This is it! The chapter with a twist! Someone you might have never suspected is leading a very big organisation... who do you think it is? Comment below and enjoy ;)

A distorted laughter sounds from somewhere nearby. Everything is black and I force my heavy eyelids open, stifling a groan. Panic seizes me as I find I am not able to see my surroundings. Where am I? Why is everything so dark? I close my eyes again- not that it really made much of a difference- and force my terror down. I go to move an arm but find that my hands are bound behind my back. Terror immediately surges through me once more as I try to move my legs, only to find the same result. A small yelp barely escapes my lips as I quickly close my mouth once more, the hazy memory of the previous encounter suddenly crystal clear. What happened to Mark and Justine? Did they make it? Did they run away? I shake my groggy head. First thing's first, where am I? I feel the surface beneath my hands. It was hard, but not rough. A type of fabric maybe? I open my eyes again, waiting for them to adjust to the darkness. Some time passes and all is still as black as night. Slowly regaining my wit, I try to wriggle around. I realise with dismay that some sort of material is tied tight around my eyes.

"How much longer?" a voice growls, and I immediately lie still, not daring to move a muscle.

"Shut up. Not much longer," A voice barks back.

I recognise that voice; I think with a sinking feeling. There's a small jostle beneath me and I come to the conclusion that I'm in the trunk of a car. Did it have to be so dark? I think bitterly, squeezing my eyes shut again. Great, now what do I do? I can't help but feel small and alone. Some people are scared of the dark because of what they might see, but that just wasn't it for me. To me, it was the whole fact that you can't see in the dark. You can't see if something or someone is headed your way, you can't see your way out of the situation. All you can do is feel helplessly around and hope to find an escape. That is, if you aren't tied down.

"Are the others coming?" the voice sounded slightly high and nasally.

"Nah. Boss says the fewer, the quicker at this point. The others are too spread out," Came Thorn's gruff reply.

"A ghost town!" the nasally voice scoffs after a moment. "Some great thief that Michael guy is!"

"Well I ain't seen you suggesting the idea beforehand, blockhead!" snarls Thorn.

The other man mumbles something inaudible under his breath. I feel the back of my neck prick in apprehension. If they snap at each other and they work together, what are they going to do to me? Something told me I didn't want to know.

"Why do we need the little lady anyway?" the nasally voice asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Boss said we need her alive. She might know where her pesky father hid the damn crates."

"Couldn't we kill the other ones at least?" the man whines.

"Of course not you moron!" Thorn snaps as the car hits a bump across the road.

Relief washes over me. They're okay. But that brief moment of respite soon evaporates.

"Not yet anyway." I could just imagine the sneer on Thorn's face. I shudder in disgust.

"Remember the boss's plan. We bruise 'em up a bit, worry that moronic fool Erik, they'll come runnin' after little Girlie like helpless chickens..."

"And then we catch them!" the companion cries gleefully.

"No you idiot! Then we kill them." Thorn emphasises the word kill with some satisfaction.

Alarm and dread courses through my veins. I have to do something! There must be a way out of here!

I struggle to sit up right, wriggling my body upwards ever so slowly. Another bump in the road, and I fall back down. I try to stop myself from making too big of a noise, but I land on my elbow, hard. I bite my lip as a shot of pain shoots up my right arm.

"What was that?" Thorn hisses.

There's a minute of silence and I hold my breath in suspense, hoping against hope they wouldn't stop the car.

"I ain't heard nothin'..." the second man starts, but Thorn gruffly cuts in.

"Did you tie Girlie up properly, Spike?"

"Yeah Thorn I..." the man called Spike starts.

"Did you bloody make sure to put just enough of that damn chemical on the rag?"

"I did!" Spike answers indignantly. "You ain't gotta be such a bloody grouch!"

"I wouldn't have to be if you weren't such a bloody imbecile!" Thorn retorts.

"Well I can go check on her for you you're majesty!" the other man spits.

I try to lie completely still and shut my eyes tight. No! Please, please, please don't stop the car!

"Forget it," Thorn mutters. "We're almost there anyway."

I desperately grope around, knowing I didn't have much time to come up with a plan. My finger brushes up against a cold, sharp object. I shiver, realising it was a short knife. Why on earth would they just leave a knife back here? Not that I'm complaining... I hold the knife's handle and twist it in my hand, turning it so that it's facing the rope binding my hands. I begin sawing away at it as fast as my hands will allow. I barely notice as the car eventually comes to a stop. Come on! Come on! I urge myself. I could feel the rope slowly breaking.

"Hurry up and get the girl out. Boss should be here any minute now."

Crap. I think desperately. Come on! With one final slice through, the rope breaks. I swiftly make sure my hands and the half broken rope is well and truly hidden behind my back, along with the knife, so as to seem still tied up. I feel its cold, flat blade against the back of my shirt as I shut my eyes, pretending to still be in a dreamless sleep. Just in time too. The trunk door opens wide and I hear a satisfied grunt.

"I told ya Thorn! She's a lil' sleepin' beauty." The nasally voice cackles.

"Well if you're done playin' fairytale, you mind picking Girlie up and dumpin her on the damn grass?" Thorn shouts.

