Map of the Soul 7 Saga Book 3 - Home

Home Chapter 13

 "Ma'am," I say, attempting to hide my nervousness, "are we almost there? I really need to use the washroom."

She still doesn't respond. This time, she pulls the car over abruptly, opens the door, and, with a face mask on, instructs me to get out. I carefully unfasten Holden's seat belt, lift him out of the car, and step onto the road.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Where is your phone?" she demands.

Um, somewhere in the car, I handed it to Holden to play with, I lie to her.

I see her looking inside the car, and then she gets out, slowly lifting a gun and pointing it at Holden. I instinctively turn him away, gripping him tightly as tears start streaming down my face. "What are you doing?" I cry out. "Where are we? Please, just let Holden go home. I'll stay. Just let him go," I plead through my sobs.

"Give me the phone," she yells, "or I'll shoot you both right here." She threatens.

Tears stream down my face as I reach into my purse and retrieve the phone. In a fit of rage, she snatches it from my hands, crushes it under her foot, and grinds it into the ground.

She gestured towards the car, her hand firmly gripping the gun. I nodded in compliance, trying not to alarm my sleeping son, Holden. I carefully placed him back in the car, relieved that he was still unaware of the dangerous situation. As he stirred and woke up again, I braced myself for what might come next.

"Mommy," he says with a sleepy voice.

I smile at him. 'It's okay, babe. We're not there yet. Go back to sleep. I'm going to cover your face with your hat. Whatever you do, don't take it off your eyes. Promise? I have a surprise for you. So no peeking, I lie.' I say, trying to get him to go back to sleep.

"Okay, mommy," he murmurs with a sleepy voice, then drifts back to sleep.

The car door clicks shut with a finality as I buckle us both in. As tears stream down my face, I glance down at my boot, knowing that my phone is there. The one I had handed over to the kidnapper was my son's - a small comfort but a bittersweet one.

 As the car takes a sharp right turn, I soak in every detail of our surroundings. The gravel road rumbles beneath us, hinting at our remote location. The dense thicket of trees passing by tells me we have left the city far behind. Then, emerging in the distance is an old shack, its sole occupant a glow from within.

The weight of my fear seems to press down on my chest. Abruptly, the car comes to a halt, and the driver swings open the door. "Get out!" she bellows, jolting Holden awake. As he reaches to remove his hat, I intervene and whisper urgently, "Remember," as I guide him out of the car. "Keep your eyes covered, no matter what you hear, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy, but why?" he asks.

"I told you it's a surprise, okay." I remind him.

As we trudged up the steep hill, I struggled to carry Holden in my arms. Suddenly, the lady swung the door open to the shack, pointing a gun directly at me. "Get in," she commanded, her voice cold and unwavering.

"Mommy, I can hear the sound of fear in Holden's voice."

"It's okay, baby," I tell him. "Just keep your eyes closed, okay?"

As we entered the old shack, I noticed her pointing towards a worn mat on the floor. In the dim light, I could see the glint of chains hanging on the wall. It was an eerie sight.

Tears well up in my eyes as I plead, "Please, let Holden go. Don't hurt him."

"Mommy?" Holden's voice trembled, his distress in the quiver of his lip and the desperation in his tone.