He took the same route home every day, cutting across the playground to the path that ran down next to the school. Ever since he’d heard the story of the kid who got bitten by a poisonous snake on that path, he’d sprint the length of it. Not that he really believed the story –Ms.Collins had assured the students that there had been “no such incident.” But he had decided better safe than sorry. The path ended at a road, just three blocks from his house. He walked the remainder, passing the familiar row of houses, and scent of eucalyptus trees.
It was January, and they were making dioramas of the Native American tribes. He was making a miniature Cherokee clay pot when the bell rang. Sticking it in his cubby, he ran down the hall, opening the door to sheets of rain. The rain plummeted him as he ran clumsily across the playground – his backpack bouncing heavily on his shoulders. As he approached the path, the trees began to shelter him. He slowed, but still ran fast enough to avoid any lurking deadly snakes.
As he stepped off the muddy path and onto the hard sidewalk, his world went dark. Stiff arms enveloped his body; a bag was slammed over his head. He screamed, thrashing against his abductor. He was pulled in close, feeling a strong body against his. He was lifted off the ground, placed down on the cold, metal floor of a van. The door slammed shut and latched as the car lurched forward.
He sat, careful not to move a muscle. The damp pillowcase hung heavily on his head. Warm, wet air stood still on his face.
“Sam, get that stupid pillowcase off him. Zach’s gonna suffocate.”
He recognized the voice as his brother’s. The pillowcase was pulled off his head, fresh, cool air whisked across his face. Jake was sitting in the driver’s seat; Sam, Jake’s old friend was sitting on the floor in the back next to Zach.
“Jake, what’s going on?” Zach asked. His voice sounded weak in the empty van.
“Don’t worry about it. We’re just gonna have a little fun, a little vacation,” his brother replied.
Zach stared blankly; he had no idea what that meant.
“Where’s your jacket – you didn’t bring one to school today?” Jake sounded mad. He had brought one, but forgotten it at school. Instead of explaining this, he decided to just say nothing.
The three of them drove for a little while, the rest of the trip in complete silence. After about twenty minutes Jake pulled the van over.
“Well guys, we’re home.”
The two older boys pulled their hoods over their heads before they got out of the car. Sam grabbed Zach’s arm, dragging him out behind him. He stepped out onto a gravel road, in front of an old warehouse. It had little windows, about the size of his head, covering its walls. They were all either broken, or covered so completely in dirt that you couldn’t see out of them.
Sam yanked Zach’s arm. “Just keep your head down, okay?” he muttered.
Jake jogged ahead, unlocking a door on the side, while the other two followed quickly behind. Zach was shoved into the warehouse, as somebody switched on the lights behind him. The fluorescents flickered before they sickly illuminated a single dusty room. A bare mattress lay in the corner, and a large wooden crate sat as a table, surrounded by three folding chairs.
“Alright, Sam, I gotta run home for a little while – pop in on the parents. I’ll be back soon. Keep him comfortable, will ya?”
“Sure, whatever,” Sam replied. “Hey, get me some food while you’re out.”
Jake lifted his hood back over his head, before he headed out the door. Sam and Zach stood still, listening to the van pull off the gravel and onto the road.
“Well, why don’t you lie down or something? There’s a sleeping bag in that trash bag over there,” Sam said, pointing towards the black garbage bag next to the bed.
Sam headed to the table, picking up a magazine off the ground on his way. He put his feet up, and looked back.
“Well, what?” he said, staring at Zach.
Zach walked over to the garbage bag, avoiding Sam’s eyes. He struggled to untie the knot, finally piercing the bag with his fingers. He ripped it open to find his brother’s video camera on top. Pulling it out, he found a sleeping bag underneath. He slowly removed the sleeping bag, throwing it on the bed. Then, taking off his shoes, he slipped into the cold bag.
Zach felt a pain in his bladder as he rolled over on to his stomach. He hadn’t realized how badly he needed to pee. He looked up, scanning the room for a door that could lead to a bathroom. Sam sat, reading his magazine, his feet propped up on the wooden crate. Zach thought about asking Sam, but changed his mind when he took a second look. Sam had always scared him a little. He was much bigger than Jake, over six feet. But more than just his body type, it was a feeling he gave when he walked into a room. Despite the fact that he practically lived in their house, he hardly ever said a word to Zach besides “Watch it,” or “Hand me the remote.” He had made a point of spending as much time at their house as possible, without ever having to build a relationship with anyone in it. Zach didn’t think Jake liked him much, and he certainly wasn’t going to interrupt his reading, and give him even more reason to dislike him.
