As the lights grew brighter, Allyson's mind grew cloudier.
This was one of those situations she had always heard about on the news where some brave person was forced to make a snap decision in six seconds. But, she didn't know if she could be a brave person when it came to life and death.
But, luckily, she was able to find that confidence and strength, and jump back into the shadows behind her. The Cadillac whizzed by right where she was a second later.
The car came to an abrupt stop, and Allyson did her best to keep hidden without the driver noticing. The car's lights blinked off, and it looked like the driver was doing his best to be discreet.
Suddenly, another car pulled into the lot. It was a red, nicer looking Cadillac.
"Probably a '66..." Allyson thought to herself in her head, watching from afar. (Her father was a fanatic over cars, so she knew what she could.)
The two drivers each hopped out of their cars quick, and Allyson was able to see the men more closely now with the red car's lights.
The man in the red car had long brown hair, going to his shoulders. Scruff lined his jawline and cheeks, and he was probably around 6'3. He was wearing an all black outfit.
The first man had blonde hair, not as long but not very short. He was very tall too, and he looked like he was in his early twenties as well.
And that's when Allyson realized it: the man in the first car was the same man from the coffee shop earlier! The one she had found herself to be so infatuated with. What was he doing here? Why were the cops so close on his tail?
"What the hell..." Allyson mumbled under her breath, trying to keep as quiet and as calm as possible.
"Dude! What took you so long? They're right there!" The blonde pointed at the cop cars a little ways away.
The brunette grinned and traded keys with the other, "Sorry, I was busy. Get outta here, before the cops get here."
Allyson saw this as a good way to get inside discreetly and quietly, so neither of the guys would notice. They were too busy talking anyway.
She took a deep breath (and a leap of faith), then stealthily made her way to the exit of the parking area. But, sadly, feet away from the gate, she tripped, successfully knocking down a trash can with her.
The noise rattled and shook the once 'peaceful' silence of two old cars idling, breaking the men from their conversation. They turned around to see where it came from, only to see a scared Allyson trying to get up and off the ground quick enough so that she could outrun them.
But sadly, again, she wasn't able to overcome their power. They both leapt towards her and picked her out, despite her aching cries of anger and fear.
"Let me go!" She screamed, kicking the blonde in the stomach.
"Shut up!" The brunette yelled.
Allyson screamed and tried to fight back, but they were too strong for her.
The brunette ultimately handed her to the blonde, who carried her bridal style to the red Cadillac. He got her in the passenger's seat, ignoring her struggles and 'shh'ing her every now and then. He shut and locked her door.
Allyson screamed, pounding on the windows and doing everything she possibly could to get people's attention. She was petrified, absolutely petrified. What did he even want with her? Why her? Couldn't he have something else better to do?
She had always pictured this kind of thing happening to her ever since she was a little girl. "You have a wild imagination, sweetie," her dad would always say. But this wasn't imagination anymore. This was real life.
She tried profusely to unlock the door, but something seemed to have jammed it in place so it wouldn't possibly open. Allyson began crying, burying her face in her hands in her lap.
She was only seventeen, she had so much potential ahead of her. But now, that could all be over so soon. There were so many things she wanted to do, and now, she might not do them.
(What felt like) Hours later, the blonde returned to the car quickly and locked the door's again. He started the car, pulling out of the parking lot quickly and barreling down the road.
"I want out! Leave me alone!" She cried to him, tears trickling and pouring rapidly.
"Shh! Just relax!" He drove faster, the cop cars gaining on them.
"I'm gonna call the fucking cops unless you let me go!" She whined, smacking him in the chest.
He didn't even flinch.
As he drove even quicker, the sirens grew louder. Allyson watched it all happened through her side mirror. She cried louder and pounded on the windows, her heart pounding in her chest.
They drove quickly through a red light, leaving the cops far behind. And after they reached the 'Leaving New York City' sign, she could no longer even see the bright lights.
They had escaped the cops. But she hadn't escaped him.
He looked like he had calmed down a little, since they had gotten away so far. So, to keep him calm, she stayed quiet.
She wanted him as laid back as possible, so she could think of the best escape plan out of the car. She had learned, from the Investigation Discovery Channel, that the best way to escape is to wait till they get to a stoplight, then hop out of the car and run away as fast as possible. But they were too far away from town now, so there wouldn't be many stop lights close by. Plus, he was guarding the lock, she wouldn't be able to get out. Her other idea was to smash the window, then scream and jump out for help. But, again, she wasn't very strong. And the odds were completely against her smashing a window with her bare hands and strength.
After about five minutes of silence, she felt tears spilling out of her eyes. It was hard; she was terrified and had no idea what to do from this point. She needed to get away from him. He could hurt her.
The man seemed to notice her tears, he quietly mumbled, "U-Um, are you alright...?"
"Of course I'm not alright! Let me out of here, you psychopath!" She yelled, the tears coming quicker.
"Hey, hey, hey. Shhhhh. Just relax. I'm not going to hurt you." He said, pulling over to the side of the road.
Allyson thought this was the perfect time to get out, but he kept his finger on the lock button.
The two of them sat quietly, the only noise being her soft gasps for air during her sobs. They never made eye contact.
"P-Please let me go... P-Please..." She stuttered out, tears falling.
"I'm not going to hurt you... I just..." he started, then looked down at his lap, "I... I'm sorry... I shouldn't have done that... I shouldn't have taken you... It's just, I thought you'd go and tell the police you saw me and I couldn't let that happen..."
