Mystery of the Scorched Map (I)
Chapter 1: The Footprint in the StormSarahThe main shop floor before me lit up, the crash from outside following almost instantaneously. The light from outside swamped that of the dull swinging bulb in the centre of the room, although when it receded, blackness filled the void. The crash was obviously more than just thunder; the power was out as well.I slipped my phone from the back pocket of my denim shorts, turning on the torch. The room was illuminated, light bouncing off the kitschy items that passed for souvenirs. I had been in the process of locking up the shop for the day, although I didn’t really see the point - there was nothing of value to steal. Still, I knew that my job would be on the line if I didn’t - the owner, Mr Dunnigan, was very insistent. There was no way I could afford to lose this job.As much as I wanted to just leave and lock up, I knew I should go and see if the electricity problem was easily fixed. I just pushed the door shut to stop the raindrops which were now falling - it was one of these sudden summer storms, the temperature was still sitting close to 38 degrees - and heading back behind the counter, into the passageways that ran through the rest of the building.The wind and the rain dulled as I took the first step behind the door. Everything was quiet, but I couldn’t shake an uncomfortable feeling. I swept the torch light around, trying to find the way to the main switchboard.A sound broke through the silence, and I jumped.It was just my phone. Ringing in my hand.Swiping to answer the call, I said, “Hi Ella.”“Hi Sarah, my babe! What’s going on?” The voice of my best friend, Ella, came down the phone line, her usual excitement bubbling away.“I’m just locking up work. This storm has tripped a switch, so I’ll be out of here as soon as I have that fixed.”“You work too hard,” Ella replied.“Yeah, well, my landlord is on to me about the rent again. I need the cash.” I paused. “How do you do it?” I asked. “I mean, I know our circumstances are different, but with your parents always away, you are effectively looking after yourself.”“It’s easy for me,” Ella replied. “Yes, I have the place to myself, but you are actually needing to go all adult. I don’t think anyone else in Year 12 has to worry about that.”“No.” I thought of some of the others that Ella and I were at school with, all safe in their homes, with parents to do all those things parents should do. “But there’s no choice. My uncle is worse than ever. I was lucky that I could get out of there as soon as I turned eighteen.”“How’s Sienna doing?” Ella asked. Sienna was my younger sister, sixteen, but still living with my pig of an uncle.“Surviving,” I replied. “I’m still trying to work out how I can get her out of there, to come live with me. Hopefully it can all be sorted out quickly.”“You let me know anything you need,” Ella said. “I know it won’t solve anything, but can I convince you to come out tonight? I’m sure Amy wouldn’t mind.”“I still need to finish off that English assignment,” I said. “No other time, as I have to work tomorrow night as well.” That wasn’t the only reason.“Tell your boss to wait,” Ella said. “The shop can be closed for one day.”“Maybe speak to your girlfriend,” I replied. “It’s her grandfather. Maybe she can convince him.” I didn’t really think Amy would help, though. I still didn’t know what Ella saw in her; she was nothing but stand-offish with me.“I’ll try, babe,” Ella said. “You’re missing out!”“How’s things going with Amy?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject.“Amazingly! It has been so good. Do you know how hard it is to find someone like her?”A little too well. “I still can’t believe that your parents are cool with it. That she’s older, I mean.”“She’s only twenty! Not much of a difference. Anyway, I need to finish getting ready. Don’t study too long, I’ll call you later. Kisses.”Saying goodbye, I hung up. By now, I had reached the main switchboard, and, sure enough, one of the switches had tripped. Pushing it up, there was a flickering as the lights came back to life. I pushed the box’s door closed again, dislodging some dust. I brushed it off my t-shirt where it had landed, and headed out of the room.I entered back into the front part of the shop, ready to lock up again.I stopped.The front door was open.Only slightly ajar, but nonetheless, open. I had definitely pushed it all the way shut.I took a step forward, cautiously. I turned my head from side to side, but didn’t see anything. Maybe I didn’t close it properly, maybe there was just enough for the wind to push it open.But wind doesn’t make footprints. Not like the wet outline which was in the middle of the floor.I turned around quickly, sensing movement, but seeing nothing. I looked in all directions, but there was nowhere to hide in the shop. Whoever had made that footprint wasn’t there.The lights went out again.I gasped. This time, there had been no lightning, nothing that could have tripped the switch. Which meant that it was someone else in here. I knew if they were coming back from the switchboard, I would only have about a minute to get out of here. That meant going now.I ran towards the door, reaching out to finish pulling it open.Instead, it slammed shut.