Chapter 1
The cast had just finished filming and were walking backstage together. It was dark out, thundering and lightning, and raining hard, so they thought they would wait until the rain lightened up before going out to their cars. “Wow, it’s really raining hard out there,” said Ryan.“Yeah,” said Brad, “If it doesn’t stop soon, we might have to stay here overnight.” “Ugh!” complained Drew, “I would hate to stay here overnight again!”“Well, the last time we did, it was fun, I guess.” replied Wayne.However, the rain eventually let up a little, and the guys went to their cars. Ryan offered to take Colin and Drew home, and so they all piled into his vehicle. Wayne took Brad and Greg home, and Chip drove home alone, because he needed to go pick something up at the store.“So, who wants to go out and get something to eat?” Ryan asked Drew and Colin. “Alright, let’s go, I could use something to eat after that show,” said Drew.“Don’t you always need something to eat?” replied Colin with a playful grin. Drew shot him a skeptical look, and Colin wiped the grin off his face. “Sorry,” he said softly.“It’s ok..” said Drew.“Right, so where we going guys?” inquired Ryan with a hint of anxiousness in his voice.“Uh.... I don’t really know, oh, wait just pull up to that bar over there, we can get something to eat in there,” said Colin. Ryan turned left into the parking lot and parked the car. They all got out and went inside.Wayne pulled up to Greg’s house and unlocked the doors. “I guess I’ll see yah tomorrow then,” said Wayne with a wave.“Alright, see you at the studio tomorrow, bye guys!” Greg called back, sounding a little tired.“WHEW!! I thought he’d never leave!” laughed Brad jokingly.“That wasn’t cool man,” retorted Wayne.“I was just kidding-” Brad replied. “Alright, I’m a little tired, can you take me home now?” he said.“Sure,” said Wayne as he pulled out of Greg’s driveway and headed down the street towards Brad’s apartment. As Wayne was driving down the road he came to a red light, slowed down the car, and stopped. Right at that moment, another car pulled up right next to his, and the people in the car looked at Wayne in a mysterious and weird way. Wayne, realizing that they were looking at him for the first time, turned his head away from their view and drove past them as soon as the light turned green. “Did you see that man?” he questioned Brad.Brad, who was looking out the window daydreaming, looked over at Wayne once he realized that he was speaking to him. “Huh? See what?” he said.“That car just came out of nowhere, and the people in it started to look at me in a odd way,” he said.“Man, you gotta realize that when you’re famous, people are gonna look at you weird,” said Brad laughing.“No, but this was different and - oh, never mind...”Ryan, Colin, and Drew got a table near the back and waited for a waiter to come to their table. “Wow, there’s nobody here tonight,” mused Colin, surprised.“Yeah, usually this place is packed” replied Drew.They didn’t speak again for a couple of seconds when Ryan broke the silence. “What a night, huh guys?”“Yeah!” said Colin and Drew at the same time. “I liked the game of Party Quirks tonight; I thought it was the best one we’ve played in a while,” Colin said.Just then a waitress came to their table and asked Drew what he wanted first. “I’ll have a burger, some fries, and a Coke.” The waitress marked down his order and then looked at Colin.Colin received the look and replied, “I’ll get the steak and baked potato... and a water I guess.”“Alright, and for you sir?” she said, turning to Ryan.“Uh... I think I’ll get a cheeseburger, fries, and a Coke as well.”“Okay, it’ll be out in about fifteen minutes,” she said and she disappeared behind the counter. As soon as she left, Ryan’s phone vibrated in his pocket.“Oh, guys, my phone’s ringing, I’ll be right back,” he said and got up and went into the bathroom. “Hello?” he asked the person on the other line.“Hi, Ryan it’s Pat,” replied his wife on the other end.“Oh, hey, how are you?” he said.“I’m pretty good, but I was wondering where you were.”“I’m out with Colin and Drew. We just stopped to get something to eat. I’ll be home soon. I’ll give you a call when I’m about to leave.”“Alright, I love you. I’ll see you later - bye,” she added before hanging up the phone. Ryan flipped his phone down, put it back in his pocket and went back out to the table where his food was sitting at his spot. He sat down and ate his food, occasionally talking with Colin and Drew. He payed the bill, and they all got up and walked back out to Ryan’s car.“Ok, Drew, I guess I’ll take you home first since you’re closest to this place,” Ryan said.“Ok,” said Drew with a yawn. Ryan pulled up into Drew’s driveway, said goodbye, and let him out. “Well, I guess you’re next, buddy,” he said with a friendly grin to Colin. “Normally, I would offer to go somewhere else with you, but I’m too tired, and I need to get home to my wife and kids,” he added.“I know.” said Colin, also with a yawn. Ryan pulled up to Colin’s house and let him out after saying goodbye, and that he’d see him tomorrow.Chapter 2
Ryan drove along the road towards his house and took out his phone. He dialed his home phone number, and his wife picked up. “Hello?” she asked very sleepily.“Hey, it’s me. I’m on my way home, but it might take a while, so you can go to bed if you want, so you don’t have to wait up.”“Ok, Ryan, I’ll see you in the morning then. Bye.”He continued down the road, and it started to rain once more. He came to a red light and stopped the car. Just then, the same car that appeared to Wayne earlier that night was there, right next to Ryan’s car. Ryan was too tired to care how they looked at him or what they were doing. All of a sudden the car drove up right in front of Ryan’s car so that it blocked him from moving anywhere. “What the… Now what’s this idiot doing,” he added, suddenly becoming awake and wary. Three guys got out of the car and just stood outside of it. The light was now green and there was no one behind Ryan or in front of him. There was absolutely no one in sight.Ryan got out of his car and walked a little closer to the three guys. “What do you think you’re doing??!” he shouted angrily.
