The Kidnap

Chapter 4: A Brother Lost

Randy went to bed uncomfortably that night. He knew that poor Mark would spend the night outside, and that when he was let in the next morning, Randy would be in big trouble. That was too bad, because he was looking forward to having Beth over.

The next morning, he was woken up. He was shaken awake by Jill. Great, he thought to himself. She woke me up just to kill me. What a perfect way to begin the weekend. He groggily opened his eyes and stared at her tiredly.

"Wake up," Jill said loudly. "I've been trying to get you awake all morning. Come on, it's breakfast."

Randy put on his clothes, and walked downstairs slowly. He was really tired, but he could think well enough. Where was Mark? He was surprised Mark was not inside. When Randy arrived in the kitchen, he looked around. Tim and Brad were already sitting at the table. Jill turned to the table and noticed an absence, "Honey, where's Mark?"

Tim shrugged, and started on his toast. Brad attacked his, and Randy had a feeling of foreboding. "Mom, I'll have a late breakfast, I just remembered I have… err… homework to do."

Before Tim or Jill could protest, he hurriedly left the room. He retreated back to the basement, and sat on his bed. Mark wasn't inside? Of course, Mark was just trying to scare him. Randy snuck upstairs, and to the back door. He looked around quickly. He then hurried around the house to where he left Mark. There was no one.

Randy looked around wildly, begging himself, praying, 'please, let me be fooling me.'

Looking on the ground, Randy noticed a piece of blue cloth. He picked it up, and looked closely at it. Mark was wearing blue last night. Was this his? Randy walked back in uncertainly.

By noon, Mark had still not come back, and Randy was growing worried. Brad was upstairs playing soccer on the computer, so he didn't really notice. Tim and Jill were frantically searching the house for him.

Like Randy, Jill was really worried about him. She practically ransacked the house. She was frantically searching for her youngest son, unknowing to the fact that Randy locked him out.

"Mark!" Tim called outside.

"Is that you, neighbor?"

"Wilson!"

"Hi-de-ho?"

"Have you seen Mark?" Tim asked.

"Isn't he supposed to be inside?" Wilson inquired.

"He's disappeared Wilson," Tim said hardly. "He didn't even come to breakfast."

While Tim was talking to Wilson, Jill called the police. Randy had tried getting her attention. Once Jill had finished, Randy asked her, trying to sound casual, "Where is he?"

"He's gone," Jill sobbed.

"What?"

"He disappeared," Jill said, wiping her eyes. "The police said they'll do everything, but your father needs to file a description to them."

Jill left the room, Randy standing with his mouth half open. He was gone. He wasn't there. He left outside immediately to talk to Wilson, but saw Tim talking to him.

"Alright, thanks anyway," Tim said sadly, and he left the backyard.

Wilson nodded, and left inside. Randy didn't call him back. If Wilson was going to make phone calls, it was best not to stop him. Randy left inside again.

Now, he was worried. What if something had happened to Mark and Randy never got to apologize. He tried to push that ominous thought out of his mind. It was too much. Mark was ok. Of course he was. Who'd want someone like him anyway? Just for thinking that, Randy felt disgusted with himself. Who'd want him? After what Randy did to him, no one would want him instead.

All Randy could do now was sit thoughtfully. Mark had obviously disappeared. But where did he go? He sighed to himself. As the day went by, he started sneaking in his parents' bedroom while they were out to the station. He'd steal a look at one of Mark's pictures, and bite his lip nervously. "I do hope nothing happened to him," he said quietly to himself.

So far, Randy's hopes were keeping up. Apart from being kidnapped, nothing had happened to Mark. The car he was trapped in parked outside a small shack by the lake. Mark wouldn't dare move from the car himself. Instead, the man had got out, and he forced Mark out, "Out. NOW!"

Mark obliged immediately. The man dragged him to the shack, and kicked him inside. He forced Mark into a room, and pushed him to the floor. "I only need to know few things. Tell me everything, and I'll let you go unscathed. Otherwise, my dear friend will take care of you. I will leave you here for a whole day to think things over. We will meet again tomorrow."

Mark watched as he slammed the door. He looked around. The room was very empty, except for a small toilet that looked like it hadn't been used for years, and that the plumbing probably didn't work. Apart from the toilet, there was a bookshelf, but it was completely empty, except for a few children's books. Mark didn't want to have to read kid's books, so he stayed put. Plus, he didn't think the kidnapper would've liked to catch him reading. Set beside a small window, was a wooden chair.

While looking around and taking in everything, Mark also had to endure the acrid smell of tobacco smoke. The only thing he could do now was stay put until the man finally decided Mark was useless, and either keep the promise and let him go, or kill him.