“What the--” I began. I never finished. I felt a gloved hand clamp across my mouth, another equally strong arm wrapping around my body. With a crash, we both fell to the floor, pain shooting through my arm.“Don’t struggle,” a voice harshly whispered. “Or else this is going to hurt a whole lot more.”Chapter 2: The Man in the Silver CarAmyStepping down the stairs from the main ballroom, Amy Dunnigan glanced behind her. Great to be out of there. I don’t know how much more of that pompous awards night I could take.“You’re sure it’s ok for me to leave,” Amy asked her grandfather, Greg Dunnigan, who was only a step behind. “Not that I’m complaining.”“Not at all,” Greg replied. “I’d leave if I could as well. Thank you for at least coming for the start. I’d better get back in there.”“Good luck,” Amy replied. She headed for the front door of the town hall, her dress swishing around her. It was silver, with a halterneck, and a sheer bottom, paired with silver heels. Her dark hair fell loose around her shoulders. Just wait until Ella sees this.Brushing her dark hair away from her eyes, she approached her car. She was almost there when the door to the silver car - a SUV - behind hers swung open, nearly hitting her. “Sorry, ma’am,” the man sitting inside said. “I didn’t see you there. Please accept my apologies.”“No harm,” Amy replied. She noted that the man had a scar running down the side of his left cheek, but this just gave him a more rugged look. If I were interested in men, he’s not bad looking...Getting into her car, Amy quickly drove over to Ella’s house. Parking across the street, she jumped out, running across to the front door. It’s a skill, running in heels, but one that I’m glad I have!Ella had given her a key, so Amy let herself in. “Hi El,” Amy shouted. “I’m here!”Ella Taylor stepped out of her bedroom. “Oh, wow! Ames, you’re gorgeous!”“Says the girl who looks like you,” Amy replied. She could feel her heart beat faster. Ella wore a short blue minidress and blue heels. Her long blonde hair was held back with a half ponytail. She looked stunning.And as amazing as she looked now, all Amy could think of was later tonight. When she could pull that dress off. She shivered with excitement, thinking about the previous night that she had spent with Ella.Ella walked over to Amy, embracing her and bringing their lips together. As always happened, her kiss was electricity to Amy, something that she never wanted to end.Eventually the two of them pulled apart. “I have to say, babe,” Ella said, “I am feeling a bit underdressed looking at you in that dress.”Amy laughed. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I have something else in the car.”“I’ll just be a moment,” Ella said, running back down the hall towards her bedroom. Amy leaned against the wall, taking in the rest of the house. The master bedroom was near the front of the house, as immaculate as always - it looked as though Ella’s parents never slept there. Which would make sense. They’re never here. Apart from the photos on the wall, Amy had never even seen Ella’s parents, let alone met them. They always seemed to be away on business.A phone started to ring on the table near the front door. “Can you get that?” Ella called out from her bedroom. Amy picked up the phone, seeing a photo of a red-headed girl appear with the name ‘Sarah’ underneath. I still don’t understand why she doesn’t like me. Amy pressed to answer, yelling “It’s Sarah,” down the hall to Ella.“Hi Sarah,” she began, “Just Amy here, Ella’s just getting ready. How’re ya doing?”There was silence on the other end of the phone, then a shuffling of movement. Suddenly the call cut out. “Odd,” Amy murmured. She tried to call back, but the call disconnected straight away.“What did she want?” Ella said, leaning out from her bedroom, fixing an earring to her left ear.“She just hung up, and I can’t get back through,” Amy replied. “I know she doesn’t like me, but that much?”Ella giggled. “Sarah likes you,” she said. “Don’t worry about that. Still, that sounds like something funny is going on. Perhaps it’s a network problem? Maybe try your phone.” Ella rattled off Sarah’s phone number, which Amy was able to type in. As she was doing so, there was a knock at the front door. Amy turned, but Ella waved at her, running down the hall, her heels tapping rhythmically. “You call Sarah, I’ll see who that is,” Ella said.This time, the call went through. “Hello, Sarah, Amy here,” Amy started, but Sarah suddenly just cut her off.“Amy, thank goodness you’re ok.” Sarah’s breathless voice came shooting through the phone. “You’re in danger! Someone is after you. Stay inside, don’t answer the door, whatever you do! You need to---” Sarah’s voice suddenly stopped, another female voice being heard in the background. “What the---” it began, before the call cut out completely.