“Oh, sorry dude,” said one of the men calmly. “Our car was messed up, and we didn’t see you there.”“Didn’t see me!!!???!” yelled Ryan. “I was right next to you the whole time!” “Hey, chill out dude!” said the other man. “Hey is your name, by any chance, Ryan Stiles?” said the third man curiously.“WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINK-huh?” he said, almost not hearing the third man. “Uh yeah it is...” he added dumbly.“Oh,” said the third man as he pulled something out of his pocket. Ryan could not see what it was because it was too dark now. The second man said something inaudible. Finally, somewhat realizing what was happening, he jumped out of the way as the man shot the gun.“Oh MY GOD!!” said Ryan in a panicky voice.“Don’t move!” ordered the man with the gun. Ryan was too preoccupied with looking at the man with the gun that he didn’t realize the second man pull a shovel out of the trunk of the car and walk away.“A-aa-are you g-gonna shoot me?” Ryan asked shakily.“No,” said the man as he shot the ground right next to Ryan’s shoe. “Calm down, dude,” said the man. “We’re not gonna kill you yet.”“Wh-wha-what do you mean ye-” he did not finish his sentence for he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and then fell to the street unconscious.“Nice hit Bill,” said the guy with the gun. Standing behind Ryan was the man with the shovel. He had used it to knock Ryan out.“Yeah, thanks, I didn’t mean for it to go into his head - now there’s blood on my shovel!” Bill complained.“Suck it up,” said the other man.”“Check his car Chuck!” said Bill to the man with the gun.“What exactly am I looking for?” asked Chuck.“You know, remember what we talked about?”“No, I really don’t, sorry,” he said softly.“Ugh! You’re always forgetting things! Remember our plan? Go through and see if you can find any personal information!” Bill explained exasperatedly.“Oh, now I remember. I’ll check his wallet.” Chuck searched through Ryan’s clothes until he found the wallet. “Got it!” he exclaimed.“Good, now look through it to make sure it’s got an address or phone numbers.” said Bill.“It’s got all those, and pictures,” Chuck replied.“Great, but what are we going to do with him?” said the first man, Joe, who was standing by Ryan and pointing at him. “Do you want me to shoot him?” he added as he picked up Ryan’s head at put his gun to it.“NO!” shouted Bill. “We’ll find a place to put him, but we don’t have any more time. Just throw him over that small hill.”“Alright....” said Joe, taking it literally and actually throwing Ryan over the small hill.“No! what- you-? I didn’t mean actually throw him!!” said Bill.“Oh...?” said Joe.“Let’s smash his car to make it look like he crashed,” added Chuck. “Alright, come on! Let’s GO!” said Bill and they smashed Ryan’s car and left.“We’re almost there!” shouted Wayne.“Great,” said Brad without any enthusiasm at all. “Another night that I have to sneak around the rent guy.”“Huh?” said Wayne as he turned left. “Oh, I didn’t think you could hear that.” laughed Brad. “Yeah, I always try to sneak past the guy I’m paying rent to,” he explained.“Well, why don’t you just pay him?” asked Wayne.“I don’t know... It's much more fun avoiding him,” Brad replied.Wayne pulled into the apartment complex and turned left towards Brad’s apartment. He parked the car and they both got out. “Home sweet home!” yelled Brad in a goofy voice. Wayne laughed, and they both went inside.“Wow! Is it really that late!?” asked Wayne pointing to the clock which read 1:30 AM.“I didn’t realize we were out so long- and look, it’s raining so hard, I can barely see out my window,” said Brad.“Oh man! I’m never gonna get home on time when it’s storming this hard,” complained Wayne.“On, time! Wayne, it’s 1:30 in the morning! Look man, why don’t you stay here tonight? You have a long drive home anyway, and if you leave now, you won’t get any sleep.”“Alright, I guess it wouldn’t hurt,” Wayne admitted, yawning.“I’ll just put together that guest room over there for you, huh?” He set up the room and they both fell asleep.Chapter 3
Ryan awoke, lying there on the ground completely out of sight. He just laid there looking up at the stars, not thinking about anything. A couple of seconds passed, and finally he began to realize that he was outside. ‘Why am I all wet?’ he thought, then looked up and realized that it was raining. He felt a sharp pain again in his head, and tried to move his hand up to it, but his hand would not move. He then tried to move it again, but still it remained where it was. Now, without thinking, he tried to move his foot, but it would not move either. Ryan struggled, to move his hands and feet again and again, but was failing. “Ow!” he called out in pain. As he said this, his head jerked up, and then back down on the ground again. ‘If my head moves, then why can’t I move anything else?’ he thought as he tried to move his head again. This time, though, it did not move. Throughout all this time, he did not move his eyes from looking at the stars, he couldn’t and he had no idea why. It was almost as if something was controlling him. Just then, he felt a huge pain in his leg, bigger that the one he felt in his head. He barely had time to do anything about it, because he fell back unconscious. He awoke again later. Now it was morning and did not remember waking up before. He looked up at the sky, and just gazed at the sun rising. It took him about three minutes to comprehend that he was wet, outside, and in pain. He felt his head and leg throb, so he tried to move his hand, but it did not move, and he screamed in pain. He then carefully tried to move his leg, it would not move either, and he screamed again. Now, though, when he tried to move his head, to his surprise, it moved. When he lifted his head up, though, he felt dizzy, but he ignored that. He looked around to try and figure out where he was. Now all he wanted to do was to figure out why he could not move anything. Ryan looked down. His face went white, and a look of fright ran across his face.Brad awoke early that morning and walked outside of his room. He jumped when he saw Wayne sitting at his table; he had forgotten that he was there.