I came to, still bound and gagged, my face pressed against a cold cement floor. I was cold and I hurt all over. Blinking, I looked up, unable to move from my uncomfortable position. I saw a dirty ceiling above me, a few lights hanging down, dimly lighting the room. It looked - and smelled - like someone's old basement. Probably was. How long had I been laying here? Days? Weeks? Probably not weeks, but it was long enough that my stomach was growling. A sudden banging sound, almost like hurried footsteps, echoed above my head. Then came the sound of people shouting, and then a loud voice boomed:

"Police! Hands In The Air!"

My heart soared, and I began to struggle against my bonds. "Mmhhhh!" I tried to scream through the tape on my mouth.

I heard a door creak open, and a voice called, "Hey, anybody down here?"

A flashlight beam caught the wall beside me, then disappeared. I had to get this guy's attention!

"Mmmhh!" I screamed again, thrashing. My foot caught on something and I heard, rather than saw, something clatter on the floor.

"Hey!"

The light hit me full in the face, and I squinted, still struggling against the tape.

"What the-" said the voice, and a figure came into view. A police officer!

"Adam!" He called. "You may want to come down here!"

The Officer knelt in front of me, and I struggled harder, desperate to be free.

"Hey, take it easy, kid," He said, carefully peeling the tape from my mouth. It hurt, but it was a relief to be able to breathe properly again. I gasped for air, struggling even as the Officer began to untie my hands.

"Please help me," I panted, "I was kidnapped."

There came the sound of running feet and a new voice said, "Jake, what is-" but stopped with a gasp.

"Quick, help me untie him," Jake said, pulling out a set of keys and tearing into the tape on my wrists. Adam did the same for my legs and ankles and soon I was propped against the wall, shivering and on the verge of crying.

"Can you tell me your name, son?" Jake asked.

"Gabe Duncan," I whispered.

"I don't believe it," Adam said, reaching for his radio. He began to talk into it, but my head was beginning to ache and I didn't pay any attention to what he was saying.

"Your going to be okay, Gabe," Jake said, patting my shoulder. "Can you tell me what happened?"

I told him as best I could, and when he asked me how long I'd been out, I told him I didn't know.

"Jake, this kid's been missing for over a day," Adam said, still holding his radio.

That statement got through my aching head and I jolted forward. "What?" I croaked, my eyes darting around. That was a bad idea, because my vision blurred and grew black on the edges.

"Whoa, take it easy, son, take it easy," I heard the Officer's voices call, sounding far way.

The loud piercing sound of a siren wailed, making my head hurt worse. I heard more voices, but I didn't want to move. I felt hands press against my neck and more hands lift me and I felt like I was going to pass out at any moment. But I only faded in and out, the whole world becoming blurry and grey. I had never wanted to pass out so badly in my life. Being awake and feeling this way was a horrible feeling. The siren wail didn't go away for ages until suddenly Lights flashed over my head, blinding me and making em feel even worse. I queazed my eyes shut. Finally, the movement stopped and the lights became a little dimmer and I allowed my eyes to open.

The first thing I saw was white, everywhere. As my vision stopped being so blurry, I saw a wall to my left with a counter and sink and to my right hung a long curtain from the floor to the ceiling. The curtain was closed around the small area where I lay, slightly propped up, in a bed. I winced when I felt a tugging pain in my arm and looked down to see a skinny tube attached to my arm, the end of which disapeared under a piece of tape clinging to my arm. A needle. A little plastic sort of clampy-thing was on my finger and a wire extended from it as well. I must have passed out after all, because I didn't remember getting all this attached to me.

I was distracted from my surroundings when I heard a voice say, "He's been in-and-out since we brought him in and may be asleep."

The curtain pulled back and A nurse stepped in, followed by the people I wanted to see most.

My family.

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Sorry this took me a few days to update! Probably only one more chapter! More soon!