The road seemed to stretch on for miles and miles as Jackie sat tiredly, watching the passing scenery. She had long since stopped fighting against her restraints and was back to her normal self, making random comments about unrelated topics and trying to get him to speak.
" Where are we going?" she said finally, shifting and swinging her legs onto the seat.
" At the moment?" he asked taking a long drag from his cigarette. "North." She shook her head, leaning it against the window.
" You know they're going to find you. And when they do you'll wish you'd never been born." She said absently leaning her head back and crossing her legs slowly. He shrugged.
" Do you think this is the first time I've done this? I'm good doll and I'm not going to get caught any time soon. And besides the cops don't scare me an inch. All I have to do I hold a gun to your head and I'm a free man. They won't shoot at a hostage."
"I wasn't talking about the cops." She said pointedly, scratching her neck.
" Oh yes. Of course your friends. Which one is going to do me in? The skinny one who probably hasn't taken his eye off his tomboy girlfriend long enough to realize you're not there? Or the guy with the fro? The summer fling that cares about you so much, even when he's fucking every other girl in Point Place? Or is it the foreign fairy that prances around in silk and lady's perfume yet refuses to come out of the closet. Or ,don't tell me, the big rich kid who is still in love with you. The one who brilliantly let me go in the first place? Take your pic because I could kill them all in a second. And don't tell me they actually care about you. We've been listening to the radio for the whole drive and not one announcement about a missing girl has come on. They haven't even called the police, probably because they don't even know you're gone."
" Fuck you." she said angrily. "You don't know shit about me, so don't try to analyze my life or my relationships. If anyone is to be analyzed it should be you. You were abused as a kid right? Your father hit you and left when you were ten and your mother was a crack whore who'd bring her clients home and make you watch. Did she send you on drug runs too? Did she lock you in closets for a week without food? Oh poor baby. I hate my parents so I'm going to go rape and murder innocent girls as my revenge."
The car veered to the right and he slammed on the brakes. His eyes had turned a whole different shad of blue and his hands were shaking. Looming over her, his face only inches away he glared into her. Reaching into the glove compartment he grabbed a roll of duct tape and ripped a piece off, slamming it hard on her mouth.
"The conversation stops here." he said angrily. He sat back, staring at her for a moment the reached into his pocket and retrieved a lighter. The pulled off his ring and held it over the now rising flame. His temper had changed to the same uncaring, unfazed demeanor he had taken on earlier that day. "Have you ever heard of the ancient pigmy tribes that used to live in the mountains ages ago? They were about the size of a midget, maybe a little bigger but with the build of a normal man. They were very primitive, old customs and rituals were sacred among them, one in particular." Jackie simply watched wide-eyed, as the ring grew red in his hand. Without warning he plunged the ring into her calf, causing her to cry out, or at least try as much as the tape would let her. She looked at the sky, the ground anywhere but him, not tears escape her as he flesh was burned and cooked under the ring. "You see once a man was married, the wife was branded. Usually a tribal mark, which was exposed at all times to assure that everyone knew to whom she belonged." He was leaning over her know and the smell of raw and burning flesh began to rise. He pulled away quickly, throwing the ring on the dashboard and starting up the truck. " Just thought I'd share that with you. A little history for the road."
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" Are you sure she's not at the jail or the mall?" Erik asked as Hyde, Kelso and himself loaded into separate cars.
"Yes I'm sure." He muttered, starting the car. "I'm going to just drive around some more. The cops own't place a missing report yet because it hasn't been long enough, le me know if they call." As if on cue, Kitty jogged into the drive way, smiling.
"Hyde dear the phones for you. I think it's Jackie." She said raising her eyebrows suggestively. Hyde left the car idling and headed for the house, ready to yell at her for an hour. Where the hell could she have gone…
" Jackie?"
" Steven!" her voice was weak and wavering. "I'm at the Biggie Burger off highway 17 north. Do you know where that is?"
