Incarcerator

Chapter Six

Ellie

She doesn't know what to do. Tears blur her eyes and a whimper wells in her throat. She clutches the paw of her teddy bear, staring at the two men in front of her. The alarm keeps beeping loudly, the red light flashing furiously in the dark. I need to get out and get help, she thinks. Except, her little limbs stay stuck. Even through tears, she can see the dark tunnel of the gun. Daddy had one of those. They can kill people.

"What the fuck are you doing?" One of the men roars - the one with light skin and hair. He positions himself in front of the girl, staring at his friend with wide eyes.

The dark man gestures the gun at the girl. "She's seen us man!" He shouts back, his voice shrill. "Cops will get us if we don't do this! We'll go back to prison."

The light man's hands flick up in the air in fury. "No," he protests, stepping towards his friend. "We're not hurting a fucking kid, dude. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Ellie stays sat on her bed, her little legs aching from not moving. Her muscles seem to shake everywhere, but she can't move. She watches with a trembling chin and racing heart. Mommy won't be home in time.

"Get out of the fucking way!"

BANG!

An ear splitting scream rises from Ellie's throat. She squeezes her eyes shut. The BANG echoes in her ears. Silence drops like a bomb.

"Did you just shoot me?"

Ellie forces open her eyes, hyperventilating. Blood rushes to her head. She feels like she's spinning, about to be sick.

The dark man raises his hand - and his gun. "You weren't gettin' outta the way, man," he argues, although his face is strung with shock.

The light man touches the torn hole in his khaki shirt and looks back up at his friend. "We're not hurting the fucking kid," he spits, his voice harsh and venomous. He dares another step closer. "Do you hear me?"

His friend cowers back, his hands still up in surrender. "I hear you, goddamn!" he shrieks, smacking his hands down to his sides. "Fuck, man. What the fuck are we gonna do?" he paces around, wiping a line of invisible sweat from his forehead.

The light man stands in front of the little girl, watching his friend with wild eyes. "I don't fucking know."

Ellie gulps hard. Their voices pound in her ears and in her chest, along with the blare of the alarm. She clutches the paw of her teddy bear until her fingers ache. I want Mommy. Where is she when Ellie needs her the most?

The dark man skids to a stop, staring at the wall. He's panting hard. "Okay," he says finally, breathless. He spins to face his friend. "We're gonna take the girl with us. Demand a ransom or some shit, and then we'll give her back."

Ellie swears the room is toppling upside down, or maybe it's her stomach.

"What the fuck?" The light man snaps, his jaw going slack. "We're not fucking -"

The other stomps his feet like a child having a temper. "YES, we are!" he half-screeches, half-shouts. "Or else, we're gonna have to kill her. What do you want to do, huh?" he presses, getting right up in his friend's face.

"For fuck's sake," the other curses, running his hand through his golden quiff of hair. "Fuck. Fine. Shit. Goddamnit, dude."

"We needa hurry the fuck up, Gar," his friend gushes, turning to the door. "You get her. We gotta go."

Ellie chokes out a whimper, wrapping both of her arms around the bear. A scream is trapped in her throat.

The light man turns to face her, slowly, his expression soft and shaken at the same time. "We have to go, okay?" he tells her, bending down slightly. "I promise I'm not gonna let him hurt you. Just come with me for now." He offers out his arms, his dark eyes gleaming with desperation.

Ellie shakes her head, and it throbs. She doesn't know whether to cry, scream or shout.

He inches forward, beckoning her with his hands. "Please," he begs. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

She pins her back to the wall, tears flowing freely now. "Who are you?" she sobs, her hands shaking as she digs her fingers into the fluffy fabric of her teddy. If only it could save her.

Sirens sound nearby. The light man's neck snaps to look behind him, and his friend reappears. "We have to fucking go!" He sprints down the hall.

The light man looks back at the little girl. "I'm sorry." Before she can blink, he scoops her up in her arms and starts rushing out the door.

"No!" she squeals, kicking and thrashing her limbs. "No, no, no! Let me go, let me -"

He clamps his hand over her mouth, feeling the wetness of her tears. She stops screaming as he hurries down the stairs, his legs shaking with each step. Bright red and blue lights flash in the distance, the wails of the sirens getting closer. He dashes out the house, holding onto the little girl tightly as he reaches the street. His friend runs across to the car and the other follows.

Ellie's head hammers as she's wrangled into the back of the car. All she can do is sob and shake. Daddy can't save me. I'm going to die. The light man buckles the seat belt on and shoves her teddy bear on her lap. She tries not to puke as the car rumbles to life.