“Hi!” said Wayne cheerfully.“Hey,” mumbled Brad as he walked over to the coffee pot.“It’s still hot. I just made it.”“Thanks,” Brad said and began to pour himself a cup.“I got a call from Drew. He said that we don’t have to go in to work today,” Wayne said.“Oh, that’s good, I’m not feeling too good anyway,” replied Brad.“Oh...” said Wayne. “...What’s wrong?”“I don’t know, I just feel like something is wrong,” he explained.“Oh-” Wayne’s phone rang, and he picked it up. “Hello?” he asked.“Hey Wayne, it’s Colin. Do we have to go to work today?” Colin asked on the other end. “Uh... didn’t Drew call you?” asked Wayne.“No, my power is out, and so I’m at a payphone- ” he started to say.“Then why didn’t you call Drew?”“Because your number is the only one that I could remember off the top of my head. I also tried Ryan’s cell and home three times, but he won’t answer.”“Oh, sorry, no, we don’t have to go today,” replied Wayne.“What’s he saying?” asked Brad impatiently.“Brad, shh!” said Wayne.“Huh?” asked Colin.“Oh nothing, just Brad’s acting like a two-year-old. But anyway, you were saying?” replied Wayne.“Oh, it’s nothing, but I’m a little worried. Neither Ryan or Pat are picking up their phones. Have either one of them called you?” Colin asked.“No, but maybe they’re out of power like you are.”“No, I don’t think so... the phone is ringing when I call them. Usually if you’ve lost your power, they have a little automated message, and the cell phones would do the same thing,”“Well, I’ll try and call them a little later, I need to get home now, so I’ll see you later... Oh yeah!! I forgot to tell you, but we’re all going out to dinner tonight. I’ve already told Brad, Drew, Ryan, Greg, and Chip, I just needed to call you and Jeff,” said Wayne.“Ok, cool, I’ll come. What time?”“Six o’clock at the same place we met two nights ago,” replied Wayne.“Alright, I’ll see you at six - bye!” and then he hung up.Chapter 4
The look of terror on Ryan’s face did not disappear for quite some time. When he looked down, he realized that a tree had fallen on top of him during the storm. The tree had fallen on top of his legs and arms. ‘Help!’ he tried to say, but no sound came out of his mouth. “There’s got to be some way I can get out from underneath this tree,” he thought. He tried to loosen his arm, and it eventually became free after a couple of minutes of struggling and pain. “OW!” he said when his hand was free. He looked behind him, and there right next to where his head had been, was a small puddle of blood. As soon as he saw the puddle, his head started to throb, so he put his free hand to where the pain was, and he felt something wet. “Oh no...” he thought, and slowly brought his hand up to his eyes where he saw blood. ‘How did that happen?’ he thought soon after that.He struggled to get the other hand free, and succeeded after five minutes. He became very tired all of a sudden, laid his head back down, and fell asleep. He woke up at 1:30 PM and remembered that his legs were still stuck under the tree, and worked until he got them loose in about ten minutes. His left pant leg was red, and in pulling it out of the way, he saw a small but deep, round hole in his leg. He touched it and winced in pain. Ryan struggled to get to his feet, but fell back down immediately afterwards because of the pain in his leg. He got up and walked very slowly up the hill and eventually saw the top of his car. When he got to the top of the hill, he saw a whole bunch of dents and scratches in it. ‘What the-?” he tried to say, but again no sound came out of his mouth. He got in and searched in his pocket for the keys, they were not there. Ryan began to panic. He got out of his car, and began to walk in the direction of his house. It took him just a little over an hour to get there because he was fairly close to his house. He opened the garage door and went inside, because luckily for him, the door was unlocked. He closed the garage door, went into the kitchen, and got a drink of water. The water felt so good as it trickled down his throat, and he opened his mouth to speak. “Hey! I can talk again!” he exclaimed. He went into his bedroom, took a shower, and got changed out of his wet clothes. The soap burned his wounds. He got out of the shower, and got changed. “Pat?” he asked. “Pat are you here?” he asked softly. “Pat!” he called. No answer came back to him. He went into his room and put a bandage around the gash in his head, then he took another bandage, and wrapped that around his leg. He went over to his wet clothes and looked for his wallet to transfer it from those clothes to the clothes he was wearing now. “Wha-What?! Where is my wallet?!!” he said more afraid then concerned. Suddenly, he heard a scream, though he couldn’t really tell where it came from because it wasn’t loud. However, he thought it came from his kitchen. He walked into the kitchen, and on the counter was a note that was not there when he had come in. It read:Ryan,
Come to the following address: 3378 Sycamore Ln.
