'74

Chapter 8 ~ First Night

*Kidnapper’s lodge*

“Just sit down right over there,” one of the giants motioned to a couch in the center of the room. The two huge men lead Elvis through the door of the wooden cabin and over to the couch.

Though his legs and feet had been freed from the ropes, his wrists were still tightly bound. Elvis surveyed his surroundings. It was dark outside. Probably around 4 in the morning, he guessed. He could tell that the building he was being brought into was a cabin or rustic lodge of some sort, not used very often. While being moved out of the van by his two linebacker friends, he had estimated his chances of escape to be very close to zero. Too close to zero. What did these men want with him, he thought. Ransom? Money? Fame? Maybe an angry husband wanting revenge…. That thought worried him. He looked down at the couch he had just been seated on. This thing is disgusting, I bet it hasn’t been cleaned in 20 years. It was then he realized that he was still in his white concert jumpsuit, still dressed for the show from earlier. He looked around. Not a big place, but definitely not small. There was a kitchen area in one of the corners, complete with a round dining area next to it. A hall that led down to where he guessed were the bed rooms and such. And then there was the living area where he was now sitting, with a nice sized fireplace and small TV on an opposite wall. It was all tackily decorated, with no color coordination whatsoever. The furniture looked like it had sat out in the weather for a few weeks before being brought inside. There was only one door to enter or exit, from what Elvis could tell. And about 3 or 4 windows. He tried to angle himself to turn around and get a better look at the place.

Nervous, was an understatement. Elvis had been nervous before in his life. What he was feeling now was more along the lines of.. petrified. He was shaking so badly he had to struggle to keep his teeth from chattering. Remaining in calm demeanor, he fought the urge to panic. Clamping his thighs tightly together to avoid the shaking from being noticed, he held his head up high and turned to face his captors, as the man called ‘boss’ was now entering the cabin.

The man eyed him blankly for a moment. “Nicolas, untie Mr. Presley! We aren’t savages here!” He said turning to one of the linebackers.

As the Nicolas fella untied his wrists, Elvis kept a wary eye on the other three men approaching him.

“Well now, I guess we should make some introductions to begin with. My name is Bradley. I am in charge of this little gang here.” The man said. “This here is Neil, my right hand man.” He pointed over to the short blonde man who Elvis recognized as the man who had driven the van earlier. “I’m sure you’re already acquainted with Nick and Lance,” pointing to the two giant men who had escorted him around. Nick was a thick built man with dark unruly hair who nearly reached the ceiling in height. Lance was around the same size as Nick, though he was a bit chubbier and had sported a short blonde buzz-cut.

“Now, Mr. Presley, let me explain your situation.” Bradley started, as he took a seat in one of the lounge chairs. “I’m sure you’re dying to know what’s going on.” He took out a cigarette and began smoking, blowing a smoke cloud out into the air. “I hav- … or we have been hired to kidnap you. Though, you already know that much.” Bradley smiled to himself, and took another drag of his cigarette before continuing. “What you don’t know, is that we aren’t working for a ransom.”

Elvis fidgeted. This can’t be good. He thought. Nervous energy pumped through his veins, as he struggled to remain in control of his body.

Bradley, noticed his discomfort and seemingly almost reading Elvis’ mind, sighed, “No we weren’t hired by some woman’s husband, but Lord knows you’ve probably deserved a beating or two from a few of them.” He paused and looked around the room at the other guys who were seated around them, listening intently. “No, Mr. Presley, my gang and I were hired to fix you up. Get you off those God-forsaken pills, and get you back to work.”