PROTECT ME Page 3

  "Okay, you need to shut up. Right now," Mark said with force. "You may not have noticed, but we're in a situation here. If we're going to get out of it, then --"

  "And you think you can get us out of here? Bodyguard," she said the last part with a sneer. Only Mark could hear the hint of a quaver in her voice, the fear was trying to hide from him. "If we are going to get out of this, I don't think that you --"

  Mia was silenced by the sound of the single door suddenly unlocking from the other side. She couldn't see it from where she sat, but Mark could. He had a front row seat, and he watched intently as the door swung open, revealing their abductor on the other side.

  The man was tall and willowy, like a blade of grass, but he had a strong frame and held himself in such a way that Mark didn't doubt for a moment his physical strength. But what caught Mark's attention the most was his clear white skin, white hair and red eyes. He was an albino.

  "Hello," he said simply. His voice was calm and reserved. He spoke like a man who was used to having people listen, rather than feeling the need to speak over them. "I'm glad that you're awake."

  "Who are you?!" Mia yelled from behind Mark. "What do you want?!"

  "Well, which one is it?" Allister smirked as he closed the door behind himself, shutting himself in the room with his two captives.

  "What do you want?" Mark asked firmly.

  "Introductions first, I think," he said in a pleasant manner as he strolled around the room, like a shark circling its prey. "I'm Allister Cook and you... well, you're both my captives."

  "Charming," Mark said back. "Are you going to tell us what you want? If it's a ransom then --"

  "Oh, don't worry, it's nothing as arbitrary as a ransom. My goal is simple, to keep Mia here until Monday. Once Monday comes along, you will be free to go." Mark looked into his eyes, trying to determine if what he said was true. Unfortunately, it was hard to determine due to the red hue. It was certainly disconcerting.

  "The vote," Mark said simply. "You're blackmailing her mother."

  "And there it is. So simple. Yes, once the vote doesn't pass then I will let you go. You have my word. So, for now, try to be as comfortable as your binds will allow. I'll come back to check on you in --"

  "Wait!" Mia yelled. "You can't leave us here like this for three days!"

  "And why not?" Allister asked perplexed.

  "Because... well because..."

  "Exactly. I can do what I like and so I have done it. Good day." Allister gave Mark a short, firm nod and exited the room. Once the door was closed behind him, Mark heard the distinct sound of a lock clicking into place again.

  "Mia, just stay calm for a moment. We're going to get out of here. While I figure out a way to do tha --"

  "Get out of here? Why?" she asked, as if the idea of escape was ludicrous. "You heard him. He'll let us go once the vote is done. If we try and escape, he might hurt us or kill us! No thank you."

  "And you aren't concerned about your mother? She’s going to be worried sick about you."

  "My mother?" Mia scoffed. "If you knew her, believe me, you would understand that she definitely will NOT be worried about me." Her voice got quieter as she mumbled, “She probably wouldn’t even notice that I’m not there.”

  Mark sighed, a twinge of pity developing for Mia. No child should ever feel that way about their parent. But right now, his main priority had to be their dicey situation. He had heard what the albino had said too, but unlike Mia, he didn't believe a word of it. Mark was a cop and he knew what usually transpired in these types of situations. Once the vote wasn't passed there would be no need to keep the two alive. In fact, now that they had seen Allister's face and knew his name, there was even less of a reason to keep them alive.

  But Mark didn't say any of this. Instead he got to work on his binds. Electrical tape was a pretty manageable binding that Mark was sure he'd be able to wiggle his way out of – got it! He turned his hands on an angle and ripped down. The angle, plus the pressure applied, tore right through the tape, freeing his hands.

  Relieved, Mark bent over and pulled his feet free too.

  "What's that!?" Mia hissed. "Did you free yourself? What are you doing?"

  "I'm getting us out of here." Mark turned on Mia next, grabbing her hands and very simply pulling apart the tape that held them. "You can do your own feet."

  "Oh no I won't," she said pointedly. "I'm staying right here. You're welcome to go out there and get yourself killed but if you think --"

  "Look," Mark snapped. "We've seen his face and we know his name. Why would he keep us alive? Plus he's an albino for Christ sake! How many albino's do you think there are that are looking to profit off illegal immigration? Once that vote goes down, we're dead and I'm not hanging around for it. So, you can either sit there and hope for the best, or you can follow me."

  He didn't wait for a response, because he knew what she was going to do. She would go with him, but she would drag her tail the entire way. Now free from his binds, he walked up to the single door and knocked on it. He didn't really have a plan. He was going to act and see what happened.

  "What?" a voice shouted back. The voice didn't belong to Allister and it also didn't ask how Mark was free to knock so easily on the door. This indicated pretty clearly that Allister hadn't set his best or brightest on this job.

  "Mia is throwing up in here," Mark called. "We need some help!"

  "What?" Through the door again.

  "I said, Mia is being sick! We need some help! An ambulance or --"

  "I can't hear -- wait one minute!"

