Three
Kari's aunt, Uncle, and of course Tai himself, were left
paralyzed with fear after the call they recieved.
It wasn't Moninoke and Jun, it was someone else.
Whoever it was wanted one hundred thousand dollars in cold
hard cash. They weren't exactly poor but that kind of money
would always be out of reach.
"Everybody stay calm. They need Kari as a hostage to keep
the ransom so Kari will be fine. We just need to come up
with the money"
"How are we supposed to do that!"gasped Kari's aunt.
"The caller siad no cops so that's out of the question. Whether they
would actualy kill Kari if we'd call the police or not is not a gamble
I'm willing to take"
"What about car insurance? If we make it look like we had an accident, they
would pay us. They might not give us a hundred thousand but they sure would help"
said Tai.
"Tai you know damn well that's illegal"said his uncle in a stern voice.
"What do you care about more? Some legal mumbo jumbo or the wellbeing of your
niece? She's my flesh and blood damn it and-
"Don't use that launguage or that tone in front of me!"said his uncle.
"Kari needs us. Don't you remember that wound she suffered from that
psychopath Ken? She's vulnerable, helpless, and I'm not gonna
sit here while they could be torturing Kari for all I know"
"They wouldn't do that! Not if they want the ransom!"
"Open your eyes! What makes you think they won't double
cross us! I'm not taking chances!"said Tai walking out.
"GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"roared his uncle.
"Please, settle down, both of you"pleaded his aunt.
"No, I'm getting her back anyway I can and that's final!"
Tai slammed the door behind him.
"What are you sitting there for? Get him back here"said his aunt.
"No, let him. He'll learn the facts of life the hard way"
***********************************************************************************
Few Days Later
Kari's aunt and Uncle still couldn't come up with a ransom, making Cody and
his mother impatient.
The nice treatment Kari was recieving was begining to fade.
She was fed much less, making her pale and very thin.
In fact Cody's mom didn't less and less to stop her son
from hurting Kari.
Pretty much it was freegame for Cody.
He dragged Kari out of the bedroom and into the attic.
He bound her hands tightly behind her with cord so thick it cut through her
skin, he also bound her ankles.
He gagged her with a strip of White cloth wrapped firmly around her, the
cloth going into her mouth a little. Cody just leaft her there most of the day
like that. He rarely came up to give her some water, which was a small glass.
As the hours zoomed by, Kari struggled less and less for freedom. The lack of
food and water was making her feeble.
The days went by and she became more pale and thin.
Even her dreams were exhausting. She remembered one in paticular.
She was in an 1960's asane asylum for murdering her brother, which
she had supposedly claimed someone named Greg the hippo did. She was in a straight jacket
however it tore off soon and she got out.
There were no other patients around though.
There were actualy jail like cells, but no one in them.
No one was in the entire facility.
After hours of searching, Kari finally found the exit.
She went through it, however she ended up in the same place
the whole dream started. This process went on over and over.
It was so frustrating but she was glad partialy when the dream awoke.
Being a hostage was better then running a never ending cycle.
One day Cody walked in but instead of water he had a phone.
Cody pulled her gag down so it was haning like a scarf
around her neck.
"It's your aunt. You better not say anything stupid damn it"warned Cody.
Kari let tears come out, even if it was just on the phone, she wanted to
talk to her aunt.
"HellO"said Kari sobbingly.
"Oh my God Kari, are you okay? Are you being treated well?"
"Yes mom"lied Kari.
"Why are you crying then?"she asked.
"I'm just so glad to hear your voice again! Please
mom, get me out, please I-
Cody lifted the gag back on her and spoke in the phone now.
"You're starting to piss us off. Get that money by next week or I'm
just gonna slit that good for nothing slut's throat"
"Please don't! Kari means so much to us, please, we just need more time-
"Next week. Any cops get involved and she's dead"
Cody turned the phone off.
"That was good Kari. She'll be motivated to get that money now"
Kari tried to talk back but the gag was still strong.
"Not feeling like a princess now, are ya? Punks like you
get all the breaks in life, while people like me and mom
are scraping along"
Kari tried to wokr her gag off, Cody was wrong comepletely. She
got few if any breaks.
Cody noticed this.
"You got something to say?"
Kari nodded.
"Allright, just don't try anything"
Cody lowered the gag. Kari knew he would put it right back
on once she was done.
"Cody, despite what yopu may think my life is a lot worse then yours.
I've been harrased by almost every kid in school. Almost everyone
there hates me-
"Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not lieng"said Kari.
"But, you're a media circus-
"You must not have seen me that much. They don't like me,
I'm nothing but a prop for the media. THat's all they consider
people Cody. The truth is most of them hate me. I've been
beaten and drugged by both my parents, forced into crime
by bullies, wounded by someone I thought I loved,
betrayed by friends time after time, there is nothing
convieninet about my life. Please, I don't want to
be your enemy Cody. If you untie me, I swear I'll
cooraperate with you"
Cody thought hard in that moment of silence. Kari meant what she said.
