Envelope Challenge

Chapter 22 - The Plot Thickens

I love you guys. Like, seriously, seriously love (in the most heterosexual way) you. Chapter 20, I had 61 reads and now I have 89. 89!!!! This is the only way I know to make it up to you.

Enjoy!

The ambulance didn't spiral out of control as it had with Nathaniel's car. Instead, there was the sickening sound of metal on metal and the entire car shook. The car threw Ti and Paul against each other and they hit heads with a resounding whack. Paul immediately fell unconscious and Ti somehow managed to remain conscious, but blood was trickling down her forehead and her eyes were unfocused and glassy.

She grabbed onto a handle above her as Polly tightly fisted the ends of the gurney holding her captive. Paul slid around the car as another vibration struck and, this time, he knocked Ti over and she fell into a crumpled mess on the ground with him on top of her.

"Get off, get off, get off," she chanted and feebly tried to push him away. He had to be at least two hundred pounds and his deadweight was impossible to remove in the confined space.

"Are you ok?" Polly croaked down to her.

Her face pinched in discomfort as she kept trying to push him, but one arm was pinned behind her and the other was at an odd angle. That, combined with his body weight, made it impossible. "It will be ok. Tom will come back to help us soon and we'll be fine," she tried to reassure her patient.

The sound outside of the ambulance stopped. She couldn't hear the motor of the car they ran into. The silence is what made it possible for her to hear the footsteps outside. If it were just Tom, she would expect to hear one set of footsteps heading their way. However, she could easily hear around five sets of shoes.

"They're back," she whispered hoarsely. Immediately, she began tugging on the seatbelt strapping her down so she could escape. "Ti, you need to act like you're unconscious. Do it now." The voice was barely above a whisper, but she somehow heard it.

"What are you talking about?" she tried to reply, but Polly quickly cut her off.

"Just do it!" she snarled at winced at the pain it caused. "They're coming. Bad things will happen if you don't."

"You're insane," she replied in a whisper.

There was a thud and her eyes went wide as the door handled turned, someone opening it from the outside. Apparently, Polly's frantic orders had gotten to her because, when she looked over, there was fear in her eyes, nothing like the peace she had when she thought Tom was going to help them. "Do it," Polly mouthed and she complied. Her eyes screwed shut and she hid her face under Tom's body.

The door opened and Polly continued frantically working on the seat belt. She tried pressing every button and pulling it in every direction, but nothing detached it. The door opened wider and she could see the people standing on the other side. Realizing her actions weren't achieving anything, she pushed herself up so the belt slid down her legs until she was free from it and her neck was screaming in pain.

"Ms. Mendle, you'll have to come with us," the man at the front spoke. His voice was cool and that infuriating white mask didn't hide his face, instead a large gator covered the bottom half of his face. He had his hood pulled up, successfully shielding everything except for his eyes from her inquisitive eyes.

"No!" she growled and scooted further back.

The man heaved a large and melodramatic sigh. "Now, Ms. Mendle, we're not here to hurt you."

"Forgive me...-" She cleared her throat and pulled her legs free from the restraints "-if I don't believe you...while I'm on the way to the hospital."