by Moxham, Paul
Joe scowled at the man in charge. “Let me go or else I’ll report you to the police!”
The man gazed back at him. “Why were you spying on us?”
“I wasn’t spying,” Joe replied.
“Where are the others?” the man asked.
“I don’t know,” Joe replied.
The boss man turned to his companions. “Take the sedan and bring back the others.”
The two men nodded and hurried to the blue car. As the engine started, the boss man took Joe’s arm and led him to the van. “Since you are so eager to spy on us, I’ll let you meet Ronald.”
“So there is a prisoner!” Joe blurted out. A second later, he regretted what he had said, but it was too late.
The boss man grimly smiled. “I knew I was right. I’ve always disliked children. They always seem to be interfering in business that has nothing to do with them. Just like you.” He opened the door to the van. “Up you go.”
Joe did as he was told and saw that the furniture van didn’t contain any furniture at all. What it did contain however was a small, red car. Sitting on the floor behind the car was a middle aged man with sandy coloured hair. This, Joe presumed, was Ronald. His wrists were handcuffed in front of him.
“I don’t have any rope so I can’t tie you up, but if you try to escape, I’m sure I’ll think of something I can do to make this experience worse than it already is,” the boss man stated.
“What are you going to do with me?” Joe asked.
“If you behave yourself, I’ll let you go soon,” the man replied.
Joe sighed and sat down beside Ronald as the boss man leapt down and slammed the van door shut.
Fortunately, the small window in the vehicle provided some light so Joe was able to move about without fear of bumping into things. Though, this hardly mattered since the car took up most of the floor space in the van. He glanced at his companion. “The boss man told me your name is Ronald, nothing else. How long have you been a prisoner?”
“Since last night,” Ronald replied. “Why have they locked you up?”
Joe quickly told the man what had transpired. How they had become suspicious and how he had returned to the van to try and find out what was going on.
“What do you think happened to the girls?” Ronald asked.
“I’m not sure,” Joe confessed. “It all depends on what they heard while waiting for me on the other side of the hedge.” He studied the handcuffs that were around the man’s wrists. “Is it uncomfortable having to wear those?”
Ronald grimaced. “It’s not the best feeling in the world, but when there is nothing you can do about something, the best thing is not to think about it. Which is what I’ve been trying to do. If the men had tied me up, you could have untied me but, unless you’re a magician, there’s no way these handcuffs are coming off anytime soon.”
Joe sighed. “I have to agree with you there. So, why did the men kidnap you?”
“They want that red car in front of you,” Ronald replied. “And, since I know how to operate all aspects of it, they took me hostage.”
Joe stood up and examined the vehicle. “What’s so special about this car?”
“It can do things other cars can’t,” Ronald replied. “For one, it can go underwater.”
Joe’s eyes widened in astonishment. “So it’s half submarine and half car.”
“It’s more than that,” Ronald stated. “However, it’s only in its early development stage, and some of the features may not be seen by the public for a number of years, if ever. You see, this vehicle was designed for purely government purposes.”
“For spies?” Joe asked, sitting back down beside the man.
Ronald nodded. “Yes, which I suppose is why these men are after it. They probably plan to sell the vehicle to a foreign country.”
“I don’t suppose you know anything about them?” Joe asked.
Ronald thought for a moment. “I don’t know much. For most of the time they speak in a language other than English. However, when I first saw them, they spoke English with a faint accent and told me their names. Whether or not they are their real names is anyone’s guess. Anyway, the boss is Vlad, the bald man is Kiril, and the youngish man is Yuri.”
“Did anyone see you being kidnapped?” Joe asked. “Someone who would contact the police?”
Ronald shook his head. “No, I’m afraid not. I was working late at the government facility and was getting the car ready for a test run the following morning when the three men walked in. They told me they were from headquarters and that Mr Edwards, my superior, wanted to look at the car personally before the test run began. So, with their help, I loaded the car into this van. The next thing I knew, I was tied up and the van was travelling down a busy road. I don’t even know how far I’ve travelled. I tried to keep awake, but after a few hours, I fell asleep. When the sun shone through the window I awoke and found we had stopped, but soon after the van was on the move again. Whereabouts are we?”
“Near Rosehill,” Joe replied. “On the south west coast of England. Where did you start from?”
“The government facility is roughly two hours north of Cardiff,” Ronald said. “So, either the men stopped somewhere to rest while I was sleeping, or they took the back roads to avoid any roadblocks.”
“I’d say they didn’t stop much,” Joe replied, “otherwise Yuri wouldn’t have drifted off to sleep.”
“So that’s what he was doing,” Ronald said. “After the others left to buy a tyre and Yuri was left on guard, I didn’t hear anything from him for a while and then I heard a girl’s voice. I knew then that this could be my chance to escape, so that’s when I tried banging up against the side of the van and calling out.”
Joe nodded. “That’s what we heard. But what I can’t understand is why it didn’t sound louder.”
