I'm walking down the street I'm cold and tired, and I wish I had a family to turn to. Everyone's looking at me strange, some looked familiar but I couldn't point them out.
I really had nowhere to go, so I ended up in an alley, sat there and cried.
"Kim?"
I look up to see a familiar face that made me feel a hint of hope.
Actually, I thought I would never see anyone ever again.
It was one of my former best friends, Jack
"Oh my God." He said.
"You're alive, everyone thought you were dead." He said.
"Yeah, I know, that's what happens when you're missing for five years." I said with a little sarcasm.
All of a sudden, I'm lifted off my feet, and was taken to his house, where I saw his parents.
"I'm happy to see you, but how did you get away?"
"My kidnapper, his name was Brody, he was cruel, he nearly killed me a couple of days ago, but his sister shot him, he's dead now. She told me to run as far as I could, so I ended up here, but I heard another gunshot, so I figured she was dead, her name was Julie, she tried to help me escape, when I was first taken but it didn't work. She was the only one who was kind to me; she became a friend and a teacher. The thing is I was only 11." I said holding back tears.
"Are my parents okay?" I asked.
"About that, you're parents died …in a car accident."
"Oh." I said.
"Come on." He said.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"I'm taking you to the hospital; they have to check your blood pressure." He said.
"Okay." I replied.
It was a silent car ride to the hospital, he was still the same Jack kind, a little perverted in an innocent way, but caring.
"Well, your blood pressure is normal, you can go home now."
What home?
"Is Kat here?" I asked.
"No, but she's on her way, so you're sleeping at my house tonight." He replied.
When we got there, I sat there; I didn't say a word to anyone.
"Sweetie, you must be starving, do you want some food?" Mrs. Anderson asked.
"No, thank you." I replied.
I'm actually sick to my stomach.
I didn't eat for three days.
Three days ago, I left that place, running all day and night, not stopping for a single moment. I literally ran from Tennessee to Georgia in only three days.
I left the room, and sort of lingered towards the living room, and thought I could sleep on the couch for only a moment.
"Kim?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, here, I figured you didn't have any clothes to wear, since my sister's shirts wouldn't fit you, so uh here you go." Jack said, handing me a shirt to wear.
"Thanks." I said.
But I need more than a shirt to wear….
"I'll be right back." I said.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"I need to go buy stuff…" I said.
"Oh, well I'll just come with you." He said.
"I don't think you want to come, for this type of shopping." I informed him.
"Oh…OH, okay."
"Should I come with you?"Jack's mom asked.
"Yes, please." I said.
We left to go to a store to go shopping for clothes…
When we were in the car on the way back.
"You know, I could've just paid for them, instead you having to use your money."
"It wasn't really mine, I stole his wallet, before I left, but I didn't stop until I got here." I replied.
She nodded in reply, then once again silence.
When we finally got to their house, I slept on the couch, they offered their guest room but I declined.
When I finally fell asleep, I had a flashback of everything that happened to me in the past 5 years, all the brushes with death, all of the abuse.
I woke up screaming, but quiet down quickly knowing I'm not the only one there. I hugged my knees.
"Hey, what happened?" Jack asked coming down the stairs.
"Nothing, just a nightmare, you can go back to bed." I said.
He stared at me for a while and, then returned downstairs with pillows, cushions and a comforter.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I thought you could use some company." He replied.
He set up a comfortable area, and had two pillows and two cushions.
"Besides if I get on the couch with you, my parents will get the wrong idea." He explained.
I nodded, and sat there with him; we talked and talked, until we drifted into sleep. I felt safe with him there, and we caught up with each other.
I didn't have a nightmare that time, I felt safe.
"Hey, hey wake up you two, it's time for breakfast." Jack's little sister Emma says. I woke up, but it takes a while for Jack to wake up.
We tried everything, we tried poking, pushing, pulling, and then his sister farted in his face, but it still didn't work.
"I was afraid; I wouldn't have to do this." I said.
I screamed in his ear. Still nothing.
