Page 29 of Most Of All

A heavy fog of my own self-pity overwhelms me and I sit engulfed, ready to give up, when a ray of light breaks through the darkness. It’s faint and fragile, yet it glimmers with the promise of hope. So, with trembling hands I pull myself toward it. My heart racing with anticipation as I manage to inch forward, but as soon as I reach halfway, the light flickers and vanishes, swallowed by the darkness once more. A wave of dread crashes over me, but I refuse to succumb to it, perhaps that light didn’t just appear by chance, it might return.

I muster all my strength and continue dragging myself forward and after what feels like a lifetime, my fingers brush against something solid, a door?

Wehaven’ttakenJackout of the van yet, and he’s been in there for the past hour. You would think that he would give up at some point, but he’s relentless with his screaming and shouting. Not that it will do him any good, he’s a dead man either way, because nobody touches what’s mine.

We’ve been combing through every scrap of information we can find to track Raine down. Tony is currently off trying to access the security footage; it's critical that we trace his movements from when he left the hospital.

If we can piece together the timeline from where we found him, perhaps we’ll get lucky, at least, that’s what I hope.

It’s pointless to do, so I haven't bothered to question Jack regarding Raine’s whereabouts again; I suspect any response would be total bullshit and what good would it do me?

We also haven’t brought the police into the equation since discovering him and we have no intention of doing so. The last thing we need is their interference complicating our search.

To make matters worse, my father keeps calling my phone, he can really go fuck himself. I sent him a message to say I was unavailable, what more does he want? Under the circumstances, Raine’s location is the most important matter.

Countless times, I’ve found myself inches toward the van, my fists clenched and my heart racing with the urge to confront Jack. The overwhelming desire to unleash my fury battles with the realization that such recklessness won’t help. Each time I stop.

I must remain calm and collected because losing control won’t bring me any closer to finding her.

The fact that he has hidden her nearby weighs heavily; we can’t find a single clue as to her whereabouts, yet she’s likely right under our noses.

Mentally, I go through a checklist to narrow down Jack’s timeline. We captured him three hours after he abducted Raine, he needed to have had time to get to where she was and then to where we found him. We also discovered groceries in the trunk of his car, which means he had time to go shopping as well.

Realization clicks in my mind: the passports, was he getting passports and IDs because he was planning to leave the country? If that was the case, he would want to be close and ready to go. This leads me to consider two possibilities: the airport or the docks. The airport is a four-hour drive away, but the docks are just over an hour's drive.

“THE DOCKS.”

I rush out of the compound, heart racing and adrenaline pumping through my veins as I jump into the car, slamming it behind me. My hands tremble on the steering wheel as I start the engine. Desperately, I dial Tony's number, as my breath comes in quick gasps. Unable to control my emotions, I stumble over my words, trying my best to explain everything to him. I don’t know how much of it he can actually make sense of. But he must be able to understand some of it because he is bringing some men and heading to the docks to meet me there.

Hold on, Little Wasp, I’m coming for you!

Ilaugh,butitdoesn’t hold any humor as I’m unsure of the reason why I’m even laughing. I lean up against what I think is a door, while I’m waiting for the light to return. I may be foolish to believe a light is going to save me, but it gives me hope, something I don’t have enough of at this moment. I’m cold, tired, hungry, and thirsty all at the same time. My wrists throb with an intense stinging sensation; even though the bleeding has stopped, the pain lingers. I’ve tried to drift off to sleep, but the incessant chattering of my teeth keeps me wide awake, the noise echoing in the silence of the space around me. And why is it so cold? It’s baffling how despite wearing a pair of snug tracksuit bottoms, a cotton T-shirt, and a thick hoodie, I feel a cold wrapping around me. Normally, I would be sweating in this much clothing.