He flipped onto his back. The pain was relieved, but the pressure made it impossible to sleep. He laid, rigid, for what felt like an eternity. He rehearsed his multiplication tables in his head, to help keep his thoughts off peeing. Once he had worked his way through them all, he went on to trying to name every kid in his class. There were 27 students, but he couldn’t seem to get past 24. Somewhere between Cecilia and Robert he must have fallen asleep. The next thing he remembered was being woken by Sam’s voice.
“What the fuck were you thinking? Why would you let them call the cops?”
“Oh, what…I was supposed to sit there while they panicked and tell them that there was no need for cops? Remember, I’m supposed to act just as worried as them. Hell yeah I let them call the cops –I told them to. Nobody is going to suspect us. Nobody saw a thing. We’re safe,” Jake replied.
“Whatever, I don’t want to think about it. Let’s just make the fucking movie.”
“No, let him sleep a little. We’ll do it in the morning.”
“Jake, I swear to god…”
“Fine, fine. I’ll wake him.”
Zach pretended to sleep as his brother approached him. He feigned groggy eyes, and did a short stretch before he spoke.
“Yeah?”
“Listen, Zach, we’re gonna tie you up a little –make it look like you’ve been kidnapped. All you gotta do is act like you’re scared. It’ll be like you’re in a play, okay? Just act like you’re scared.”
Zach nodded, letting his brother pull him out of bed. Sam pushed a folding chair to the corner of the room, and Jake ushered him to it. Zach sat, feeling pins in his bladder. Sam was holding rope, which he used to tie his arms and feet to the chair. Sam passed the rope around Zach’s body, pulling it unnecessarily tight. Just as Sam yanked the last knot, Zach felt the rush of pee. His pants slowly soaked. The warmth quickly faded into cold, almost as quickly as Sam spoke.
“Aww, come on now. How old are you.”
“Hey, hey. That’s ok. That’s good actually, makes him look more afraid,” Jake said.
Jake held a camera in his hand, which he pointed at Zach.
“I better do the talking,” Sam said. “Your mom will recognize your voice in a second.”
Zach closed his eyes as Jake focused the camera on him, and Sam began speaking from behind.
“It on?” Sam asked. “Mr. And Mrs.
Finder,” he began, “let us start by saying your son is here, safe with us.
We, however, have no intention of returning him without a ransom. We expect
this ransom in the form of cash, and we expect that it amount to ten
thousand dollars…”
* * * * * * * *
Zach was sprawled on the bed flipping through the sports illustrated he found lying on the ground, while Jake and Sam sat at their makeshift table. They were talking in hushed voices –something they seemed to be doing a lot of recently.
“Yeah, they got the video,” Jake replied. “They haven’t decided what they’re gonna do yet though. Some old woman saw when we picked him up. Supposedly they’re questioning her today. My mom thinks that they have a chance of finding him without having to pay.”
“Well fuck. Somebody needs to quiet her.”
Zach looked up. He could tell Sam no longer cared if he heard.
“I dunno, Sam, maybe this just isn’t gonna work. Maybe we just gotta end it. Bring him home before anyone finds out it was us.”
“Oh no. No. I did not baby-sit your little brother for the past week so that we could give up. We’re getting this money. I don’t care if I have to slip arsenic into some old woman’s coffee.”
“Sam, come on. I just don’t think it’s working. You have any idea how much shit we’d be in if they found out it was us? I’m not talking grounding, Sam, I’m talking prison. I’m not going to prison.”
“Oh, real fucking great,” Sam replied, as he stood up. “That’s it? You’re just gonna give up? I’m dead if I don’t get this money. That’s right, they’re gonna come after me and slit my fucking throat. There’s no way you’re leaving.”
“I’m pretty sure I had nothing to do with you owing money. That’s your own fault. I can’t just come save you whenever you get in trouble. I’m sorry, Sam, I’m taking him home. Maybe it’s time you look for a job.”
With Jake’s advice, Sam grabbed the Olde English bottle he was drinking off the table. He slammed it across Jake’s head, knocking Jake out of his chair, and shattering the bottle in his hand. He gripped the splintered bottle head, shoving it into Jake’s limp torso.
“Fuck you,” he roared as Sam twitched slightly, and went completely still.
Zach sat on the bed, still as a porcelain doll. He watched as blood began to trickle out of his brother’s forehead and stomach. The beast hovered over Jake, still grasping the bloody bottle head. He turned slowly to face Zach, dropping the glass to the ground. Zach’s eyes stayed glued to his brother’s corpse. Paralyzed.
“I had to, ok? There wasn’t any other choice.”
Zach’s instincts told him to pounce –to sink his fingers and his teeth into Sam and rip him from head to toe. His legs wouldn’t move.
“Just you and me now kid, just you and
me.”