~Bill
“Ha ha! Very funny Col,” said Ryan. Then he heard the same scream again, only this time it was louder. “RYANNNNNNN!!!! HHHEEELLPPP!!” said the voice, and it was drowned out by a closing car door. Ryan hurried over to the window and saw his wife being forced into a car by three men. He didn’t know why, but they seemed familiar to him. He ran out the door as quickly as he could, but he was too late. The car sped off with his wife in it, and he didn’t get the license plate number. He ran back inside and went to his phone and picked it up, dialed 911, and put the phone to his ear. “Dammit! Perfect time for the power to go out!!” he yelled.He went over to the note and wrote down the address on a piece of paper. He grabbed his coat and his wife’s keys that were hanging on the coat rack and went into the garage and into his wife’s car. He sped out of the driveway, and down to the address that was on the note. He knew he shouldn’t because it might be a trap, but it was a risk that he would have to take. It was very hard, painful, and uncomfortable for him to drive because of his injuries, but he ignored those for now.Chapter 5
“Deb! I’m leaving now! I’ll be back later!” yelled Colin as he walked out his front door.“Ok!” she called back to him.Colin drove towards Drew’s house and picked him up and drove down to the restaurant.“Whew, I’m hungry,” said Drew.“Yeah, me too,” said Colin, who was not paying any attention at all.“Are you ok?” asked Drew.“What, oh, yeah, I’m cool,” replied Colin as he tried to sound convincing.“You don’t sound ok... what’s wrong?”“It’s just that I haven’t heard from Ryan or Pat at all today... I guess I’m just worried,” said Colin sounding relieved.“They’re probably fine. They’re probably at the restaurant right now,” said Drew reassuringly.“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Colin. He pulled into the restaurant parking lot and parked next to Chip’s car.“Looks like half the guys are already here,” said Drew. They got out and walked in to find Wayne, Chip, Greg, Jeff, and Brad sitting at a table together.“Hi guys!!” shouted Jeff cheerfully. Everyone looked up at Colin and Drew after he said this. “Hey!” they all said together. Colin and Drew went over and sat down next to all the guys. “Has Ryan come in yet?” asked Colin impatiently.“No,” said Chip “We thought he was with you guys... since he always is.” “Yeah, right, well, he did say he was coming, right Wayne?” asked Colin.“Yeah, he said he’d definitely be here... He promised he’d be here,” replied Wayne.“Ok,” said Colin.As he drove down the road, Ryan was deep in thought. He was wondering how he had wound up on the side of the road outside and wet. He could not take his mind off of that, and the only thing he remembered was the show and the dinner that he had with Colin and Drew. The men that he had seen shoving his wife into the car seemed very familiar to him, but he could not figure out where he had seen them, and he knew the name on that note, Bill, sounded oddly familiar as well.He came to a red light and stopped, and as he stopped, something like a flashback ran across his eyes. He saw himself in a car, at night, parked at a red light with another car parked right next to him... and then it went black, and his vision returned to normal again.“Whoa, that was weird...” he said. He wasn’t going to focus on that right now. He had other problems, like trying to find his wife. He turned left onto Sycamore Lane and drove for a long time - it was a long road. “Oh shit! The dinner!” he said, remembering that he had to go to the restaurant where everyone was waiting for him. He pulled out his cell phone and saw that it wasn’t charged. “Damn. Oh, well, if I die tonight... never mind,” he started but couldn’t bring himself to finish. “Oh! 3378 Sycamore... Wow, it looks like a burnt down, old piece of crap…”He drove up slowly as to not be heard by the people inside, and he saw the same exact car that was outside of his house and parked a couple of spaces down from that. He got out and walked toward a door, he decided not to go in yet. He would wait to see if he could find a small window to look through. He finally found one, and peered through it. Inside he could see a long, dark hallway. He thought he could see a door at the end, but he wasn’t so sure. There didn’t seem to be anyone inside the hallway, so he walked back towards the door and opened it.Ryan walked down the long hallway as quickly and quietly as he could. He didn’t want anyone to know he was there. He was trying to listen because he thought he heard some muffled voices in the distance. He heard a deep voice, and then a soft, trembling voice that sounded like his wife’s. He followed the voices until he came to a brown door, to which he put his ear on to listen. Inside the room he could hear what he thought were three men speaking softly, and a woman that was also speaking softly, but in a panicky sort of voice. ‘That must be it’ he thought, a little worried about what was going to happen to him if he opened that door. He sat down on the floor and bit his lip so he wouldn’t scream, because his leg started to throb badly. He sat for a while, he knew not to go in, when those men were in there, so he sat and waited.“It’s been over an hour now and I’m getting a little worried. Wayne, you said he would be here!” said Colin.“Yeah, he said he would, and he’s never late, so maybe he just got stuck in traffic or something,” replied Wayne.“No, I don’t think so. It’s not like Ryan to be this late, and besides, if he was going to be, he would have called. And on top of all that, I haven’t heard from either him or his wife all day, and they usually call us everyday...” said Colin.“Well, I’m sure he’s fine,” said Brad, jumping in on their conversation.“Well I don’t, and I’m going to find out,” Colin said as he got up. “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes,” he added as he walked toward the door. He walked outside and got into his car and drove in the direction of Ryan’s house. When he got there, he walked up the sidewalk and onto the front porch and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Mackenzie appeared in the opening. “Hi Colin!” she said cheerfully. “Come on in.”“Thanks,” answered Colin. “Where are your parents?” he asked.