The man ordered Carlos and the woman into the abandoned building at gunpoint. Carlos walked with his hands raised, racking his brain for a way out of this nightmare situation. His mind flashed to Tk, and he whispered a silent prayer that he would make it back to the man he loved.
Inside the dingy building, the pungent smell of mold and decay assaulted Carlos' senses. Cobwebs clung to every surface, and a thick layer of dust coated the floor, punctuated by rat footprints. The man barked at them to sit down, and Carlos gently helped ease the trembling woman into a rickety wooden chair. Before Carlos could sit in the other chair, the man stopped him.
"You, cop, put your hands behind your back," the man demanded. Carlos reluctantly complied, and in seconds he felt the zip tie cinch tightly around his wrists. The man moved to stand before Carlos, a sinister sneer twisting his unshaven face.
"So, pig, you wanted to play the hero, huh? interfered in my business for the last time." The man punctuated each phrase by slamming his fist into Carlos' cheek and gut, causing Carlos to double over in pain. When the blows ceased, Carlos took measured breaths, willing the agony to subside as he straightened up in the chair once more.
The woman let out a shriek upon seeing Carlos' injuries. "Stop it, please!" she begged the man. He backhanded her across the face, the force of the impact knocking her to the floor.
"Shut your trap, bitch!" the man shouted. The woman flinched away from him, curling into a protective ball on the floor. Satisfied she was silenced, the man turned his attention back to Carlos.
Pulling a knife from his belt, the man leaned down to press the blade against Carlos' throat. "Here's how this is gonna go, pig. I have business to finish with this broad. You're gonna sit here nice and quiet, or I'll carve her up like a Thanksgiving turkey before I slit your throat. Understand?"
Carlos swallowed hard, feeling the knife bite into his skin. He nodded weakly, unwilling to provoke the man's rage further. His mind was in turmoil. How had he allowed himself to end up unarmed and powerless, unable to protect himself or this poor woman? If he didn't think fast, there might not be any escaping this building alive. And one thought rang through his mind over and over - would he ever get the chance to hold Tk in his arms again after today? All he could do was pray for a miracle.
The man left Carlos and the woman alone for a few minutes while he went to retrieve something from outside. Carlos turned to the woman, who was huddled on the floor crying, her body trembling in fear. His heart broke at the sight. He knew he had to do something to help her, to make things right.
"I'm a police officer," Carlos said gently. "I came here today to propose to my boyfriend. We are going to get out of this, I promise."
The woman lifted her tear-stained face. "How?" she asked hopelessly. "He has a gun. And he's already hurt you so badly."
Carlos gave her a reassuring smile, despite his split and swollen lip. "I've gotten out of worse scrapes than this. My name's Carlos, by the way."
"Lucy," the woman replied.
"Well, Lucy, how about we work together to turn this around?" Carlos asked. Lucy's eyes widened, a glimmer of hope returning. She nodded vigorously.
While the man was gone, Carlos worked frantically to loosen the zip tie binding his wrists. The rough plastic cut into his skin as he twisted and pulled, but he didn't care. All that mattered was breaking free. After a few minutes of struggling, Carlos felt the tie begin to give way. With one final wrench of his hands, the tie snapped apart.
Carlos leapt from the chair and helped Lucy from the floor. "We have to move fast," he said. Lucy rubbed her sore wrists as Carlos searched the room for escape routes. His heart leaped when he noticed a small, dusty window along the far wall, big enough for them to climb through. "There, that's our way out!"
They scrambled to the window, working together to pry it open through years of rust and stuck hinges. At last the window creaked open. "Ladies first," Carlos said, lacing his fingers together to give Lucy a boost up. She grasped the edge of the window and hauled herself,
As Carlos was about to hoist himself up to the window he heard the angry roar behind him. He spun around to find the man framed in the doorway, his eyes blazing with fury upon discovering his captives on the verge of escape.
Carlos' heart seized in his chest. There would be no more negotiating - they were now fighting for their lives. As the man charged at him and wrapped his meaty arms around Carlos' throat, squeezing the breath from his lungs, Carlos feared this might be a fight he wasn't meant to win. His world began to tunnel as he thought of Tk one last time...please forgive me.
Over the next few hours, the authorities followed protocol for a missing officer. They checked the route Carlos would have driven home, contacted local hospitals, and put an APB out for his vehicle. But so far, their searching had led to dead ends. With each minute that passed with no sign of Carlos, Tk felt his fear and anguish intensify. Where are you? he pleaded silently. As dawn broke over the city, casting everything in a pale, gray light, Tk was beginning to lose hope. How could the world ever be bright again if Carlos was lost to him forever?
Just then, Tk's phone rang, jolting him from his spiraling thoughts. He answered immediately, his heart seizing when he recognized the number. It was Carlos.
