Authors: Kim McMahill
Jessica lay on the ground, fighting the urge to scratch the itching caused by biting insects, feeling the vibrations of boots hitting the ground as footsteps neared. She bit her lip and held her breath. A gunman grabbed Amber by the hair, crouched down and stared at the terrified woman for a moment before dropping her head to the ground and stepping away.
Momentary relief flooded Jessica that Amber hadn’t been hurt or taken, then the pain hit. A fist yanked her by the hair and pulled her face up. She opened her eyes, looking directly into the cold dark eyes of a gunman. She wanted to scream, but pulled it in before a sound could escape. He scanned her face and he was so close she could smell the acrid odor of cigarettes and booze on his breath. He continued to hold her head up until another man came to his side. The other man looked at her and nodded, and she was abruptly yanked to her feet by her hair.
Jack and Zach made a move to stand at the same moment. A boot crashed hard into Zach’s back, forcing him to the ground while the man’s gun swung around and aimed at Jack’s head.
“Don’t move or he’ll shoot you!” the guide screamed.
Everyone froze. Two of the college girls and a balding middle-aged man huddled in a group not far from the man with the pistol to the guide’s head. Jack stood about five feet away, but didn’t move.
“¿Cuántas?”
asked the man holding Jessica’s hair.
“Cinco,”
replied the man with the pistol.
Jessica was pushed in the direction of the two girls and balding man, while the third gunman jabbed his gun in Jack’s back, forcing him to follow Jessica.
“Stay on the ground with your heads down. If they hear anyone move they’ll shoot one of the hostages,” the guide stuttered.
Jessica watched in horror as the guide’s head was bashed by the butt of the pistol, knocking him to the ground. The assailant then joined the other gunmen, seizing Jessica’s arm, and the three men began herding the group away from the ruins.
They were forced into a slow jog. The balding man’s gut bounced as he tried to keep up and each time he slowed to rest, he was jammed in the back with the barrel of a rifle. Jessica couldn’t see Jack behind her, but she could hear heavy male breathing so she suspected he was close. She wanted to turn and confirm his presence, but the man’s grip on her arm was strong as he pulled her along and she doubted he would tolerate even the slightest pause. His fingers dug into her skin, bruising her, though at the moment bruising was the least of her problems.
Everyone in the group was gasping for breath by the time they arrived at a battered old van. Two men pushed the hostages into a line facing the vehicle. The third man moved through the group and claimed every visible bag or pack. He then focused on each person individually. He started with Jack and quickly frisked him, removed his wallet from his back pocket, tied his hands behind his back, placed a strip of duct tape across his mouth, and shoved him into the van. The gunman repeated the process with the older, balding man before turning his focus on girls.
Jessica watched as the man slowly ran his hands over the girls’ bodies while the other two laughed and urged him on. She closed her eyes, but couldn’t block out the sound of terrified whimpers. She listened as tape was pulled from the roll and ripped and soon the muffled cries ceased. Jessica knew she was next.
The man put his hands on her shoulders and ran them down her back and over her hips. He was so close she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. The sensation sent goose-bumps down her arms. As he grabbed her to turn her around, several thuds against the wall of the van drew his attention away from her. He quit patting her down, tied her hands, taped her mouth and hustled her toward the back of the van.
She cringed as she watched one man hold Jack’s head back while the other man landed three solid punches into Jack’s gut. He barely flinched as each blow landed, but Jessica did. She felt responsible for the pain, realizing the noise which had distracted the man from touching her had been no accident. Now Jack was paying the price. She didn’t understand why he had done it, but was thankful.
As she was shoved into the van, the two men released Jack and assumed their places in the front seats. She hit her head on the floor and winced as a sharp bolt of pain shot through her skull. Jessica struggled to right her balance, rolling around to a sitting position with her back against the van wall and bracing her feet to keep from tumbling over as the van jerked forward and bumped along down the dirt road.
One man drove, one sat in the passenger’s seat turned around with his gun pointed at them and the third sat at the rear of the van with his weapon at the ready to prevent anyone from trying to escape the back door.
Jessica sat quietly. She looked over at the two girls and tried desperately to remember their names. For some reason Megan and Ashley sounded right. Her heart went out to them. Jack had saved her from the unpleasant treatment they had received, but Jessica feared it wouldn’t be the last bullet she’d have to dodge.
The balding man was Gilbert something. She remembered him because he had a loud mouth. He was always talking about real estate deals and was apparently very successful at it, because his wife was far too young and beautiful to tolerate him unless his wealth had clogged her ears and blinded her sight.
She glanced over at Jack and their eyes met. She hadn’t paid attention before, but now noticed his lids were heavily lashed and his eyes a deep, dark brown that held little warmth. There was something dangerous and mysterious in the depth of the darkness which made her shudder. Unlike everyone else, there was no fear in his eyes, only contempt.
Jessica didn’t know how she could have managed it, but sometime in the middle of the night she’d fallen asleep in the van. When her eyes opened she was groggy and had no idea where she was. It was nearly daylight and they were surrounded by trees and squawking birds. Nothing looked familiar.
An impatient hand grabbed her by the arm and forced her to the back door. Before Jessica could react and get her feet underneath her, the man released her and she tumbled from the van, hitting the ground with a shoulder-jarring thud and waking her up completely.
Jessica struggled to her feet, a difficult task with her hands tied behind her back. As the man who had yanked her out of the van seized her arm and hauled her to her feet, the other four captives scramble to get out of the vehicle under their own power.
The five hostages were herded toward a small house. Jessica could see a few flickering lights off in the distance, maybe a mile away and she figured they must be close to a village, but unless they were freed or could escape, that did them little good.