"What is he dead or something?" Emma asks.
"No, he's just a heavy sleeper." I say.
"Kiss him." Emma said.
"What?" I asked.
"Just a peck on the lips." She said.
"But I've never kissed anyone before, well I missed out on 5 years of my life, I never exactly had a first date." I said.
"Go on, just do it, I won't tell him." She said.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, just do it."
I took a deep breath.
'OK just a peck on the lips, I mean no big deal.' I thought.
So I closed my eyes, and sort of leaned in, then I stayed in one area, then Jack woke up, and we sort of kissed, I realize it was longer than a peck; I open my eyes wide to see him clearly awake.
I quickly push away.
I run upstairs into the bathroom, and lock myself inside.
Feeling the rush of my first kiss, but I'm kind of happy that it was with him, I mean I've known him for a long time ever since I was 5 years old.
I quickly calm down and go downstairs for breakfast.
I went to go get ready, brushed my teeth, took a shower, and waited for Katherine to get here.
"Kim?" she asked.
"Kat!" I exclaimed.
"It's so good to see you again!" she said.
"It's good to be back." I said.
"Hey, I got a new job here in Georgia, so you can go to school today."
"Okay, let's go."
"We don't live far from Seaford High School, which is where Jack's going, so you would know someone who was there." She said.
"So, I heard about your incident this morning." She teased.
"Wha-, what do you mean?" I asked.
"Oh, don't play dumb, I can see it in your eyes, and you liked it!" she said.
"Okay, I'm done teasing you." She said.
She dropped me off at the high school.
"Oh, here's your backpack."
"Thanks." I said.
"Oh and your schedule, and lunch box, I suggest you don't try out the school lunch today."
Soon she left; I hesitate a little, but walk inside, and quickly go to class, avoiding confrontation.
"Hey." Jack said.
"Oh, hey." I said.
I had to get it off my chest.
"So, um about this morning.." I started.
"Oh, don't worry, Emma told me what happened." He replied.
"OH, okay."
We just sat there until the teacher started attendance.
"Kim Crawford…" I raised my hand. "That can't be right." He said.
He went on the computer, and then he said, "Okay then, Jack Anderson."
"Here." He replied.
Then the attendance went on.
We had Math first, since it was already the middle of the school year, so we were mostly focusing on Algebra.
I quickly brushed through the worksheets, and just waited 'til class was over. The bell rung and, I tried to make a quick break for the door, but I was stopped by Mr. Anderson.
"Kim, May I see you for a moment?"
"Uh, Yes?" I asked.
Then he went on and on about how well I did so quickly, and wondered if I would prefer an honor class.
"N-no thanks, I'm good, got to go." I replied.
I left and went to ELA, which was pretty easy, and the teacher was awesome, her name was Ms. Pritchard. Just Symbolism.
During lunch, Jack came up to me and said, "You need to be careful."
"Why should I be careful?"
"Because the seniors always play pranks on the new kids."
"Thanks for the heads-up."
We split up after lunch, I was walking to Life Science, when someone came from an empty room, and snatched me, and I was completely terrified.
"Stop it!" I screamed.
I broke out of their grasp, and grabbed one guy, and slammed his head into the board, not too hard, and elbowed another in the stomach.
But another grabbed me from behind, and threw me to the ground.
"Hold still."
I couldn't move, I was pinned to the ground, crying, praying that this isn't real, that it's not happening all over again.
"Get Off OF HER!" a voice yelled.
The guy, who pinned me to the ground, was thrown towards the door.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
I shook my head, and buried my face into Jack's shoulder.
"Dude, why are you freaking out, it was just a prank." One of them said.
"Just a prank?" he said.
He walked towards one of them, looked him straight in the eye and said,
"Why would you do that, what part of that did you enjoy, what kind of sick bastard enjoys this?" he asked.
"It was kind of funny, how she was crying for help."
Jack looked really mad, not like 'Oh, I'm mad because you ate my food' mad, but like maddest a person could get.
