Frazer and Rosie walked in at around 10 in the evening. Frazer did try but he knew he had little chance of finding that van. He sat down on the sofa and buried his face in his hands. Rosie sat by him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.
"Is Ringo awake?" he asked.
"I don't know. I'll go check" Rosie said. She went up to Ringo's room and saw he wasn't in there. He wasn't in the bathroom. She went back into the living room and told Frazer.
"I'll check at Rebecca's" Rosie said. She was about to open the front door but stopped.
"Are Rebecca and Paul back?" Frazer asked but received no answer. He looked up at Rosie who was holding a note in her hand and had a frown on her face. "Rosie?"
"It's Ringo." She said. She started to panic. "They've taken him!"
"What?" Frazer said, jumping up and reading the note. He took a while to acknowledge the fact that they'd taken Ringo and hugged Rosie who was also crying. After a while Frazer opened the door and walked to Susan and Karl's. Susan had opened the door and when she noticed Frazer was distressed she let him in.
"Frazer what is it?" Susan asked. Rachel, Libby and Karl were also in the room. Frazer handed Susan the note and she read it. She brought her hand to her mouth and said "Oh my goodness"
"Susan, what is it?" Karl asked.
"They've taken Ringo. It says that the same threat goes and we have 24 hours. And that there's one boy left and that's it."
"So they're basically saying that they have one more to take and then that's it?" Karl asked. Susan nodded, crying. "What's it?"
"What do you think Karl?" Rachel shouted and ran off upstairs. Libby followed after her. Rachel slammed her door shut, fell onto her bed and cried into her pillow. Libby knocked on Rachel's door and walked in.
"Rach, it's ok" Libby said sitting on her bed.
"No!" Rachel shouted looking up at Libby. "No, it's not. They've taken Zeke! They tried to take Declan, and now they've got Ringo! We need to do something!"
"Like what? Frazer's been looking for them all night and now because he's been away, Ringo's been taken" Libby said. "Listen, I know it's hard. But we'll get through this. We all will. Zeke and Ringo will be ok."
Rachel sat up and hugged Libby who hugged her back.
Ringo woke up. He was upside down and moving. He woke up enough to realise he was being carried over someone's shoulder. Ringo's hands and feet were bound but he wasn't gagged. He didn't see much of where he was but he knew there were more people around. Ringo tried to get out this man's grip. But he got thumped in the back of the head.
"He's awake!" one of the men said. Ringo was being lowered down to the ground. He was being pushed back against some kind of pillar. All of the men had told him their names and surrounded Ringo. Ringo was being tied to the pillar whilst they spoke to him.
"Where's Zeke?" Ringo blurted out.
"Oh yeh Zeke! He's right there" Bill said.
Ringo tried to look but he couldn't see. They were all in the way. The men just laughed. "Be seeing you, kid" Adam said. They all left and Ringo looked to his right. He saw Zeke, battered and bruised. Almost lifeless. But he saw him breathing.
"Zeke!" Ringo called. Zeke didn't move. "Zeke!" he called again. He didn't wake up. "Zeke, wake up! Please, wake up! Zeke!" he was shouting at him to wake up. Zeke moved slightly. He groaned and woke up. Ringo smiled. "Zeke, it's me. It's Ringo."
Zeke groaned again and looked up. He saw Ringo smiling at him, tied to the other pillar. "Ringo? Oh no…"
"It's alright, Zeke" Ringo said.
"Are you ok?" Zeke asked.
"I'm fine" Ringo said. "What about you? Are you in pain?"
"Sort of" Zeke said.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Ringo asked worriedly.
"It just hurts" Zeke said.
"Where?"
"All over"
"We're going to get out of here soon. Don't worry" Ringo said.
"No we're not" Zeke said.
"What?"
"Have you guys contacted the police?" Zeke asked.
"No. They made it clear not to" Ringo said.
"Has anybody tried to look for me?" Zeke asked again.
"Yeh. We have" Ringo said. "Its just hard not even having a clue where you are"
"Then we won't get out of here." Zeke said.
"Look, you need to stay strong, alright?" Ringo said.
"I have" Zeke said. "If I didn't I wouldn't be talking to you now."
"What do you mean?"
"Earlier on Kevin came in and beat the hell outta me just because they failed in kidnapping Declan. If that carries on then we won't make it out alive" Ringo listened intently. Tears rolled down his face. "I'm sorry I haven't got much hope left. But after you've been stuck here for two days it's hard to have any"
Ringo didn't really know what to say. He didn't give up hope. He knew that they would look for him. Ringo struggled underneath the tape and the ropes, trying to get free. Zeke didn't move or say anything. He hadn't got any energy left. Ringo was willing to try anything to help his friend. He knew what he was trying to do. He would get free and sneak himself and Zeke past them and run. Make his way back to Erinsborough. And if he couldn't get Zeke back he would tell somebody he was there as soon as possible.
Ringo looked back at Zeke, who had his eyes closed again. He eyed Zeke carefully, noticing there were many belt marks on his skin. There was blood on the back on his shirt and a long line of bloodstains on his stomach. Zeke needed medical care as soon as possible. Ringo needed to get out of here. He needed to tell someone.
Declan sat at the dining table, not eating his breakfast. The whole street had heard about what happened to Ringo. Rebecca was watching her son, concerned for him. She sat down next to him at the table.
"Declan, I know what you're going through. But you have to eat something. You haven't eaten in days" she said.
"I'm just not hungry." He replied.
"Declan-"
"I said I'm not hungry" Rebecca watched her son.
"They'll be alright" she said.
