Chapter Nineteen

Warning: What you've been waiting for. The darkness is about to descend, physical abuse and hints of sexual abuse.

Bella

By the time we left the truck stop, finally dragging Phil away from his new pal it was dusk and the road was much quieter so Phil took it easy looking for a motel a couple of hours further on. I was dozing when he hit the brakes suddenly cursing and I opened my eyes to see a battered old car with its hood up and the front end sticking out into the center of the road with the driver peering into the engine bay.

"Won't be a minute, I'll just see if I can help push it off the road or ring for a tow or something."

Phil got out and walked up to the car obscured by the hood but obviously talking to the owner. They seemed to be taking their time and Renee sighed looking at her watch.

"I'll go hurry them up Bella, ring the motel and tell them we're gonna be late or they'll rent out our room to someone else. It's a really popular one and I am not spending the night in the truck, our adventure starts inside the park not on the highway!"

I grabbed my cell phone and then realized I didn't have the number for the motel so I scrabbled about in Renee's bag for her phone book. Suddenly I heard what sounded like a shot and looked up and around but I couldn't see anyone except the three at the broken down car. Except there were now only two standing, the third was laying on the road and then I saw Renee kneel down beside the body and saw in the headlights it was Phil.

I got out of the truck and ran towards Renee who looked up and screamed for me to run but before I could make sense of her scream she was dragged upright by her hair, a gun shoved against her temple and the stranger beckoned me forward.

"Run and I'll kill her."

I stopped trying to make sense of what was happening to us but I could see the blood around Phil's head and saw his wide staring eyes, he was dead, just like that.

"Come closer, grab his feet."

Renee shook her head frantically but he moved the gun and then hit her hard on the side of the head and she collapsed to the ground with a terrible thud.

"Grab his feet or I'll shoot her too."

I did as he ordered and he nodded smiling,

"You were always a good girl, now don't try anything or I will kill her. Lift his feet."

I did so and he grabbed Phil's arms in one of his and we carried him to the edge of the road. Looking over I could see there was a steep ravine sloping down into dense forest and then the stranger heaved and Phil slid down the slope gaining speed as he went until he was lost to view among the first line of trees, gone from sight.

"Right, lets get back to the truck."

He waited so I walked back feeling scared and sick to find Renee had got to her feet and was staggering to the truck. He sped up and grabbed her arm swinging her round again and punched her in the face. Blood spurted from her nose and she fell again, this time hitting her head on the road surface with a sickening thud.

"You get in the car, passenger side and sit real still, you hear me?"

I nodded unable to take my eyes from my mum who lay unconscious on the road as it started to rain. Once inside the car I saw him drag my mother to the back of the truck and throw her limp body inside then park it up on the grass verge and lock it.

He joined me in the car saying nothing and started the engine driving it to park behind the truck while I prayed for traffic, anything to come along so I could signal for help but the road was empty and visibility dropping fast as the rain became heavier. He signaled for me to get out and left the car with all the doors open then showing me the gun ordered me to get in the truck and slid in beside me starting it up and continuing the way we had been going.

"What are you going to do with us?"

He glared at my question and his hand shot out slapping me on the side of the face hard enough to make my eyes water.

"Shut up. You only speak if I tell you to, got it?"

I nodded holding a hand to my stinging face and wiping the tears from my eyes.

We drove for an hour and I desperately wanted to know why he had kidnapped us but I was terrified to speak and be hit again. Then he turned to me,

"See, you do as you're told and we get on fine."

I nodded but his brow creased in a frown,

"How many times do I have to tell you to answer me when I speak to you girl? Use your tongue or I swear I'll cut it out."

"Yes."

"Yes what?"

I hesitated and he hit me again,

"Yes sir. What's so difficult about that?"

"Nothing...sir."

I added the last as I saw his hand twitch once more and he nodded his head as if happy then turned the radio on but all the stations annoyed him and eventually he swore and pulling his gun out smashed the front of it with three swift blows.

"God damn radio. Good for nothing, full of crap."

I didn't know if he wanted me to agree with him or not so I stayed silent until he glared at me,

"Yes sir."

"Good, you're learning girl. I like a fast learner. Nothing pisses me off more than a girl who acts dumb, you remember that and we'll get along just fine."

A little while later I heard groans from Renee in the rear of the truck.

"Can I see if my mom's OK?"

He slammed on the brakes and glared at me, his face flushed with rage,

"That whore isn't your mother, Don't you dare call her that. Let the bitch suffer and you keep your filthy mouth closed."

"But she's hurt, she co..."

I never finished the sentence as the gun came up again and this time hit me on the side of the face. I saw stars and then everything went black for a time.

I have no idea how long I was unconscious just that I had a terrible headache and the side of my face was throbbing when I woke up. We were still traveling and the stranger had the window open singing to himself when I sat up or at least tried to. He slammed my head against the dash growling,

"Stay down girl, its too dangerous here."

I felt blood welling from a split lip and there was a sticky residue where the blow to my face had split open the skin and I had bled. Unwilling to risk another blow I stayed where I was partly crouched in the foot well of the truck.

We seemed to drive on for hours although my pain made keeping track of time difficult and all I could hear above the engine was the sound of my mothers piteous cries of pain and fear. When we eventually drove off the highway it was on to a rutted track and I thought we had reached our destination, wherever that was. The stranger turned to me then took out of another pocket a flexible cable tie and used it to secure my wrist to the passenger door handle. Then he got out and went round the back, I heard the door open and a thud as he dragged my mum out to land on the ground. Looking in the door mirror I saw him taking off his belt and thought he was going to thrash her with it but I couldn't see any more as he disappeared out of view behind the tail gate. I just heard her scream and a crack of flesh on flesh then low moans and her voice begging him to stop.

I was thirsty, scared, and in pain, and I had no idea where we were or what he intended doing with us but I had to do something so I opened the glove box as quietly as I could and reached inside looking for anything I could use as a weapon or to cut through the plastic tie that held me prisoner. I found a torch possibly heavy enough to stun him but nothing else that was useful and our bags were in the back well out of reach. It hit me suddenly that Phil was dead, shot in the head by this stranger as if he meant nothing and his body hidden at the bottom of a steep wooded gully. Were we next? Would he shoot us when he finished whatever crazy game he was playing? Was he about to kill Renee even now? I waited for a shot but none came, instead I heard my mother sobbing and a thump as her body was thrown into the back of the truck once more.