“Sarah!” Amy yelled into the phone, knowing it was pointless. “Sarah, are you there?” She suddenly looked over her shoulder, realising too late. “El! Don’t open the door!”“What is it?” Ella said, her hand already on the handle, turning it down. The door came ajar, moving inwards as Ella pulled it towards her. Amy could see a tall man, wearing dark sunglasses despite it being the night. The glasses, however, didn’t hide the scar running down his left cheek.The man in the silver car…The man stepped forward, lifting one arm, his jacket opening, the glint of steel apparent in his belt. Ella swore, pushing the door shut suddenly. It clicked in place, even as Amy could hear the thump from the other side.“He’s got a gun!” Ella yelled. “Quickly, the back door!” She reached out, grabbed Amy’s hand, and the two of them raced down the hall to the kitchen. “What do you think he wants?” Ella asked.“I think he wants me,” Amy replied. Ella looked at her questioningly, but before she could ask anymore, they were in the kitchen, nearly at the back door. “Let’s get out of here,” Amy continued. “Once we can get to the police, we can sort out what’s going on.”Suddenly the back door exploded inwards, glass showering across the floor and dining table. Another man stepped inside, flexing his gloved hands. He slowly pulled a handgun from a holster under his jacket, pointing it towards the two girls.“Going somewhere?” he asked. “Not tonight, I don’t think.”Chapter 3: The Map in the PhoneSarahStruggle was exactly what I did do, but this only made the grip on my body tighter. No matter how hard I thrashed, I couldn’t gain any leverage. The man holding me dragged me across the shop, back into the passageway behind.“Quickly, Louise, come with me.” The man’s voice cut through the air, a dark-haired woman appearing suddenly, grabbing my bare legs. She was young, very beautiful, and I couldn’t work out why she would be involved in this.“Where are we taking her, Kevin?” Louise asked. She was strong; my legs were well and truly pinned.“Back to the storeroom,” Kevin replied. “I noticed some rope in there. We’ll get her out of the way.”There was nothing I could do as they carried me into the store room, dropping me on the floor rather roughly. I rolled to one side, ready to run, but Kevin grabbed me before I could get anywhere. “Over there,” he said, pointing at a couple of short coils of rope that sat atop a box. Louise grabbed them, passing one to Kevin before crouching and beginning wind a length around my ankles. For his part, Kevin pulled my arms behind me, wrapping his rope tightly around my wrists. When the two of them had finished, I couldn’t move either my hands nor feet.“A feisty one, I see,” Kevin said. “No matter. One last thing, and then we can go search for the map.” Grabbing a cloth that was lying on one of the metal shelves, Kevin tied a knot in the centre. He shoved the balled knot into my mouth, tying the ends of the cloth around the back of my head, beneath the ponytail my red hair was tied in. I tried to scream at him, but the gag was too effective.“Just behave, and no harm will come to you,” Kevin said. He turned to Louise. “Let’s go see if the old man keeps his copy of the map in the shop’s safe.” They both left the room.It was dark, and the dust in the room was irritating. I tried to pull the ropes binding me apart, but it was pointless - they were just too well tied. I looked around the room, trying to find something to free myself with, but whilst there seemed to be plenty for those two robbers to tie me up with, there was little to help me escape.I managed to struggle onto my knees, sitting on the back of my shoes. It was then that I felt my phone in my back pocket - they hadn’t found it, thankfully. It took some struggling, but I was able to pull it out of my back pocket, dropping onto the floor.It was difficult to try and control the phone with my hands tied behind me, but I was able to hit to redial Ella. It took a moment, but then the call was answered.“Hi Sarah.” Amy’s voice came down the line. “Just Amy here, Ella’s just getting ready. How’re ya doing?”Great, just great. Still, I couldn’t be choosy, now.I tried shuffling around, to get my gagged mouth as close to the phone, hoping that I would be able to make some sort of noise. It was then that I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I quickly hung up the call, pushing the phone beneath the set of metal shelves. It was only just in time; the door to the room swung open, and Kevin and Louise stepped inside.Kevin crouched down, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me up. He loosened the gag from behind my head, pulling the material ball from between my lips. “Don’t even think about screaming,” he said. “There is no one near by to hear you, and it will just mean everything will need to be so much more unpleasant.”“What do you want?” I almost spat at him, trying to clear away the taste of the cloth. “Let me go!”