She would be their willfull hostage. She wouldn't take the chance of trying to
escape. Cody remembered how badly injured she was so if she did try to escape,
he could easily recaptured her.
"Allright, it's a deal. But any escape attempts and I'll tie you right back up.
Got it?"
"Thanks Cody, I swear I won't"
"I'll be right back"said Cody.
Kari knew he was running down for a knife.
Indeed Cody came back with a knife. He quickly cut her bonds.
He felt her wrists and ankles, they were fine overall.
She then untied her gag that was still haning around her.
"Remember the deal-
"Yes, I remember. I swear, I'll be goo-
Almost anything can happen in life at anytime. That was the case as Kari
collapsed onto the floor.
Cody bent down.
"Are you trying to trick me?"
Kari's eyes remained closed. She was hot. Cody ran
down quickly for the themonitor. After a minute he took
it out. 100 degrees. She had a fever, a bad one. If it got too
much higher, she could die.
He got her down to the living room quickly.
**************************************************************************************
T.K stopped by at the hospital every day after school. They both grew more
and more worried. They had heared the news, Kari was indeed kidnapped, and
was being held for ransom.
Part of Davis told him he shouldn't care, Kari had been so nasty to
him. The other par told him she never meant it.
Matt was worried not only for Kari, but for Tai. T.K and Davis didn't know Tai
that well so there focus was on Kari. Tai had been missing without a trace.
Now there was only a week leaft for the money to go in. Otherwise
Kari was dead. Davis and T.K knew Kari's injuries mader her vulnerable,
and that escape was impossible. They had her right where they wanted her.
T.K's family was offering some money however it didn't even reach
a thousand, much less a hundred thousand.
This wasn't another Kari being in the hospital or being abused.
Her life was on the line.
Davis had many dreams of T.K going to the hospital teeling
him Kari was dead.
It was one of those dreams that kept happening and you struggled to
awake, hoping it was still a dream.
The worst part was they were helpless. No one could do anything.
If they went to the police, Kari would die.
If they didn't get the money within the week, Kari would die.
The situation, which started as worrysome, was now getting desperate,
and serious.
Tension and angst filled their hearts like helium in a balloon.
Kari's aunt and uncle, and even T.K's family would pray at night for her safe
return.
Only 6 days remained.
TBC
REVIEW!
Kari's aunt, Uncle, and of course Tai himself, were left
paralyzed with fear after the call they recieved.
It wasn't Moninoke and Jun, it was someone else.
Whoever it was wanted one hundred thousand dollars in cold
hard cash. They weren't exactly poor but that kind of money
would always be out of reach.
"Everybody stay calm. They need Kari as a hostage to keep
the ransom so Kari will be fine. We just need to come up
with the money"
"How are we supposed to do that!"gasped Kari's aunt.
"The caller siad no cops so that's out of the question. Whether they
would actualy kill Kari if we'd call the police or not is not a gamble
I'm willing to take"
"What about car insurance? If we make it look like we had an accident, they
would pay us. They might not give us a hundred thousand but they sure would help"
said Tai.
"Tai you know damn well that's illegal"said his uncle in a stern voice.
"What do you care about more? Some legal mumbo jumbo or the wellbeing of your
niece? She's my flesh and blood damn it and-
"Don't use that launguage or that tone in front of me!"said his uncle.
"Kari needs us. Don't you remember that wound she suffered from that
psychopath Ken? She's vulnerable, helpless, and I'm not gonna
sit here while they could be torturing Kari for all I know"
"They wouldn't do that! Not if they want the ransom!"
"Open your eyes! What makes you think they won't double
cross us! I'm not taking chances!"said Tai walking out.
"GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"roared his uncle.
"Please, settle down, both of you"pleaded his aunt.
"No, I'm getting her back anyway I can and that's final!"
Tai slammed the door behind him.
"What are you sitting there for? Get him back here"said his aunt.
"No, let him. He'll learn the facts of life the hard way"
***********************************************************************************
Few Days Later
Kari's aunt and Uncle still couldn't come up with a ransom, making Cody and
his mother impatient.
The nice treatment Kari was recieving was begining to fade.
She was fed much less, making her pale and very thin.
In fact Cody's mom didn't less and less to stop her son
from hurting Kari.
Pretty much it was freegame for Cody.
He dragged Kari out of the bedroom and into the attic.
He bound her hands tightly behind her with cord so thick it cut through her
skin, he also bound her ankles.
He gagged her with a strip of White cloth wrapped firmly around her, the
cloth going into her mouth a little. Cody just leaft her there most of the day
like that. He rarely came up to give her some water, which was a small glass.
As the hours zoomed by, Kari struggled less and less for freedom. The lack of
food and water was making her feeble.
The days went by and she became more pale and thin.