He clenched his fists, and was only a few seconds away of pounding the guys face in, but a teacher came in.
"What's going on here?" he asked.
"We were just minding our business, until Jack came and started beating everyone up."
"Is that true?" the teacher asked me.
"No."
I explained what happened.
"That is incredibly stupid, even for you Tyler." The teacher said.
"You three boys have detention for a month, or maybe I should suspend you, we'll just take it up with the principal."
"Come on, I'll take you home." Jack said.
Jack got permission, to drive me home.
We just sat there, the scene when I was 11 and my experience only a couple of minutes ago, playing over and over again.
The feeling I had, being taken away from everything I knew.
"Kim, You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine.
He took me home, and I told Katherine everything.
"What! I think we should file a lawsuit." She said.
"Why, I mean what they did was stupid, but why sue their parents for all they have?" I said.
"I guess you have a point there." She replied.
"Okay, just go ahead and take a nap, I'll go make you some, ramen."
"Thanks, Kat." I said.
The rest of the day was average. I ate; I did work, and slept.
But I had a dream, I saw Brody when he took me.
I had flashbacks of the abuse, the fear, the way how I never said a word to anyone, which resulted in more abuse.
How I was always cautious of every word I began to say, every move I made.
I wanted open my eyes so bad, knowing that it was the past.
The ringing of my alarm woke me up, I couldn't move, I was completely paralyzed. Until I was able to fall onto the ground, I pulled myself up.
I got ready for school. Kat drove me to school after breakfast, the thing is even though those guys are suspended, and I'm still terrified of what happened yesterday.
I try to stay out of everyone's way.
I go to my locker, grab my books, and as I'm walking down the hallway, I bump into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry." I said.
I looked up to see who it was.
It was Brody.
I turned around and ran.
It couldn't be him, he was dead. I watched him fall to the ground.
I went into the bathroom, and sat in the corner rocking back and forth, I started seeing black dots.
A few girls came in and sent me dirty looks, but one girl went up to me and said, "Are you okay?"
I shook my head.
"He's here..." I muttered.
Two other girls came, to see what was going on, those two muttered under their breaths, "Isn't that the girl who disappeared 5 years ago."
"W-what's your name?" she asked.
She was a brunette and she had a instrument with her name on it: Grace.
"Kim...Crawford" I replied.
"Who's here?" One of Grace's friends asked.
I wanted to say his name, but I didn't want to; I was scared to speak his name.
"Who?" she asked again.
"B-Brody, he was the one who took me 5 years ago."
"Come on, we'll take you to the nurse's office."
They helped me up, and we walked out of the bathroom.
After we started walking down the hallway, he was there.
Lucy felt me tense up.
"It's him."
"The substitute?" Lucy said.
"It shouldn't be him, I saw him get shot and fall to the ground."
"WHAT?!" they said.
"Grace, can you ask him what his first name is?"
She went and asked him, he said his name was Brody. Then she asked some more questions like 'Where were you before you got here.'
He said, he was in the hospital from bullet wounds, because he used to be in the army.'
She came back over here, and told me everything.
I explained what happened between me and him, in the past 5 years.
"Whoa."
"Wait, you stole his wallet?" Grace's friend, Kelsey
"Yeah."
"Do you still have it?"
I reached in my backpack and pulled it out.
She pulled out his license.
"Same name."
Brody Jeffery.
We went to the nurse's office. The nurse left for a few moments, after taking my temperature, and waving a flashlight in my eyes.
Kelsey got on the nurse's laptop, looked up 'Brody Jeffery'
Her face went pale.
"What?" I asked.
"He has a criminal record, stealing, attempted murder."
I literally felt my blood turn cold.
"Kim?"Grace asked.
"What did Brody do to you exactly?"
"Um.. Well he- he tried to k-kill me, and…" I said.
"And what?"
"He…"
"Did he..rape you." The words were forced out of Grace.
I nodded, my throat closed, and my eyes started to water.
"We have to call the police." Kelsey said.
She pulled out her phone, and began to dial 9-1-1.
