Rowen exhaled deeply as he put the last of his things in a box and closed it. "Thanks for coming down here to help," he said to Rick as he taped the box closed.

"No problem. Maybe after hiding out for a little bit you can move back," he replied.

Though Rowen knew Rick was trying to offer comfort, he lacked his usual optimism. It had taken all his energy just to put his things together to move out of where he had been living. As he walked outside the house he had spent many long years in, he wished he had spent more time making it a home someone might have liked. Rowen refused to let himself think of who that someone was.

Rowen set a box in the car at the same time that Rick set his own box down and turned to him. "Maybe you should say goodbye," he suggested. "He only lives a short drive away."

Rowen wanted that, but there were just some things in life that weren't good for you, no matter how much you wanted them. He squared his shoulders. "No thanks. I think it's better if I just keep my distance," he said.

With a shrug, Rick said, "Suit yourself, but I hope you don't regret it."

Rowen already was.

Rick glanced up the road and gestured with his thumb. "Hey, isn't that the kid you took in?" he asked.

Looking down the street in the direction Rick was pointing, Rowen saw Cliff and Zane walking towards them. "You're back," Zane said. He looked around. "Is Kevin at home?"

"Yeah," Rowen said. He debated his next words heavily. "Can you tell him bye for me?" he asked.

Kevin's best friend looked suspicious. "What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?" he questioned.

"Moving," Rowen said with false confidence and an even more false smile. "If you could let him know that I had fun this summer, I'd appreciate it." His smile faltered. "I'd tell him myself, but we're not on the best of terms at the moment."

Zane didn't look surprised to hear that. "I guess..." he muttered. 

Next it was Cliff's turn to offer farewells. "As much of a pain as you can be, you've been a pretty good old man. Will you call if you're ever around?" he asked.

The two men shook hands. "Sure," Rowen promised.

As they stood there talking, Zane started to look more and more concerned about something. He had a distant look in his eye as he thought. "I didn't know you guys had a fight," he said. "Was it bad?"

At Zane's confusion, Rowen also frowned. "What are you talking about? Kevin didn't call and rant to you all about it?" he asked. He was trying to joke, but he couldn't help a glance in Rick's direction, as unrest filled the air of their small group.

"No," Zane said. "Why would he call me? He's probably still unpacking."

With questioning eyes and a feeling of dread pooling in the pit of his stomach, Rowen turned to look at his friend. "Rick?" he asked.

The unease was contagious and Zane looked from Rowen to Cliff to Rick. "What is it?" he asked.

Rick hesitated before he admitted, "I dropped Kevin off at his house almost two weeks ago."

*******

I could hardly keep my eyes open as the man stood over me, taunting me, questioning me, demanding I answer him. I wasn't fed more than a few bites of food a day, if that, and I hadn't been allowed to sleep for at least the last three days. I could feel the last of my energy seeping away like my blood seeping into the dusty flood below. 

My eyes drooped dangerously as the threat of a blackout loomed ever closer. "Please... I can't anymore..." I begged.

The man slapped me, jolting me back to my senses. "Don't fall asleep on me," he warned. "That's against the rules."

I tried to roll over to face away from him, but the cuffs kept me from moving far and it was uncomfortable. The man picked up a cup of water and dripped it on my face. I flinched at the cold and squirmed under the unpleasant sensation. The man set the cup back down and walked over to a box in the corner. I closed my eyes for the moment of peace this granted me, but my relief didn't last long. The man soon returned, and he made me lay flat on my back again. Forcing my eyes to focus, I blinked up at him. Something small moved in his hand and my eyes widened at the sight of the small hairy legs and beady eyes that stared at me from inside the glass of a jar. Unscrewing the lid, the man placed the jar in my lap on its side. Watching with horror, the tarantula used all eight legs to slowly emerge from its cage and onto my thigh.

As it began crawling up my leg and towards my stomach, I tried to shake it away. "Get it off...!" I begged, feeling like I was suffocating. "Please, take it away!"

A part of my stomach was exposed where the man had ripped my shirt earlier, and I felt the tarantula's legs; my skin crawled. The man watched, but when all I did was shake and squeeze my eyes closed, he grew angry. He scooped the tarantula back into its jar and stormed away to put it back in the box.

Though I was relieved to be rid of the spider, the man was far from done. He came back to me and unlocked my right arm. I was so tired, and sore, that I didn't even fight back. As I watched, he pulled up my sleeve, and I blinked at him in a daze. Then I screamed and my head slammed back into the table as he twisted my wrist, breaking it with a single exertion of effort.