“Oh, Mom’s out doing errands, and Dad went out to dinner with you and the guys. Why aren’t you there?” she asked.“Oh, your dad wanted me to check on you guys,” lied Colin.“Oh.... Well, I’ve gotta use the bathroom, if you want anything to eat or drink, you know where to get it,” she said as she left the room.Colin walked over to the counter and saw Mackenzie’s book bag on the counter, moved it out of the way, and a slip of paper fell on the floor. He picked it up and stared at it. It was the same note that Ryan had found earlier that evening. He read it and then looked over at the coat rack. Both Ryan’s coat and Pat’s car keys were gone. A frightened look ran across his face, but it disappeared when Mackenzie walked back into the room, and he shoved the note in his coat pocket. “Uh… where’s your brother?” he asked her. “Oh, he’s upstairs in his room,” she replied.“And your sister?” asked Colin.“She’s at your house. Mom dropped her off there this afternoon before she left for her errands,” Mackenzie answered.“Oh, hey, did you by any chance see a note on the counter when you walked in today?” he asked.“Nope!” she said.“Hmm... alright. Get your coat, and your brother, and get ready to leave,” he said. “Where are we going?” she asked.“Out to eat,” replied Colin. She went upstairs, and Colin pulled out the note again. He studied it carefully, and had to shove it back into his pocket when he heard the kids coming down the stairs. “Alright, you guys ready?” he asked them. “Yup!” they both shouted, and he led them out to his car.He drove back down to the restaurant, and walked in with them. “Why don’t you guys go over to that video game stand for a second - I need to tell the guys something.” They obeyed him, and he walked over towards the guys. “Wayne, here, read this,” he said, shoving the note in his face. Wayne read the note silently. “Oh my God!” he said, and he passed it around the table. “I’ve got the kids here, they’re over there. I’m gonna go to that address. Brad, you come with me. And guys, please watch the kids!” said Colin, snatching the note back. “We’ll watch ‘em, you guys be careful!” said Jeff. Brad got up and followed Colin out to his car and they drove off towards the address.Finally, Ryan heard silence coming from inside the room, so he got up slowly. He opened the door carefully, and saw his wife on the floor, asleep. He walked over to her silently and shook her to wake her. “Huh…” she mumbled.“Shh!” whispered Ryan.“Ryan! Oh my God you found me!” she whispered loudly.“Yeah,” he said. “Try not to talk so loudly. I don’t want them to hear us.”She jumped up and hugged him, and as she did so, she finally noticed the bandage around his head. “Ryan! What happened? Are you okay?” she asked, sounding worried. “Yeah, it’s a long story, I’m still trying to figure the rest out - I’ll tell you later.”“Does it hurt?” asked Pat.“No.” Ryan lied, even though it felt like someone was putting a knife to his head repeatedly.“Ryan...!” she whispered shakily. He knew exactly what she meant. Someone was standing behind him, he heard a gun being loaded, and then he felt the cold part of it rest against the back of his head. “So, you actually came!” the man said as Ryan was slowly rising to his feet. “Uh...” groaned Ryan. He turned around very, slowly, and saw the man, and instantly, he knew his name, but he could not figure out why.“Uh... Bill?” he asked.“HA!” he laughed. “You actually remember who I am-” he started.“DON”T HURT HIM!!” yelled Pat.“Shut-up!” Bill called over to her, and Ryan punched him hard in his face, and ducked when he heard the gun go off. “HEY!” shouted Bill as he hit Ryan in the back of the head. “Don’t do that.” Ryan bent down, and then got back up slowly. “Now, where was I... oh yes... I thought you wouldn’t remember me after that unfortunate accident,” he said.“I… I don’t,” said Ryan, trying to sound brave.“Well, you remembered my name,” said Bill.“Yeah, but I don’t know why I do,” replied Ryan.“Let me guess. You want to know what happened, and you also want to know why you’ve got that gash in your head, and the bullet in your leg, eh?” retorted Bill.“Actually - hey that’s a bullet?!” asked Ryan starting to sound a little frightened. “Yup. Ha-ha! I actually didn’t mean to shoot you, but I guess I did. But anyway, I guess I’ll have to explain everything,” Bill started to say.“Yeah I would like tha-” Ryan cut him off, and Bill hit him again.“Don’t interrupt me!” he shouted.“S-s-sorry...” Ryan started but saw the look on Bill’s face and stopped.“Now, to start everything off, you were driving and you were the only one on the road, and we pulled up next to you, then we pulled up right in front of your car... and you got up and screamed at us. Joe distracted you with his gun, while I got a shovel out of the trunk of our car. I walked around you so that you wouldn’t see me, and to make sure of that Joe played with gun, and started shooting at the ground near your feet. Then I came up behind you and hit you in the back of the head with the shovel, and accidentally, it went into your head, and is now bleeding. So, we took your wallet, keys, and smashed your car, and then we literally threw you over a hill. So that pretty much sums up that par,.” he said.Weeping sounds were heard from Pat, but Ryan did not dare look at her, because if he did, he knew that Bill would do something to him. “But that doesn’t explain why my leg has got a bullet in it!!!” he screamed.“Oh, well before we threw you over the hill, I decided to shoot your leg and not you head,” explained Bill.“Oh, well that’s great,” said Ryan sarcastically.“You’re telling him everything!” shouted a man from behind a door, and then emerging into the room.“Yup, why not? He’s not gonna live to tell anyone else,” said Bill to the man. Ryan felt sick to his stomach, but asked a question anyway. “Are you Joe?” he asked.The man laughed. “So, I am,” he said and turned back towards Bill. “Did you tell him why we went to his house yet?” he asked Bill.“No, I was getting to that,” replied to Bill and he turned to Ryan, and for no reason, punched him in the stomach. Ryan gasped for air and doubled over in pain.Chapter 6
