Just the Beginning

47

MATT

My head is pushed back under the water and I continue to try and get away. I try to thrash side to side to break free but it's not happening. Not when there's three against one. I accidentally breathe in, sucking in a ton of water. I immediately start to cough. I try to push myself back but with my hands zip tied behind my back, it's no use. Suddenly my head is pulled back for me. I cough and gasp for air, for a split second I think it's over. But I'm shoved back under. I rock back and forth, kick my legs and keep trying to get out but I just can't. It feels like I'm suffocating. My lungs burn from the deprivation. I can hardly move. My body aches all over, my head hasn't stopped pounding. It feels like my brain wants to explode. I don't blame it.

I'm pulled back up and this time I'm thrown backwards onto the ground. The back of my head smacks into the rocky cement ground. An intense, splitting pain covers my skull. The men grab my arms, pain radiates where their fingers grip my skin. I'm pulled till my back hits the wall and then they lift me up, placing me on the two hooks that hang. They don't stick me, I simply just hang there, one under each arm. My shoulders feel like they're on the verge of popping out of place with my full weight on them. It's painful. I know it's supposed to be but it doesn't make it better or easier.

"Have you had enough yet?" Raj asks, "you want to tell us where that money is?"

I try to lift my head back to look him in the eye but I can't, instead it falls back down, "I-I told you... when you promise me Ana is safe-" It takes all my strength to say the words and I still can't get them all out.

"There's no such thing as safe in this world," he says, "so why don't you just tell us before we have to move to more extreme measures."

"She-she stays-s-safe," I cough, "and-and I will tell you- I- I swear-"

"Did you not HEAR HIM!" Another one of the members grabs my throat, "that bitch is as good as dead! So tell us where the money is! It isn't that hard!"

"SHUT UP!" I snap with all my might, "leave her out of it-- she-she-" I keep trying to tell them she won't work for them, won't bring in what they want. She isn't that type of girl... she won't want to do the things they enforce. She won't survive it.

They start to laugh, "ohh look who's ready to fight now! You want to yell? We'll give you something to yell about-" I suddenly feel a nauseating blow to the stomach. I start to cough profusely, so much it feels as though a lung might come up. It's painful. It hurts, every cough, every breath is a grueling pain. "Go ahead and take him down, bring him back over."

"What- no- no please-" I try to stop them, try to fight them off but I'm exhausted. And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm weak. From being out for a month due to a gunshot wound that made me slip into a coma and now this, I have no strength.

Suddenly I hear a commotion outside, "it's the police! Open up!" I can't help but smile. She did it. She had to...she had to.

They throw me on the ground and I watch as all three of them run from the room. I'm sure they're all scurrying like rats, trying to get away from the cops. There's a loud thud and I hear heavy boots stomp above me. Just like that there's gunfire. I hear a scream that sounds too familiar.

"Ana?" I cough and try to yell out as loud as I can, "ANA!" More gunfire. People run by the door down here in the basement. I hear them open the door to go outside. They're escaping. Fuck. No. No they can't.

"Matt? Oh my god, Matty I'm here! I'm here-somebody help me! Please, I'm downstairs!"

When I see her I can't help but smile. Her arms wrap around me and all I can do is take all of her in; the warmth of her hands, the soft tone in her voice even though I've scared her once again. She cuts the tie off my hands and helps me sit up against the wall. She pushes the hair out of my face and that's when I see hers.

"Are you okay?" she asks, setting her hand on my cheek, "er- stupid question. What did they do to you? God- you-you need to go back to the hospital-"

"No," I cough, "no- no- please don't take me back there-"

"But babe what if there's something wrong?" she asks, "what if you need to be seen?"

"I-I don't," I shake my head slowly so I don't become dizzy, "please can-can we just-can we just go? P-please--"

"Yes," she nods and stands, "yes I- we-we can go. I just- we have to get up those stairs love-"

"No- no there's a door down here," I explained before trying to get up. I move like a turtle, making my way to my two feet before trying to pull myself up. She grabs my arm, puts it around her neck and helps hoist me up. As we walk out of the room cops pour down the stairs, "STOP RIGHT THERE! HANDS UP NOW!"

"It's me! It's me!" she yells, "I-I called! This is why I called!"

"Dispatch, do you copy?" a man talks into a walkie talkie.

"We do, how can we help?"

"I need an ambulance to 224 Elm Ave," he repeats, "we have several people in need of emergency medical help."

"We'll get one on the way, over."

"Okay, keep my updated," he looks back at us, "here we'll take him-"

"No," I shake my head, "I-I don't need a doctor. I just need to go home-"
"And where is that?"

"Off-off of Charlottesburg Street," I cough, "with-with my friend. She-she can take me there-" I watch most of the others head upstairs but the one who called for the ambulance stays downstairs with us, continuing to check all the other rooms. Why do they need us? They're going to ask so many questions.. too many. It's too big of a risk.