THIRTY-SEVEN
Austin
I sat in the living room, staring blankly at the television while waiting for Brooke and the others to return. Many different emotions, some I’d never felt before, whipped through my mind.
When the door opened, I sat up, desperately wanting to see her face. Teddy came inside, followed by Brian. They both rushed by, heading toward their bedroom.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I called after them as I stood up. “Where’s Brooke?”
I glanced at the open door, hoping she would walk through. After walking over and looking outside, I realized she hadn’t arrived with them. Fuck!
As I ran to Teddy’s bedroom, I saw him standing with a tablet in his hands. Brian stood at his side, peering at the screen. Both looked up as I came in.
“Sorry, Austin. I tried to stop them, but there were too many of them.”
“Who?” I asked, ready to bash skulls. “Was it that frat-fuck and his friends?”
“No,” Brian said. “Some guy with a mohawk and a bunch of other people.”
I tilted my head to the side and looked at Teddy for clarification.
“Don’t worry,” he said, still looking at the screen. “I dropped my phone in her backpack before we ran.”
“How the hell is that going to help?” I asked.
He held up the tablet.
“I’ve got an app that tracks my phone in case I lose it.”
“He loses it a lot,” Brian added.
I walked over to them.
“Where is she now?”
“It’s not super exact, it’s a free app, but I think she’s in the park.”
“The big one?”
I saw a red, flashing dot on the map.
“There?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Let’s go,” I said.
“Wait.” Teddy pulled his phone out of his pocket. “We need to call the police.”
“There’s no time.”
I headed toward the bedroom door.
“Hold on, bro,” Teddy said. “Let me call the cops and we’ll go at the same time.”
“Tell them to hurry. It sounds like the guy who rushed into her house the other day. I took him out with one punch. He’s not going to be a problem. I’m going.”
“He’s got dozens of people with him. Some of them had bats.”
“I don’t care. She means more to me than anything else in the world.”
“Okay,” Teddy said.
“There’s not enough time. I’m afraid they’re going to hurt her.”
“You go scout it out, and we’ll meet you there,” Brian said. “We got this, bro.”
Did Brian just call me bro?
“Alright,” I said. “But if the cops don’t show up, I’m going to get her myself.”
“We’ll be there,” Teddy said.
I left the house and ran toward the park north of campus. With each step, my love for her grew even deeper. If something happened to her, I would be devastated, crushed, no longer able to function in society. Nothing was going to happen.
* * *
After running the long way around, I carefully made my way into the group of trees at the edge of the park. They were nowhere in sight as I crept forward, keeping hidden from view.
Was Teddy wrong? Maybe the app…
I spotted them building a fire in the burn pit a few hundred yards away. An RV was parked in the grass. Loud music blared out of it.
Where was she? Dammit!
My anger and frustration grew as I watched them. My phone rang, startling me.
“Shit,” I mumbled.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey, Austin. It’s me. The cops are on their way. We’re coming too, with Trey. Where you at?”
“Trying to hide,” I snapped. “I should have turned my phone off. You have the map of where they are, right?”
“Yeah, but where are you?”
“I’m in the trees on the north side of the park. They’re a hundred yards away, maybe more. I’ll meet you guys in the north parking lot, okay?”
“Yeah, we’re on our way.”
I ended the call and turned my phone off. After watching another few seconds and not seeing any sign of Jocelyn, I walked to the parking lot to meet up with Teddy, Brian and Trey.
“Where are the police?”
“On their way,” Trey said.
“I’m not standing around here waiting on them. I think she’s in the RV, I don’t like that I can’t see her.” Or what’s happening to her, I thought grimly.
“She’s probably in there,” Brian said. “That’s where I would keep her if I was dumb enough to kidnap someone.”
“There’s some crazy people in the world,” I said, shaking my head. “You guys wait here for the cops, I’m going in.”
“No way man, we’re here as backup,” Teddy said.
Brian nodded and Trey agreed.
“We’ve got this.”
* * *
When the man with a Mohawk exited the RV, I took off running through the woods. My plan was to come out on the side facing away from everyone, but I left the woods early.
No one noticed me as Trey, Brian and Teddy entered loudly from the other side of the field. They made it sound like there were twenty of them instead of three. I hoped the cops got here before the crowd got to them and realized they were only a trio. I saw a lot of the other people moving toward them hesitantly. Fifty yards away, I increased my speed.
I heard both groups of people yelling at each other. Forty yards. Just a little bit longer. The thought of Brooke in trouble gave me a burst of energy. Thirty yards.
A gunshot rang out. What the hell? I didn’t slow down. Everyone scattered in different directions. Fuck! Twenty Yards. Ten. Zero.
I rushed up the ladder on the back of the RV, staying low as I crawled across the roof. The yelling and commotion from the others helped hide the noise I was making.
When I glanced out at the field, I saw a man brandishing a gun. He waved it into the air and fired again, laughing hysterically.
“I am the law!” he shouted.
At the center of the RV’s roof, I saw a hatch. I pulled the handle, sighing in relief as it swung open. I glanced down, but didn’t see anyone.
I sat in the opening and grabbed the other side with my hands to hold myself as I jumped down. As soon as I landed, I crouched into a fighting stance.
When I didn’t see anyone in the front half of the RV, I rushed down the hall to the back.
“Brooke?” I called out.
No answer. I kicked the bathroom door open and glanced around. Nothing.
Fuck!
I looked down the hall toward the front. Still seeing no one, I moved to the very back of the RV with a door to what was probably a bedroom.
“Brooke?” I called out, turning the doorknob.
The door was locked. I took a few steps back then rushed toward the door. It opened when I hit it with my arm. I saw Brooke passed out on a bed.
No!
I went to her.
“Brooke?” I asked, lightly slapping her cheek. “Wake up, Brooke.”
She was still breathing, which was good. Had they drugged her? Before I figured it out, I heard the man with the gun calling out from the front of the RV.
“Come on out, football boy. I want to play with you.”
I stood up and glanced down at Brooke. If I rushed the freak with a gun and he shot me, my football career might be over forever. On the other hand – Brooke.
The thought of her made up my mind in less than a second. I took a deep breath, preparing to run down the hall and tackle him before he got a shot off.
If I got lucky, it might actually work.
One more breath. You got this.
“I’m coming for you!” he yelled in a sing-song voice.
Before I had a chance to take off toward him, I heard another voice.
“Police! Drop the weapon!”
“Fuck you!” he yelled back.
Then he screamed bloody murder.
“You tazed me bro! Why did you taze me?”
“Anyone else in here?”
“Back here,” I yelled. “My hands are up, and I don’t have a weapon. Someone is hurt.”
A second later, two officers entered the bedroom.
“Hands up,” one shouted.
“They’re up!” I said, moving them for emphasis.
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing. I just wasn’t willing to wait for you guys.”
“Why don’t they ever wait?” He mumbled. “Hey, aren’t you Austin King?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait a minute…That’s Brooke, isn’t it? The woman you love so much you gave up football?”
“Apparently you read my letter,” I said. “Will you please call someone to help her?”
“Everyone read that letter kid.” He bent down and spoke into his walkie, putting his gun away. “We’ve got an unconscious female inside the RV, requesting EMS.”
He looked back at me and I put my arms down. “They’ll be here in a second. I still want to question you though. Let’s move outside, give them some space to work.”
“Fine, but can you tell me something, was anyone hurt outside? I heard a gunshot.” I began walking toward him, sad to leave Brooke, but understanding she needed more help than I could give her.
As we walked outside EMS rushed past me. “No one was hurt, just some idiot with a gun, shooting into the air.”
Well at least that was something.
This night had been a nightmare.