Come on, come on, come on! Drive faster man!” shouted Brad.“I’m going as fast as I can!” Colin shouted back to him. “We’re on Sycamore already, I’m just looking for the address.”“Oh, ok, well, do we have a plan?” asked Brad.“Huh? What do you mean?” asked Colin.“I mean, what are we gonna do when we get there?” said Brad. “Oh, well, we improvise,” Colin replied, smiling.“Haha! Very funny. But seriously, what are we gonna do?” Brad asked again. “Well, I’m guessing we try to find Ryan, but we have to be quiet, and careful,” he said as he turned into the parking lot and parked next to Ryan’s car. “Ok, here we are...” Colin said nervously.“Yup,” said Brad, sounding the same way. They got out and walked towards the door. They entered the long, dark hallway, and followed it silently, listening to the almost inaudible voices in the distance. “I think I hear Ryan.”“Yeah, I do too,” said Colin, and they continued down the hall following Ryan’s voice until they came to the brown door that his voice was coming from. They sat outside the door, listening to the conversation that was going on inside, waiting for the right time to enter.“It sounds like there are four people in there,” whispered Brad to Colin as quietly as he could.“Yeah, I think there is too. Shh, I want to hear what they’re saying.”“Now, if you liked that little hit, you’re gonna like the next few a lot more,” said Bill as Ryan slowly brought himself back up to his feet.“Just tell me why you broke into my house, and dragged us down here,” he struggled to say.“Haha! That should be an interesting story,” laughed Joe. “Alright, if you want to know, I guess I’ll tell you. Well, after we hit you with the shovel, shot you, and threw you over the hill, we looked at your address on the inside of your wallet and drove to your house. We waited outside until the afternoon, when your kids were gone and she was all alone,” he said pointing at Pat, who was shaking. He continued. “Then we broke in and dragged her out into our car while Bill wrote that interesting note that you found on your counter.”“But, I was in the house before, and the note was not there, then I got out of the shower and it was,” said Ryan.“Because I wrote the note while you were in the shower. I had seen you coming up the street and hid in your house so that you wouldn’t see me. I waited till you were in the shower to write the note, and then when you got out, we were on our way down here,” said Bill.“Then why didn’t you just kill me when I was in the shower,” Ryan mumbled under his breath.“Because that wouldn’t have been any fun,” replied Bill.“Wha- how did you hear that?” asked Ryan.“I have my ways.” he replied. “Now, I’ll give you your wallet back, and your keys, and I’ll let your wife go, but in exchange, I’ll have to kill you. Or I give you your wallet and keys back, and let you go, but kill her. You decide... Either way, I win,” Bill said, laughing.“Um, I don’t think - is there - but how - you can’t be serious,” said Ryan.“I am absolutely serious,” he replied as he pulled the gun out of his pocket and pointed it at Pat.“No, no!! Wait!” Ryan yelled. “Don’t kill her! I’ll do it, let her go, take me instead!” he added quietly.“NO!” shouted Pat as Bill turned the gun toward Ryan.“Yes,” said Bill. “He already made up his mind - he cannot change it now. Let her out Joe. I want to deal with this myself... I’m going to enjoy this,” he said, laughing. \“Come on, let’s go!” said Joe, pulling Pat up and dragging her toward the door. “Ryan!... No... stop... let go of me... don’t kill him!” she cried, and he opened the door and shoved her out.She was too busy crying to notice that Colin and Brad were right next to her. Their faces were white, and they could not bring themselves to say anything. Finally, she looked up and saw them both and she jumped right into Colin’s arms and sobbed. Brad moved closer to them and just sat there, not knowing what to do. The only thing they could do now was listen. They could hear Bill and Joe talking again, and Pat tried to calm down so that she could listen.“Now, would you like to die the easy way or the hard way?” asked Bill.“Actually I would prefer not to die at all,” replied Ryan with a grin. “Oh, you are good... Joe, please leave, I want to do this alone!” said Bill and Joe left the room. “Ok, you promised you’d give me back my keys and wallet, and let my wife live-” started Ryan.“No, I said I’d let her go. I never specified whether I’d let her live. And as for your wallet and keys, I don’t know why you would want them back, since you’re not going to need them but… here you go,” he said and handed Ryan his things, who snatched them back and put them away. “Now as soon as I’m done with you, I’ll get your wife back in here and kill her as well,” said Bill.“No,” said Ryan confidently.“Oh, I think you’re quite mistaken-” started Bill, but Ryan cut him off.“I am not going to die, no one else is,” he said once again confidently.“Oh, yes you are!” shouted Bill as he threw a punch at Ryan who blocked it. He tried to hit him again, but he failed. Ryan quickly punched him in the stomach, and jumped out of the way. “Ahh!” yelled Bill. “You little-” he started, but didn’t finish because Ryan had hit him in the face. Bill swung around and knocked Ryan on the floor. Bill got up off the floor and pointed the gun at Ryan who was on the floor. “Don’t move!” he shouted.Ryan mumbled something under his breath, and Bill hit the spot that was bandaged on Ryan’s head with the gun. Ryan screamed so loud that Bill had to cover his ears, which gave Ryan a chance to get up and punch him in the nose, causing it to break. Bill fell back on the floor, and not realizing what he was doing he pulled the trigger on his gun. The bullet flew past Ryan and only hit his shoulder. The bullet did not hit him dead on, it only scraped against his shoulder, but it still caused him to fall back. Joe came running into the room and saw the two men lying on the floor. He walked over to Bill and looked at his bleeding nose, then pulled out his own gun and walked over to Ryan. Ryan looked up at Joe helplessly, and Joe took the gun and hit him in the back of the head, which knocked him out, but did not kill him. Bill could not see that Joe was in the room, and was startled when he heard Ryan fall down on the floor, so he shot the gun which hit Joe, killing him.Outside the door, Colin, Brad, and Pat were all waiting to hear another voice. A couple of minutes passed, and they did not hear anything. Pat started to cry again, because she thought that her husband was now dead. Colin sighed, and stood up slowly. “What are you doing?” whispered Brad.