The Beginning: In the Families Footsteps (A Terri Walker Series Book 1)

by Robert Segulin

  Laurie has been roughed up since she has been here, but I and she agrees with a little food she will get back to her old self, which we need now.

  She wasn’t eating because she felt that there was no way of escaping on her own and not that she gave up, but she was on her way to. That is, until I showed up. So, escape plan here we go.

  They didn’t bring any breakfast for us today, I thought that they are giving up on us. Well, I was wrong at noon the little girl came into the room carrying a tray with two plates on it. The plates were paper, first thought that went through my mind was ceramic or glass, would be better.

  She put the tray down in front of us and said, “sorry that I didn’t bring you any breakfast, there was some type of commotion and they didn’t tell me to give you any, then Carlos said, go feed them, we still may need them. And so, I brought this to you. Again, sorry but I can only do what they tell me to do.”

  I smiled and said, “don’t worry Rosa, we understand and hope that you will be well today. Is there any way that we can look out a window or go outside for fresh air?”

  Rosa quickly shook her head no and said, “they would never allow that, no one is to know where you are, or who you are. So, you stay here until they say differently.”

  We both nodded with an understanding nod.

  As Rosa was going back out the door, I noticed that what looked like an office, or something similar. It looked as if we are in a warehouse type building that has an office part attached to it.

  So, what I am thinking is that a business that has what is a warehouse or just maybe a storage area that was used for supplies or other items needed for what business is here or was.

  So, we are not in a building that is off the beaten path, but more than likely one that is right in the middle of the city. They are hiding us in plain sight!

  So, all this time I and Laurie felt that we were outside of the city in some abandoned building, when we are probably right next door to Mikhail’s condo.

  Now I must readjust my thinking of how to get out, and not worry about what to do when out. I thought that we would have a long walk to civilization, but now I feel not.

  I went closer to Laurie as we ate and asked her, “did at any time you think or feel that you were really closer to the city than you originally thought?”

  She gave me a look and said, “why yes, sometimes I would hear a plane or loud engine noise when the door would open, but I thought that it was just them driving in and out of the warehouse that I was being kept in. And about a window or going out for air, that gave me the idea that they don’t want anyone seeing me but that I would see others around and try to yell out. I know that this room is pretty much sound proof by not hearing the same noise that I heard when the door was open.”

  We looked at each other then and I gave her a wink as I took the paper plate that was usually thrown into a trash can near the door. I folded it up in the shape of a knife. Laurie then immediately took hers and did the same.

  I then said softly, “we need to keep these and build them stronger together because when we do decide that the time is right to go, we need any type of weapon we can get, and these plates are a start, since they take the plastic forks and knives away after we eat.”

  Laurie said, “Terri, I did think of that, but I was so abused at times that I could hardly walk or even talk. I decided that I would have to wait for help or possibly just die. But now you are here and even though we are in the same position, as captives, together we will get out of here.”

  So now together we will devise a plan, a good plan too. We are very highly trained field agents and should on our own be able to, but with even better odds of success now that we are together. We now will hatch a plan and implement it too.

  Chapter 37

  While Laurie and I were making the plan that will get us out of our prison, back at headquarters things were moving fast. Mikhail gave up all that he knows of the new organization but was hesitant to tell all his families business. “Loyalty” he said, “was the only form of honor to my family.”

  Mikhail gave all that he knew of any of the other places that they may hide people, especially Carlos’s safe houses, warehouse, for storing his products, drugs that is, and any other office building or even farm.

  Jenny was now going over all the video that she could find on the day of what she feels was when I was taken and the approximate area and beyond. I know she will not give up her search.

  The General made calls to the different covert units in the area and while he was doing that Charlie had drones in the air following the path that he felt could have been used by me, and an approximate connection to any of the places that Mikhail gave us information on.

  Jenny was viewing the video that was to be around the college. Every school has many cameras that are fixed on people coming and going in the buildings and driving in and out. But there was no video, all was erased from that day. Jenny then thought that they were dealing with a highly sophisticated group and that she may never find a video to give her a starting place where I was, so she could then follow that to hopefully where Laurie and I are at now.

  The General has brought together ten six-man units and was in the process of dividing up the city. Each unit had a specific duty, and the first duty of them all was to locate all places that were housing the infantry people, those that are their Hench men, or hired guns.

  Each unit was to locate the enemy first and hopefully as they do, they would also locate both missing agents. Priority is and always will be protect the county at all costs.

  Charlie had a drone that he was flying himself. He put his sister’s way of doing things into his own thought and felt that with his closeness and having her under his command for some time now that he could guess her next move from the area where her body guards were killed.