"Who even are you?! Why are the cops after you?!" She yelled, turning to look at him.
"I can't explain that right now... It's a long story and it's really complicated..."
"Just take me home, now!"
"I can't exactly do that..."
"I won't tell the cops!"
"I can't risk it though."
Allyson sighed deeply, running a hand through her hair and glaring at him.
He tilted his head back and sighed, his eyes watery.
She took a good look at him, trying to get a sense for him.
His hair was messy, like it was earlier, but it was parted to the side this time. His eyes were still red, and he had a deep gash underneath his left eye. He looked extremely tired as well.
He didn't exactly look like a guy to kidnap a random girl. He looked like a normal, twenty year old who was trying to put his life together.
He was wear a black tee shirt, with an open dark green button up over it. His jeans were black and ripped, and his converse were black as well.
She uncomfortably looked down at her attire: sweats, a worn out tee shirt, and running shoes. No bra either. Great.
She didn't even have her glasses, so nothing was as clear as she wanted it to be. Plus, her hair was probably a mess. (Honestly, she cared more about her hair than her glasses. But whatever.)
She looked over at the guy, "W-What are you gonna do to me...?" Her voice was quivering.
He sighed, reaching into the console between them. To Allyson's surprise and fear, he pulled out a gun. A '22.
She jumped, beginning to breathe heavily, "Please don't hurt me... Please... I'm begging you..."
His eyes widened and he shook his head quickly, "No no, I'm not gonna hurt you."
Slowly, he held the gun out to her, like he was giving it to her, "Take it. If you ever feel threatened by me, use it. Okay? It's the only one I have, so I won't hurt you."
"How do you know I won't just shoot you now and run away...?"
"Because, you seem smart. And if you're smart, you'll know you'll get charged for manslaughter even though I..." he gulped, "kidnapped you..."
She gulped herself, realizing he was right. She slowly took the gun, nodding. She laid it in her lap, pointed at him. He didn't seem to notice.
The man slowly started the car again and began driving, keeping his attention on the road.
Allyson tried stay calm, telling herself in her mind she would be okay. She'd find a way out of this soon. But right now, that wasn't the smart thing to do.
The rest of the ride was silent, except for his soft mumble, "Austin. My name is Austin."
The pair drove deep into the night, until around five in the morning. Allyson had know idea where they were, but it seemed like Austin had a route in mind. There was not a sound in the air, besides the car. She was too scared to say anything at all, and the look of fear in her eyes was enough to make him shut up for days at a time.
"Where are we going...?" She asked after awhile.
"Maine. We're almost to Portland." He replied, keeping his eyes focused on the road.
She was going to ask more, but she felt too tired to do anything. She was absolutely exhausted, having worked the day before and having no sleep during the whole car ride. She was way too nervous to fall asleep, and she cared too much about her safety to worry about sleep at the moment.
After another fifteen minutes of silence, Austin pulled into a hotel.
Westin Portland Harborview. It looked like a pretty good hotel, and the view looked gorgeous.
Austin turned to face Allyson, "So, um, we're gonna stay here for a day... Just while I can think how we're going to get through this..."
"How do you know I won't try to run while you aren't looking?"
"Because, you're smart. You know I'd find you first, or I'd get away before you could tell the cops."
He was right about that. All of that was pretty guaranteed to happen.
"Alright..." She mumbled, clutching the gun tight in her shaky hands.
"Look, they're not going to let us in with a gun. I need you to put it in this suitcase, but I'll give it right back in the room." He explained, gesturing to the suitcase in the backseat.
Allyson took a second, then nodded lightly. She handed him the gun back. Austin opened the suitcase, revealing a couple pairs of ratty clothes and a laptop, then put the gun in on top.
Austin got out of the car, grabbing the suitcase on the way. He unlocked Allyson's door with the key, opening the door and gently grabbing her hands to help her out.
She trembled when he touched her. But his touch was less cold and psychopathic; it was more gentle and slightly fearful himself. He seemed to be shaking too.
She gently wrapped her small hands around his as he pulled her up and out of the car safely. He shut the door, their hands still clasped.
He slowly led her inside the hotel, not letting go.
'He's doing it to keep me here... So I won't run...' Allyson thought to herself, loosely gripping his hand as they walked.
But truthfully, he wasn't. He knew she was scared, anybody would be scared in that kind of position. And if holding her hand helped her be less fearful of him, then so be it.
Once they got away from the car, he stopped and turned to look at her.
"I, um, I don't want people to recognize us... The cops have warrants out for me..." He said softly, his eyes locked on hers.
It was the first time they'd made eye contact that night.
Allyson nodded lightly.
Austin unzipped the suitcase a little, pulling out a black sweatshirt, a baseball hat, and two pairs of sunglasses. He gave her a sympathetic look, then handed her the sweatshirt and glasses.
She gladly grabbed the sweater, the air being so freezing she shook from both fear and cold. She put it on quick, even though it was huge on her. It was probably his.
He put his glasses and hat on, then looked at her as she put the glasses on herself.
He knew they weren't great costumes, but he also knew the owner of the hotel. He wouldn't care if it were him.
Austin laced his fingers into Allyson's again, beginning to walk in with her.
'I can run... This is my chance...' She thought.
But then, she realized she couldn't. He'd catch her. And then he'd probably hurt her. She was too scared to push him away or run.
She was too scared to do anything at all.
author's notes: hello beautiful readers! long time no see with this story anyway, how did you like this story? leave a review and a vote if you like it