“I’m going in there,” he said.“Colin...” Pat began quietly.“Hmm?”“Never mind,” she whispered, and she crawled over to Brad, who hugged her.“I’ll be back, I promise,” he said and he opened the door slowly, and walked inside. He saw three bodies lying on the floor, and he walked over towards Ryan’s, trying not to cry. He just stood over him and looked at him when he heard a voice from the far corner of the room.“Who are you?!” Bill demanded. “Uhh...”“Answer my question!”“Uh, I’m Col - Jack.” he said.“Would you help me up, Jack?” asked Bill.“I can’t do that,” replied Colin.“Well, why the hell not?!” yelled Bill.Colin walked towards Bill carefully and kicked the gun out of his hand. “Now, I’ll help you up,” said Colin.“Why did you do that?!?!” screamed Bill.“Uh, because I don’t want you to shoot me,” replied Colin sarcastically. Bill hit him and picked up the gun. “Ok, that didn’t quite work out as I planned,” said Colin to himself.“You see your friend over there? He’s not gonna wake up again this time!” laughed Bill with delight. Colin took the gun out of Bill’s hand, and Bill was taken aback. “Huh?” he said and he lunged toward Colin and hit him. Colin fell back and accidentally pulled the trigger, killing Bill.“AH! What did I just do??!” yelled Colin, and he dropped the gun, and ran towards Ryan’s body. “No... it can’t be...” he cried as he sat down next to his friend. Colin picked up Ryan and carried him out the door where Brad was speaking softly to Pat. He stopped talking as soon as Colin came out the door holding Ryan. “Oh...” was all that Brad said. Pat turned around but did not move, and Colin just looked at her and started to walk down the long hallway toward his car. Brad and Pat followed closely behind him. Colin put Ryan in the back of his car and offered Pat the front seat, but she refused, and went to go sit in the back next to Ryan, and instead Brad took the front seat. They drove toward the restaurant in silence when all of a sudden they heard a soft groan.“Are you OK Pat?” asked Colin.“That wasn’t me,” she said as she looked over at Brad.“Don’t look at me,” said Brad. “I didn’t do it.”She looked at Ryan, and then looked away. “Maybe we’re just hearing things,” she said and they all agreed.Colin pulled into the restaurant parking lot and parked the car. “What are we gonna tell the guys?” said Colin so softly that they could barely hear them.“Don’t tell them yet,” said Pat.“Huh? Why?” asked Brad.“Because I just don’t think that now’s a good time to tell them,” she replied, holding back the urge to cry.“Ok,” said Colin. “But are you sure?”“Yes,” she whispered.They all got out and started to walk towards the door. “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you - your kids are in there,” said Colin.“Oh,” she said. “Thank you.”They all walked in and saw Wayne, Drew, Chip, Jeff, Greg, Mackenzie, and Sam all sitting at the table eating. They were all talking and laughing. They walked over to the table and pulled up some chairs, but they did not say anything to anybody. “Hi guys!” said Chip happily.“Hi,” they all mumbled together, not sounding the least bit happy.“How’s R-” Greg started to say, but remembered that the kids were sitting at the table, so he made a gesture with his hand that was supposed to be like a symbol of Ryan. Pat saw this, got up, and ran away from the table, out to Colin’s car where Ryan was still lying in the back seat. “What did I do?” asked Greg.“Um... Could you come over here for a sec, Greg? I need to tell you something,” replied Colin quietly. Greg got up and followed Colin behind a wall so that the others could not see or hear what they were saying. Colin explained the whole thing to Greg, and told him that Ryan died.“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!” Greg yelled so that everyone in the restaurant looked at him.“SHHH!” whispered Colin loudly. “Don’t tell the others. I promised Pat I wouldn’t tell anyone.”Greg just nodded his head, for he could not think of anything to say. They walked back to the table and sat down and instead of looking happy like always, Greg looked sad. “What’s the matter man?” asked Drew, and Greg just shook his head, and looked down at the floor. Drew turned to Colin and asked the same question, and Colin did the same thing as Greg, and Brad just stared at the wall behind Colin without saying a word. “You’re all acting like someone just died! Cheer up guys!” said Jeff cheerfully. Colin started to cry silently in his chair, and Jeff noticed this and wiped the smile off of his face. “Um, Col, I was only joking, you didn’t have to take it personally... I mean it’s not like anyone died, right?” Colin got up and walked over to the bar and sat down alone. Jeff turned to everyone else. “What did I do?” he asked.He got up and walked over to Colin and sat down next to him. “What’s the matter, man? I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?” he asked.“Um....” said Colin.“Oh, yeah I forgot to ask you when you came in - did you find Ryan?”“Yeah, I found him alright,” he said quietly, and explained the whole thing again to Jeff.“OH MY GOD!!!” Jeff screamed and everyone looked at him as well.Brad got up and walked over to the door and headed towards Colin’s car where Pat was sitting next to Ryan. She had put his head in her lap, and was crying, as she saw Brad coming she unlocked the door and stopped crying. Brad got into the car and sat with her for a while without saying anything. All of a sudden they heard a soft moan, followed by a louder one.“What was that?!” asked Brad.“I don’t know,” Pat replied.“Uhhhh... Where am I?” asked Ryan waking up.Brad and Pat just stared at Ryan in disbelief. “What - but I thought - how are you....??!” stuttered Brad.“Mmm...” mumbled Ryan. “Where am I?” he repeated.“Um, you’re in Colin’s car... I think...?” said Brad, not sounding sure. “Oh,” Ryan said quietly and sleepily.“OH MY GOD RYAN! YOU”RE ALIVE!!!” shouted Pat in a sort of a delayed reaction.“Ow!” exclaimed Ryan, putting his hand to his ear. She hugged him and did not let go of him until a long time. “Huh?” said Ryan after she had let go of him. “Yeah, I’m alive, I think...” he said. “I’m really tired... My head hurts,” he added.“Well yeah, I would imagine so, after you got reamed with a shovel and a gun,” replied Brad.