  Charlie flew his drone over the area in front of the college main entrance, the same area where his sister started from, he assumes. The across an open field that was used for a rally that day. Charlie knew that she would do her best to blend in as she was moving to any are that provided safety. He then saw that not far from the field was a guard hut, the same one that had a dead guard and a phone line cut. Now he knew that is where she would have gone then took off again away from that place.

  We found her phone in a trash container near the guard hut and next to that was a walking path through a wooded area. Yes, Charlie thought walk slowly and hopefully with a disguise that she would have picked up along the way. Now Charlie flew his drone over the area that he felt she went and at the end was street. That street went to the road of the college and away towards the city. So, Charlie now feels he has a good idea of what direction that she went in. So, Charlie motioned for Jenny to come over and look at what he may have found, a starting spot to now look for clues to where she went next.

  Jenny then went back to her search of videos but now she has a much better idea of where to look for where cameras were mounted so that she could tap into there video storage units.

  As Jenny browsed the videos, she came upon one that was used not far from the college road that was overseeing a four way stop. Probably because of so many accidents they need to have video to authorize having more police presence there.

  Jenny then shouted to Charlie and the General, “I have found her starting point away from the college.”

  They all came and viewed it. What they were now watching was me being surrounded by six men. Then the fight! As the confrontation was happening between me and the attackers, the general gave a chuckle and said, “that is why I had her go on this assignment, she can take care of herself.”

  Then the hit from behind and a van pull up and drag her limp body into it. What was obvious was that she was alive, knocked out yes, but still alive. Then Jenny said I will follow that van as far as I can and while I do that check the plates for who owns that van. Everyone nodded, and they were off.

  Chapter 38

  I asked Laurie, “how are you fe
eling now that you aren’t being abused and have eaten something?”

  She responded with, “I feel so much better mentally and physically. The food and no abuse helped, but what help the most was seeing you again.”

  We both smiled and continued to form our weapons and look around the room for any other possible item that can be used for a weapon or some how to get out of here.

  I told Laurie, “what we have to do is station ourselves on either side of the door. When Rosa or one of our captors open the door, we have to look fast and try and see what we can that is about this place.”

  “Is it a working office, or possibly one that has been closed and still has remnants of what it was. That way we hopefully can see a name or symbol of the business, or possibly it may have been an apartment complex, school, restaurant, or some other type of place that we may have seen from the outside before.” I continued with.

  Then with so many thoughts running through my head I said, “If by chance it is a familiar building whether it is still a functioning building or business, or one that has been abandoned and left unoccupied, one not completely empty now because it is occupied by not only our captors, but us too.”

  Laurie and I searched every inch of the room that we were in. We looked for anything and did come up with some little things as in, some broken glass, plastic bags, and a few other items that it being alone a little force to use in our escape, but put together in a way, these items could be our salvation in obtaining our freedom.

  After a few hours of searching and working on some idea of how we can get out, the door opened and in came Rosa with our dinner.

  While she was coming in the room, Laurie looked in the direction that she could see and the same I in mine. Together after Rosa goes, we will eat our meal and tell each other of what we possibly saw or what we feel we did.

  Laurie started with, “Terri, I think that this is a current type of business. Not much on the outside of our door but what I could tell is that beyond another set of doors I saw motion through the frosted glass.”

  I said, “I feel that I saw the same. When our door was opened, I could see another door across the room open and for a moment I think that I saw a sign or symbol of a fish. Maybe we are in a restaurant or a seafood house, or even a warehouse that is still in use or not, the type of business does not matter as much as is it still in use as it was to be, or just a place to hide themselves and us.”

  We both became excited at the idea that we are doing something to get out and that made us both motivated to get more information and make better and more deadly items to attack our captors. And hopefully soon.

  We finished our food and immediately Rosa came back in to retrieve our trays. Now I know that they are watching us when we eat, maybe so they can see if we take a utensil or just for watching. I need more information on their habits of when and how long that they watch us and listen to us.

  I asked Rosa in a whisper, “are they always watching and listening to us?”

  She didn’t say much but said, “not when you sleep.” Then left the room.

  I then said to Laurie, “according to Rosa they don’t care about us at night when they see us sleeping, so that is when we get closer to talk and plan. We need to find a place also that we can hide our weapons that we are making.”

  Laurie smiled and pointed to the thin mattresses that we lay on. And with a motion like slicing it and made the motion of then spreading the mattress open and putting our stuff inside. I always loved to play charades when I was home during holidays or parties.

  I smiled and nodded with an OK, and we stayed away from each other and would do hand gestures when we wanted to communicate. Something in the same way as sign language. We learned a short hand type at training.

  So, now we plan and wait, wait for the exact right time to make our move.