But the nurse came in and took away her phone, and sent us to class; I thought if he was dead, I wouldn't have to call the police.
School took absolutely forever, especially having to sit in the same classroom, with that thing who claims to be human.
I sat in the back, luckily I didn't get called on, but when I was turning my work into him, he wanted to "talk" to me about my work.
I made it seem like I didn't know anything.
He seemed normal, but I saw the twisted, insanity in his eyes.
I was really scared, not knowing what he was going to do next, but I quickly masked my fear.
I don't why, but when he had showed me that same look, he had when he first… you know raped me. I immediately paled, and felt sick to my stomach.
"Oh, so you do remember me?"
"Why are you here? Are you going to kidnap another girl, rape her, an keep her there for another five years!?" I asked.
He pushed me against a wall, and covered my mouth, and put a knife to my neck. "Keep your mouth shut, if you know what's good for you, can I tell you a little secret? Julie shot me, and made you think she killed herself, but actually I had the strength to shoot her dead." He said.
My eyes began to water. I didn't say anything, I didn't have to, my eyes said it all, and they said how much of a monster he was.
"Also, you're parents, they searched all over, you know your mother actually bought a gun, and tried to shoot me with it, unless I told them where you were, so I told them, but when they were driving, I shot they're tires and they crashed, killing them on impact." He said.
I couldn't stop the tears from going down my face. How could he be so cruel?
I moved his hand away from me. "You're a monster, how you be so cruel?" I asked.
He got closer, and whispered into my ear, and said "It was easy."
He stepped back, and I walked out of the classroom, Jack waved at me, but I was blocking everything out. I ran out of the school building, and waited until I got home.
"Kat!" I yelled.
"What are you doing here so early?" she asked.
"B-Brody's here at the school, he told me everything, on how he killed mom and dad, and J-Julie."
"Okay, calm down, I'll call the police."
"No, I need proof." I said.
"Okay, just stay here for the rest of the day, okay?" she said.
"Okay." I replied. I finally got my breathing normally.
It was only a couple of hours later, when I heard a knock on the door, Kat went to the grocery store, so it wasn't her. I looked into the peep hole, and saw Jack, I dragged him inside.
"What's up with you today? You completely ignor-"he began , but stopped when he saw the fear in my eyes.
"What happened?" he asked.
"H-he's here." I said. I started to hyperventilate again.
"Okay, Kimmy calm down, you're going to suck up all the air in here." He said. i used to hate it when he called me Kimmy, but it was actually soothing.
I chuckled. I sighed then told him everything that happened.
"He did WHAT to you?" he asked.
"He r-raped me." I replied.
Jack had absolute anger in his eyes.
"J-Jack, I'm scared." I admitted.
"Kat, she's been gone for a while, I mean how many groceries, can she buy for just the two of us?" I asked.
"She's fine." Jack said, calming down, he kissed the top of my head, and stroked my hair.
"What if she isn't, what if she's hurt, and what if Brody kills me." I said.
"Don't worry, I won't let that happen, I promise."
I looked up at him, and kissed him. "Just in case, you can't keep your promise." I said.
I heard a knock at the door.
"I'll get it." I said. I opened the door, to see Brody standing there with a pistol.
Before I could react, he hit me on the side of my head with the butt of his gun, and I fell to the ground.
"KIM!" Kat, and Jack yelled.
But before I officially fell unconscious, I saw Kat and Jack fall to the ground.
I felt myself being slung over his shoulder, and I saw was darkness.
I was slowly waking up, when I was in a sack; I felt my body drop to the ground.
I escaped from the sack, and saw myself in a barren and dull room. I started screaming hoping someone would hear me.
Brody came in and punched me in the cheek.
"Shut up!" he yelled.
"Why am I here?" I asked.
"Because…"
"What? Oh, I know because you're a psychotic crazy bastard, who won't give me a reason why he took me."
He became angry, and punched me in the stomach.
"I should just kill you, and leave your body."
"But then we'll have proof, because I told two students who you are."
