Taken Ch. 01

All characters in this story are 18 and over.

Snatched

I hummed along to the tune of my iPod, my knee hurt from an intense volleyball practice. The sun was out for the first time in almost 2 weeks and I smiled as I felt rays on my face. I had to occasionally shift the weight of my backpack; I had way too many textbooks. As I neared the end of the sidewalk an old rusty blue truck suddenly pulled in front of me, mere inches away from hitting me. I felt my heart skip a few beats as I froze, than anger consumed me. I turned and made my way around the truck and confront the driver; who did this jerk think he was pulling a stunt like that?
“What’s the idea asshole?!? “ I yelled. Suddenly the back canopy with the double doors flew open before I could even make it to the other side of the blue pick-up truck and a large pair of hands shot out, encircling me and pulling me inside with a force so strong both my feet flew right out from under me. My immediate reaction was to scream, but the strangers hand closed over my mouth as he held me against him. Only when I felt the cold blade against my throat did I stop struggling, I relaxed as inhaled deeply through my nose catching the strong scent of sweat and oil.
“Good girl. Now I am going to restrain you and if you don’t resist me, you won’t get hurt any more than what is necessary.” He promised as the driver hopped out and secured the two back doors before getting back into the cab. The few windows were tinted and it was hard to see much. The man flipped me onto my back and straddled my waist, holding the blade just against my skin. He put most of his weight on his knees, but enough on me that there was no way I could wiggle free. I used the limited light to focus on his face; he had ear length brown hair that was just in his face that it ticked the ridge of his eyebrows. He wore short sleeve Black and white plaid button up shirt, his forearms bulged with proof of some kind of laborious activity. He had broad shoulders and black jeans. To complete his outfit he had on a pair of black cowboy boots.
“Put your wrists together,” he ordered using his size as a form of intimidation.
“What do you want from me?” I asked softly. The truck bed was biting into my back; my bag was in the far corner, all my papers and books spread out from him tossing it. He had to be almost three times my size, and my mind was going into a slow panic.
“Darlin’, I just told you what I want! Now I suggest you listen.” I noticed a slight accent, sounded southern but I wasn’t sure. Slowly I brought my wrists in front of me, limbs shaking as I tried to remember to breath and think.
“Now I’m gonna set this knife down so that I can tie ya up, don’t reach for it or I’ll be forced to hurt you; and trust me sweetheart, you don’t want that. Do you understand?” he questioned. Even his voice demanded obedience. I nodded. The strange man set the blade down and far out of my reach; not that I was any state of mind to attempt to grab it and escape. He grabbed a piece of rope that had been wound through his belt loops and began winding it around my wrists in a complicated pattern. He did a few knots than picked the knife back up. It was no ordinary pocket knife; it was a large jagged blade, like something you’d take hunting….maybe that’s what he was doing. I shivered at the thought of being any sort of prey to this strange man.
“I am going to get up now, don’t you dare try to run!”
“I am not stupid” I replied shortly. He grabbed my chin hard enough to bruise, forcing my cheeks against my teeth so hard I thought it might draw blood.
“You will watch the way you speak to me. “ I nodded slowly in understanding. He released me and moved to sit beside me. He hit the top a few times and the truck hit reverse quickly it jostled us causing me to almost roll right into him. I scooted as far away as I could get in the limited space.
“My name is Clyde, the driver there, is my older brother Georgie.”
“What do you want? My parents can’t offer much in the way of ransom.” Clyde chuckled as he twirled the knife playfully; few rays of light catching the metal just right, making him look all the more frightening.
“I’m not interested in a ransom sweetheart.”
“I…I don’t understand,” I confessed.
“Oh I think you do. See I’m finally old enough to marry, and I’ve chosen you to be my wife.”
“What? You can’t. I’m too young,” I argued. At the time the reasoning seemed to be enough in my mind to convince him to drop this whole charade.
“If you’re old enough to bleed; you’re old enough to breed. You bleed dontcha?” he asked. My face flamed with embarrassment.
“I don’t even know you. You can’t just kidnap someone and demand that they marry you!”
“Now Skye, that’s enough talking like that.”
“My name is NOT Skye, it is Lindsay,” I replied through gritted teeth.
“I said ENOUGH!” he yelled, slamming his fist against the side of the truck. I jumped at his sudden outburst and almost wet myself right then and there. He took a deep breath and his behavior mellowed almost as quickly as it escalated.
“As your husband to be, it is my responsibility to give you a new name.”
“I don’t want to marry you,” I replied, keeping my voice barely above a whisper. I didn’t want him to be angry.