“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Kevin replied. “Now, what I need to know is this; where does the old man keep the original version of this map?” He held up his phone, displaying a photograph of what appeared to be part of an old map. The entire bottom right corner was unreadable, the material scorched almost to black.“I have absolutely no idea,” I replied. “This is a shop filled with tacky souvenirs that we flog to the tourists that come to the beach. We don’t have anything like that. And even if Mr Dunnigan did have something like that, he’d hardly keep it here.”Kevin allowed a smile to appear on his face. “Hmm,” he mused. “You really don’t know exactly what else your esteemed boss does in his spare time, do you? Well, in that case, I guess there really isn’t much point talking to you anymore.” Before I could utter even another sound, Kevin pushed the cloth ball back between my lips. I angrily started to yell at him again, but my shouts were reduced to whimpers.Kevin stood, turning to Louise. “Give Jack a call. It would appear this isn’t just going to be as simple as robbing this place; we’ll need to move to Plan B, as complicated as that will be. Jack has been keeping tabs on Dunnigan’s granddaughter. He and Frank should be able to grab her, and then we’ll get ol’ Greg to cough up the map. I’ll have another look around to make sure we haven’t missed anything.” And then they both left the room.I stared at the door, my eyes wide. Oh, shit. They’re going to kidnap Amy! I had to warn her. I pulled again at the ropes, but they weren’t budging.There was one hope, though. When Kevin had put the gag back in, he hadn’t checked to make sure it was tightly tied. I was able to push at it with my tongue, and this time, there was a bit of movement. Leaning against the shelves, I was able to use a shelf corner and my tongue to work the cloth ball free. It fell down, hanging limply around my neck.I rolled onto my side, feeling under the shelves for my phone. I was just about to call Ella again when it started to ring.Oh, shit. I hoped no one else heard that.I quickly answered the unknown number. “Hello, Sarah, Amy here,” Amy started, but I cut her off.“Amy, thank goodness you’re ok.” My voice was breathless, but I knew I probably didn’t have much time. “You’re in danger! Someone is after you. Stay inside, don’t answer the door, whatever you do! You need to---”A hand shot down next to my face, grabbing the phone. It belonged to Kevin. As he disconnected the call, I could hear Louise behind him say “What the hell is going on?”Kevin passed the phone to Louise. “Take care of this. Our friend here seems to refuse to follow the directions I give her,” he said. “I’ll make sure that you don’t speak out of turn again.” Grabbing the cloth ball, he shoved it back in my mouth, this time making certain that it was tied tightly behind my head. I tried to swear at him, but barely any sounds came out.Wrapping one of his huge arms around my waist, and the other beneath my legs, Kevin lifted me up off the ground. “Hold the door open,” he said to Louise, who promptly complied. I tried to struggle, but his grip was too strong. He carried me back through to the shop area, dumping me in one of the wooden chairs there. I noticed that the shop was a mess now, stuff strewn everywhere.Kevin went over to one of the displays, a kitschy ‘maritime’ theme which had an anchor and coils of rough brown rope. Picking up the numerous coils of rope, he came back over to me. “When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to move,” he said.Kevin created a loop in the middle of the rope, bringing it between my bound ankles and passing the free ends through. Pulling it tight, the rope cinched together on the white rope around my ankles. Kevin then proceeded to wind it haphazardly up my bare legs, looping beneath my knees, just above them, criss-crossing in all directions. Only when he got to my upper thighs, just below the hem of my denim shorts, did he stop, looping around my legs twice before tying off the ends between my legs. The roughness of the rope digging into my skin hurt, but any cries I made were muffled by the gag.He passed a short length of Louise. “Tie her ankles to the cross-bar underneath,” he said. As Louise crouched, Kevin went behind me, looping another length of rope underneath my breasts and around my bare arms, pulling it tight, and then creating a few more loops both above and below. He then used another length of tie all of this to the back of the chair, as well as some loops around my waist as well.For her part, Louise had tied a length of rope to my ankles, pulling them underneath the chair, and tying them to the cross-bar. When the two of them had finished, I could barely move.