Chapter 26: Am I Dreaming?
(Ian's POV)
I watched the grass gently rock back and forth in the fields as the moon rose higher and higher above me. I tried to remember what Wanda was wearing this morning, so I could tell the police, but I couldn't…I've memorized her face countless times, even the way she moves…but nothing important.
Damnit! I punched my thigh to try to relieve the tension…but all it did was hurt my leg. At least it's distracting me from the hurt of losing her.
No. I'll find her. That creep couldn't have gotten far; I doubt he's even left town.
I stayed in the same position for what felt like hours…I noticed at one point that the hairs on my arms had raised, but I didn't feel the cold, nor did I feel tired. I could only think about what to do…how to get to her…especially what I'm going to do to that bastard when I find him.
Yes, this was better, thinking of how his nose and jaw would crumble under my fist. I clenched my hands in anticipation, thinking of all the ways I could put him in the hospital.
A strong breeze started moving around me, causing the grass to dance across the hills. Pieces of leaves and grass started whipping the exposed skin of my face – I closed my eyes and shuffled around on the hill so now my back was taking the blow.
I squinted my eyes open to look out over the hills in front and saw a black limp figure on the one closest to me. I could just make out a pale face and light hair shining under the moonlight.
The wind stopped just as suddenly as it started…as though it wanted me to turn around.
It couldn't be her, I'm just seeing things. Plus I'm tired.
I closed my eyes, rubbed them, and reopened. The figure was still there…
'Wanda?' I called out tentatively…It's not her. I must be going crazy, shouting to nothing.
'HELLO?' No reply.
I could just walk over there? It might wake me up a bit at least.
I convinced myself that when I got to the top of the next hill over that there would be nothing there. As soon as the black figure went out of my line of sight I scoffed at myself…of course there was nothing. I just want it to be her too badly. Of course I'd make up that I saw her. It's all I've been thinking about.
Maybe I should just go home.
A little voice in the back of my head spoke up…but what if it is her?
As I got halfway up the hill I realised how stupid I was being…so what if she's not even there, at least I'm trying to find her, right?
I dawdled for the rest of the way, not knowing whether I actually wanted her to be there or not…the figure was a heap on the floor, that can't be good can it?
Why would I even imagine her on the floor?
…I wouldn't.
'Oh my god…' What if she's dying and I've been fucking dawdling this entire time. I ran the rest of the way up, my thighs burning in protest.
She was curled on her side when I reached the top, hands wrapped around her as though offering some protection. Blood was splattered all over her clothes and face, even in her hair.
'Oh god…Wanda?' No reply…no no no, you can't be dead, you can't be.
I knelt over her and put my face close to hers…short, shaky breaths warmed my cheek for a moment as I sighed in relief, I blinked back the water that had pooled in my eyes at the site of her lifeless body.
'Wanda?' I didn't want to move her…what if she's injured? What if this is all her blood?
I fumbled with my phone, I hadn't realised my fingers had gone numb in the cold. Finally I had dialled 911 and an ambulance was on its way; only they couldn't come through the fields and hills…I had to try and get her as close as I could to the main road.
Shit. Shit shit shit. I un-wrapped Wanda's arms and placed them around my neck. I knew I could carry her, I have done before, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was going to do more harm than good.
I let the thought of Burns creep into my mind, where was he? Had she managed to get away from him? What if it wasn't even him in the first place?
'…my poor Wanda…'
I placed a gentle kiss on the side of her forehead before I lifted her weight against my chest. 'I'm sorry if this hurts…'
It was stupid to talk to her out loud…surely Wanda couldn't hear me, but it just felt good to have her safe with me. I thought I'd never be able to talk to her again.
Manoeuvring down that first hill was the worst part of the journey with Wanda in my arms. I took each step with caution, but with the limited light it was hard to find my footing. For once I was thankful that Wanda was oblivious to the world, I couldn't imagine that she'd make it down here if she was injured…god, I hope she isn't injured.
{Page Break}
I stared at her limp, frail body, as I sat by in a particularly uncomfortable stool by her side. She looked even tinier in the hospital bed. A giant tube was sticking out of her wrist, dripping some miracle fluid or another into her blood stream. The hospital gown was too big…which made it look even worse…I wish I could bring her some food for when she woke up, but the doctors didn't know when she would…
It turns out the blood wasn't hers, luckily. It was someone else's…which meant she did escape, and she put up a good fight by the looks of it.
The paramedics found a rusted, broken key locked in her fist – which is what they assumed she did the damage with, and what would have caused all the blood.
Pride with a tinge of sadness bloomed in my chest…I hated that I couldn't find her and get her out sooner so she didn't have to escape. God knows what he was doing to her.
