Chapter 7: Face Down

Lucy and Annie were in the kitchen. They were getting something to eat. Eating always seemed to clam both Lucy and Annie's nerves when they were upset.

They both sat at the kitchen table. Annie was eating the tuna sandwich she had made earlier. Lucy, on the other hand, was eating a big bowl of rocky-road ice cream.

There was a deadly silence. In fact, the whole entire Camden house was silent. Which was weird, because, usually the Camden house was loaded with commotion. Everyone seemed to want to know if Lizzie would be ok. And they all hoped she would be ok.

"Mom?" Lucy asked her mother, breaking the dense silence

"Yeah Luce," Annie responded, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"I was just wondering. If something bad does happen to Lizzie, she won't she the baby be born," Lucy said, sounding upset.

"Luce, don't say that. You know if you think negative things they'll happen," Annie told her daughter.

"Yeah, I know Mom, but I'm starting to lose all my hope in finding Lizzie. I mean, what if Kevin and Ruthie don't find her, what if…" Lucy had started to say, but Annie cut her off.

"Luce, don't talk like that. Don't play "what if", just have a little hope. I'm sure Kevin and Ruthie will find Lizzie and bring her home safe and sound," Annie told her daughter.

"You're right, Mom," Lucy said, and then went back to eating her ice cream.

I hope I am right, Annie thought to herself.

Sure she was telling Lucy that Kevin and Ruthie would fine Lizzie. But Annie herself was also having her hope of finding Lizzie slip away slowly. But she had to stay strong for Lucy, for Lizzie, and for her whole family.

Meanwhile, in the Camden living room Eric, Sam, David, and Happy were all seated in there. Eric sat in the big couch, trying to watch TV, but he was way too worried about Lizzie to even pay attention to the screen, he kept praying silently. Sam and David were huddled together in one of the armchairs. The five-year-old twins were scared. They knew Lizzie was in trouble. As for Happy, she sat on the couch next to Eric.

"Daddy?" Sam asked Eric.

Eric looked at his son, "yes Sam."

"Will Lizzie be ok?" Sam asked his dad.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Eric answered his son.

"I hope so. I want Lizzie to come home ok," Sam said.

"Me too, I love Lizzie," David said. The innocence in their voices was a reminder of what the world needed: love, and a lot of it.

"Don't we all," Eric said.

The twins talked among themselves. As for Eric, he continued to pray. Pray for Lizzie's safety. But he wasn't too sure of it anymore. He really hoped Lizzie returned home unharmed. He wanted Kevin and Ruthie to find her.

Lizzie was so kind and giving. She didn't deserve this. She just didn't.

Eric was trying hard not to lose hope, but the chances of finding Lizzie unharmed were slim, very slim. Lizzie had been missing for almost five hours, and he knew that the man that took Lizzie had done something bad to her by now. So all there was left to was to pray for Lizzie to be alive.

Lizzie was still in the same old dirty bed, in the same old creepy room, in the same old crappy warehouse. Bob had left the warehouse to, "go out and find his other victim", as he put it.

She couldn't escape. Bob had tied her feet and hands to the bed before he left. Damn him. Why did the jerk have to be so smart? Why couldn't he be a stupid kidnapper? That way, Lizzie could've been out of this old junk heap by now.

She wondered who Bob's "other victim" was. It was probably someone she knew, that Kevin knew. Because she had heard Bob mumble, "I'll get that damn officer Kinkirk for doing what he did to me".

What had Kevin done to him to make him so mad? She probably would never know, being that Bob wouldn't tell her. He would probably just rape her, and than kill her.

Wait a minute. Kill her! She had to get out of here, and fast!

But how would she escape? She began to think of a way. Hopefully a plan to outsmart Bob and escape this old, crappy warehouse would come to her soon.

Ruthie and Kevin were still looking for Lizzie. Both hardly talked to each other as they wanted badly to find their friend/sister. But their minds raced on with thoughts as they searched…

(Kevin's POV)

Ok. I'm starting to get really worried…more worried than I've ever been in my whole life. But I'm trying to keep it inside of me. I don't want to worry Ruthie even more than she already is.

I hate to say it, but I'm starting to lose my hope in finding my baby sister. We've been looking on the Promenade for almost four hours, and no sign of Lizzie.

I don't think she's on the Promenade at all, but I don't have any other leads on where to look. So I'm just trying to find her here. I keep hoping that Roxanne and Chandler have found her already and are looking for us. But I have a gut feeling they haven't found her.

Oh God, why'd you let this happen to my baby sister? Wasn't it enough when you took my dad away from me thirteen years ago? Now, thirteen years later you want my baby sister. Please don't take her. I don't need another angel watching over me, my dad already is. Right now I don't need Lizzie watching over me from Heaven, I need her here with me on earth. I really hope we find Lizzie soon, if not, then I'll lose my hope in life itself forever.