Even her dreams were exhausting. She remembered one in paticular.
She was in an 1960's asane asylum for murdering her brother, which
she had supposedly claimed someone named Greg the hippo did. She was in a straight jacket
however it tore off soon and she got out.
There were no other patients around though.
There were actualy jail like cells, but no one in them.
No one was in the entire facility.
After hours of searching, Kari finally found the exit.
She went through it, however she ended up in the same place
the whole dream started. This process went on over and over.
It was so frustrating but she was glad partialy when the dream awoke.
Being a hostage was better then running a never ending cycle.
One day Cody walked in but instead of water he had a phone.
Cody pulled her gag down so it was haning like a scarf
around her neck.
"It's your aunt. You better not say anything stupid damn it"warned Cody.
Kari let tears come out, even if it was just on the phone, she wanted to
talk to her aunt.
"HellO"said Kari sobbingly.
"Oh my God Kari, are you okay? Are you being treated well?"
"Yes mom"lied Kari.
"Why are you crying then?"she asked.
"I'm just so glad to hear your voice again! Please
mom, get me out, please I-
Cody lifted the gag back on her and spoke in the phone now.
"You're starting to piss us off. Get that money by next week or I'm
just gonna slit that good for nothing slut's throat"
"Please don't! Kari means so much to us, please, we just need more time-
"Next week. Any cops get involved and she's dead"
Cody turned the phone off.
"That was good Kari. She'll be motivated to get that money now"
Kari tried to talk back but the gag was still strong.
"Not feeling like a princess now, are ya? Punks like you
get all the breaks in life, while people like me and mom
are scraping along"
Kari tried to wokr her gag off, Cody was wrong comepletely. She
got few if any breaks.
Cody noticed this.
"You got something to say?"
Kari nodded.
"Allright, just don't try anything"
Cody lowered the gag. Kari knew he would put it right back
on once she was done.
"Cody, despite what yopu may think my life is a lot worse then yours.
I've been harrased by almost every kid in school. Almost everyone
there hates me-
"Don't lie to me!"
"I'm not lieng"said Kari.
"But, you're a media circus-
"You must not have seen me that much. They don't like me,
I'm nothing but a prop for the media. THat's all they consider
people Cody. The truth is most of them hate me. I've been
beaten and drugged by both my parents, forced into crime
by bullies, wounded by someone I thought I loved,
betrayed by friends time after time, there is nothing
convieninet about my life. Please, I don't want to
be your enemy Cody. If you untie me, I swear I'll
cooraperate with you"
Cody thought hard in that moment of silence. Kari meant what she said.
She would be their willfull hostage. She wouldn't take the chance of trying to
escape. Cody remembered how badly injured she was so if she did try to escape,
he could easily recaptured her.
"Allright, it's a deal. But any escape attempts and I'll tie you right back up.
Got it?"
"Thanks Cody, I swear I won't"
"I'll be right back"said Cody.
Kari knew he was running down for a knife.
Indeed Cody came back with a knife. He quickly cut her bonds.
He felt her wrists and ankles, they were fine overall.
She then untied her gag that was still haning around her.
"Remember the deal-
"Yes, I remember. I swear, I'll be goo-
Almost anything can happen in life at anytime. That was the case as Kari
collapsed onto the floor.
Cody bent down.
"Are you trying to trick me?"
Kari's eyes remained closed. She was hot. Cody ran
down quickly for the themonitor. After a minute he took
it out. 100 degrees. She had a fever, a bad one. If it got too
much higher, she could die.
He got her down to the living room quickly.
**************************************************************************************
T.K stopped by at the hospital every day after school. They both grew more
and more worried. They had heared the news, Kari was indeed kidnapped, and
was being held for ransom.
Part of Davis told him he shouldn't care, Kari had been so nasty to
him. The other par told him she never meant it.
Matt was worried not only for Kari, but for Tai. T.K and Davis didn't know Tai
that well so there focus was on Kari. Tai had been missing without a trace.
Now there was only a week leaft for the money to go in. Otherwise
Kari was dead. Davis and T.K knew Kari's injuries mader her vulnerable,
and that escape was impossible. They had her right where they wanted her.
T.K's family was offering some money however it didn't even reach
a thousand, much less a hundred thousand.
This wasn't another Kari being in the hospital or being abused.
Her life was on the line.
Davis had many dreams of T.K going to the hospital teeling
him Kari was dead.
It was one of those dreams that kept happening and you struggled to
awake, hoping it was still a dream.
The worst part was they were helpless. No one could do anything.
If they went to the police, Kari would die.
If they didn't get the money within the week, Kari would die.
The situation, which started as worrysome, was now getting desperate,
and serious.
Tension and angst filled their hearts like helium in a balloon.
Kari's aunt and uncle, and even T.K's family would pray at night for her safe
return.
Only 6 days remained.
TBC
REVIEW!