Wanda's injuries were less than what I'd imagined…although I was stunned about her foot. Some sort of acid they said – why would her kidnapper spray her foot with acid? The weirdest part was that it had been dressed and wrapped up already…
A twisted ankle, some bruised ribs, and a couple of other minor cuts and bruises were the only other things physically wrong with her.
But the doctor's wanted to keep her in here for 24 hours…make sure she wakes up okay.
I heard some whispering behind the curtain around Wanda's bed and shuffled closer to listen in…
'We can see the bruises appearing on her ribs, and her foot is stable and also bruising, which is what we'd expect from healing.'
'That doesn't explain why she's still unconscious, we've given her nothing to cause this sleep.'
'It might be shock? Her body shutting down, letting her heal'
'Possibly…'
One set of footsteps faded away as the other grew closer. The curtain opened slightly to reveal a young looking doctor, who looked toward me sadly, 'I'm sorry, but you really can't stay here with her any longer. Visiting hours start at 9 tomorrow if you want to come back then.'
I must have looked like I wanted to jump him for being so oblivious to the fact that Wanda was laying unconscious in a hospital, he hurriedly added 'We'll do checks throughout the rest of the night and call if anything changes…I have your details here.'
Without saying a word I reluctantly kissed Wanda's cheek and left her in the hospital. I made sure to make an alarm on my phone for 8am so I could come and check on her as soon as it was visiting hours. I hated leaving her…I never want to leave her again.
{Page Break}
As I started walking back down the main road, trying to remember the way the ambulance had gone, I went over everything in my head…was Burns still out there somewhere? Had he gone home? Was it even Burns to begin with?
It didn't take long to come into the view of the fields, luckily the hospital was closer to this side of town…maybe Burns planned it that way.
I had to find out where Wanda was being kept…and who kept her there. It had to be close to where she was laying unconscious, right? Surely she couldn't have gotten very far with a twisted ankle…
I may as well look, there's no way I'll be able to go home and go to sleep as though nothing had happened.
Returning to the hill where I found Wanda laying unconscious, I walked to the top and looked around. I couldn't see much in the limited light, but it was enough the see the trail Wanda must have made as she climbed up here with her twisted ankle. I followed it down, making sure that I was always right by it...it looked as though she had tried to pull herself up...why did I think this was a good idea. I balled my hands into fists as anger coursed through me...if I do find her kidnapper he's dead.
No. Not dead. Just really fucking badly injured so he knows how much of a prick he his. Then I'm taking his ass to jail. He can rot in a cell for the rest of his miserable life to think about the damage he's done to an innocent girl.
There wasn't a trail after the bottom of the hill, Wanda must just have been running, or trying to with her ankle all messed up. I figured that she would have pretty much ran straight - away from wherever she was being held, so I followed the trail as straight as I could from the hill.
About a hundred yards or so I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a patch of grass that had been flattened oddly...
I went over to see a dark puddle had formed near the centre, oh god, why do I get the feeling that that's not going to be water.
Crouching I grimaced and dipped the fingertips of my left hand into the liquid...sticky and thick, the liquid stained my fingers red. Ugh. That's disgusting. It wasn't warm like I imagine fresh blood to be, the kidnapper was probably far away by now...
I trudged on anyway. Determined to find where she was being kept at least...Wanda was holding a rusted key, right? She must have been in an old building of some sort. I adjusted my course in line with both the hill and pool of blood and started walking again.
{Page Break}
I pulled at the old sheet metal that had been used to block up the buildings windows, but it was no use...they may have been there for years or as little as weeks. It was hard to tell in the dark. But they weren't budging at all.
I walked the perimeter of the old warehouse, the only exits I could find were the blocked up windows, but just as I turned towards the back of the building I noticed something wasn't right.
Are those tire tracks?
Again, I crouched to feel the dirt...it felt freshly turned...these must have been made less than a day ago...probably the same time Wanda was taken.
This was it. This must be the warehouse she was being kept in.
It looked as though it hadn't been used at all in 20 years...definitely likely to find an old key in. There has to be a way in somewhere.
I left the building though and decided to follow the tracks instead...they only lasted a few hundred yards untll I found a poorly disguised car. Burns' car.
That little shit. I knew it, I fucking knew it.
I uncovered the car from the small tarp he had obviously thought covered it well enough not to be found, idiot. It was definitely his. He had even left it unlocked...can this guy get any more stupid?
He had left his backpack inside, probably full of school books. I quietly shut the car door and moved to the tires, deflating each one, making sure that even if he got away he couldn't get far.
Now to find the boy himself.