Zeke was still sleeping. Ringo had been trying all night to get out of the tape. Ringo's sweat from moving around had stopped the stickiness. It was getting easier and he was getting closer to getting his hands free. Eventually he made it. He smiled to himself because he had achieved it. He brought his hands up and struggled to lift the ropes up around him. When he pulled the ropes away he freed his feet. He didn't know what to do. It would be hard to bring Zeke with him. He was so weak already it would be hard for him to run. But he didn't want Zeke to think he didn't care about him. But Ringo had to leave him. He didn't want to but he couldn't bring Zeke with him. He would go and tell somebody and then they would go and help Zeke.
Ringo opened up the trapdoor slowly, surprised it wasn't locked. He peaked through to see if anybody was there. He couldn't see or hear anything. He lifted it higher. He looked behind the door and saw nobody was there. He sneaked past as quietly as he could, just in case someone was there. He saw the door to get out. He tried to open it but he was locked. He yanked on the door. It was an old door and hopefully he was strong enough to-
He ripped it open! He closed it again so they wouldn't guess straight away that somebody had opened it, which would bide him more time. Ringo ran as fast as he could. He was running down a long drive way. Long enough so he took a while to find the end of it. Once he did he stopped for a few seconds to regain some breath. He looked around. This road looked very familiar. He noticed a sign saying: Sycamore Farm.
"Sycamore…oh my god!" Ringo shouted. He had just been here looking for Zeke. Ringo ran even faster. He knew the way home which was a brilliant advantage. He couldn't believe it. He had just been here looking for Zeke, two nights ago. He was that close to them and they didn't find him.
Rachel was sitting in the living room with Karl and Susan, watching the TV. Susan thought Rachel should take her mind off Zeke and Ringo for a while. But Rachel couldn't help it. She was constantly worrying about them. Zeke, in particular.
There was a hurried knock on the door. Rachel was the first to get up. She miserably walked over to answer it and found Ringo, standing there exhausted!
"Ringo!" Rachel screamed. Ringo collapsed to the ground, Rachel only just catching him. Karl and Susan both heard her and leapt to their feet to Ringo. "Somebody get him some water!" Rachel said.
Susan did immediately and he gulped it down. When he'd finished, the Kinski's brought him in to sit down.
"Ringo, are you ok?" Susan asked. Ringo nodded.
"I know where Zeke is" He said.
"Where?" Rachel asked.
"You know where we got picked up the other night? When we were look for him?" Ringo asked. They all nodded. "He's there. It's up a really long driveway. Sycamore Farm"
"Oh my god, he was that close to us?" Karl asked. "I'm going to get him."
"I think we should get as much help as we can" Susan said.
Karl and Susan got up but Rachel stayed with Ringo. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I'm fine. I'm going with you" Ringo said.
"No" Karl said.
"I know where he is!" Ringo said. "You're gunna need my help"
"I want to go too" Rachel said.
"Rachel" Susan said.
"No! I'm not wasting any time!" Rachel said.
"He needs help, now" Ringo said. "We shouldn't argue. We need to go"
"We better get everyone then" Susan said. They all rushed out of the house. Karl ran over to Declan's. He knocked on the door which was answered by Rebecca.
"Karl" she said but Karl stopped her.
"We need as much help as possible. Ringo's back he managed to get away but Zeke's still there. We know where he is. Sycamore Farm. That place where we picked up the kids last night. Declan knows. Come on!"
Rebecca followed Karl back at once, Declan, Paul and Oliver, who had each heard Karl, following her.
Ringo had gone into his own house and walked in. He saw Frazer and Rosie sitting on the sofa.
"Ringo!" Frazer shouted and stood up and hugged him. Ringo hugged back but pulled apart fairly quickly. "Are you alright?"
"We need as much help as possible. I know where Zeke is" Ringo said.
"Where?"
"Sycamore Farm" Ringo replied. "We need to go"
Ringo opened the door and ran, Rosie and Frazer behind him. Karl, Susan and Rachel had told everyone else and were getting in their cars.
Zeke woke up. He looked up at Ringo to see if he was still awake. But Ringo wasn't there. Zeke looked around. There was rope still around the pillar and tape that had been ripped off. He must have managed to get away. But why did he leave Zeke? He questioned whether Ringo just wanted to save himself. Zeke put his head back down and closed his eyes again.
He heard the trapdoor open. Zeke pretended to be asleep. He heard two of them talking but slowly stopped in mid sentence. "He's gone" he heard one of them say. "He's gone! How did he get out?"
"I dunno" said another. Zeke heard footsteps coming closer. He felt a hand grabbed his shirt and lift him from the floor. Zeke pretended to wake up and wonder what was going on. He looked up and saw is was Adam who'd picked him up.
"Where is he?" Zeke didn't answer. "Where is he?"
"Who?"
"You bloody well know who" he said.
"No I don't" he said. Adam looked at Zeke to see if he was lying. He grunted and pushed Zeke back to the ground.
"We'd better leave. Now" he said.
"Hey! There are about 2 or 3 cars in the driveway" Terry shouted from upstairs. Zeke raised his head. "They're probably for him"
"That stupid kid! He's told them where we are" Kevin shouted. He looked at Zeke. "That blonde friend of yours was here. But he's escaped! Something you're too stupid to do!" he grabbed Zeke's head and pushed it to the floor which gave him a large cut on his head and Zeke cried out.
There was a large bang on the door. Zeke heard people rushing in and walked about noisily. Terry was shutting a trapdoor but just before he did he heard Karl's voice.
Zeke was about to shout as loud as he could but Adam covered his mouth. Kevin brought through some tape to make sure Zeke wouldn't attract attention and they gagged him. He heard them trying to get in. Kevin grabbed Zeke, put in onto his back and said: "This ends here." He grabbed Zeke across the mouth and covered his nose blocking his airway. Zeke couldn't breathe.