Sent Away

Stormy POV

“Make sure she gets to McGregor Institute,” Came the voice of my foster dad.

“McGregor institute? That’s three towns over, what the hell are you sending her all the way there for?” A second voice I recognised but can’t place asked.

Why was he sending me away? I wanted to know as much as the stranger did. I also wanted to know why I couldn’t move my hands or legs. I shifted forward and bumped my head on something hard.

“Ouff.”

“She’s dangerous!” Walter spat.

I froze.

“What do I say when I get there? It’s an awful long drive, Walter.”

“I’ll pay you extra for this. They’ll know what to do with her once you arrive.”

I blinked a couple of times hoping my eyes would adjust and glimmers of light would appear. I was in total darkness with the air thinning out each second. Whatever was in here before I was, bled out and now its blood was rotting. I squirmed thinking about all the insects crawling on me.

“Want me to keep you updated?”

“No, just get her far away. I only want to hear from you when the job is done.”

I had to be in a truck or the back of a car. My legs were folded behind my back and my wrists were bound together. They hadn’t gagged me thank goodness. I couldn’t recall being nabbed.

Walter and the stranger spoke a little more before the vehicle sputtered to life. I couldn’t take a deep breath without filling my lungs with the stench of stale rotting blood. I tried to wiggle my wrists but only managed to move my fingers.

I wasn’t going anywhere until the car stopped at least. Before the stench of my confinements knocked me out or I suffocated I tried to remember what happened yesterday or before I ended up in here and on my foster father’s bad side.

Everything was normal. I had breakfast with the family, I ate what everyone else didn’t want which was usually the burned coffee Pearl made every morning. If I was lucky Jade my younger foster sister kept me a scone or a slice of bread. No, such luck yesterday.

Pearl and Walter took in six foster kids. They took me in when I was twelve after my last foster parent passed away. That was when I met Connor, Reid, Ashley and Kenzie. Jade only came along two years ago. I had a job interview. In a few months, I was out of the foster system and I needed money badly. Conner, Ashley and I were all out of there this year.

It was a Friday I met my foster sisters already had plans for the evening. I remembered Ashley inviting me to come out, but Kenzie objected we got off on the wrong foot the day I walked through the door. Connor tried to be nice, but he could be a d**k half the time. Reid and I had a solid relationship, he was the brother I never had.

I recalled having my interview and things were optimistic. They wanted me to start on Monday. I didn’t know how that was going to work after this. I went home and told Ashley and Reid, that Connor hadn’t been home since breakfast I remember hearing. Ash said we had to celebrate at the party. I wasn’t much of a drinker because of Walter’s no-alcohol rule. We weren’t even allowed to go to the party, but Ash and Kenzie had a plan.

Reid was our getaway driver that much I remembered. Getting to the party was a haze, I assume nothing important must have happened on our way there. The party was somewhere with a lot of trees. Gosh, I must have overdone it with the drinks. I only had bits and pieces of the party. There was a bonfire, crates and crates of drinks and faces that blurred in my memory.

“I must have done something real stupid to land up like this,” I said, trying to unwind my arms. I only smashed my elbow against the roof.

“Ouch! Let me out of here!” I cried, but the car was cruising no one could hear me.

I know I was with someone. Everything was a blur it made my head hurt.

Everything goes black after him. All that comes to mind is pain. Agonizing pain that I couldn’t comprehend what caused it. I slammed into the back of the trunk and the car brake screeched. My heart beat faster.

I had to get away from him. I had no idea where I was nor did I have a dime to my name and I knew there was no returning to the once place I called home. However, being a captive was not in the plans either.

I heard something squeak before a key or something jabbed into the truck and the lid flew open. A rush of cold air filled my lungs with breath! Instead of the bright summer sun burning my eyes I was met with a sky full of twinkling lights.

I didn’t have clothes on. I was wrapped in a white bedsheet.

“Ops, you know I meant to clean that trunk out. Use it to transport my pigs.”

“Turner?” I coughed.

“Oh, you remember me? You’re nicer than your foster sisters.”

The man with a river of blond hair chuckled. He came by the house a couple of times to do botched repair jobs. He was also Walter’s poker buddy.

“I needed a whiz. Figured you’d need air.”

“You got that right.” This thing couldn’t close on me again.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked as if I didn’t already know.

Turner chuckled, “Far. Walter’s paying good money for it too. What did you do doll face to make Walter want to lock you up and throw away the key?”

I tried to shake my head but I only managed to lift it.

“I didn’t do anything. I promise.”

“He’s sure you have. Called you a monster and dangerous.” Turner grumbled.

“I’m not. I wouldn’t hurt anyone. Maybe he’s overreacting to a mistake I made.”

Turner returned to the trunk and put his hand on the outer line. He stared down at me with borrowed brows.

“He does have a temper at times, but this is too much even for him. You pretty ones are trouble.”

I couldn’t let him lock me up. When it looked like he was instead he reached into the trunk and ran his fingers down my cheek. The action was sudden, but he dragged it out. I struggled not to recoil I didn’t want to get on his bad side.

“Real pretty. You know, Walter doesn’t even want to know what happens to you. Just wants me to tell him the job’s done.”

“Are you just going to deliver me? You don’t have to. You can let me go.”

Turner chuckled, “We should get back on the road. Driving gets tiring.”

“Wait, wait. I need to use the toilet too.”

Turner frowned at me. It was an obvious ploy to get away, but I unfortunately needed to go. I’d been locked in a trunk for hours.

“You don’t want this trunk smelling like a dead animal and pee.”

He grimaced and nodded. “Make it quick.”

He lifted me out of the trunk with one arm and slammed me on the ground. My legs had fallen asleep I held my wrists out to him.

“You think I’m stupid?”

“I won’t be able to go like this!”

“I can help you undress if you like, beautiful.” He smirked.

“No,” I mumbled.

He raised his hands and pulled out a pocket knife from the back of his pants.

“No funny business.” He ordered. He slit the binds of my wrist and my ankles.

I knew he was watching so I found a location of tall grass. I could still run but to where? There was nothing but dried tall grass and mountains in the distance. Who knew how far the next town was? I bit my bottom lip and handled my business.

I couldn’t wrap around why I was naked and my hair was damp. It could have been damp from sweat but it was odd.

My escape plan was a total bust.

“You know I’ve been thinking… I never had a wife, not a woman in months.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “So?”

He shrugged and took a step forward. “I could just keep you. Walter won’t mind.”

“Keep me? To be your wife?”

He eyed me up and down, hunger in his eyes and a bulge in his pants. Gosh, I shouldn’t have looked down.

“You can do anything a wife can right?”

Suddenly I wanted to take my chances with the trunk. Still, I smelt an opportunity.

“You won’t put me back in the trunk?”

He opened his arms and gave me a toothy smile. “I’d never do that to my wife.”

“Hmm, fine. I have nowhere else to go anyway.” Nowhere for now.

“Good.” He ran his hands down my shoulders and smiled into my face. “Just know, any funny business and I won’t damp you in some fancy castle it’ll be someplace worse and I can’t guarantee you’ll be breathing honey.”

I bobbed my head up and down. Live today, fight tomorrow.