He looked intimidated, but quickly masked his fear.
Two figures came behind him, one of them jumped on his back, and the other kicked him behind his knee, he flipped whoever was on his back, and he grabbed them by their hair, and threw them into the room, he closed the door, and quickly locked it.
I got a good look at my rescuers; well at least they attempted to save me.
"Grace, Kelsey?"
"Kim, you're okay."
"How did you two find me here?" I asked.
"We were going to your house after school, and we saw the substitute leave your house, so we followed him."
"Did he take Kat and Jack?"
"We don't know we didn't see them." Grace explained.
I nodded, and we made up a plan for escaping, we were thinking about escaping through the window, but we would at least break one of our legs, and we wouldn't get very far.
Brody came back down, but didn't come through the doorway.
"I have a surprise for you." He said.
Those words haunted me ever since I got back; I always knew it wasn't a good surprise. He opened the door, and what I saw made me gasp. He was holding Kat by her hair, with a knife to her neck.
"Leave her alone." I said.
"Kim….no." she muttered.
"Fine." He said, letting go of Kat, and he grabbed me by my ponytail, and threw me into a room.
"Say goodbye." He said. He lunged at me, I easily dodged him, and took off running, I grabbed his phone, and tried to call 911, but there was no signal, so I kept running, we were in a pretty isolated area, but then I saw an abandoned warehouse, so I ran inside, and went inside on the top floor, and dialed 911.
"911 operator, what's your emergency?"
"Yes, I need he-"the phone was knocked out of my hand.
Brody was holding a gun, and grabbed me making sure I actually die
"NO!" I started screaming.
I was able to make him drop the gun, I escaped his grasp, and grabbed it, and started running. He grabbed me, he looked me in the eyes with his gray emotionless eyes, I was still struggling to get out of his grasp, I grabbed the gun, and shot him, and when I realized what I did, I dropped the gun, and started shaking, I heard police sirens in the distance, I tried to run, but my legs were stiff. "I'm not dead yet." He said in a weak voice. All of a sudden, I'm holding onto my life, while hanging from the railing, police rushed inside, and pointed the gun at him. "Step away from the railing!" one of them yelled. He didn't, he stepped on my hands, breaking my fingers I wasn't going to scream out in pain, I wasn't going to give him the benefit, my grip let go, and I started dropping to the ground, it was like everything was going in slow down, bullets started flying past me, and hitting Brody in the chest numerous times, and I watched his lifeless body fall to the ground, as I was still falling, I landed on my side, and broke my arm. I recognized the person holding the gun, it was Jack, afterwards, he rushed to my side, and the ambulance took me to the hospital.
I was sitting in the hospital, just waiting, until the doctor comes back, I overheard him, talking to Kat. "She's suffering from major trauma, and on top of that she was near another near death situation, which would've caused more trauma, she broke her arm, and she hit her head, so she has a minor concussion, other than that she's fine."
I saw nurses quickly push Brody into the E.R.
I know this will make me seem like a terrible person, but I hope he dies.
If he doesn't die, he can rot in jail for all I care.
"Hey, how you feeling?" Kat asked.
"Better." I replied.
"The doctor told me something about Brody, he said he's on the verge of life, and death, we don't know yet, but if he lives, he goes to court, and then jail, if he dies…" Kat said.
I nodded. A figure in a dark hoodie walked in, when I realized who it was I gasped.
"Julie?" I asked.
"Hey Kim." She replied, taking off her hoodie.
"I thought you were dead." I said.
"Nope, the bullet only fractured my arm, I just made it seem like I died." She explained. Now everyone was in the room, Kat, Grace, and Kelsey, Julie, and Jack.
Unfortunately, Brody survived only to be sentenced to Forty- four years in jail, instead of being in the mercy of death.
Even though I missed out on most of my life, I still have a long way to go.
I waited in court, I waited dearly to see that confident smirk wiped off his face, and to see him carried away.
When it finally happened, I felt like everything was going to be better, that everything is going to be alright.