“I’m patient man Skye; you will learn to love me.” I was almost speechless. Was this seriously happening? This was crap you saw on Lifetime, not stuff that happened in real life. Why me? Of all people why me? I wasn’t ugly, but compared to most I was considered almost plain, I had wide hips; my body was still amidst the awkward stages of puberty. My hair was long, straight and a dull brown. My eyes were a soft almost baby blue like the sky on a sunny day. Tears burned beneath my eyes as reality came crashing down. This man was going to take me far away and keep me prisoner with some sick perverted delusion that I was his wife. My stomach rolled and I was pretty sure I was going to passout.
“Don’t be upset, I will be a good husband, I’ve learned how to properly please a wife.” I shuddered and hugged myself the best I could with rope around my wrists. I had a boyfriend, I had a life, I had plans that involved college, and a purple house with pink picket fence. Not becoming the wife of some delusional weirdo.
“Where are you taking me?” I managed to ask.
“Home eventually; we’ve traveled a long way to find you. I prayed all week for the Lord to find me a good wife, signs pointed me here Skye.”
“What’s so special about me?” I asked. Clyde scooted closer and stroked the side of my face, his callused finger wiping a stray tear away. With him closer I could see his eyes more clearly, they were an intense electric blue, with slight gold near the pupils; I felt almost lost staring into his eyes.
“You caught my eye and I knew that was a sign from the Lord, I felt it in here that you were destined to be mine.” He motioned to his heart and I had to force myself to hold back the sobs that were so desperately trying to break free.
“You can’t own me, I’m a person, I have rights,” I replied dramatically.
“I have warned you once already Skye; I will not continue to warn you. Mind me or I’ll have to punish you,” he growled. I bit my lip and looked away. I was tempted to throw myself out the back but I wasn’t sure I could make it before Clyde grabbed me and then I worried what he would do if he did catch me.
“I know it will take time to adjust Skye, but you’ll fit right in, I just know it.” I didn’t want to anger him so I didn’t bother returning any conversation. Clyde went on and began talking about the Farm and all the animals, I stopped listening, I focused on sound of traffic and the few street signs I could see out the back window. But with darkness falling even small amount I could see was fading. When the truck began to slow down my heart raced further. I felt every speed bump as we pulled into a parking lot of a motel. When Georgie turned off the truck and walked around the back, I pressed myself further into the back of the truck.
“Did you check her for a phone or weapons?” Georgie asked, poking his head into the back. I glanced at an older meaner version of Clyde, except his hair was black, cropped short so that it required little to no care to look good. Georgie had a 5 o’clock shadow and seemed to be glaring at me with his dull blue eyes that were so pale they looked grey.
“I…no I didn’t,” Clyde admitted. Georgie sighed.
“This is why I am here little brother. Search her; I’ll get us a room.” Clyde turned to me.
“Touch me and I’ll scream,” I hissed. But that was a mistake; he looked at me, unmoving for several seconds.
“Scream and I’ll cut your tongue straight from your mouth.” He reached towards me and I kicked his hand away. That angered him and he grabbed my ankle, pulling me closer,scrapping my back along the truck bed and than he slapped me.
“You will not threaten me, you will respect me young lady.” There was no holding back now; tears rolled down my face. I’d never been slapped before. The loud smack made my ears ring, and I could feel the imprint of his hand as though it had been burned into my cheek.
“Now hold still and I’ll be gentle.” His hands began patting and caressing me down, completely passing my chest which I was thankful for because that is exactly where I had my phone. There was a small flame of hope within me. He went through my discarded items from my back pack, but came up empty handed.
“Don’t all young people carry portable phones?”
“I’ve been grounded from mine,” I lied. Georgie poked his head back in.
“Room 111, let’s go. Don’t you dare make a peep; my brother here may be gentle but I assure you, I do NOT tolerate disobedience. Now do I have to gag you?” I stared at him wide eyed.
“Georgie don’t be mean now, Skye’s smart and she’ll behave won’t you?” I nodded enthusiastically. I was smart, my escape might not be tonight, but when the opportunity arose, I’d take it. Clyde assisted me to the edge of the truck bed and onto my feet. We were at the far end and there was nobody in sight.
“Just get her in the room before someone sees,” Georgie chastised. Clyde grabbed the rope binding me and led me into the room. It was definitely a cheap motel, the room was musty and stale with strong smell of cigarettes that saturated the room. It reminded me of my grandmother’s attic mixed with a pack of cigarettes. Even the walls were yellow from years of tobacco abuse. The beds were covered in a hideous 70s floral pattern.
