Threatening (Chapter-2)

We left the cafe and I remember that the girls wanted to go inside a shop. It was one that included witchcraft. It freaked me out, so I stayed outside and decided to wait for them. I thought that I would have a spell placed on me if they tried to sell me something and I told them that I didn't want it, so I stood outside with my bags and waited patiently for them drinking my strawberry milkshake. The shop gave me a bad feeling. I should have taken that seriously, but I generally thought that it was because of the shop itself. Little did I know that my intuition was warning me about what was lurking on the outside. 

My milkshake was cool as it slid down the back of my throat. I closed my eyes in appreciation. My throat was feeling sore. It came out of nowhere so the coldness was soothing. Nothing seemed off. I was standing there all by myself. It had been at least fifteen minutes since they had entered the store and I was starting to feel bored. Where are they I asked myself glancing inside the shop. I was tapping my foot minding my own business until a familiar yet unfamiliar voice entered my left ear.

"Why is such a beautiful lady standing outside a shop all by herself?" 

I didn't know what his accent was. It was the first time that I had actually noticed it compared to earlier on in the day when he initially approached me. His friends were stood next to him and he whafted his hand telling them that he would catch up with them later. He never did because I texted the girls and went to sit down with the boy who was slowly capturing me underneath his spell. We talked about my life and he told me who he was, that he had lived in Manchester all of his life. I did wonder how he could be born and raised in Manchester yet carry a strong accent but I put it down to his parents carrying the language. I didn't think to ask him that question as I told him everything about myself. I told him about my fun times, painful times and changes that I've done to make my situation more bearable. He told me his name- Darren. I asked him a couple of questions and he told me that his life didn't matter. He said that he would rather listen to my all so interesting story and threw his to the side. I didn't mind. Still, that was a red flag. Once again, I didn't pick up on it. 

I had placed myself in a very dangerous and vulnerable position and I didn't notice that until a member of staff who worked at the shopping center told us that they were getting ready to close. He was a security guard. I looked up at him and nodded my head nervously. Me and Darren stood up together and made our way outside not saying a word. When I text the girls, I didn't tell them where I was going. I just said that I was going to sit down and I will see them soon. I didn't think. The security guard locked the door from the inside and I smiled as I got ready to pull my phone out, only to find that it was gone. I didn't have any money for the phone box not that I knew anyones phone numbers. I had to come up with a new plan and that was to get on the train by myself. I did ask Darren if he had seen it. He told me that he hadn't and asked me if I knew the number. I didn't. I thought that he was genuine because if I had known the number then he would have rang it for me. I cursed underneath my breath. How stupid of me to fall for the guy who was standing next to me, still he looked adorable and sweet in my eyes as he gave me a friendly smile. As I say, he had tattoos and did have a darkness in his eyes but I also had the same darkness in mine. It surrounded me from my childhood and I wasn't a girl who judged the book by it's cover. In this instance it would have been for the better. I was telling myself off inside my mind. I wished that I would have learned someone's phone number off by heart but the sad truth was that I hadn't and my mother was useless. There was no use in me phoning her because she wouldn't send me a taxi or help. I knew that she was drunk. It was expected due to it being late. I had no chance. At this point I wanted to ask Darren politely to let me walk to the train station alone but I didn't want to offend him. I could never say no or stand up to anybody. That included those who would attack me then ask for forgiveness before doing it again and again. The sad truth was that everyone walked all over me and I took it. 

Darren told me that he would walk me to the train station because I didn't know my way to it. Me and my friends used a map on a phone to figure out our way earlier on in the day. As I say, I couldn't tell him no. Well inside my head I couldn't but if I did then I would have had a better chance of escaping him. Me and Darren talked all of the way to the train station. 

"This way." He told me grabbing my hand and I giggled struggling with the bags on my arms. I had over fifteen bags. I had saved up for this day right the way through lock down. I smiled at him and shook my head as he gave me a happy smile. I was interested in a getting to know Darren but the second that I saw a black van drive up an alleyway towards us I knew that I was in serious trouble. My smile turned to a panicking expression. Fear set in as I got ready to run. I knew that I needed to get away there and then. I tried to drag my hand out of his as arms wrapped around my waist and lifted me up off my feet from behind. The road was empty. Silent without a single person in sight. He had taken me to the back of the train station. I wasn't to know because it was my first time in Manchester. 

My bags dropped off my arms as I shook my head, kicking and screaming at the top of lungs. My eyes were wide. I was horrified. I hoped that somebody would hear my cries for help. Kidnappings were on the news all of the time but I never thought that I would be lured in. In all honesty I thought that I would know when something was wrong but I didn't. He was crafty and knew what he was doing. He had managed to get me. I should have listened to that feeling I had earlier on in the day. It had disappeared when I was with Darren. 

I was carried inside the back of the van and slammed down on my back. All the air was blown out of my lungs and I grasped trying to drag in as much cool air as I could possibly get. I knew in that moment that I couldn't be saved and I was going to be a missing person never to be found again. It was a lonely, upsetting and cold feeling. I didn't fight or try to get up. I lay there in the center of the black van floor alone as they slammed the door shut driving away. I couldn't think. It all happened so quickly. One second I was laughing and smiling with a boy I thought cared about me when in reality I was his target. Nobody may ever know what happened to me I thought to myself as tears slid down my face and I didn't know where I was going or who Darren truly was. I had given him all of my life history and I didn't know a thing about him. It was obvious that he had planned my kidnap because he knew my name and my mums name. Could my mum be involved in this? I asked myself. Truly, I didn't know what my mum was capable of. She was crazy when she had become intoxicated. She also told people too much information when she wouldn't think about what she was saying. 

I sat up in the van and wrapped my arms around my knees. I knew that there was no way that I could open the doors, still I decided to try. The latch on the inside had been snapped off and I sat back down deciding that it was for the best if I wait it out. I didn't know what was waiting for me on the other side. I knew that what I was facing wasn't going to be good.