightens, he starts walking towards the car. I quickly duck my head below the window, and lay on the side, heart thumping. He gets into driver's seat and starts driving, without checking on me. He must think I'm fully unconscious.
As soon as the car starts, I lunge forward. Grasp the handle and pull the sliding door open. I jump out. He breaks hard. I'm already running into the woods where he can't follow with the car. It's only a moment later, I hear a gun shot. Louder than any sound I heard before, a scream escapes me. He's after me. Another gun shot. This one actually almost hit me, the tree bark next to me
As soon as the car starts, I lunge forward. Grasping the handle, I yank the sliding door open and leap out. He slams on the brakes, but I'm already sprinting toward the dense woods where he can't follow with the car. My heart pounds as I push through the underbrush.
A moment later, a gunshot rings out, louder than any sound I've ever heard. A scream escapes me involuntarily. He's after me. Another shot. This one nearly hits me, splintering the tree bark centimetres away. Panicked, I throw myself behind a large tree, using it as a shield. I press my back against the rough bark, trying to steady my breathing, straining to hear any movement.
For a moment, it's all quiet. I can't hear anything, darkness elopes around me. Then I hear his steps,
"Come out, now! Or I will kill you" he calls in that unnatural deep voice, "I'm not kidding around!"
He walks forward. A branch breaks somewhere close to me. I don't move. Hoping the attacker loses me. But I can't stop my trembling breath. It gives my location away. He grasps my elbow, I scream and kick. I manage to jolt myself out of his grasp. I run for my life. He's running right behind me. No more time to shoot. He wants to get me. I swivel through the trees, stumbling out onto a road. A different road than the one he drove on. This one is not gravel, and it's wider. I run down the road,
"Stop!" he calls, and shoots, pieces of road fly up in front of me. A car is speeding towards us, I wave my hands up in the air, running towards the headlights. But the car doesn't stop, it speeds past me. The man is on my heals, I swivel back into the woods, never slowing my pace. I run close enough to the road to run out for help if another car drives past. The man shoots again, the bullet rushes right next to my face, I swear I feel the wind. He'll kill me. I can't run any more. I am done.
Just then another car approaches, I run out into the middle of the street, right in front of the vehicle. The car screeches to a stop, I fall onto the pavement in front of it.
A man runs out of the car,
"Sofia!" I can't believe my ears. It's Daniel. He's here. I gather my strength and get up, running towards him,
"He has a gun!" I yell, "he has a gun!"
Daniel pushes me into the open driver's door of the car, I fall onto the seat. There is a gunshot, so close to us both. Then straight away another. No! He will kill Daniel! I force myself up, my eyes searching for Daniel. I see him. He's okay. He's not shot. Daniel is running into woods.
"Daniel!" I yell, then start running after him. All I can think is that the man will kill him! The man has a gun!
"Daniel! Please stop! He has a gun!" I yell, but the two don't stop. This is an altogether different chase to the one that happened before. This time the attacker is trying to get away, and Daniel is running after him with long, determined strides. I run after Daniel, but he's faster, and my body is tired, in pain. It's giving up on me. I stumble forward, almost falling to the ground. I can't let Daniel be killed. This gives me strength, I push myself up.
They're a lomg distance away from me, but I can make the man out, running through the trees. Daniel is catching up. I run forward. The man turns and shoots in Daniel's direction. Daniel doesn't even pause the pursuit, the man goes to shoot again, but this gave Daniel enough time to catch up. I can see he grabs the man's hand and simultaneously punches him in the gut and forces the gun out of his hand. The man falls to his knees, Daniel kicks him so hard the man slides through the leaves and slams into the tree behind him, laying on the ground.
I'm breathing so hard, running towards them both, every now and then I stumble and fall, but I force myself back up.
Daniel grasps the attacker by his shoulder, hauls him upwards, pinning him to the tree. The attacker tries to punch back, but Daniel is faster, he sends another hard blow into the man's gut. This takes all the fight out of him. The attacker is grunting, moaning, struggling to breathe.
Daniel pulls the man's hoodie off, beneath it, he's wearing a black ski mask. Daniel pulls the mask off.
I stop, staring at the bloodied face of the attacker. I can't believe it. I just can't believe it.
"Knew it was you!" Daniel hisses, he knees him in the guts. George topples over, falling to the ground. Once down, Daniel slams his foot into George's head, then kicks him with the other.
"Daniel!" I cry, running to him, worried he'll kill George if he keeps hitting him. Daniel turns his head towards me,
"Sofia! Why did you come after us, you-" I run straight at him, embracing his strong body with both arms. My head falls onto his chest. He doesn't hesitate. His arms encircle my body, almost crushing me into him. Now I am safe. Now I will be okay.