(Ruthie's POV)

At first I wanted to find Lizzie. Now I want to find her so bad it's killing me. I can feel my hope in finding her going down the drain, but I'm trying really hard to keep it from draining.

I can't lose hope in Lizzie. She's my best friend. I need her.

Please God, let her be ok. I swear, if Lizzie's ok, I'll never blackmail, spy on, or snoop around on anyone ever again. I swear, just let Lizzie be ok.

"I wish this never happened," Ruthie said to Kevin, tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Ruthie, it's ok. We'll find her, just have some hope and Lizzie will be fine," Kevin said reassuringly to his sister-in-law.

"You're right," Ruthie said.

Kevin quickly changed the subject, "now, I think we should find Roxanne and Chandler and try looking in another place for Lizzie."

"Ok," Ruthie said.

"Let's go find them then," Kevin said.

The two then went off in search of Roxanne and Chandler, hoping they wouldn't have to find three missing people now instead of one.

Peter walked into his kitchen. His mother, Paris, was seated at the table. She had all of her work stuff spread out in front of her.

"Mom, can I ask you something?" Peter asked, taking a seat next to his mother.

"Sure sweetie, ask away," Paris replied.

"Did you ever like someone so much that all you could do was think about them and nothing else?" Peter asked his mother.

"Sure I have, it's a common thing," Paris answered her son's question, "why, are you going through that phase with Ruthie?"

Peter decided to go with that since he didn't want anyone, even his mom, to know about his feelings toward Lizzie.

"Sure am mom," Peter lied, or "covered up" as he called it.

Paris hugged her son, "congratulations sweetie, you're in love."

"Ok, whatever Mom," Peter said, breaking the hug.

"Does that answer your question?" Paris asked.

"Yes mother," Peter said.

He quickly left the room. Some help she was, more like no help. But on the other hand, she did at least try to make sense with her advice. But that was parents for you, they never make sense, no matter what. He sighed to himself and headed up to his room.

"I mean really, I think we should find Kevin and Ruthie. We've been around and around this place for hours, and no sign of Lizzie," Roxanne was telling Chandler.

"You're right, we should try and find them…" Chandler had began to say, but for some odd reason he stopped talking.

Roxanne turned around to see why he stopped. She had been walking in front of him. But when she turned around, he was nowhere in sight.

"Chandler…Chandler where did you go?" she said, trying to locate him.

Bob laughed evilly to himself. He had grabbed the minister, knocked him out, and left him out of sight behind a bush. Now, no one would prevent him from getting to Roxanne.

He followed Roxanne as she walked trying to locate Lizzie, Kevin, Ruthie, or Chandler. That's right, he knew that they were all out looking for Lizzie. Which was good. He would get revenge on Kevin soon enough.

After what Kevin had done to him five years before, he deserved all the revenge in the world. So he planned to kidnap, rape, and kill all the women he cared about.

First Lizzie his baby sister, then Roxanne a close friend of his and his partner at work. And hopefully His mother, his other sister Patty-Mary, his mother-in-law Annie, his two sister-in-laws Mary and Ruthie, and then his precious wife Lucy in the future. They would all be his.

He had followed Kevin around, he had found out everything he needed to know about Kevin to put his revenge plan into action. Kevin would pay for his actions…big time.

He had two down already: Lizzie. Getting her was like taking candy from a baby. And now Roxanne. He didn't have her just yet, but she'd be easy, even if she was a cop, she was still weak in his mind.

Now, here it was, the right moment. Roxanne was in his reach. All he had to do was grab her, and she'd be his. He reached out his hand from the bush he was hiding behind.

Roxanne looked in every direction. It was so weird. Why did Chandler just disappear like that? She had to find him, then Ruthie and Kevin, then hopefully Lizzie. She looked around for her fiancé once more, but he was nowhere in sight.

But too bad for her she didn't notice the hand that grabbed her by the leg and yanked her into the bush that was to the right of her...

He had her! Man! This was way too easy!

Bob had gotten Roxanne. He'd managed to knock her out before she could scream loudly. He stood up from the bush, holding an unconscious Roxanne in his arms.

He laughed evilly once again, "you belong to me now, my dear."

He then carried the unconscious blonde girl to his van. He threw her in the back, slammed the door, and drove off, laughing evilly all the way.

Do you feel like a man when you push her around?
Do you feel better now as she falls to the ground?
Well, I'll tell you my friend
One day this world's going to end
As your lies crumble down
A new life she has found

Songs Used "Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus is not mine.