We Found Love

TWENTY SEVEN

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"No one is going to hurt you if you will do as you're told,"

That's what Brad said.

So far, she is physically fine. No cuts, no bruises. Just that terrifying, churning feeling that keeps growing in every minute she's surrounded with these strange men in a tight enclosed space of a moving van.

Ethan wasn't in her arms anymore but she can hear him crying, his voice getting more hoarse by the minute. She felt like punching everyone in their throats for not even trying to soothe the baby's discomfort. But what exactly can she do when her hands were bound behind her, her mouth shut with some rag and a smelly potato sack covering her entire head.

It was a very quick blur of events. One moment she was joking around with Camila, playing with Ethan in her arms, then suddenly everyone was scrambling around her. She can't comprehend what was going on; it was confusing as much as it was terrifying.

There was a loud bang, a gunfire she supposed, unless it was a bomb. She never heard a gunfire sound before, or a bomb for that matter, so she really doesn't know what it was like. Her instinct made her run for cover as soon as she heard that noise, her mind immediately went to the thoughts of Camila and Ethan's safety.

The sudden commotion surprised her, made her panic a little, a typical impulse reaction when shit happens so suddenly. But it was all in a split second only. Soon as she gathered her wits back, Lauren urged Camila to call for help since she can't do it herself while tucking a boy safely in her arms.

While Camila was making a call for help, she scanned their surrounding area, searching for a much better place to hide other than a toppled over table. That's when Brad approached, crouching down as he neared their hiding position.

She thought he was gonna help the three of them to safety. But she thought wrong.

As she tried to get near him, meet him halfway, thinking that he would help them out of that vulnerable spot, he suddenly grabbed her, along with Ethan, quite harshly. That's when she realized something was wrong.

She barely yelled for help, call out for Camila's attention, when a rag was shoved in her mouth. A dirty burlap was put on her head next, immediately covering her entire field of vision. Then Brad's arms circled around her as he dragged her and the boy further away.

She was kicking, moving her body to and fro just to get loose from his grip but he was strong. She tried to use one of her hands to push him away, fight back, but it was no use. She felt Ethan ripped harshly from her, all she can do was scream through the rag in her mouth while being manhandled.

Lauren doesn't know what happened to Camila and the possibilities of her getting hurt terrifies her to no end. However, losing Ethan to these hoodlums made her furious. How heartless are these bastards to even think of hurting an innocent child. She needs to figure something out to get Ethan back to safety, even if it might cost her her life.

She realized she may die today, but she sure as hell won't go down without a fight.

Lauren made a mistake of trusting Brad earlier, she won't do it again. His words are empty, she knows they will hurt her; most likely Ethan as well and it's just too gut wrenching to think about what they might do to a boy of a few months old. They already took her against her will, had her mouth shut with a dirty rag and it already hurts her jaw, cover her head with an equally dirty and smelly burlap sack, and they wouldn't do those things without ill intention at all.

She can feel the van moving faster, most likely faster than the speed limit. The motions, the engine vibrations was making her queasy to top off the smell of the sack that has been making her feel nauseated. It's almost surprising that there are still no police car chase happening with the way the van seems to speed away. She worries that she and Ethan might just die in a vehicular crash instead of a bullet from these hooligans.