“Not quite your taste?” smirked Georgie.
“My own bedroom is more my taste,” I spat. Georgie dropped a couple duffle bags on the first bed and stalked closer to me. I backed up until I hit the wall.
“You better watch the way you talk to me.” Before he got within reach Clyde stepped in between us and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Please brother, let me deal with it. It’s her first day, it takes time to adjust.”
“If you don’t discipline now, it only gets worse.” Georgie looked mad and I was grateful I had the wall to lean against. My knees might have given out by then. If Clyde was intimidating, Georgie was almost as bad as the boogeyman. Just the way he looked at me made me tremble. I could see madness in his eyes and a complete lack of conscious.
“I will take care of it.” Georgie muttered something under his breath but he took a few steps back.
“Alright, then do it!” Clyde turned towards me and I felt a renewed sense of panic as I stared into a cold dark face.
“Please, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.” I started to cry all over again.
“Now Skye, it’s my duty to set you straight when you stray onto the path of disobedience. I must correct you in order for you to learn and grow as my wife.”
“I didn’t mean it, please don’t hurt me,” I pleaded, really feeling the fear rise from within me.
“I’ll be over quick I swear it.” I shook my head and slid to the floor trying to prevent the inevitable.
“Just let me go, I won’t tell anyone, I don’t even remember your names.” Clyde sighed and closed in. I was cornered and my wrists were still bound. I could feel the cold wooden surface against my backside. I really wished I’d worn shorts, better yet, nice warm jeans. Clyde reached for me and I kicked, not caring that I exposed myself at the same time. My foot connected with his face and he reacted with the reflexes of a cat. He grabbed my calf and pulled me out between him and Georgie using my leg to flip me over, sat on my back while facing my legs and lifted my skirt. My face flamed in embarrassment.
“Looks like you picked a whore for a wife little brother.” Clyde didn’t respond, he brought his hand down, slapping my rear. The first one shocked me as the loud smack echoed through the hotel room. But Clyde didn’t stop at one, he kept hitting me until one of two things happened; either he thought I‘d had enough or he got tired. I’d screamed but in a rundown hotel such as the one we were staying in, I doubted help would arrive.
“Skye, I’m going to ask you something very important now,” he announced breathlessly, “Answer me honestly. Neither answer will affect your outcome; you’re still mine. Are you a whore as Georgie claims?”
“No,” I whisper.
“I’ll discover eventually Skye, are you telling me the truth?” I looked over my shoulder and up at him. My eyes were swollen and puffy; my throat raw from the screaming and my nose was running.
“I’m still a virgin.” I answered honestly.
“I think you oughtta check; I bet she’s lying.” Georgie stated.
“No, I’m a patient man; I’m waiting for our wedding night.”
“I have to pee,” I announced suddenly. Luckily the cell was still in my bra after the tussle. Clyde rolled me onto my back and I sighed in relief of the cold wood against my burning backside.
“Why do you wear that, it’s barely underwear? Is your family so poor you cannot afford complete underwear?” Clyde asked.
“It’s made that way on purpose, it’s called a thong,” I replied, curiosity piqued.
“Doesn’t your butt get cold?” I would have laughed if I wasn’t in so much pain.
“It’s meant to show off my butt.”
“But why would you show it off to anyone besides your husband?”
“To attract a husband.”
“Any man who loves you for your body, isn’t a man that makes a good husband.” Clyde announced.
“Yah, because I need advice from a hillbilly like you,” I snorted, wishing I could just keep my mouth shut. I had the unfortunate problem of sometimes not being able to contain the first thought that springs into my head. The look he gave me almost made my knees give out.
“Watch that lip of yours Skye.” He warned as he took the rope off from my wrists. He helped me to stand and pointed to the bathroom.
“You have 3 minutes. Window is too small to escape from, so don’t bother.” I walked in and locked the door behind me. I turned on the water and glanced at my reflection. My face burned with humiliation. I gently turned my skirt up and risked a glance. It was darker in some areas more than others and was starting to bruise in some spots where it was a dark cherry red. I fished the phone from my bra and immediately dialed my house.
It rang forever it seemed and suddenly Clyde knocked.
“Time is up.” He called. Could three minutes have gone by so quickly?
“Just a second please,” I called out sweetly. My heart dropped as I heard the voice mail pick up. When the beep went off I spoke as quickly and quietly as I could.
