Chapter 5- Box Full of Mysteries
(Kevin's POV)
I ran to the backyard where everyone was investigating. Nick followed me and we both kept on repeatedly yelling for Mom and Dad.
"What is it, Honey?"Mom came rushing towards us.
"Joe!" we both shouted at the same time. Nick, Mom, and I rushed into the house, but something caught my eye. I stopped in front of the television. Tears filled my eyes from the image they showed on the screen. Nick walked to the right of me seeing what had caught my attention. He instantly broke into tears.
"Mom…" I stuttered. She came over and gasped. The gasp turned into a breakdown and she clung to Nick and me. The TV was turned on to the news. A picture of a kid who was tied up to a chair with beaten marks all over his body appeared on the screen. Blood stains were on his torn shirt and pants. He seemed so helpless, broken. That kid happened to be Joe.
"A thirteen-year-old boy has been kidnapped and beaten. He happens to be still missing," the reporter said. One member of the police crew walked in and handed us a package.
"The news producer gave us this for you. They said it was left by the door. They don't know who it's from. We made sure it was ok though, no bombs or anything," I took the box from his hands and put it on the kitchen counter. I carefully opened the box and brought out a couple of tapes and an envelope that seemed to be full of pictures. I took one of the video tapes into the VCR and pressed play.
"Oh my gosh…" my mom cried out. Nick started sobbing as I grabbed hold on him and pulled him close to me, painfully watching the video of Joe getting beaten. Tears fell from my eyes and onto my cheeks and dropped from my chin to the floor.
I watched Joe helplessly trying to fight back, bloody screams coming out of him at whoever was filming.
"I love you…so much, everyone…I am so sorry for what you're watch-…" He got interrupted by someone trampling him to the floor. I closed my eyes hearing Joe in pain. I began crying harder, still holding onto my mom and Nick.
"You're a sick person!" Joe yelled at the man behind the camera. I heard a loud thump coming from the TV screen and opened my eyes again. The camera zoomed on to Joe's lip. It was bloody. The tips of his fingers were bloody too from when he touched his lip. The image went away once a static sound took over. It was over. I immediately rushed to my mom's purse and grabbed the keys to the car.
"Kevin, Wait!" Nick shrieked while clinging to me.
"We have to save him!" I cried.
"We can't by ourselves! The kidnapper would put Joe as a hostage," my mom told me while grabbing my arm. I clung to my mom and cried in her arms.
We let the police watch the videos and look at the pictures the kidnapper sent us. Nick, Mom, and I went to the back of the house where Dad was and told him all there was to tell him, even Joe's phone call. I looked back to the house and saw a police woman rushing towards us.
"We found out where Joe and Katie might be," the woman called out to us.
Dad and I followed her into the police car and drove off out of our driveway and on our way to rescue my brother and new friend. Nick and Mom stayed behind. We didn't want to risk them getting hurt.
"How did you find out where they might be?" I asked while fidgeting with my ring on my finger.
"We traced the number Joe called from and it brought us to a location in the middle of the woods by Canon Road," she said behind her shoulder.
"Oh…" I slightly nodded. I shifted my body around and saw the other police cars behind us who were also in the rescue plan. I turned back around and watched the road disappear in front of us along with the images surrounding us.
"How far is it?" I asked another question to pass the time, curious as well.
"I would say about half an hour, Son," Dad put his hand on my shoulder as I sighed aloud. I looked at him for a couple of seconds before saying anything.
"What if we're too late…?"
"Let's just hope we aren't," he replied, not giving me a direct answer. Tears formed in my eyes. I didn't have to pretend to be strong now. My dad knew I was hurting even if I was trying to hide it. Too many tears filled in my eyes and they fell down my cheeks. My dad held me in his arms trying to comfort me. My head rested on his chest as I sobbed into his shirt making a visible wet spot appear on the clothing of the shirt. I knew I had doubts about going into those woods. I knew something bad was going to happen. I let that thought slip out of my mind. I wasn't being the older brother to Joe. I didn't watch out for him. I didn't save him…