Frantically, I attempt to cuddle into myself, searching for even an ounce of heat, but when that proves to be useless, I close my eyes tightly, trying to block everything out. Am I going to die here? I've been straining to hear any kind of noise, but I haven't heard anything at all. I don't even know where I am or how long I've been here, but I suspect I know who brought me to this place.

I’m miserably failing at getting comfortable, when I hear something in the distance, but I can't clearly make out what it is.

I sit still, trying to listen, but the sound of my own heartbeat is so loud that it drowns out everything else. Terror shoots through me. I'm scared of dying here, and I'm afraid that if I do, it will be slow and agonizing. Dread and worry overpower my thoughts. What if I never see my loved ones again?

The noise comes through louder, and I panic. What if it's Jack?

A wave of nausea washes over me, and I lean over, heaving. Unable to recall the last time I ate, nothing comes up, yet the heaving doesn’t stop.

Low sobs escape me as I sit back up. I can still hear the noise low in the distance, and I wonder what it could be. Overwhelmed, a heaviness settles in my chest, a suffocating weight that seems to drain the last of my strength. I don’t have any energy left to hope. More sobs escape me, each one a mix of despair and frustration as a crushing realization dawns on me.I’m not getting out of here, am I?Hopelessly, I curl up into a fetal position on the cold, hard ground, and I continue to sob, the tears flowing freely now. It feels as if I'm unraveling, thread by thread.

Suddenly, the noise gets louder, pulling me from my thoughts. Desperately, I pick my head up, straining to listen. Is it a voice? A vehicle? My heart is racing with curiosity. I don’t want to move again if it’s unnecessary; every motion feels like a huge effort, but I probably only have one chance of getting their attention before I pass out. So, with every last piece of determination I can find, I focus on the sound, willing my body to respond, to find the strength to call out, but my throat feels dry, and the words get stuck, trapped in fear and exhaustion. Depleted, I close my eyes for a moment, trying to steady my breathing, listening intently for any sign of what’s coming.

With a newfound strength, I pull myself up, until my back is leaning against the metal. With both hands on either side of me, I start banging and I don’t stop. I try to shout, but I haven’t spoken in what feels like ages; the words get caught in my throat, and my voice comes out weak and hoarse. As I bang, I notice a light, like a flashlight and it’s moving around opposite me, so I keep banging, praying someone hears me. But just when I’m about to give up, I am blinded by a bright light. I hold my arms over my eyes. I’m absolutely terrified, what if this is the person who took me? I try to scream, but no sound comes out, but as I attempt to move, I slip and bang the back of my head against the hard metal. Confused, I think I hear someone say my name before everything goes black.

Donovanisadirtyfucker. He hasn’t even bothered to take me out of the van, what is this prick planning? To kill me? Not if I can help it. In hindsight he really should have searched me before throwing me in the back of the van, such a stupid mistake. Unknown to him, I have a pocket knife in my back pocket, such a fool! I did consider using it to get out of this van, but I don't know who or what is on the other side, and I need to be wise with my choices. I'll just wait here until he decides to come and get me.

I wonder if he found Raine; is that why I'm still in here? It's possible, since I didn't hide her very well. To be honest, it was just convenient for me at the time.

With it seeming quiet out there, I assume he must have left. Unless he’s doing the whole calm before the storm thing, trying to give me a false sense of security. Well, that shit won’t fly with me. I’m a lot smarter than that. I’m ready and waiting for whatever he wants to throw my way. Prepared to slit his throat the first chance I get, I would give anything to see him bleed out. Unfortunately, I’m a murderer now anyways, so I might as well do as much damage as I can before I get taken down or killed.

I make myself comfortable as I wait for him to come and play. I stretch out and cradle my head with my hands, crossing my feet at the ankles, and for no other reason than to be annoying, I begin to sing. Gods be damned, I’m going to sing until the fucker can’t stand the sound of my voice anymore.

He probably thought I would be in here all sniffly and crying,please do not kill me, well think again, fucker. Not me, nope. I will welcome death. HIS.

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