Disclaimer: I own no part of Red Eye, and am in no way earning any profit off this story. It is fan fiction, and is written for enjoyment, not monetary gain.

Jackson slowly came awake in the still darkness, and gently eased Lisa off of him. He dressed himself rather awkwardly in the dark, then stood up and walked to the door.

It took a few moments for him to adjust to the light, and then he made his way further into the room. It was empty, but there was an open doorway and a flight of stairs that he hadn't noticed before. Curious, he went up, hand on the banister and ears open.

When he reached the top he realized he was above-ground again. It appeared to be a kitchen; a window was open and cheerful blue-spotted curtains framed the white sill. It looked out onto a backyard garden with a garage and a large tree near the driveway.

Jackson arched an eyebrow in puzzlement; he circled the island in the middle of the kitchen and began to explore the house.

It was a colorful little place, and the front was open and inviting. It could've been anyone's place, and the street was quiet and nondescript. Off a little ways to the right he could see a small park with a swing set and jungle-gym, and to his left another row of houses.

Very confused, he went back inside and trooped up the stairs to the second floor. There was a large master bedroom, a bathroom, an exercise room, and a smaller room which had a computer and several bookshelves.

"Like a library." he said aloud, eyebrows raised so high they vanished under his hairline as he ran his fingertips along the tops of the books. They were covered in dust, and he coughed so hard tears ran down his cheeks as he stumbled out.

He made his way back down to the main floor, looking around. Aside from him and the girls downstairs, the house was apparently empty.

However, there was a single note on the island table in the kitchen.

Sitting down on a high stool, he began to read it. It was a ransom note, or at least, a script or first draft of one, outlining the terms and conditions.

It read rather like a contract, some sort of binding legal document, and the printing was quite small. Jackson squinted slightly to read all of it, and when he got to the bottom, a cold sensation settled in his lower belly.

"Oh God no. No…"

Lisa woke up alone in the dark again, near-fully clothed; her shoes were gone. Fumbling around a little, she found them and sat back against the wall.

"Lisa?"

"Oh, Cynthia! It's good to hear you're awake." Lisa sighed with relief as Cynthia came into view. The other girl blinked a little as her eyes re-adjusted to the darkness of the room. "Where are we?"

"Kidnapped. Jackson should be around here somewhere." Lisa stood up and began to feel her way around the room. But other than Cynthia and herself, it was empty. Alarmed, she paused at the door where a sliver of pale yellow light slipped under the bottom.

Getting down on her stomach, she peered underneath.

The light burned her eyes at first, but after a few watery blinks she began to see shapes and colors. A table, a couple of chairs, a small room but no people.

Quite suddenly, Jackson stepped through the door and onto her hand.

"Ahhhh!" Lisa yelped and pulled her hand back against her body, curling up against the wall and breathing in through her teeth.

"Sorry!" Jackson winced and knelt down, making a slight face. "I have good news and bad news."

"Good news first." Cynthia said, bending down to examine Lisa's hand.

"Good news is, you two have a ransom."

Lisa gave him a dry look, still gritting her teeth in order to avoid screaming from the throbbing pain. "Great. Bad news?"

Jackson let out a sigh through his teeth. "The bad news is, the ransom isn't money. It's a life."

"Whose life?" Cynthia asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know how they could've known…"

"Whose life?" Lisa demanded, grabbing Jackson's wrist with her good hand.

"I don't understand…"

"Whose life?" both girls demanded together.

Jackson gave them a rather wild, frightened look. "Mine."

To be continued…

I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but forgive me, I wrote it at one a.m. The next one will be double length to make up. Cheers.