The rustling of the bushes behind my back prompted my jittery demeanor, and the ropes secured around my ankles and wrists didn’t improve my comfort level. I wiggled, squirmed, and tugged, but there was no hope. With my eyes bound shut by some sort of cloth that smelt of damp mud, all I could do was smell and hear. As for my sense of touch, all I could feel were my hands compressed together. Suddenly, the ground was crunching beneath someone’s weight. They were…coming for me?

My heart began to take flight and it wanted to be anywhere but in my chest. I was so disorientated; I couldn’t scream. How did I get here?

Someone grabbed my shoulders and I abruptly felt like my life was in jeopardy. Strong hands swept over my neck bringing with them feelings of urgency and something I couldn’t quite understand. Seconds later the cloth was lifted from my eyes. Everything was a black hole, specs of white and black did an exasperating dance around my pupils until I focused in on him.
My stomach did a flip and a flop. His sandy blonde hair settled across his clammy face while his light brown eyes pierced mine. With that freckle below his left eye, his crooked smile, his strong jaw, and it was obvious that he had a lean build as he stood before me, but I could never tell from his profile picture. He was supposed to be my friend and here I was being held against my will in the middle of a forest. My mouth tried to form words, but all I managed was a weak whimper.

“Hush, don’t speak,” A sinister smile broke across his face as he pressed his index finger to my lips, “or this rag will find its way around your mouth.” While he removed his finger from my mouth I made a silent promise to myself that if he ever laid his finger on my mouth again, I would bite it off. Where was he going with this?

Tom was supposed to be my friend. I had met him through a well-known online networking system by the name of Facebook. Even though we had no mutual friends, I thought he was attractive and so I accepted his friend request. The next day he messaged me and the rest is history. By the looks of it, this might be where my history ends.

A pained look shown upon Tom’s face and I desperately wanted it to disappear. He was remembering something, and it was obvious that he already wanted to forget the memory. In that moment Tom’s features distorted into something sinister. He clenched his jaw and reached into his left pocket. Immediately I began to struggle; he was going to kill me. A pocket knife was visible in his left hand and my head began to spin. I was breathing too fast and my thoughts were a blur. In a frantic manner, I began looking for a way out. The sweat was trickling down my forehead and hot tears were gathering in my eyes. No! Not now Grace, get the f*** up and save yourself! No tears!

“Don’t run beautiful.” He took the knife in his right hand and dug it into the palm of his hand immediately drawing his own blood. This man was beautifully twisted and I felt like I was going to puke. As he began to bend down to meet me face to face, I felt the rope around my wrists give a little, but as the rope gave, I also felt it seep into my skin.

“What are you going to do with me?” I just had to know.
“You say that like I’m a killer.” He cocked his head to the side and tightened his lips into a straight line.
Aren’t you? “You have me tied up in the middle of nowhere and you’re holding a knife.” It took all I had not to scream when I squeaked the word ‘knife’. I began to twist my wrists in a circular motion behind my back hoping the knot would loosen up enough for me to slip out.

“Grace, I just want to help you. You always complained about your family in our messages. ‘My dad’s a cheat’ you’d say. ‘My mom’s a mess’, and ‘My sister is always sneaking out.’ You told me that you wanted to get away from it all, and here I am,” he caressed my face, “saving you.” Holy.
“Yes. I’m saving you. That is what I’m doing. I’m here to save you. I’m a good person, I am.” He said this to himself as he stood up and turned his back to me. I felt the mud building up on my behind as began to scoot away from him and yank at the ropes once more.

Suddenly, he spun around and put the knife to his own neck.
“Don’t run from me Grace! How could you do that to me? I’m here to save you. I did this for you.” I could see it in his eyes that he meant what he said. A mixture of sadness and pure terror churned about in my stomach. Was he here to kill me…or himself? As he pushed the knife against his neck there was a light in his eyes. The light was getting brighter and brighter until it swallowed his face. I screamed at the top of my lungs as he hit the ground. A flashlight rolled around on the dirt in front of Tom and I heard frantic footsteps coming towards me. Someone launched a flashlight at Tom’s head, but in a matter of seconds Tom began to move again.
“Grace…” he said dazed.
I lost it instantaneously. “Help me! Please!” I sobbed.
Tom was on all fours trying to get off the ground. Whoever threw the flashlight had a good arm and with their arms, there they were scooping me up.
“Hurry!” I choked.
The figure grunted and carried me away.
“Grace! I swear I’ll find you!” Tom shouted. “I’ll rescue you. I will. I swear, I will. They are wicked, yes they are. They are holding Grace captive. Tom must save Grace and he will.”