"Had I known but yesterday what I know today,
I’d have taken out your two gray eyes
And put in eyes of clay;
And had I known but yesterday you’d be no more my own
I’d have taken out your heart of flesh
And put in one of stone."
I’d have taken out your two gray eyes
And put in eyes of clay;
And had I known but yesterday you’d be no more my own
I’d have taken out your heart of flesh
And put in one of stone."
– Quoted from Tam Lin
The firetruck roared down Main Street as Jack pushed it to fifty. He was trying not to panic. Trying to keep calm. He could feel his heart hammering and tried to pace his breathing. He needed to treat this like any other emergency. Only he couldn't. As soon as he reached Xander and Emerald's house he leaped from the firetruck and began doing what he had been trained to do for the last twelve years.
The scene did not look good. He forced himself not to think about the outcome. He simply functioned mechanically doing what he had done for so long. Xander. Emerald. Grayson. Anne. He swallowed and forced thought out of his head as he battled the flames.
At Axel and Andrea's apartment things were quiet in the early morning hours. To the unobservant sim everything looked perfectly in order. Yet inside, was a perfect nightmare.
Axel sat quite still. He was still in shock. Murdock walked up to him and stated casually. "The boss will be here soon. I have to go take care of some things so...handcuffs on." Axel didn't reply as Linden Murdock cuffed him and walked out.
All Axel could see over and over in his head was Andrea's dead lifeless body on the floor. Murdock had strangled her. Axel couldn't think about Zachary. He forced the thought from his head. His son and girlfriend were dead. He sobbed.
Jack had fought the fire all morning. No signs of life and it was confirmed they were at home. Jack numbly walked to the fire truck. He had to tell Sydnee. He had to tell Sydnee that her brother Xander and his entire family was dead. He slammed his fist into the truck and dented it. This was turning out to be a terrible day.
Grayson swam in the deep water of the river. He really didn't want to get out. In fact, he was thinking about letting himself drowned. His mom had told him to run to the water, that she and Anne were right behind him. But something happened. They didn't come out. Neither did his dad. His entire family was dead. The thought alone was beyond comprehension. A man called to him on shore. Grayson reluctantly swam toward land.
The man smiled at him. "Was your house the one that just burnt down?" Grayson didn't respond he really didn't have any urge to. One foot in front of the other he made his way to shore.
Jack held Sydnee tightly. Neither of them could form words for the loss they were experiencing. Xander was one of her closest siblings. Their families did everything together. Sydnee took a deep breath. "I'm going back to bed." Jack nodded. He would wait to tell the kids, it would devastate them.
Cannon had come over to give Reese a ride to work and Cassidy a ride to school. Their car was in the shop and would be for a solid week. Cannon looked around the small house. "Hey Cassidy, where is your mom?" Cassidy looked worried. "I don't know. She's been gone all morning. Her cellphone is missing too or I would have called you." Cannon tried not to show his surprise. Reese would have never gone anywhere without telling Cassidy where she was going.
Cannon pulled out his phone and called the police station. "I would like to file a missing person's report."
Reese sat in the small room feeling the situation was completely hopeless. The room was soundproof. She should have check through the peep hole before she opened the front door this morning. She had assumed it was Cannon. She gripped either side of the small cot with her hands. Would she ever see Cassidy again? Reese tried not to cry thinking about her daughter. She had to survive this. Axel would raise Cassidy over her dead body! Suddenly she heard footsteps and her heart began to beat faster as the adrenaline pumped through her body.
A young man entered the room and Reese tried to swallow. His muscled were well defined and he was a human wall. She cleared her throat.
"I don't care who you are or why you kidnapped me but before you even think about killing me or attacking me you should know I have an innocent daughter who doesn't deserve to lose her mother because of some disgusting perv-"
The young man interrupted looking beyond offended. "As IF I would ever hurt another human being! I was kidnapped, er, adultnapped? too!" He was beyond furious, though not at the young woman in particular. "I just wish I knew if Lyddia was okay. I swear if this has anything to do with that low life Kane I will kill him!"
Realization dawned on Reese. "Oh, I am so sorry! I just assumed.....you know who Kane is too?" He nodded. "I'm Reese. Reese Dra- Reese Bentley." He nodded. "Kyle Reed." Reese felt awkward after yelling at him. "Do you think this has to do with Kane? I mean, do you have any clue why this would happen?"
Kyle sat down cautiously on a bench. "I don't know, but whatever "this" is exactly, I have a feeling its just going to get worse." Reese bit her lip. "The room is sound proof. And the door, the lock is a double cylinder deadbolt. We aren't going any where." Kyle nodded, trying to accept the inevitable. "The least they could do is give us a board game." Reese laughed for the first time since this ordeal began. Footsteps sounded again.
The door opened again. Kyle peered out and saw a man holding a gun. Kyle could take him, if it weren't for the gun. Another young man walked in.
