Dangerous Strangers

Chapter 1

On this late summer night everything was quiet, peaceful even. The stars were shining brighter than ever, lighting up Oakwood Estates with a soft glow. A light breeze cooled the air, which was a great relief from the sweltering heat the state of Illinois had been suffering.

Mr. and Mrs. Heath slept peacefully on their new bed, little Emma Blake cuddled with her puppy and watched Disney Channel, the Grayson’s were having a family game night and were bantering playfully, and the neighborhood watch sat at the gate and watched as a nondescript van pulled out onto the main road and sped away. If only they’d known what had happened but they were completely unaware of the unconscious girl tied and gagged in the back of the van.

Things like this just didn’t happen in neighborhoods like this or to girls like Katty Johnson. This was not something to be expected. No one could’ve imagined in their wildest dreams what these men were up to and what they wanted with Katty.

Meanwhile Katty began to stir in the back of the van. She sat up groggily and looked around, trying to get a bearing on what was happening. As the memory of the people in masks storming into her room returned her eyes widened with horror. She started screaming but quickly stopped when she realized it would do her no good since they’d gagged her.

The inside of the van was as nondescript on the inside as the outside; metal walls, metal floor, and no windows. The only noise was the sound of the road under the vans tires and a soft grumble of deep voices.

Katty tried to make out what the men were saying but she couldn’t hear anything over the damn roaring of the tires. She could only hear two different voices for sure and possibly a third raspier voice but she couldn’t tell for certain. Slowly, she began sawing at the ropes around her wrist with a part of the floor that was sticking up jaggedly and smirked with satisfaction when the rope began to fray. Suddenly the van jolted and Katty got tossed to the other end of the van. She tried to roll herself back to the jagged tear in the floor but couldn’t manage to get positioned the way she was before. She let out a loud, frustrated groan and slumped against the wall.

The men got quiet instantly when they heard her groan. They knew their little ‘guest’ was awake. A sick grin twisted all of their ugly faces into a look of sheer pride and glee. They reveled in the fact that she was terrified and confused. That was the best part, feeling the fear that their hostages always felt. They loved knowing that they strike fear into the heart of others. If only they were allowed to enjoy it more thoroughly but they knew that if they touched her He would shoot them in a heartbeat.

They rolled to a stop in the middle of the road and the driver hopped out and walked around back. He wanted their ‘guest’ to know that any attempt at escape was pointless because they would find her and they would kill her. She doesn’t know that they would be killed if they hurt her and she hopefully never will. He has to rely on her to believe his bluff. As he threw open the doors to the back of the van she launched herself at him and they both toppled to the ground. He leapt up and yanked her up by her arms and tossed her back into the van.

“Try that again and I will shoot you,” he growled at her menacingly. She took one look at him and spit right in his face with a crazed grin on her face. His vision pulsed red with rage and he slammed the doors shut before he really did shoot her. She wasn’t worth losing his life over.

Katty’s heart pounded as the van started back up and they sped down the road once more. She knew she had been taking a chance by attacking him. She figured they would threaten her but she called his bluff. Katty had taken note that the man had carried no weapons on him.