“I remember getting shot...”“You were,” said Pat, “in both the leg and in the shoulder.”“Oh… Now I remember.”“Do you really remember anything?” asked Brad.“Yeah, I remember everything that happened tonight,” he replied.“Good,” said Brad. Pat hugged him again, and then they got out of the car. Ryan had difficulty walking, and was leaning against both Brad and Pat in order to walk into the restaurant. All three entered the restaurant, with Ryan clutching onto Brad and Pat so that he would not fall.“RYAN!!!???!!!??!?!?” shouted Colin as he ran over to him and hugged him. “Why does everyone keep shouting?” said Ryan sleepily.“Sorry man,” said Colin cheerfully. Then he lowered his voice. “We thought you were dead,” he whispered.“Oh, no,” replied Ryan with a tired laugh.Greg and Jeff jumped up and ran over to him as well. “Oh my God! You’re here!” they both said.“Yeah....” said Ryan, sounding confused. Pat and Brad led him over to the table and sat him down in the booth.“Whoa! Are you ok?” asked Drew.“Huh? ...Oh yeah, I’m fine...” he lied.“What happened to your head and shoulder?” asked Drew.“Oh, and my leg you mean?” he asked.“Um, well I can’t see your leg from here,” said Drew.“Oh, yeah well I guess I knew that,” said Ryan.“Dude, you’re acting strange, like you’re hypnotized or something,” said Chip. “Oh... yeah...” said Ryan drowsily.“Whoa man! What’s up with you?!” asked Wayne. “You’re not making any sense.”“Uh-huh,” said Ryan.“He’s tired guys... He had a hard day,” said Colin.“Well what happened?” asked Drew.“Yeah we wanna know!” said Chip.“Oh, I don’t think-” said Ryan.“Yeah, but we wanna know,” pleaded Wayne.“Alright, alright I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you,” said Ryan sounding drunk, even though he was not. He went on to explain everything that had happened. “So that’s pretty much it.,” he said, looking more tired and worn out than he had looked before he told them everything.“Whoa man! That’s a lot!” said Wayne.Colin then explained how they thought that he died, and why they entered the restaurant the way they did. All they guys were shocked.“No offense, Ryan, but you look like you’ve just been run over by a bus,” said Greg.“Uh-huh,” said Ryan “I probably should have. That pain wouldn’t hurt as bad as this does,” he said. “I’m really tired.”“Yeah... Oh man, I’m so sorry,” said Chip.“It’s ok,” said Ryan, looking as if he was going to faint, and then groaned.“Here! Drink!” said Colin, shoving his glass of water in Ryan’s hands.Ryan drank from the cup and felt a little bit better. He hadn’t had anything to drink mostly all day, except for the one he had had at home. He handed the cup back to Colin. “Thanks.” Ryan said.“No problem, buddy!” said Colin happily.“I left my car out in the street…” said Ryan.“No problem, we can go get it,” said Brad.“Ok,” said Ryan. “I’m - gonna... just... hmm...” he said and fell asleep in the middle of his sentence, his head fell on Pat’s shoulder.“Ow,” she said while laughing.They finished eating, and when they were done, they woke up Ryan. “Huh?” he said, waking up. “Oh, are we leaving?” He was still sounding as bad as he did before. “Yup!” said Colin. “Come on. You, Drew, and Pat are coming with me. We’re gonna go get your car. Wayne, can you take the kids home?”“Yup, and I gotta take Brad home, too,” said Wayne.“Ok, we’ll meet you at Ryan’s house then,” said Colin. They all said good-bye, and went out to their cars. “Alright, Ryan and Pat, you guys sit in the back, so that he can rest, and Drew, you can sit in the front with me.”“I’m not tired,” lied Ryan.“Oh yes you are, I can tell it from the way you’re talking,” said Colin.“Huh?” said Ryan.“You sound like you’re either drunk or hypnotized dude,” said Drew. “And you’re freaking me out, you never sound like this.”“Oh... well... I don’t know,” said Ryan.“Um, Ry, do you even know what you’re saying?” asked Pat.“Yeah, yeah, of course I do,” Ryan said. “Um, I’m just hurting, that’s all.”“Where are you hurting?” asked Colin.“Uh, my head hurts reeeallly bad, and I can’t walk on my leg, because that hurts too, and then my stomach hurts from being punched in it so much, and my shoulder hurts from the shot... and...”“So basically everything hurts?” said Pat.“Yeah,” said Ryan.“Eh... where did you leave your car?” asked Colin.“Um, up this road, a little further,” he said.“Ok,” replied Colin. They found Ryan’s car and parked right behind it. “Alright. Drew, Pat, which one of you wants to drive it home?”“I’ll drive it back,” said Ryan.“Haha! No you will not!” said Colin through laughing fits.“What’s so funny? I just wanna drive it home…”“Nothing, it’s just I don’t think we are gonna let you drive in the condition that you’re in,” said Colin.“Oh, but I’ll be careful!” Ryan complained.“No. You’re not gonna drive that car home, now give me the keys, Ry,” said Pat. “Fine.” he said and he gave the keys to her. She got out and got into Ryan’s car and followed Colin back to the house. “Ok, guys we’re here!” said Colin.“Cool,” said Drew.“Help!” said Ryan.“I’m gonna help you Ry… just hold on,” said Colin. He got out and helped Ryan out of the car into his house where Pat, Brad, Wayne and the kids were all sitting at his table. Mackenzie and Sam went up the stairs to bed, and Brad got up and let Ryan have his chair.“Thanks,” said Ryan.“I’m gonna go get you another bandage for your head and some others for your shoulder and leg.” said Pat.“OK,” said Ryan drowsily.She came back and gave one to Wayne and she and him put new bandages on Ryan. “There you go dude,” said Wayne.“Come on, let’s get you to bed,” said Brad. They all helped him to his room and into his bed. He managed to take off his coat, and put his things on the night stand, and then he laid back in his bed and said thank you to everyone for their help.“Get better Ryan!” they all shouted as they left. Pat locked all the doors, and when she came back into the room later to check on him, Ryan was sound asleep.The next few days Ryan stayed at home and recovered from his injuries. It didn’t take long for him to be ready to go back to work. He changed the locks on his house and made sure that nothing and nobody would be able to get into his house again. His head, leg, etc. stopped hurting after a couple of weeks, and he was returned back to normal. Or as normal as a man like Ryan Stiles could ever be.THE END
