Aiden watched his soon-to-be captive, 18 year old Raleigh Karrigan, as she chatted with her insipid little group of friends. They were gathered around an old bench, messing with their phones, laughing, and most likely enjoying a good gossip or two, just as high school girls often do.
To them, this was just another ordinary Friday, but to Aiden, it was the day his plan for avenging his brother's death finally came to be. Three long years, he'd been waiting, and today was the last day he would have to wait.
A blonde started squealing and pointing at Raleigh, who began to blush. He had to admit, a little flush looked good in Raleigh's cheeks.
He continued to study Raleigh, noting how much she had changed since the trial that ruled her father innocent of murder. Her once-short hair had grown into long brunette waves, and the freckles that dotted her face as a youth seemed to have disappeared. He had to admit, she wasn't hard on the eyes. But pretty or not, she would be a pregnant disgrace within a year if all went according to plan.
The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, and some of Raleigh's friends began to leave the park. A crisp breeze wound it's way through the park, catching leaves in its tendrils. The rest of the girls soon left, complaining of the cold. Raleigh, though, seemed to be a fixture upon the bench.
Aiden reached for his "gun", blowing the dust off of it. It wasn't a true gun, per say, but it was still capable of incapacitating someone. Temporarily, at least. With that thought, Aiden began the countdown to revenge.
Three...
Aiden aimed for Raleigh's thigh, and cocked the gun. It clicked loudly, a bit too much so for Aiden's comfort.
Two...
Raleigh must have heard the sound, as she now was glancing around, searching for the source of the click.
One.
She made to get up and run, but alas, it was too late. As Aiden fired, her eyes locked on the gun, and widened briefly before fluttering closed. She slumped, her hair falling forward to cover her face, and tumbled to a graceless heap upon the ground.
Not a soul was around, but that didn't mean Aiden could be careless. Calmly, he walked towards Raleigh's tranquilized form, and scooped her up. She was surprisingly light, but what did he expect? Just barely scraping past the five and a half foot mark, she couldn't be that heavy. She was the Chihuahua, and he was the Great Dane, at six four.
Eyeing her book bag, he remembered that she owned a phone. An iPhone, if he remembered correctly. Knowing it could be tracked, he rifled through her book bag until finding it. Picking it up, he realized a way to throw the authorities off his trail, for at least a day or so.
He spotted a re-sealable plastic bag in her book bag, emptied its contents into another part of the book bag, and put her phone in it. He blew some air inside, so the phone would be protected from water, sealed the bag, and tied a knot in it for extra security. He then promptly threw the encased phone into a manhole, knowing that the city sewer system eventually went out into the ocean. Anyone trying to track the cell phone would follow the ruse, at least until realizing that it led nowhere but the deep blue sea. That bought him precious time, time he would need to reach his destination.
Or, as he could now say, their destination.
****
Aiden arrived at Canadian borders later that night, at about eight pm. His captive was hidden away in a compartment in his truck-bed, still sedated.
She's missing out on some great scenery, though,
He thought, eyeing the bright autumn leaves on the trees. He remembered how excited his little brother used to be each fall, pointing out the colorful leaves, and occasionally eating them. Yes, that was his little brother, Logan. Little Logan with the ever-present smile and honking laugh...
And now Logan is dead.
Raleigh slowly drifted back into the real world, and woke with a gasp as she remembered what had happened at the park. Her eyes wouldn't focus the first few times she opened them, but after a bit, she could see around the room she was in. It was a pretty room, cabin-like, with wooden walls and decor, sparse though it was.
Realizing she was on her back, she tried to sit up, but found she was unable to, due to restraints on her wrists. A little bit of wriggling was all that was needed to prove that her legs were restrained as well, bringing panic. She looked down at her legs, seeing that they were bare... as was the rest of her.
No. No no no no NO!
Panic crept in, and she started thrashing wildly, bucking and pulling against her restraints.
