Chapter 2
I didn't notice the frown I was wearing until I checked my rear-view mirror before backing out of my parking space. My mousey grey-black hair fell down in my eyes, and I blew it out of the way to look at myself in the mirror. I have quite an average frame, if a bit lanky, I stand at approximately 5'10 and weigh about 175, but the one feature I am quite proud of is my eyes. I got a unique blend of colors from my parents. My father's eyes were so dark blue they were nearly black, when combined with my mother's pale grayish eyes a strange blue with small streaks of silvery-gray hue resulted. I looked away, shaking my head at my own lack of humility. "Admiring your face in the mirror Adam, what next?" I turned the key in the ignition and my jeep wrangler came to life. I backed out of the parking space and headed towards my house on Rainmist road, a mere five minutes from the school and ten minutes from the football field.
I briefly considered turning on the radio, but decided instead on quiet. I normally tried to refrain from self-destructive behavior- but I wanted nothing more than to sit and think about Alex tonight. I knew now would be the worst possible time to pursue something more than friendship with her, but I couldn't help but remember the way her lips had felt brushing against my cheek, her warmth stark against the Michigan night breeze. I couldn't deny the dangers of telling her how I felt, but neither could I deny the fact that I had real feelings for her.
I jerked my head out of my thoughts just in time to slam on the brakes to avoid killing the man waving his arms in front of my car. He was standing in the middle of the road. I rolled down the window and leaned out, "C'mon man, why are you in the middle of the road?! I could have killed you!" I regretted this rude comment the second it left my mouth; I had failed to take the time to observe his size. His eyes narrowed and he hurled a curt response at me: "Well if you're too busy to lend a stranded man a car jack, I suppose I could just starve to death out here if it's more convenient for you."
I rolled my eyes and got out of the car, "No need to get short man, I've got one in the-" I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence. Four pairs of iron-strong arms latched on to me and lifted me off the ground, I yelped in surprise, but my cries fell on deaf ears as the leather-clad men carried me off into the woods. Despite my best efforts, I could not break the grips of any of my silent captors; we soon arrived at what appeared to be an ironically serene-appearing log cabin. The leader of the men must have been the one holding my right leg, for it was he who shouted something unintelligible in a gruff voice before the door was opened. I was thrown onto the floor.
"What the hell?! What is this?!" I screamed at the masked men surrounding me. I started to demand an explanation again when a very solid boot rammed the air out of my lungs. "Wallet." Said my assailant, a dangerous edge to his voice. 'Your best chance is to cooperate…' I told myself fervently as I removed my leather wallet from my back pocket. The nearest masked man tore it from my grip and counted the few bills it contained before speaking to his colleague, the largest of the group. "Dispose." The one-word command caused the lump in my throat to swell to epic proportions, I briefly reflected on the fact that an inability to breath would definitely be a problem in the coming moments. My heart rate skyrocketed as I was once again lifted off of the ground and made to stand on my shaking legs. A rope hanging from the ceiling, a conveniently neck-sized loop, and I sank into comfortable darkness.