  Mark took a step back as he heard the lock unclicking. He then stepped to the side, allowing for the door to open. As it opened, a medium built man stumbled into the room. He took one look at Mark's empty chair, another at the now free Mia and froze. It was all the time Mark needed.

  As quick as a flash, he stepped out from behind the door, drove his foot into the kneecap of the man and dropped him to the ground. Once the man was on his knees, Mark grabbed him by the head and slammed his knee into the man's face. Out cold.

  Mark stepped around the unconscious guard’s body and tentatively took a peak outside. By the looks of it, they were in some sort of a warehouse -- from where he stood, he could see dozens of conveyer belts transporting hundreds of wooden crates and cardboard boxes. The room they had been shoved into was a small storage room by the back of the large space. But more importantly, from where Mark stood, he could see the exit – ready and available.

  He turned back to Mia, noting the way she shook as she looked at the unmoving body of the guard. Mark took a slow step toward her and held his hand out. "Are you coming?"

  "Wh... what?" she asked, still shaking. She looked from Mark's outstretched hand, to his eyes. Hers were full of fear, Mark's were full of determination.

  "Mia, if you want to live, I suggest you take my hand."

  And she did. Her hand slowly wrapped around Mark's own and the moment he had a firm grip, he pulled her with him.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Mark held onto Mia's hand until they were well outside the warehouse. Indeed, even if he had wanted to let go, there was a very good chance that she wouldn't have allowed it. She held on firmly, allowing him to guide her to safety.

  Their escape from the warehouse was surprisingly simple – it was so large in scale that they were able to sneak through undetected. But once they were free of its confines, Mark realized that they were a long way from safety.

  Actually, as fresh air hit their faces and the sun beat down on their skin, Mark had to admit that he had no idea where they were. Not one.

  From left to right, as far as Mark could see, there was nothing but open pastures and corn fields. The warehouse sat by itself on the side of the highway, isolated and stark. There wasn't even another manmade structure for as far as Mark could see. There were fields. Endless rows of fields.

  The highway the warehouse sat on was currently empty too, with only a single lone truck in the distance that
was visible.

  "Where are we?" Mia asked the moment they were free. They ran from the warehouse to the side of the highway, as if placing as much distance between themselves and the building might keep them safe.

  "I have no idea."

  If Mark had to guess, he would say they were west of D.C. Judging from the fields, they were closer to mid-west America than the coast. And, looking at the sun slowly setting on the horizon, he predicted it to be nearing five in the afternoon. With that little information to go from, Mark assumed they were a solid five hours west of D.C. But that was it. Anything else was anybody's guess.

  "Do you have your phone on you?" Mia asked. She was patting herself down, checking to see if she had anything of use. Mark did the same, although he knew it to be useless. There wasn’t a chance their captors would leave him with anything. Even his watch had been taken from him.

  "We're going to have to hitch-hike," Mark concluded. "Maybe the driver can take us back to D.C? Or at the very least, let us use his phone to make a call."

  "Hitch-hike?" Mia said with apparent disgust. "You can't be serious?"

  "What?" Mark asked, caught off guard by her response. "Look, I don't have time for..." As he spoke, he glanced back in the direction they had come. Any moment now the guards would come across the empty room they were supposed to be in. And when that happened... well, Mark hoped they were in a car and long gone from here by then.

  "Is there anything else? Maybe we can... I don't know..." Mia was clutching for answers. But it was no good. It was either hitch-hike or turn themselves back in. Mark grabbed her hand and started walking determinedly down the edge of the highway. He didn’t want anyone from the warehouse to come outside and see them – it would be too obvious that they didn’t belong there. As it was, they should try to come up with some kind of believable story to tell anyone who stopped to help them.

  As luck would have it, about twenty minutes later, Mark spotted a very old pick-up truck, making its way down the highway towards them. He had no idea what direction they needed to go in, but he didn't care. They could sort that out once they were safe.

  "Hey!" he yelled out, lifting his arm up to wave down the driver of the vehicle.

  The pick-up truck, an off-yellow color with mud stains up the side, slowed down to a stop, pulling up right beside where Mark and Mia stood. Once halted, the window slowly wound down to reveal its sole occupant.

  The man driving was squat and round -- even sitting down, he appeared short. His entire torso looked as if it had been compacted, which was even odder to look at considering his long arms and legs. He had blonde hair that resembled straw, a lot of missing teeth and a very tanned face. But he greeted them with a smile that Mark trusted immediately.

  "Hey there," Billy spoke with a twang common in the mid-west area, just north of what most American's considered the south. "This is an odd spot to be hailing down trucks."

  "Hey," Mark said, letting out a sigh of relief over the man's jovial manner. "We're really sorry to put you out, but we've become stranded. We have no phones, wallets or anything and we were hoping you could take us to the nearest gas station or hotel or anywhere that might have a phone?"