“Mom, Dad, I’ve been kidnapped,” I cried, trying to remain calm so that my words wouldn’t jumble together. “Two men, Clyde and Georgie grabbed me out of a blue pick-up truck off 12th street, it has a tinted canopy with double doors at the end. I don’t think they plan on letting me go,” a few sobs escaped as the doorknob started to rattle.
“SKYE! Open this door right now!” he hollered.
“I love you both very much, and if I don’t ever see you again…you were best parents, I’m sorry for all the hard times I gave you, I’m sorry I wasn’t a better daughter…” The door burst open and Georgie stood in the doorframe looking pissed as hell. He scowled as he looked to the cellphone and back to me.
“Gimme that phone!”
“No! I just wanted to say goodbye to my parents.” Georgie moved fast, coming across the bathroom at me. He grabbed my wrist and we wrestled for the phone. He squeezed his thumb into the inside of my wrist, forcing me to my knees in pain before I finally let go. Catching the phone in his opposite hand he smashed it against the wall and stomped on it for good measure. He turned back to look down at me and I saw his fist only seconds before it smashed into my face. I fell back against the shower door, and for a few moments all I saw were small bursts of colored light. My lip started to swell and I tasted blood. Georgie turned back to the door and glared at Clyde.
“You said you checked her!” he yelled.
“I did!” Clyde replied in disbelief.
“Did you check inside her bra? Her generation tends to hold them in their bras for some reason. I think it’s because their clothes get smaller and they can’t fit ‘em into their pockets.”
“No, I didn’t check there, I was trying to be proper Georgie,” Clyde confessed. Georgie leaned down and grabbed the bottom of my shirt. When he lifted it up I screamed and he back handed me hard enough my head thumped against the foor and he ripped the bra up and laughed.
“Well she was defiantly hiding something under that shirt but they look more like melons than another phone.”
“Enough Georgie,” Clyde announced.
“If you don’t rein her in now she’ll only get worse,” Georgie warned before he punched me in the stomach. I heaved, doubling over in pain. It literally felt like he’d punched my stomach into my throat. Taking a handful of my hair, he yanked my head back and grabbed my chin.
“Now, are you going to be doing that again?”
“You broke my phone…I couldn’t do it even if I wanted to,” I replied. He pulled my hair harder and I spat a mouthful of blood in his face. Letting out a growl Georgie slammed my head against the sink and I didn’t get up after that.
“I think you should try and answer that again.”
“No, im sorry,” I apologized, head throbbing as I felt something cold trickle form my forehead. Georgie pushed me at Clydes with his feet.
“See, show them who’s in charge and you will get better results. I’m going to go get some dinner.” I curled up and groaned. Georgie stormed away and Clyde just stared down at me in disappointment.
“You lied to me.”
“You’re holding me prisoner!” I protested, keeping my tone soft .
“I’m sorry about Georgie, he’s got a bit of a temper,” excused Clyde; he helped me to try and stand than led me back to the bed. Sitting me on the edge he used washcloth to softly mop some of the blood, causing me to whimper. He applied a simple band aid, gave me a few Tylenol, checked to make sure I had all my teeth and before he tucked me into the blanket he bound my wrists behind my back and attached them to my ankles.
“I wish I didn’t have to do this,” he sighed.
“I just want to go home,” I sobbed.
“I know sweetheart, it’ll pass,” he soothed. His large callused hand stroked my face, brushing my tears away.
“My parents will worry themselves sick.”
“You shouldn’t have called them,” he scolded. Not a single sign of sympathy.
“I miss them so much it hurts.” Clyde leaned in and kissed my forehead.
“The pain will lessen, you’ve got me, and after we marry we can start for kids; you will have something to focus on."
“I’m too young to have kids.” I had only recently turned 18, I hadn’t even decided which college I wanted to go to yet.
“Don’t say that, you will make beautiful babies.”
“I don’t want babies,” I argued.
“That is enough now Skye, I am going to shower, you need to get some sleep.” He stood and pulled his shirt off over his head, revealing his well-built body. I had to tear my gaze away as his muscles flexed while he stripped down. I listened carefully as he padded to the bathroom and the shower turned on. When I looked up and was alone I made my move. I struggled with the rope, pulling twisting, attempting to untie my wrists with my fingers. I found the knots too complicated. There wasn’t much slack to allow for any maneuvering. I wiggled to the edge of the bed and slowly slid down to the floor. I gritted my teeth as my knees hit the hard floor. When I heard no disturbance from the bathroom I slowly walked on my knees to get closer to Clyde’s pants. I was bent at an awkward angle, but I managed to get ahold of his knife.