The Untamed

Chapter 4: Kane Stryker

     “You’re more of a coward than I thought,” he said with a gentle smile. His voice was still as tough as a rock and as deep as a well. He reached over and removed the gag around Clyde’s mouth.

     “You?” he gasped.

     The man rubbed his neck and closed his eye. “At least you remember me…”

     “W-what do you want from me?” Clyde cried out desperately, completely disregarding every word he uttered. “I-I hardly have any money – but I’ll give you what I have. Just please don’t hurt me!”

     The man frowned. His one eye examined the boy very carefully, as if making sure this was the right person he wanted to kidnap. Clyde did his best to avert that electrifying, blue eye.

     “They told me you would be a bit startled, but I never expected you to be so…chicken.”

   Again, Clyde simply ignored him and continued screaming and yelling, doing everything he could in order to get himself out of the car.

   “Calm down,” the man urged, trying to cover Clyde’s mouth with a gloved hand.

   But Clyde could not calm down. Who knew what he was going to do to him? Maybe he had a knife or a gun ready in his pocket, waiting for the right moment to attack.

   “I’m not here to hurt or rob you,” the man continued. “My name is Kane Stryker and I’m here to help your sorry butt. And by the look of things, you need lots of it.”

   At first, it was impossible for Clyde to believe a single word, but then, the man untied the ropes that bound Clyde’s wrists and ankles. They each gave each other a hard look – and Clyde dared not take his eyes off of Kane Stryker’s one. He feared that if he made any sudden movement, something bad was likely to happen. From the corner of his eye, the boy saw the door completely ajar, but the man was filling it up. Was it worth it to throw a blow at this man and make a run for it?   

   While his punches were fierce, almost like a tornado, Clyde didn’t run near as fast as one. So even if he did manage to get out, his legs could only go so far. In the meantime, this man would probably follow in the car…

   “I guess I got a bit careless with you, eh?” said Kane, scratching his short, thick beard thoughtfully. “This may seem really stupid to say now, but I’m going to need you to trust me.”

   He paused and Clyde tried to listen to every word over the sound of his smashing heartbeat. He was still unsure of what was going on.            

   “The truth is that I’ve been searching for you for some time. I knew I had found you from the very moment we met.”

   Finally, Clyde opened his mouth. “What do you want from me?”

   “I want you to remain calm,” the man breathed – almost groaning.

   This, Clyde could not do. Just hearing this man’s voice was creeping him out – he launched a fist at Kane’s face – but he quickly swerved aside, avoiding the blow. Still, he moved aside just enough for Clyde to slip through the hole.

   Relieved, yet terrified at the same time, Clyde made a dash for it. He never ran faster in his entire life. He heard Kane scream something, but this did little to stop his getaway. As quick as he could, Clyde turned a corner and ended up in some dark alley.

   Where to now? He wasn’t sure and he didn’t quite care at the moment, as long as he got as far away from the man and the car as possible. However, with every passing second, Clyde’s panic meter rose. For some reason, he felt that the man was still nearby – almost right beside him. The color in his face was drained as well as his calm and cool expression. Instead, fear and regret coursed through Clyde’s body as the sweat came gushing down his head. The only thing he could think of now was to keep running until he reached the next state.