“Now, there is little else for us to do here,” Kevin said. “You have, however, seen our faces, and that is problematic.”I didn’t like the sound of that. I tried crying out, shaking my head. Kevin just smiled. “Check she is tied tight,” Kevin said to Louise, who proceeded to go around behind me. “And I’ll set up the rest.”The rest, it turned out, was a can of some sort of fuel. And Kevin was spreading it liberally around the shop floor. I started rocking in the chair, trying to tell him he didn’t need to do this. But there was little I could do.Squeezing my shoulder, Louise stepped past me, heading for the front door as Kevin reached it. He looked at me as he threw the empty can across the floor. “Good evening to you, ma’am,” he chuckled.And then, as he stepped backwards, he flicked on a lighter and threw it onto the doused floor.Chapter 4: The Chase in the HillsElla“Enough with the running about,” the man standing in front of Ella and Amy said. “Time to just give in.”“Who are you?” Amy’s question caused Ella to turn her head towards her girlfriend. “What do you want?”The man smiled. “You. It is you that I want.”Why are these men after Amy? Ella thought. And how is Sarah involved?“Why do you want her?” Ella asked.The man didn’t answer, instead taking another step forward. He let his hand holding the gun drop to his side. “No more questions,” he said.“Ok, then,” said Amy. “No words. Just actions.” And with that, Amy gave the table between them and the man a shove, pushing it across the kitchen floor. The other side caught the man in the thighs, causing him to double over, his shoulder landing heavily on the top. He yelled out in pain, but Ella didn’t have time to react to this. Instead, she felt Amy’s hand wrap around hers, pulling her towards the open back door. Before the man could do anything, the two girls were out in the backyard.“Jack,” the man behind them bellowed. “Hurry up and get here. They’re getting away!”There was a crash, and Ella could see the man who had been at the front door - who she presumed was Jack - running towards them. “How could you let them do this, Frank?” he asked his now doubled-over accomplice.Ella stumbled, taking a moment to remember how to run in heels. She could see Amy lifting her gown to avoid tripping. I had no idea that she could run that well in such a long dress and heels.“Over here,” Amy said, pointing to her car. They were almost there when they heard a shout behind them. Ella turned and looked - and screamed.“Stop,” Frank repeated his command, pointing his gun towards them. Just as he was about to fire, Jack appeared, yelling, “Wait! We’ve got to get her alive.” Jack knocked Frank’s arm upwards just as the gun went off. The bullet sailed up into the air, the gunshot crackling across the front lawn.The two girls didn’t waste the opportunity. Amy unlocked her car and they both dove in. As she scrambled to put the keys in, Amy threw Ella her phone, whilst also trying to hold onto her own but watching it slip out of her hand and down between the seats. Deciding that there was no time to retrieve it, Amy slammed the car into drive, mashed the accelerator, and squealed away from the curb.“Who are they?” Ella finally asked. “What do they want with you? And how did they know you would be at my house?”Amy shook her head. “I have no idea, and at the moment, I don’t particularly care. Let’s just get out of here.”Wrenching the steering wheel to the left, Amy quickly drove them out of the suburban streets, heading further into the hills that surrounded their beachside town. High beam lights suddenly spilled across them, a silver SUV racing up behind. Amy had to squint, but she could just make out the shapes of their attackers in the front seats.The SUV pulled wide suddenly, racing up alongside them on the right. It swerved in towards Amy’s car, missing it by only centimetres as Amy pulled away. There was the sound of gravel spurting in all directions as she skated the edge of the road. Ella screamed again as she thumped against the passenger window.“Oh my god,” Ella yelled. “They’re trying to kill us.”“Hang on,” Amy said through gritted teeth, trying to hold the car steady. The SUV swung inwards again, but this time Amy slammed the brakes on, causing the SUV to miss hitting them and race right across in front of them. Ella could see the SUV fighting for control as it hit the gravel. Amy pushed the accelerator again, swinging to the right and around the SUV, racing for the top of the hill.Her car rising over the crest of the hill, Amy fought to keep it under control at the speed she was travelling. Suddenly there was a crunch as the SUV appeared behind them, ramming the back of the car. It caused Amy’s car to spin, first onto the wrong side of the road, then off the wrong side of the road, and finally crunching into the side of a tree.Ella felt as she bashed from window to front console, feeling groggy as she tried to lift her head. She could see through the cracked front window screen as the SUV came to a screeching halt, before slowly reversing. Realising that they didn’t have long, Ella tried to push her door open.