They were ushered into the tiny building. Jessica spotted a table and chairs, but little else before they were shoved into an adjoining room. One of their abductors quickly slit the ropes binding their hands before backing out of the room and locking the door behind him.
“I’m sure they just want money. I’ve got it and it must show. They probably figured you two have rich daddies.” Gilbert wagged a finger at Megan and Ashley who were huddled together. “But why they grabbed you two, I don’t know. Though, you do look a little familiar to me and you could come from money. Do I know you?”
“I doubt it.” Jessica prayed he wouldn’t remember where he had seen her before and quickly turned her face from Gilbert as he continued to ramble on about how these hostage situations generally unfolded. She couldn’t imagine how he could possibly be such an expert on the subject, so took little heed of anything he was saying. She walked over to Jack, who still hadn’t said a word.
“What do you think? Are they going to kill us?”
“Big mouth may be correct and they intend to score some ransom off us, but more likely they plan to use us as a bargaining chip. Despite the old van, they’re not poor. The expensive sunglasses, jewelry, and name-brand American outdoor gear they’re all wearing cost more than my first car.”
“The van is probably just a means of transportation for our large group and they plan to ditch it,” Jessica added.
Jack nodded. The thought had crossed his mind and he couldn’t quite reconcile all he had observed. The men were confident and well-dressed, and seemed more like businessmen than kidnappers. They didn’t have the best weapons available, but then again, maybe they didn’t think they needed much to nab a small group of tourists.
“I think we need to look, listen and try not to panic until we know for sure what they have in mind. But no matter what they want, I doubt letting us go is part of the grand plan,” he replied in a cool, steady tone.
Jessica was scared to death and she couldn’t keep her voice from wavering as she spoke, so she didn’t understand how Jack could sound so calm. She wanted to be held, but didn’t know Jack well enough to throw herself into his arms for a good cry and she certainly wouldn’t go near Gilbert. She couldn’t risk triggering his memory and the thought of his embrace brought on feelings of nausea, not comfort.
She took several deep breaths, hoping to get a grip on the fears filling her mind, determined to stay strong and keep a clear head. With her back to Gilbert, she tried to get as comfortable as possible. The kidnappers had given no indication of what they wanted, but Jessica doubted the situation would be resolved anytime soon, so settled in for what she figured would be a very long day.
Thoughts of Amber played through her mind. Jessica was sure her best friend was beside herself with worry. By now Amber would have called Randy and told him everything. Randy would comfort her as he always did.
No matter how bad the current situation was, she was at least thankful Amber had been spared. Amber and Randy had a promising future, unlike her and Phillip. Her friends were so good together. They complimented each other. Jessica only hoped the abduction could be resolved peacefully and wouldn’t cause them to postpone the wedding. She had almost dozed off thinking about Amber’s wedding when she was startled back to the present by Megan.
“Shut up! Will you just shut up?” she wailed at Gilbert. “I don’t care who you are or why you’re here or how much money you have! I’m scared, I’m tired and I’m hungry. I have to go to the bathroom and I want to go home.”
Gilbert was stunned by the outburst, but quit talking and for that Jessica was thankful. Megan fell back into silence. The young woman reached for Ashley, who had never stopped crying, and wrapped her arms around her while she squeezed her eyes shut and bit her bottom lip. Jessica was touched by Megan’s compassionate display under the circumstances.
The urge to comfort the girls tugged at Jessica, but she pushed the notion out of her head. She had no idea what she could possibly say to make the situation seem any less grim, so decided to say nothing at all.
Slivers of light from a full moon filtered through the slats covering the window, leaving the dirty room in a dreary haze. Jessica stood and walked to the opening. She squinted her eyes, but could see nothing through the tiny openings. She rubbed her temples and was so focused on the aches in her body that she barely registered the sound of footsteps and the door opening.
“Sit,” demanded the man standing in the doorway holding a rifle.
Jessica nearly jumped out of her shoes, but quickly regained her composure and slid to the floor.
“What do you want with us? I have money. Just let me make some calls and I can get you whatever you want,” Gilbert ranted as another man entered the room and set a pot of beans, jug of water and five plastic spoons in the middle of the floor.
The man held up a partial roll of toilet paper and pointed to a bucket in the corner. He set the toilet paper down and backed out of the room without acknowledging Gilbert’s outburst. The door shut and locks clicked in place.
Jack rose and stalked to the center of the room. He took the lid off the jug and smelled it. He poured a small amount of water into his cupped hand and tasted it. Satisfied, he lifted the jug to his lips and took a long drink. He then picked up a spoon and started eating the beans.
“Not bad.” He looked over at Jessica and winked.
She was again stunned by how cool he was behaving under pressure. Jessica stared at Jack, trying to read his thoughts and gauge his emotions, but was at a loss as to what was going through his mind. With a resigned shake of the head, she joined him at the bean pot, taking the spoon he offered in his outstretched hand and dug in.
“I suppose there’s no point in dying of starvation or thirst until we find out what they want,” Jessica replied.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Soon the five hostages sat around a single pot greedily scooping up beans with plastic spoons. Jessica didn’t know if she was that hungry or if the food was actually decent, but she ate like she hadn’t in weeks. The best part of the activity was that with food in their mouths, Ashley had quit crying and Gilbert had quit talking.
After eating, drinking and taking turns with the bucket in the corner, they sat back down on the floor, but this time a little closer together.
“I’m Megan and this is Ashley. I’m so scared. What should we do?” she asked looking directly at Jack.
“We don’t do anything,” Gilbert stated before Jack could reply. “We just sit here, wait for help and do whatever they want. Money will get us out of this and I’ve got plenty of it, so no one had better try to be a hero and cause any trouble.”