Heaven's Grief (Sequel to Hell's Reign)

Chapter 4 - Strangers With Familiar Faces

       

Aaron sat unmoving in the back of the van. His hands had been bound behind his back uncomfortably with a thigh scrap of cloth that was digging into his skin as the van bounced and rumbled down the dirt road. Over his eyes was another piece of cloth, obstructing his sight, but not his hearing. He heard three distinct male voices, and beside him, he could hear the occasional soft whimpers of a girl. She was near enough to him that he could feel the warmth fo her against his arm, and when he shifted just right, their elbows bumped and she reeled away with another cry. He felt bad for that, and he wanted to apologize, but he had a feeling that speaking at all would land him in trouble with his captors.

    "We lost them, Vic," one of the men said, from behind Aaron. He turned his head slightly towards him, his heart sinking. He had heard his dad screaming after them. He'd heard the gunshots against the side of the van.

    "Of course we did," Another man said, whom Aaron assumed must have been Vic. "They were running, dipshit. We're in a van."

    "Well they were shooting at us, Vic," The first man replied, "That was a big risk we took back there for your sake."

    Suddenly, the van screeched to a halt. The force of it was strong enough to knock Aaron and the little girl beside him face-first onto the floor of the van. She cried again, whimpering as the man behind them lifted them both back up by the collars of their shirts. Aaron stayed quiet. "My sake?" Vic snapped, turning around to glare at the other man. "If I'm not mistaken, Mike, those fuckers beat you just as bloody as they beat me over that damn girl!" Aaron shivered slightly at the yelling. He was sued to such language from his uncles and his parents from time to time, but somehow, it was more threatening coming from these men. He wondered what girl they were talking about, if it could possibly be the girl beside him, and what exactly that had to do with him.

    "Yeah," Mike shot back, clearly annoyed, "Again, that was because of you! We just had to take the girl with us that day, didn't we? It wasn't enough to just take her things. You had to have your fucking way with her too —"

    "Enough!" Vic snapped, "That was almost seven years ago, and we agreed, it was a mistake. But those bastards deserve this, for what they did to us."

    "I agree there," A third voice suddenly piped up. This man seemed to be int he front seat as well, beside Vic. Aaron assumed there were no more people in the van besides the five of them. "We know they'll come after us for the kid. We can beat them like they beat us, only we'll finish the job."

    "That's right, Lee," Vic stated, "It'll only be a matter of time before they find us. At least you idiots picked up the right kid this time."

    "Speaking of which," Lee asked, turning towards the back of the van as Vic began driving again. "What are we going to do with the girl?"

    Aaron was more confused now as the girl whimpered again beside him. Clearly, she was not the same girl that Vic seemed to have a problem with. Had she been captured on accident while they were looking for him?

    "We'll keep her for now," Vic explained, "She'll make a nice play thing for the boy while we wait for his parents."

    Aaron began to shiver, nervously. His parents? What could they possibly want with his parents? Was his mother the girl they had been talking about? He shifted slightly towards the door of the van, not in any attempt to escape but only to sit more comfortably, and received a swift blow to the back of his head. "Sit still!" Mike snapped from behind him, "You're not going anywhere."

    "Careful," Vic snapped again, "I want that boy in one piece for his mother. She'll need to see him unharmed."

    Aaron's ears were ringing now from the blow. He could feel himself wavering where he sat. Tears pricked at his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He would not show weakness in front fo these men who meant to harm his mother.