"Um…yeah. What are you doing all the way out there?"
" He's coming." She muttered, her voice dropping to a shaky whisper. His heart stopped as he heard a struggle and yelling on the other end and the phone was retrieved once more. " We're heading north…get off!" there was a sickening crack, then a strangled cry of pain, obviously Jackie's, then a dead tone. He held the phone to his ear for a moment, unbelieving. Erik was standing at the door, a look of self-satisfaction on his face.
"See man didn't I tell you she'd call. Where is she, the jewelry palace or did she just go home?"
" Fuck you man Jackie's in trouble." He muttered brushing past him and towards the car. Erik followed him out, still smiling.
" Oh god I'd love to hear this one. Did she run out of cover up or is she just really, really lonely." He was leaning on the El Camino as Hyde started it up.
"Just get in the god damn car okay we have to go." Erik gave him a strange look but complied, opening the truck door and climbing in.
" Where is she?" he asked as Hyde tore out of the driveway. Hyde shrugged.
" Somewhere north of the Biggie Burger on hwy 17." He muttered rubbing his upper lip nervously. " There was another guy there…I think he was hurting her." Erik looked at him, then the road as Hyde increased the speed.
"What do you mean she was with a guy and you think he was hurting her? She's just hanging with a guy and he's kinda being a little rough or like she was hitchhiking and got picked up by the wrong guy?"
"The second one." He said quietly. "She sounded really scared man. And then she said "he's coming" and they fought…I think. Man if anything happens to her I'll fucking kill somebody." His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, his turns sharp and uneasy. Erik stared at the road ahead of them and the clouds starting to form in the sky.
"It's gonna rain." He said, "Why don't you let me drive. You were never very good driving in bad whether." Hyde glanced at him quickly, shaking his head.
"No I'm good. Besides you're not too good in bad weather either."
"Let's not forget that I drove with a twister at the snowball dance, remember?" he asked jokingly. Hyde didn't reply, just continued driving. Erik sighed.
"Hyde, come on this is Jackie we're talking about. She had a good head on her shoulders and you of all people should know that she doesn't put up with shit. I'm sure she'll be fine once we get there."
"Get WHERE Foreman, all I know is that they're heading north. I don't have a license plate number or anything. I don't even know what they're traveling in."
"Once again, this is Jackie. She'll figure out a way to tell us when we're close."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"You had better hope that for your friend's sakes they don't come looking for us." He said angrily as the rain started to hit the windshield. Jackie sat miserably in the seat beside him, once again restrained. Fresh bruises covered the right side of her face as well as her neck and shoulders. "I have been exceptionally nice to you, you know. I let you ride up here with me, I feed you, I talk to you and up till an hour ago, I hadn't marred your perfect fucking body except your leg. But you had to pull a stunt like this didn't you?" he pulled in to a shabby looking motel at the side of the road. " We're turning in for the night. You wait here while I get s a room." Jackie just glared at him as he exited the large truck. She knew for a fact that Hyde would be out looking for her in the El Camino. And since they had left the Biggie Burger, she had been trying to think of a way to contact them, and then she remembered. Hyde had installed an old contact radio into his truck after Kelso threw the one from the van away. For some reason he'd love the idea of talking to strangers on the road…only Hyde. She looked at the radio in the truck and grabbed the mouth-piece, pressing the button.
" I'm looking for a blue El Camino heading North of Point Place Wisconsin. Steven, Michael, Erik, Fez, Donna please anybody come in." she said quietly, never taking her eyes off the man in the office.
" This is Ste- Hyde. What do you want?" he sounded agitated…annoyed.
" Hyde it's Jackie. Baby I'm in a big tractor trailer truck. We pulled in to.." she looked out side at the sign. " The Little Big Motel. He has a gun. Just call the police and send them over here, don't come on your own." She nearly missed seeing her abductor leave the building, but threw down the radio piece moments before he wrenched open the door, cut her bindings and pulled her roughly towards the hotel room 22.