  Chapter 39

  Jenny got a good shot of the van driving down a street then it just disappeared from any other camera.

  She quickly called Charlie who at the time was maneuvering the drone over a different area. Jenny told Charlie the co-ordinance that she needed a fly over and to take a good picture of the area. Jenny felt that with a picture from above that she could get a good idea of where or how the van disappeared. She thought that possibly it could have entered a parking garage for one of the many buildings around or is parked in plain sight behind a building or tucked along side one.

  Within minutes Charlie was flying the drone over the area that Jenny needed a picture from.

  As soon as he took a picture, he sent it directly to her computer. She now had more information and soon she feels that she just might have an approximate location of where me and Laurie were taken to.

  The General was already getting two units to that area and more in route from other locations that have not been useful in gathering any information of the organizations and their where about.

  Charlie came right away to Jenny’s work station to hopefully get some great news about the location that we were taken to.

  General Kelly also was standing with anticipation at Jenny’s desk, and all together gave out a gasp when Jenny pointed to a van parked near a building with a fish on it.

  The building seemed to have some activity around it since the cameras were taking their videos of the area. But the building also looks to be not a retail business type, but more of an outlet or warehouse. The fish we will find out about after Jenny runs a report of all business on that street.

  Hopefully with it looking to be some type of fish market or wholesaler someone will be inside that we can talk to or for a better word, interrogate.

  Chapter 40

  Laurie and I have made up some real crude weapons. They look to be from the stone age, but they should do what we want then to do.

  The paper plates we folded them and inserted a piece of glass that we found and had a very small piece of packing tape to hold everything together. These crude knives that we made will be good for one stab and after that it will be up to our martial arts training and shear will power and the desire to survive.

  Neither one of us are even thinking that a rescue is coming so we both decided that we will do what we were trained for and escape by our skills and determination to be free.

  Soon we will be getting our meal brought in by Rosa, and again when she does, we will be stationed at out post and observe all that we can of the next room or rooms.

  When Rosa came in with our trays, she had a look of fear on her face. I asked her, “what seems to be bothering you today, Rosa?”

  She answered with, “I am being told that I will not be needed after tomorrow and that they will send me to another place to work for them.”

  I said, “do you have any idea of what will be done with us? Are we also being moved?”

  Rosa shook her head and said, “just me, you two will stay, I think. They said not a word of your fate.”

  I looked at Laurie and we both knew that nothing good is going to happen to us after tomorrow.

  I then said to Laurie, “girl, we better be prepared by tonight for what they have in mind for us. We need to have everything ready and a plan that will work. Or maybe we should just wing it as it is, because we really don’t have much information of what lies behind these walls and the next one. I have a feeling that they won’t care to much about us for tonight so that is why we will get moving on what else we can use to help us get out.”

  Laurie didn’t say a word she just nodded with a yes and went back to work on a knife that she was making. It seems that she has a purpose that she is making sure that the glass is tight.

  I took a plastic bag and tied a small length of a rope to each handle. I know that it won’t be air tight, but it should give the person that I put it over their head a fear that they will be suffocated. A few extra seconds can be what is needed to grab their weapon or just knock them out.

  We both ate quickly because we first needed all the strength that we can get, and to be ready just in case some
one decides to have a little fun with us tonight, like the terrorist.

  After we were done with our food, we put our weapons that we made under our thin mats. We decided that it would be better to finish working on them after they feel we were sleeping. But we both had a home-made knife in reach in case trouble arises from one or more of the men that have us captive.

  It was close to the time that they would feel we were sleeping and then the door knob on the door started to turn. Thought that it was not Rosa coming back for anything, the only thought that I now had was that the men are not going to wait until tomorrow.

  I looked at Laurie and she slowly reached for her knife. I was just about to do the same when the door opened and in comes our favorite terrorist.

  Laurie’s face turned cold and he saw that and said, “don’t worry my pretty American, I am not going to do you any harm tonight. I want you two to think about all the fun we will have tomorrow. Once most of the men leave, you two and I will have fun. Then what happens to you will be only my choice.”

  He laughed as he came a little closer to Laurie, she was not frightened at all with his words or him coming right at her. I feel that she has had enough of his abuse and soon he will be the first that she kills in her revenge of these people that have taken us.

  As he approached her, he kept saying over and over, “you want this.” As he rubbed his hands over his chest as if that was what Laurie wanted.

  But what I feel that Laurie really wanted was to see this man lay dead in a pool of blood on the floor in front of her.

  Then just when he was about two feet in front of her, Laurie moved closer to him and with a smile on her face said, “oh you are so right, I do want you. But not in the way that you think I do.”