"Grayson!" Reesed hugged her younger cousin. Grayson hugged her back though still not all there. "My entire family is dead." Reese stared at him. "What?"
"Okay, the boss is here." Murdock gave Axel a sideways glance. "Try not to get on his bad side, he might let you live." Axel stared at Murdock in a look of both disgust and utter defeat.
Axel stood to his feet as two men entered the room. He didn't recognize either one of them but could tell they were dangerous. The first one approached Axel immediately.
"Okay, kid, this is what you are going to do if you want to live. Or at least not die a slow painful death. You are going to turn yourself into the police by the end of today for the murders of your girlfriend and son." Axel interrupted. "What more can you take from me?" The man's lips pulled together in a tight smile. "We have your ex-wife and know your daughter's currently location. If you don't want to cooperate we could always send Murdock..." Axel gave up defeated. "Okay." The man smiled. "That's good, your thinking. Well, there is the door."
Axel stared at the other man, unsure if he knew him or not. He memorized his face. If he figured a way out of this, he would go after this man too.
Lyddia regained consciousness slowly. She could hear people talking before she opened her eyes. "Maybe she's dead." A woman suggested. A man interrupted. "If she was dead, Paris, she wouldn't be breathing!" Lyddia sluggishly stood to her feet.
Lyddia glanced at the two sims arguing. "Where are we?" She asked the younger woman. The younger woman snorted. "The heck if I know. One minute I am working out at my boyfriend's the next I'm here with him and his annoying sister." She smiled. "Don't tell her I said that." Lyddia felt a little off balance. "Have you seen a man with..with brown hair....blue eyes and is kind of buff?" The younger woman grinned slyly. "No, but if I do I call dibs." Lyddia sighed. This was not a good situation.
The doorbell rang at Sydnee's house that evening. The teenagers and Han had just left for a movie and Jack answered the door.
Sydnee heard a crash and turned and saw Jack laying in a heap on the ground.
A man smiled wickedly at her. "I told him he should lay off the horse tranquilizers but some people don't listen. "
Alissa, Irena, and Zane stood in a nervous little huddle. They had been getting ready to go out to dinner when they were abruptly drugged and brought to this tiny little room. To make matters worse, the twins both needed baby food and were starting to get fussy.
Jack and Sydnee were now in a small locked room and Sydnee was fighting the urge to panic. She checked for her cellphone. Cellphone! He hadn't taken her cellphone. "He left my cellphone", She whispered to Jack.
Sydnee wanted to call the police but called Han first. "Don't go home whatever you do. Because we've been kidnapped. Call the police, yes I love you too. Please take care of the girls, this is sure to scare them. Everything will be alright.", Sydnee hung up the phone shaking because she heard footsteps.
"Give me that," Murdock snapped. "Your wife just found a good way to get herself killed." Jack put up his hands pleading. Murdock took a step back. "Give me the phone. If I ever see another cellphone on either of you I will kill you!" Murdock stomped out.
A few hours later, Jack read a book while Sydnee slept. There was simply nothing else to do. Suddenly the door creaked open.
Jack woke Sydnee and she sat up sleepily. "Oh wow, people."
Kale and Holly looked at each other and Kale spoke. "So I'm guessing you both were forced here too by a crazy man in a torn up tiger shirt." Jack and Sydnee nodded. "Yep, pretty much," Sydnee stated. "Although I would go with insane not crazy." She extended her hand. "Sydnee Bentley." The blonde shook it, "Holly Graham."
Sinbad was at his favorite lounge when he recieved a phone call. "Hello?" Kane's deep voice sounded on the other end. "Hello, my dear and loyal friend." Sinbad tightened his grip on the receiver. "I killed your son. And his family. Well, all of his family but your grandson, Grayson, who will probably die of hunger before you find him." Sinbad spoke with as much authority as he could muster. "Kane if you hurt him I'll-" Kane cut him off. "I don't think you can make threats at this point. See.."
"Currently, I have found four empty houses with four lovely basements. I have also found your family. Well, most of them anyway. Your daugher, Sydnee. Your son-in-law, not that they count for much in these games. Reese. Your daughter's brother Zane and his entire family. And her step brother and step sister."
Sinbad could feel himself getting angry. "Why are you telling me this if you are just going to kill them?" Kane laughed. "I'm not going to kill them. You are, if you don't find them in time. You see, feeding so many people is just out of the question for me." Kane paused. Sinbad swallowed but kept the catch out of his voice. "How long do I have?" Kane thought a moment. "Eh, about a week give or take a few days." Kane laughed, a lifeless laugh that gave even Sinbad chills.
"Tell you what, I will be a good sportsman and let the first two people you find be freebies. I will put Murdock on a cease fire until you find them in the time allowance I am giving you. Which is going to be exactly three hours long starting now." Sinbad thought Kane had finally lost it.
Before he hung up Kane added. "You better hurry, Sinbad. I have a feeling you are their only hope."
End of Part 19