“Come on,” Amy yelled, scrambling out her door. But Ella couldn’t budge the door, slamming it with her hand. Amy was waiting by her door, but Ella turned and yelled, “Go! I’m coming behind you, just start to run!” Amy looked like she wanted to argue, but Ella yelled at her again, before climbing over to her seat.The two girls were out and running towards the trees when the SUV stopped. Looking over her shoulder, Ella could see both Jack and Frank running towards them. There was no way that we can outrun them, not in heels in the bush. The two men were gaining on them quickly.Ella stumbled, fell to her knees, dropping her phone on the ground beside her. She saw Amy glance over her shoulder, then stop. “No!” Ella yelled. “You have to go! You have to get help! I’ll be ok.”“El, no…” Amy said. “I can’t leave you.”“If we’re both caught, no one will be able to help us. This is the only choice,” Ella said.“Please…” Amy began. But Ella could see that she knew there was no other choice. Amy nodded. “Be careful. I’ll get help for you.”“I know. I love you.” Lifting herself off the ground, Ella turned as Frank and Jack reached her. She tried to lash out at them, but Frank easily caught her wrist, grabbing this with one hand and using his other arm to grab her around the waist. Ella was still able to kick out with one foot, enough to trip Jack. Even as he stood, picking up Ella’s phone, Ella could see that Amy had disappeared off into the trees.“That was a very foolish thing to do, young lady,” Jack said. “Your friend has only gained a temporary reprieve. And this now means that we have to use you to get her.” He stepped closer, leaning in towards Ella’s face. “And that will mean rather unpleasant things for you…”Chapter 5: The House in the TreesAmyAfter a few minutes of running, Amy slowed down to a walk. It was dark amongst the trees, and she was finding it difficult to keep her footing. She had no idea where she was, no way of contacting anyone. I hope Ella is all right. I didn’t want to leave her, but she was right. I need to get help.As she reached the top of a hill, Amy paused to catch her breath. Looking down into the valley beyond, she saw a light, the single window in a house that was lit up. Oh, yes! Rescue at last!Racing down the hill, Amy started to approach the house. It was quiet, and appeared as though no one was around. Still, there was no other option at the moment. Clambering over the fence, Amy ran the short distance to the front door. She started to knock on it, getting out between gasps, “Please, somebody help me. I need help!”There was no reply.Amy tried again, hitting the door a little harder, almost on the verge of tears. But there was no response.She started to walk around the house, looking for the light she had seen from the top of the hill. She found it, and peered inside, searching for signs of life.There were none.Slumping to the ground beneath the window, Amy couldn’t stop the tears now.It took her a moment to let it all out, before she could refocus on the task at hand. Slowly, she lifted herself up, wiping tears away from her eyes. Let’s check the rest of the house. Maybe there is another way in.Continuing around the outside of the house, Amy eventually came to the back door. It was slightly ajar. Pushing the door open slowly, Amy said, “Hello? Is there anyone home?”No answer.Amy carefully made her way in through the laundry, finding a door leading into the kitchen, and then into the front hallway. A set of stairs led up to the second story, and Amy thought she could hear sounds coming from up there. “Hello?” she called again, but there was no response.A small table sat on one side of the hall, near the front door, and that was where Amy saw it; a mobile phone, poking out of a bag. She raced over, picking it up.She was about to call the police when she heard it.“What do you think you’re doing?”Amy paused, unsure what to do, her fingers hovering over the phone. She pressed quickly, hoping that it would be enough. “Um, I need help,” Amy stammered out as she turned.Well this is unexpected. Standing before her were a man and a woman, who looked to be in their late twenties or early thirties. He was just in boxer shorts, but was holding a cricket bat. She was in red underwear, her blonde hair dishevelled as it fell about her shoulders. Of most interest to Amy, however, was the pair of handcuffs which hung from her left wrist, and the black ball on a strap which hung around her neck.“My friend has been kidnapped,” Amy said, recovering from her surprise. “And the two men who did it are after me as well.The woman gasped. “Craig,” she said. “She has my phone, and has been through my bag!”“What?!” Amy replied. “No, I just didn’t know anyone was home. I was calling for help.”Craig reached out and took the phone from Amy. “Then why didn’t you call the police,” he said, “Instead of calling someone else.” Amy started to protest, but Craig cut her off. “You’re trying to rob our place,” he said. “Well, around here, we have ways of dealing with people like you.”And before Amy could say anything else, he leapt forward, grabbing her around the wrist. “And you’re not going anywhere.”
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