INSIDE THEIR MINDS

I'm Free

PHIL

I could hear the voices coming from his bluetooth again. I couldn't make out any real words just a jumbled mess of letters. Where they speaking a different language? Then the voices stop.

Immediatly he looks over at Jer and rests two fingers on the side of his neck unsteadily as if he had never done it before.

"Little to the left." I say to him.

His fingers move shakily to the vein of his neck.

He lets out a sigh of relief.

"Is he?"

"He is alive." He says with a smile.

Then instantly his demeanor changed from almost cheerful to angry and downright scary.

"He's alive and if you want him to stay that way you will listen to what I have to say and do what I ask you to do." He says eyeing me in his rearview mirror.

"I.. I will." I mutter now uncontrollably shaking looking at Jer lying there. Any onlooker would see a sleeping man, only we knew better.

"I have one condition, or rather two conditions." I say looking straight into the mirror.

He was silent, the bluetooth was not.

"Go on." He finally said.

"I want my family..."

"We don't care about your fucking family!" He screamed as he sped almost too quickly around a tight curve.

"And Jer!" I said seeing him move limply from the window and unconciously lean over his head now drooping over, his forehead against the dashboard as we finished the unexpected turn.

The ballcapped man tries moving his body into the position it was in before but with no luck.

Then noise. Swirving. Crash. A pole coming out of no where.

THREE HOURS LATER

ALEX

Kate was absolutely distraught. It was only after Derek repeatedly insisted that she lay Nora down for bed that she finally did.

But once she let her go, something else left her. It was as of all reasonable thought left her.

"Kate. Kate. We will find him." I say to her as she stares down at her food that she hasn't even touched.

Derek silently took mine and his plate away and loaded them swiftly away in the dishwasher.

I schooch closer to Kate now feeling as if I was practically sitting on top of her at the dining room table.

"Kate, you need to eat, you need to shower.. you.."

"I NEED TO FIND PHIL!" She screamed now stsnding from her chair nearly knocking it to the floor.

"I'm sorry... Alex... it's just all too much... with the baby.. with him.. I can't do this all alone. " she said as she threw herself at me.

I wrapped my arms around her and slowly rubbed at her back, something that had used to always calm her.

"I think it's time we call the police." Derrick says from across the table.

I feel Kate nod into my shoulders.

I point for Derek to get his phone.

He reaches into his pocket and then I hear those 3 fateful button tones.

9-1-1

He puts it on speaker phone and sets it on the table.

"9-1-1 what's your emergency?"

"I'd like to report a missing person." Derek says almost too loudly into the room.

"Who do you believe to be missing sir?" The deep male voice spoke.

"Phillip...ah" he says

"Whats his last name?" He whispers to Kate.

"DeVosse." She says through soft tears.

"DeVosse." He repeats back to the operator.

"When was the last time you had contact with Mr DeVosse?" He asked.

"Would have been close to five or six hours. He had an interview on the news and he never came home." Derek says looking at both Kate and I.

"Home? So you live with him?"

"No his wife is standing beside me and isn't currently in the condition to talk."

"I would like to speak with her, if I may?" He asks politely but sternly.

"Mrs DeVosse, have you and your husband been fighting or anything asking those lines? "

"We aren't married yet and no I was expecting him home for dinner and he just didn't come home. " She said through tears.

"Okay." She said slowly, "Was he driving a car or taking a bus."

"He has a driver, um I don't know his name but he picked him up before the interview."

"Do you have a plate for that vehicle or any information about the model or anything that could help us?"

"Nat"

"Nat? Mrs?"

"The license began with N.A.T. something. It was a black car um nice, fancy with darkened windows and a scratch on the back bumper."

Then there was a crash, glass hit the floor.

"Everyone alright?" The man asked.

I looked to the glass that Derek dropped to the floor and then to him.

"Yeah, everythings ok." I said outloud then projecting a questioning look to Derek.

"It's that car. Remember? With the thing out the window.. remember Alex.. on our way home." He said looking at me with worried eyes.

Then it him me. THAT was HIS car. Why would Phil throw something out of his car, unless... unless he had to?

PHIL

Sirens. More sirens. Heavy eyes. Sore body. Headache, horrible headache.

I could barely open my eyes, but I didn't need to to know that I was still in the small car. Apparently I had fallen asleep? But I would never just nap at a time like this. He must of hit me, that's why my head hurts, that's why I was unconcious.

Then I noticed the utter silence, no breathing, no engine noises but then sirens again cut through the silence but then the sirens faded.

I try my hardest to get up on my elbow to look around the car just to find myself alone. I instinctually grab at the doors handle but it didn't do me any good. It shook but the door didn't budge.

I look outside the window closest to my head to see the words EMERGENCY ROOM in big red letters a mass of red in the pitch darkness.

Jer. He brought Jer here. He cares about what happens to us, or at least to him.

I try to sit up in my chair but I have a hard time moving my legs. I notice a thin blanket covering me from the waist down so I remove it quickly to see that I have been shackled at the ankles.

I look to my wrists in confusion. Why the ankles and not the wrists?

I pull at the nylon rope but that does nothing but hurt my fingers. I could see the rope leaving harsh red dents in my skin but not enough to do any perminent damage.

I need to get out before he gets back, even with my legs tied together. There must be police here, they can untie me.

I sit back against the chair and flip my legs so they now rest between the two front seats. I then push as hard as I can and quickly I am sitting in the drivers seat.

I take a deep breath as I reach for the doors handle and thankfully the door opens.

I slide my legs out again and leave the door open behind me as I hop out of the car.

I'm free.