Ronald sighed. “That’s because of me. I not only designed the car, but also this van. The sides of this vehicle are extremely thick. It was designed to be bullet proof and thus protect anyone inside from bullets, but it also meant that it was fairly sound proof.”
“I see. That explains it. I just couldn’t understand why I could only hear a thumping noise and…” Joe suddenly paused as he heard something. It was a car approaching. He wondered if it was the sedan coming back. As the vehicle came to a stop beside the van, he listened intently for any sound that would indicate that the girls had been captured and, for a moment or two, when he heard only the men speaking, his hopes were raised.
But then, a few moments later, the van door was flung open and Amy and Sarah were roughly shoved into the vehicle. Seeing Joe, they ran over and hugged him.
As the van door slammed shut, Joe glanced towards Ronald. “These are my sisters, Amy and Sarah. Oh, and my name’s Joe.” As the boy saw Sarah rubbing her leg, he frowned. “Did the men hurt you?”
“No,” Sarah replied. “It’s just a scratch. I tripped over a branch while trying to run away from the men. I’m more worried about what the men are going to do with us.”
Joe briefly told the girls what the boss man had told him about letting him go and then also explained why the men had captured Ronald.
Just as he had finished talking, a car engine started. It was the sedan.
As the noise decreased in volume, Joe turned to the girls. “They must be searching for Will.”
“Then maybe this is the time to escape.” Amy made her way to the van door and attempted to open it. But she couldn’t.
“What about the window?” Sarah questioned.
Joe shook his head as he studied the small window that overlooked the hedge. “I can’t see any way to open it, but even if we did, it’s too small to crawl through, not to mention too high up.”
Suddenly, without any warning, the van’s engine sprang to life and, a few moments later, the vehicle moved forward.
“What’s going on?” Sarah asked.
“The men must have decided to split up,” Joe said. “If they thought Will
was heading to the police station, they wouldn’t know if he was going to Rosehill or Sandy Bay. But, by splitting up, they could cover both scenarios.”
“How much time do you think has passed since Will left us?” Amy questioned.
“It has to be at least fifteen minutes,” Joe replied, “so there’s a good chance he’s speaking to a police officer right now.”
~
Not only had the flat tyre slowed Will down, but he had made a huge mistake. He had cycled down a road which he thought would have led to Rosehill. However, it had been quite the opposite and he had to turn around and cycle back to the intersection and then go down another road.
Will almost considered stopping at a house and telling whoever answered the door the situation he was in, but that would probably only complicate matters and waste valuable time. Besides, it wasn’t as though the situation was desperate.
Like Joe, he had thought that the men had acted weirdly, but there could still be a logical explanation for everything. And, if Joe managed to get the registration number of the van while he was away, then even if the men had disappeared by the time he returned with the police, the officers could still search for the van if they so desired.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a vehicle coming along the road behind him. He looked behind him and saw a van rounding the corner.
Will brought his bicycle to a stop. He would wave down the van and explain to the driver that he needed to get to the police station.
As the vehicle came closer, an uneasy feeling crept over him. The van looked exactly like the one with the flat tyre.
As he caught sight of the driver, Will realised with dismay that it was, in fact, the same one because Vlad was driving it.
Since there was no way to go faster than the vehicle, especially since he had a flat tyre, he decided to abandon his bicycle and run on foot.
As he leapt off his bicycle and ran down the road, the van roared after him. As it closed in on him, he realised he only stood a chance if he ran where the van couldn’t go. Glancing around, he spotted a low stone wall on the left of him.
A few moments later, he had climbed over it and was running as fast as he could across the field. Apart from some horses in the far corner, it was empty. As he ran, he looked behind him and saw that he was being pursued.
Vlad had brought the van to a stop beside the wall and was now chasing him.
Riding the bicycle earlier had taken its toll on Will and he knew he couldn’t sustain the pace for very long. Which meant that he couldn’t continue to run across field after field. He needed to change his plan.
So, as he reached the end of the field and climbed over the wall, he headed towards a farmhouse in the distance. He didn’t think Vlad would pursue him once he was speaking to the farmer, so that was his destination.
Panting and puffing, Will glanced behind him. He was happy to see that the man hadn’t decreased the distance between them. Which meant that as long as he sustained his effort for just a little longer, everything would be okay.
With his chest heaving too and fro, Will reached the farmhouse door. With a last burst of energy, he pounded on the wooden door. A moment later, he fell to his knees, completely and utterly exhausted.
As the seconds ticked by and no one answered, he struggled to his feet and banged again. This time he also yelled out. “Help me!”
As Will heard footsteps on the gravel, he peered around. Vlad was closing fast. As much as he didn’t want to give in, there was no way he could run away. If only someone had been home. But they hadn’t been. And now he would have to face the consequences.
~
Five minutes later, Joe and the girls were comforting Will. As much as they had wanted their friend to succeed in his mission, they were still happy to see him since it meant they were now together again.
As the van sped down the country lanes, the children, along with Ronald, tried to think of a way out of the bad situation in which they now found themselves.
