Five

"We feel most alive when we are closest to death."

- Nenia Campbell, Terrorscape

Screaming, kicking, biting, scratching. These are all results of what children or people use when they are being kidnapped. I want to do all of those things, but, like before, my body isn't responding to my brain. I want to scream for my mother, kick for my mother, bite for my mother, and scratch for my mother. But there is nothing I could do. I can't scream or bite with tape over my mouth, I can't kick with my ankles tied up, and I can't scratch with my wrists tied up. There is literally nothing I can do, except just wait there, in the smelly man's arms.

Disgusting I think. Who would want to do this anyway? There's no reason I hear the men start talking, so I stop thinking to myself, to listen in. "Ay," says the skinny man, his hands in his baggy pockets. He has a New York accent. "Ay, Ernie?"

"What?" says Ernie, the man holding me. Ernie has an Australian accent. "What, Jayce?"

"How much do ya dink he'll pay for dis?" asks Jayce. Ernie sighs happily.

"Dunno, but boy! Is it gonna be something! Dis girl means a darn lot to 'im."

"Yeh!" exclaims Jayce. He puts a toothpick in his mouth to suck on.

"Heh-heh." he chuckles a few moments later. "Boy, are we gonna be rich." Ernie chuckles back. The smell of smoke is filling my nose, and passing by my lungs. My throat feels awful.

I want to shout into their ears as loud as I possibly can. I know I can scream. I've been doing it for the last ten hours. I try struggling, but I am only fidgeting slightly. "Oh no you don!'" laughs Jayce. He stops Ernie, and walks up to my face over Ernie's shoulder. "Ay, lil' gal," he says. His breath smells of fish and smoke. "Don' you tink it's time for a lil' nap?" He raises his fist, and punches me. Hard.

***

I wake up in a dark room. I try sitting up, but I am still tied up. I look around, but I only see stained concrete walls and darkness. Suddenly, I hear footsteps.

I look around eagerly, hoping for the police or someone who can help. But, to my dismay, it is Ernie and Jayce. Ernie bends down, and tears the duct tape from my mouth. My lips sting so bad. "What do you think you're doing?!" I scream.

"Shut up!" Jayce says, kicking my shins. I sit up, but Ernie slams his foot on my chest to keep me down.

"Hey!" shouts another male voice from across the dark room. "Let. The girl. Go, Ern." Ernie hesitates, but soon enough, he lifts his foot. I sit up again, having some difficulty to keep my balance, to see the new figure, but I can't see a thing.

Suddenly, I hear someone coming towards me. I try to scoot backwards, but Jayce is behind me. I brace myself, expecting a punch or some other form of violence, but instead, I feel a rough hand slide down my face. Like… Like he loves me.

I look up, but I still can't see his face. "Ernie!" I snap. "Do you have a flashlight?" There is a silence, but then I hear shuffling, and there is suddenly light in the dark place.

I look closely at the man touching my face. He has a small goatee, and a decent layer of hair on his head. He has a few small scars on his face, but he looks… Kind, and… Loving. And, he kind of looks like… No. But, yes! I… We have the same face. The eyes, the face, the eyebrows, the forehead.

We are so identical. But why? I gasp.

"Dad?"