  "No phone? You know if it wasn't for the fact that I never carried a phone myself, I'd think you were a bunch of odd balls and leave ya here." He suddenly burst into a belly laugh, having to wipe his eyes he was laughing so hard. "Come on then, jump in. There' s a hotel about an hour down the road. I'll take ya and see ya safe, or my name isn't Billy... which it is, by the way."

  Mark thanked Billy profusely as he climbed into the front passenger seat of the car. Mary was nowhere near as grateful, but she offered him a smile as she climbed in the back seat. And then, once they were both in and strapped up, the pick-up took off.

  "So, what are a couple like you doin' out here?" Billy asked as they cruised along the road. He had the window down, with his elbow resting on the sill.

  "Oh, we're not a couple!" Mia said quickly, leaning in from the back as she did.

  "What?" Billy asked, confused by the statement.

  "You said what are a couple like you doing, and I wanted to let you know that --"

  "It's a long story," Mark spoke over her. "I don't think you'd believe it if I told you." Billy seemed genuine enough, despite his oddities. The fact that he didn't have a phone was an annoyance too. But either way, Mark wanted to stay on his good side, so he made sure to speak over Mia so that he could to keep her from saying anything that might insult the man.

  "Is that right?" he chuckled, shaking his head. "I suppose I'll have to take ya word for it?"

  "Um, you wouldn't happen to know how far D.C. is from here would you?" Mark asked hopefully.

  "D.C?! Blazes you are lost! What in the hell are ya doin' out... D.C. is a solid five hours west o' here."

  "Damn," Mark said, leaning back heavily. As he did, he looked up in the rear-view mirror, taking note of Mia. She looked worried, more than he had thought. She always put on such a tough exterior that it never really occurred to him that she might be scared. "Hey, Mia, we're going to be okay," he said softly.

  "What?" she asked, suddenly looking up at him. She had been staring out the window. Her eyes were big and pouty, gleaming with hidden tears. For the first time, Mark felt himself warming up to her.

  "We'll be fine. As soon as we get to a phone, we'll call your mom and let her know where we are. Then I can call the agency and they can send a pick up. Everything is going to be fine." He smiled and she smiled tremulously back.

  "Oh... oh right," she said almost absentmindedly. "Look, Mark. I wanted to... I was thinking before that this whole thing wouldn't have happened if I hadn’t run away... and I wanted to say sor --"

  Had Mark been paying attention to the road, he might have seen it coming. Or, at the very least, been more prepared for what happened. Instead he was looking back at Mia when the front windshield exploded.

  "What the fu --" Mark yelled as he spun across to look at Billy. Billy lay slumped in the front seat, a distinct bullet hole in his head. "Billy!" Mark yelled as he uselessly grabbed at the now dead driver.

  "Mark!" Mia yelled. She pointed straight ahead where the truck had begun to veer off the road.

  "Shit!" Mark exclaimed. Mark was quick to react. He climbed over Billy's body and pushed him to the side. He then slid into the driver's seat, and turned the car back onto the road. Then, once he was in and secure, he hit the accelerator for all it was worth.

  "What's happening!" Mia screamed from the back seat.

  "Sniper!" Mark yelled back as he pushed the pick-up truck forward.

  "A sniper? What do you mean a sniper?!"

  Really that was just a guess on Mark's part. He honestly had no idea what had just happened. But there was a bullet wound through Billy's head that seemed to come from nowhere. A sniper was the only realistic option.

  The highway was practically empty. They hadn’t passed another vehicle in either direction for the last twenty minutes, but suddenly Mark could see two SUV’s coming up fast behind them.

  The pick-up they were in was old and worn down. The SUV's were brand new and geared up. They caught the truck with ease. It was a two-lane highway, with the pick-up driving in the right lane and the two SUV's flanking it on either side. At first, Mark thought that the black vehicles were going to come up on either side of him, but then the one on the right hit the accelerator and drove itself into the tail of the pick-up.

  "Hold on!" Mark yelled. He pulled down on the wheel, cutting the pick-up across both lanes, trying to keep the SUV’s from being able to come up beside them.

  The engines in the other vehicles trumped his own though, and soon he was nestled between the two behemoths. The old farm truck was way too heavy to pick up speed like the flashier new SUV’s. They worked their way slowly up the side of the pick-up truck. It looked to Mark as if they were going to try to force the truck to a halt. Well he wasn't going to let that happen.

  With as much effort
as he could muster, he pulled down on the steering wheel, turning it at a hard right and straight into one of the SUVs. He caught the driver by surprise, sending the large vehicle off the road just before they came up to a drainage gulley. The SUV hit the jump hard, flying into the air and flipping over twice as it hit the ground with enough momentum to propel it a hundred feet into the field and over a pile of boulders that the farmer had stacked in the out-of-the-way corner of his field. Mark caught all this with a glance in his side mirror.

  Now there was just one.

  Without hesitating, because he didn’t want to lose the benefit of the distraction he had just created, he turned the wheel of the old truck to the left, attempting to slam it into the side of the other SUV.

  The SUV saw him coming and dodged left to avoid the truck, hitting his brakes as he did so.