A Heavy Metal Christmas

Chapter 6

~JAKE'S P.O.V~
I begin to look for Colleen, walking up and down random hallways and yelling her name.
I try her phone three more times before giving up. I guess she turned it off for some reason.
As the minutes pass without finding her, a pocket of dread begins weighing in my stomach. My instincts were telling me that she was in trouble.
I had to find her before she got hurt, or worse.
~COLLEEN'S P.O.V~
My kidnapper drags me into a tiny, dirty room with no windows. A single lightbulb hangs from the ceiling, shedding light on a broken desk in one corner and a wooden chair in the other with some rope lying next to it.
He shoves me into the chair, then ties my hands and feet with the rope. In my mouth he shoves an old (but thankfully clean) rag, silencing me.
I was finally able to get a good look at his face, and what I saw made me gasp as unwanted memories come flooding back.
It was Rick.
Rick fucking Gosse.
He grins at me. "Hello, Colleen," he says. "Long time no see, huh?"
I glare at him, struggling against the rope. Spitting out the rag, I growl, "Just what the fuck do you think you're doing, Rick?"
Rick strolls casually towards me. "Just trying to scrape together some cash." he replies. "I came up short on money this year, and I figure, what better way to get money than to kidnap the most famous metal star and hold her for ransom?" He comes to a stop next to the rag that I had spat out. He pushes it back into my mouth, this time tying the ends so I couldn't get rid of it again. Finished, he continues: "You have no idea of what kind of shit I had to go through to get to you. The cops are crawling around this place." Pausing, he flicks the blade open and slices my cheek.
I shriek loudly in pain. Rick just grins. "I'll get a real pretty penny for you. I'm sure Corey has some pocket change to spare." With that, he slashes a long, deep line down my arm, starting at the inside of my elbow and ending at my wrist.
I scream again, tears budding in my eyes. Blood began to quickly seep out, forming a puddle on the floor.
"I did think about a couple other options," Rick says, tapping the blade against his lips. "I couldn't decide on one. Then it hit me." He glances over at me and grins evilly. "Since you're worth so much to Corey, I'll make him match your worth in cash." He slices my other arm, and that one began to bleed heavily as well.
Dizzy and nauseous from the loss of blood, I realize that I wouldn't last much longer.
Rick pauses, standing in front of me with his arms crossed thoughtfully. "As for the reason behind me torturing you like this, well.. I also figured that you've had it too good for too long. I can't be the only one suffering," he growls.
He walks toward me again, then stops and slowly cuts a shallow line from the hollow between my collarbones, up my throat, and under my chin, coming to a stop at my bottom lip.
My skin was burning, and tears were streaming down my cheeks.
I knew right then I was going to die. Black dots gather at the corners of my vision, and I shut my eyes. Jake's handsome face appeared before me, and I smile one last time before darkness swallows the image and my senses.
~JAKE'S P.O.V~
About an hour had passed, and I still haven't found Colleen.
I was panicking now, running up and down random hallways, yelling her name.
I pass by a dirty-looking hallway when a loud scream stops me in my tracks. I knew it was Colleen; I'd recognize her voice anywhere.
I race down the hall. She screams again, a lot closer this time. I hang a left, and discover a door that was slightly open. A man's voice was wafting out, along with Colleen's whimpers of- what? Pain? Fear?
Both cause a fire of anger to flare in my chest, and I kick the door open.
Before me stands a tall, slender man standing in front of Colleen, holding a knife that was dripping with blood.
'Colleen's blood,' I realize.
The man whirls around in surprise, but before he could do anything, I run at him and punch him, hard.
He staggers, but regains his balance, holding his knife out in defense.
I kick at the knife, managing to knock it out of the man's hand.
He turns to go after it, but I tackle him to the ground, snarling in rage. Straddling him, I clench my fists and pummel him until he stops thrashing under me.
I slowly get off him, panting. My hands were throbbing, but I didn't notice.
All I was focused on was Colleen's limp, bloody figure in the chair in front of me.
I hurry to her side and untie the ropes binding her hands and feet.
Both her arms had deep, ugly gashes stretching from the crooks of her elbows to her wrists, and her normally fair skin was painted red. Her eyes were shut, and her breathing was erratic.
I carefully pick her up and carry her out, grabbing her phone off the floor as I do so.
I hurry out of that hellish hallway and back to the main rooms of the backstage area, praying to whatever God there was that my wife would be okay.
~COREY'S P.O.V~
When Jake tells me that Colleen had gone missing, I immediately begin to worry. Col wasn't the type to go off somewhere on her own, especially if Jake was around. Someone must have taken her, or she got lost.
I quickly tell the others, and we split up to find her. I was searching near the entrance of the amphitheater when my phone begins to ring. I pull it out; it was Jake.
I quickly answer, and my heart stops when I hear Jake say: "Corey, I found Colleen, but she's bleeding really badly." Running a hand over my face, I ask, "Okay, where are you guys?"
"Outside the backstage area. There's a lot of security guards around us; you can't miss us. Come quickly, we've gotta get her to a hospital-" Jake replies.
I end the call and begin running. Panic races through my veins, making me run faster, and I was backstage in no time at all.
Jake was right; I spot him right away due to the amount of security guards surrounding him. I push my way through them, and stop cold when I see my daughter lying limply in Jake's arms, blood oozing from her arms and cheek. I hurry to Jake's side, gently slipping my arms around my baby girl and taking her from Jake, who looks like he was about to pass out.
I slowly kneel, hugging her slim body to mine and burying my face in her hair. "Col? Col, it's Dad, I'm here, baby girl... Daddy's got you... Please, honey, say something," I whisper, fear and sorrow breaking my voice.
A voice from above me says gently, "Sir? Sir, the ambulance is here. She needs to be taken to the hospital."
I look up, and a medic was standing there, a stretcher behind him.
I nod, then adjust my hold on Colleen, rising to my feet. I carry her to the stretcher and tenderly place her on it. The medic moves to strap her in, but I grab his wrist, forcing him to look at me.
"Listen here," I snarl. "You better make sure my baby girl will be all right, or I swear to whatever fucking God you pray to, you and your coworkers will be next, or my name's not Corey Taylor. Got it?"
Nervously, the medic nods, and I let go of him. He wheels Colleen to the ambulance, and the medics inside lift her into it and shut the doors. The ambulance quickly drives away as I stand there, watching it leave.
I hadn't realized that I had started crying right then, but I didn't care. If Col dies...
I didn't want to finish that thought.
The pain that came with it would be too much to bear.