Griffin

Chapter 38: The Drive

 The door rattles slightly before it pushes open, and the same man walks in. He walks in closer and steps behind me, he drops down on his knees, and I hear keychains rattling behind me before the pressure on my wrist release with a loud thud as the chain hits the floor.

Shock, I slowly rub both hands in front of me.

I look at the man, our eyes met briefly before he gets up not explain.

"Get up." Are all he offers, and I gladly oblige

I get up with wobbly legs, I was in the seating position for so long that my body forgot the sensation of being on its feet. It's a very exhilarating feeling.

The man walks toward the door and holds it open; he looks back at me and waits.

I walk toward the door, and the closer I get the harsher the sunlight gets for my eyes. I raise my hand and shield my eyes from it while I squint and try to adjust.

"We don't have all day. Get moving." The man said

I move quickly into the room. I was right, this place is an abandoned factory, and big bulky types of machinery are everywhere.

"The car waiting outside. Let's go."

I walk toward the exit with the man behind me, I contemplate making a run for it once I'm outside, but with my weak condition, I doubt I can make it far before he catches me, not to consider I might make the situation worse for myself if I retaliate now and don't succeed.

With a defeated sigh, I open the car's backseat door

"No. Front passenger's seat." The man said

I obey and make my way to the front seat instead.

We both drive in silence, the road is secluded with no other cars except for trees and more trees. I see no other houses, if we're done with trees, we pass open fields of nothing but grass and more trees. I try to look for similar landmarks and signs, but there's nothing. I have no idea where we're at.

We drove together longer in silence, I run many scenarios through my head. I pray we see at least one pass-by car, I can try to distract him then get the car swirls off the road and hopefully get the other car's attention and hopefully get help!

I glance at his belt, I know he has a gun on the other side of his waist, the first thing I need to go for his is a weapon if I successfully swirl us off the road, he will end me and the help if I don't succeed in getting his weapon away first.

We drove for what felt like an eternity. I see no other cars. We're completely alone on this back road. Hope slowly withers away.

I have no idea where I'm at or where we're going. My mind wanders at all the possibilities. A deep ache lingers in my chest at my aunt's words. I have to confront my feelings for Griffin. I wish I could say I feel nothing for him. 

But deep down I know that's a lie. 

I do feel something for him. It's there. That deep ache in my chest won't go away. 

Once upon a time, they said out of sight out of mind. How do you escape your feelings if the one person you have those feelings for can do so much?

Deep in thought when suddenly something caught my eyes from a distance. A car. It's further down the road and it's coming toward us.

My heart jumps in my chest, my body tense with excitement and adrenaline pumping in, I glance at the man driving, I try my best to be as subtle as I can be without turning my head, his eyes still facing forward and focusing on the road ahead. He sees the incoming car, but he shows no signs of distress, his face stills remain calm and relaxed, unlike my racing heart.

I do my best to school my expression and calm my body's reaction. If he has no clue what I plan in my head, I want to keep it that way.

The incoming car is getting closer, I can make out its color and brand, it's a black Ford truck.

I will my body not clench my hands and relax, I don't want to give him any distress signs and alert him.

I will have to swirl us off the road before the truck pass by, I'm too afraid they will not look back at us through their rearview mirror, it's a chance I'm not willing to take. I don't know how I'm going to be able to get the gun, I will have to reach over his body, he's so much bigger and stronger than me, I won't be able to overpower him, I just hope the impact of the crash will knock him out or render him enough to where I can accomplish my goal.

My hands tremble at the thought. If I fail. He will hurt me, badly. Not to mention the other person in the truck that will now be involuntarily in danger if I fail.

With so much at stake, my heart pounds faster as my nerve started to get the better of me. I slowly take a deep breath, and my fingers twitch as the incoming truck gets closer, I can make out the driver, it's a woman. But then I see who is in her passenger seat and my heart dropped with a burning crash.

It's a boy, he's laughing at something the woman said, who I'm assuming is his mom. He looks to be twelve.

It's as if everything happens in slow motion, the woman turns to us as we're about to pass each other going in the opposite direction. She looks at the man then at me, and my fingers itch. My arms feel much heavier as I look at her and then at her son.

Her brows furrow together as she continues to look at me. I feel my skin stretches across my face my mask form; my mouth turns upside transforming into a smile as I watch them drive past us.

"You made the right choice. Their family would take longer to discover their dead bodies in this backroad." Came to the man's eerie calm tone.

Fuck. 

"Where are we going?" I ask instead

He turns to me briefly then but says nothing else as his eyes focus on the road and continue driving.