The Stranger Beside Me

My name is Jessica Grey. My life was normal; (As normal as any sixteen year old girls can get) I has friends in and outside of school. I have a loving family and everything was going well in my life. I had the perfect life of a sixteen year old girl. That all shattered and crumbled on the faithful day of June 26th, 2012. That date is the day that will be forever etched into my memory... The day I got kidnapped by Edward Copeland. 

It all happened on my way home from school. It was a friday, you might have expected me to be at home with friends getting ready for a party. But no, instead I was at school still working on some extra math homework I was assigned for talking in class. When I learned about it, I decided to do it in my school library so I wouldn't have homework over the weekend. Of course, I missed my bus because of this and had to walk to my house, two blocks away. 

I had my headphones plugged into my iPhone and was listening to some Mumford and Son when a car suddenly pulled up beside me. I thought nothing of it and kept walking down the street making sure to keep the car in my sight. I had seen movies where something like this would happen. The person in the car would ask me for directions or offer me something that was inside of it.

I had been trained in self-defense before and knew excatly what I would have to do in a situation like this, so I kept walking. Still on alert but not worrying as much. After another minute of them following me, I looked over and saw that they were waving at me. Taking the headphones out of my ears I looked at the car.

It was an all black sedan with tinted windows. I could not see who was actually in the car, just that a hand was outstreched, waving me over to it. Their was no liscenes plate on the car and one if the lights were broken. I found both of these things odd because I knew they were both highly illegal. Why did they do it? Didn't they know they would get caught?

The driver of the car got out and gave me a smile. I gave him a once over and realized he wasn't anything like they showed in the movies. He was not a gross, fat, perverted old man looking for a kick. He was a good looking attractive young man.

Most likely, only older then me by a few years. He had short blonde hair, spiked up at the top.He was wearing a cross around his neck and was dressed very sharply in a black tuxedo and dress pants. Was he going somewhere? I thought to myself. Looks like he got back from a funeral. 

"Hi there, I just need instructions on how to get onto Linwell Road." I looked at him; my female intuition wasn't giving me any danger signs from him, he looked innocent enough, nowhere near rapist or serial kill status. In his hand was a map of the Saint Cathrines area, he must not be around here. I knew I should help him so I flipped my hair, put my iPhone in my pocket and then proceeded to walk over to him. The tinted windows still sketched me out a little. But I thought of the man as bascially harmless. I gently took the map from his hand and traced my finger along a narrow pathway.

"If you just turn down Oakwood Ave, towards Martindale Road. Once there turn left and head straight. You'll see it right away from there." I  handed him back the map and turned my back to him, prepared to walk away from his car to continue back home when I heard his voice again. I expected it to be a thank you but it wasn't. Not by a long shot. 

Alright, now get your sexy ass into my car now." Being the southern raised girl I was, I turned around to yell at him for speaking like that to me.

I expected to see him sitting there smiling, instead to my horror I was met with something far worse. In his hand was a switch blade. When he saw that I was looking at it, he grinned. 

"It's quite a knife. It's good for gutting things. I usually use it for pigs and farm animals but if you keep this up, maybe, just maybe I'll use to it cut your sweet little flesh!" I got scared at the moment but I vowed not to show it. As I was about to turn and run, a person burst from the back of his car and put a hand over my mouth.I tried to breathe but his clamy hand was placed to tightly around my mouth and nose. 

Putting a knife to my side, the figure that grabbed me muttered something in my ear. "Alright, now you’re going to get into this car. If you do it quietly we'll have no issues, got It.?"I nodded my head showing that I understood what he said. Guiding me into the back of his sedan, he took his hand away from my mouth and pushed me into it.  

The inside of the driver’s car was disgusting. There were various fast food wrappers strewn everywhere. There were stains all over the sedan. As I looked around I swore it felt like someone lived in here. Whiffing in some air I realized that it smelled like rotten food with a mixture of piss. Do they live in here? I thought in my state of confusion. 

It seemed like years as I lay there on my back, in reality it had only been no more than ten seconds since the man threw me into the back. The door was wide opened and I was in a daze not knowing what to do.

When the man tried to get in the backseat with me, I instantly reacted by flailing my legs rapidly. One of the stray kicks hit the man square in the face and he reeled back in pain, yelling curse words. 

"You stupid bitch! I'll kill you!" The man in the doorway came at me, seething with anger. The man in the front stopped him before he got his hands around my throat to choke me to death. He handed him something but I couldn't tell what it was.

I found out instantly as he jabbed it against my skin. My flesh felt like it was on fire as the man jammed it against my bare skin. I felt an instant shock right away, knowing it was a stun gun. I fell back in a daze, I couldn't see clearly as my vision was scrambled now. The last thing I saw was the man climb into the car and put a rag over my mouth. 

Before I knew it, I was out cold... 

                                                                                   ***

I woke up in a dazed state. My head hurt and I didn't know where I was. Glancing around the room I saw nothing except a small maroon couch, a chair and a camera in the far right corner. I was aware that I was abducted by the two men and I scolded myself for trusting the man based on his looks. How was I supposed to know he was a kidnapper? 

I sighed knowing being worried wasn't the proper answer to my current predicament. I stood up and realized I wasn't bound to the chair I was occupying. So they let me roam free in this room? What a stupid decision. Maybe escape will be easier then I thought it would be. I looked over at the maroon couch and realized that springs were coming out of it. 

I felt like puking, it was disgusting. God knows what was living undernear all that leather. My attention was then directed to the camera in the corner. I knew that it was clearly used to make sure I didn't do anything like trying to escape. Maybe it won't be so easy after all... 

For know I knew I would have to wait for them to come in to see what would happen next. You’re probably wondering if I'm scared or not...

Well of course I'm scared but I vowed not to show it in front of them and give them the smug satisfaction of knowing that they broke me down. That for sure was not going to be happening any time soon. I walked back over to the chair. Knowing I had no other options had the moment I sat down. 

After an hour of sitting in there with no food or water. I started to break down. I vowed I wouldn't do it but I had to, I had just been abducted by two men and who knows what's going to happen to me next. I cried at the thought of my mom and dad worrying about me at home. What are their thoughts going to be when I don't return home at all today? Will they worry, will they call the cops? 

I cried at the thought of what was going to come and how it was going to break me... I cried for my loss of innocence...