I have to act now. I perceive. Otherwise he'll notice the rope and the knife.

I can't see what I'm doing though. A small, insecure voice in my head reminds me.

I'll have to act instinctively. It's the only chance I've got.

"Yeah, yeah!" the man yells back, but before he even has a chance to touch me I lash out at where I last heard the voice. I hear a yelp of shock and I whip out again wildly. I use my other hand to reach for the blindfold covering my eyes, when suddenly, a firm hand grips my arm. I drop the knife in anguish as the hand tightens around my wrist, cutting off the circulation of my blood flow. I cry out in pain, as the bone-crushing grip on my arm tightens once more. Another hands grabs my other wrist, and I bite my lip in pain. Then suddenly, I feel momentary alleviation as the blood begins to flow normally once again. I wonder what's happening and that's when I realised I was flying. For a split second I was flying through the air. But it was a very short second as I began to descend. Then I hit the grass. Hard. The wind gets knocked out of me and I struggle for breath, crouching in the foetal position.

"Well hello there Girlie," Thorn's deep voice cuts through the air like a knife.

I feel my feet getting dragged up, and a sudden feeling of relief overcomes me as I hear the heavy ropes that tied my feet drop to the ground. My feet ached with the impact as presumably Thorn released my ankles, letting my legs fall to the ground. The fall had hurt. A lot. And my chest was filled with a sort of burning sensation. Having the breath knocked out of me was not fun. Breathing hurt, yet I felt as if I didn't have enough air in my lungs. The blindfold is yanked off me, and I find myself staring at Thorn's dark, angry eyes. Both men had their hoods off and I could now see all of Thorn's menacing features clearly. His buzz cut, his squinty and dangerous eyes. Even his scar seemed to bulge balefully. I clutch my chest as I force myself to take deep breaths, trying to regain myself. I lay there for a while, ignoring the two brutes and focusing on the pain that was slowly subduing. I clench my teeth at the starry night sky. How long was I in the car? What time is it? What the hell am I going to do now? Out of the corner of my eye, I see Thorn's red-headed companion wipe at some blood from the base of his neck and cradle his arm. He wasn't a bad looking fellow from what I could gather, what with his flashy red hair and angular face. If he had been dressed otherwise, he might have looked like one of those fancy, rich blokes you might see wandering in an expensive store. His red hair also stood jaggedly at different intervals, fitting the name Spike precisely. He jerks his head towards me, his cold, blue eyes staring daggers at me.

"You little bi-" he starts to pace towards me and I struggle to drag myself backwards. But, still recovering from the blow, I barely dragged myself a few inches. Thorn interrupts Spike by placing one big hand on the man's chest with more force than needed. Spike steps back involuntarily, glaring at Thorn.

"Leave her. The boss still needs her. It'll teach you for forgetting your weapon."

"She was supposed to be asleep!" protested Spike with a growl.

"And you ain't 'sposed to be so stupid!" roars Thorn.

"Just coz the big boss put you in charge..." grumbles Spike quietly.

"Shut your trap! The boss is here." With a little wave Thorn gestures to a vehicle.

I try to stand but Thorn lifts a big heavy boot and places it on my stomach, forcing me back down. I twist my head and see a big truck heading our way. I note my surroundings: grassy as far as I could see from down here, trees and shrubs on either side of where Thorn and Spike had left their black van on the dirt path. Desperately I try to shift his foot off me but that only causes Thorn to lean down dangerously close, his face mere inches from mine. With a flash of horror, I see that he had picked up the fallen knife that was now stained with some of Spike's blood, and was now pointing it at my neck, the edge of the blade pricking my skin.

"Listen Girlie," Thorn rasps. "I'm getting tired of these little stunts you're tryna' pull. So, I recommend you do exactly as I say. I ain't one to repeat myself, got it?"

I ball my hands into fist before deciding it was safer to do as he says. He smirks, clearly pleased with himself, and releases me from under his booted shoe.

"Now get up!" Thorn orders.

I glower at him but do as I'm told. He grips my arm and I feel him dig the blade's tip slightly into my back so that I could not move.

"In case you get any ideas," he whispers in my ear.

I grit my teeth, tempted to spit on his face. I hate him. I hate him so much! I think sourly.

While I stood there glowering, I hadn't noticed that a figure had stepped down from the truck and was now walking towards the three of us. I was considering punching him, not bothering to think about the consequences, when the tall figure stops only a few short metres in front of me.

"Well, well, well," the slender figure speaks, and I finally take notice.

I stare in utter horror, suddenly feeling as if I am being thrown back into the air, but this time I have fallen ten times harder on to the ground. I begin to step forward, but remembering the blade at my back, I think better of it. Instead, I continue to gaze in disbelief, not quite sure if what I'm seeing is real. If who I'm seeing is real.

"Mum?"

I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter, so don't be shy. Comment, and maybe a sneaky vote? ;)

3 CHAPTERS LEFT  I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Also, I'm looking for people to do banners for my chapters atm, so I'm happy to follow and dedicate a chapter to whoever offers :)

Thanks so much guys and I'll see you all next Friday <3