"Tell me where he is," he demanded, still twisting my broke wrist. "Tell me and I'll stop."

I shook my head, gripping the table with my other hand as I clenched my teeth so hard I was lucky I didn't injure my jaw. In the midst of my cries, the man glanced towards the door. A suspicious look crossed his face and he released my wrist. The urge to puke welled up in my throat and I fought it back if only to prevent from choking on my own vomit.

Without a glance my way, the man stood up and walked to the door, slipping out quietly and locking up the barn behind him. My right side was left uncuffed, but I couldn't even move my wrist, let alone, free my other arm. Besides, I was in no state of mind to even think about trying to get away. Staring up at the ceiling, I brought my arm to my chest to cradle it the best I could. I hoped he didn't come back for a while. I was so tired...

*******

"You made sure he got home safe, didn't you? He made it inside, right?" Rowen demanded, looking at Rick.

"Of course," the veteran swore. "I saw him go inside as I was driving away."

"But he never called," Zane insisted. "He would've called me."

"Are you sure you didn't just miss his call?" Cliff asked. Zane shook his head. "Why don't you call him? Maybe he just forgot or got busy," Cliff suggested.

Zane pulled out his phone and everyone watched in tense silence as he dialed Kevin's number. He had barely put the phone to his ear before pulled it away again, looking more concerned than before. "It... It just sent me to voicemail. His phone must be off."

Before he knew what he was doing, Rowen climbed into his car and took off down the road. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he sped towards Kevin's house and screeched to a halt in front of the driveway. Hoping on hope that he was inside, Rowen marched up to the front door and knocked. After a few seconds of shuffling from inside, the door opened and a middle-aged lady poked her head out.

"Hello? May I help you?" she questioned.

"Is Kevin home?" Rowen asked.

The woman appeared surprised by the question. "Not at the moment. He's with a friend on vacation," she said. Curiously, she prodded, "May I ask, how you know my son?"

At first Rowen didn't hear her. Kevin wasn't home and his mother was still under the knowledge that he was on vacation. That meant he hadn't even spoken to his mother since he had returned two weeks prior; it also meant that was how long he had been missing without anyone even knowing. 

Suddenly, Rowen realized Kevin's mother was staring at him anxiously. Rowen cleared his throat. "I was a guest speaker at his school," he lied. "I just wanted to give him some material he had asked for. Since he's not here, I'll drop by another time. Sorry to bother you."

Rowen drove back to the others in a state of shock. Walking up to everyone, his shoulders slumped. "He's not at home," he said. "He never even talked to his mother. She doesn't know he's gone."

There was a lack of reaction at first, but Rick eventually stepped up to be the voice of reason. "We should go look for him," he said.

Cliff agreed. "The sooner we start, the better. Do you have any idea of why he might be missing?" he asked.

As the three of them began discussing the details, Rowen found himself drifting off into a horrorland of possibilities. His vision began to spiral. Had Kevin been taken? If so, how had they been able to get him when he was in his own house, and why so quickly? What did they want? Who were they? 

"I know he made it into the house. If he's not there and his parents don't know he made it home, then he must have disappeared shortly after." Rick's words brought Rowen out of his stupor. "It's likely someone was waiting for him."

"How close was he?" Rowen suddenly asked, leaning against the car.

Rick frowned. "He? You mean Kevin?"

"No," Rowen said. "Frank Dover. How close was he when you called me three months ago?"

The mention of that name caused a stir in both Rick and Cliff's expressions. "According to the records he was looking into houses in the neighborhood," Rick replied. 

Rowen's world was crumbling just like it had before, just like it had on that day. "He's got Kevin..." he said.

"We don't know that," Cliff objected. Rowen started to get into the car, but Cliff grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"

"To get him back," Rowen snarled, shoving Cliff off. "Don't even try to stop me. There's only one person smart enough for this, and I should have killed him a long time ago."

*******

Subscribe to my YouTube at: Melanie Eberheart

Donate to my Patreon at: patreon.com/MelanieEberheart

Buy me a coffee on my Ko-fi at: Ko-fi.com/melanie_eberheart

Tweet me on Twitter at: twitter.com/MelanieEberhea1

Check out my Facebook at: www.facebook.com/melanie.eberheart.1

Or follow me on Tumblr at: nekosaysmeow333

- Nekoco