As the vehicle suddenly came to a stop after only travelling for five minutes, they wondered what was going on. Hearing the driver’s door slam, they expected the rear door to be opened a moment later. But, when this didn’t happen, Joe turned to the others. “It seems as though Vlad has left us.”
“But what for?” Amy asked.
“If only we could see where we were,” Sarah piped up.
“But of course!” Will said. “We just have to look through the window.”
Sarah frowned. “But how are we going to do that? The window is too high.”
“Not if we work together.” Will strode over to the window. “If I stand here, you should be able to see through the window after Joe hoists you up onto my shoulders.”
“Why me?” Sarah asked.
“Because you’re the lightest,” Will replied. “Come on, let’s do this before the man returns.”
And so, a minute later, with the children working together, Sarah peered through the window. Once she had seen enough, Joe helped his sister down.
“So, what did you see?” Joe asked.
“We’re parked next to some trees,” Sarah replied. “I couldn’t see any houses, but I saw a building in the distance which I remember seeing as we cycled out of Rosehill.”
“Maybe Vlad went to pick up some supplies for the journey ahead,” Ronald said.
“Quite possible, but what about the other two men?” Will questioned. “Where are they?”
“Well, maybe after they split up to go searching for you, they arranged to meet back in Rosehill,” Amy suggested.
Joe nodded. “Yes, that’s also possible. Either way, Vlad must have parked the van here so that if we called out for help, no one would hear us. Unfortunately the walls of this vehicle are extra thick, why is which we couldn’t hear Ronald yelling out.”
“Shouldn’t we give it a try anyway?” Sarah said. “For all we know there could be a woman walking a dog or a child riding their bicycle. After all, we did hear Ronald. It was faint, but we still heard him.”
“You’re right,” Joe agreed. “On the count on three shout help as loud as you can. One, two, three!”
Everyone, including Ronald shouted out. As the seconds passed and there was no reply, they shouted again. Still no response. After trying for a third time, they abandoned this idea.
The children then tried using their strength against the van door, but it stayed firm.
Sarah sighed. “I give up. We’re not going to get out of here.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Joe muttered.
“Why?” Will asked “Do you have another idea?”
“A possible one.” Joe turned to Ronald. “I suppose the men took the car keys from you before they put you in here.”
Ronald nodded. “They did. However, there is a spare key attached to a magnet behind the number plate. But as you can see, I can’t exactly drive with these handcuffs.”
Joe nodded. “I agree with you there, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show one of us how to drive it.”
“But what good would that do when we’re inside this van which is locked?” Amy asked.
“We could smash through the door,” Joe said. “I’m sure the car is stronger than the door.”
Ronald nodded. “Yes, even though the door, like the walls, are insulated, the material is lighter so I think the car could smash through it.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Joe questioned.
Will quickly found the key and Ronald showed him how to drive while Joe watched on. Meanwhile, the girls listened out for the return of Vlad.
“Shall I start the engine?” Will said, after Ronald had finished talking.
“Wait, I just remembered something.” Ronald pointed to two planks of wood which lay on the floor of the van. “We used that wood as a ramp to get the car into the van.”
“So what are you saying?” Joe asked. “That we need the ramp?”
Ronald nodded. “I can’t say for sure what would hap
pen if we went through the doors without a ramp, so I think it’s too much of a risk. I’d never forgive myself if anything happened to you children.”
“But this might be our last chance to escape,” Joe said. “If we don’t try something, the men will disappear with the car forever.”
Ronald nodded. “Yes, that could happen, but the value of this car is nothing compared to a human life, especially since it has a number of problems and I’m not even sure how much longer I’ll be working on it.”
Will sighed. “So our plan is doomed.” He took the key out of the ignition and handed it to the man.
“You keep it in your pocket in case the situation changes later,” Ronald said.
Suddenly, Amy called out. “I hear someone approaching.”
“Shall we call out in case it isn’t the man?” Sarah suggested.
Joe nodded. “Yes, let’s do that.”
Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Vlad. He took a moment to glance at everyone. “I just thought I’d tell you to get comfortable. We still have quite a distance to go. However, once we reach our destination, you’ll be able to have a rest in one of the bedrooms. Then, after our deal is done, I’ll let you go.”
As the door shut, Joe looked at the others. “Maybe we’ll have a better chance of escaping once we get to the house.”
“Hopefully,” Sarah said. “I don’t want to be locked up for a second longer than I have to.”
“Then let’s try to rest as much as possible,” Will said.
The children, along with Ronald, attempted to get as comfy as possible for the long journey ahead. They had just settled into position when the vehicle roared to life.
~
As the minutes turned into an hour, the children wondered where Vlad was heading. Every now and then, the boys helped Sarah to peer through the window so they could see where they were.
However, this didn’t help since, every time she looked, all she saw were trees and the odd house. After driving for an hour and a half, the van came to a stop. The children staggered to their feet, their bodies stiff from sitting on the hard floor.
A moment later, the door was opened by Vlad. “You can come out now.”
As the children did as they were told, they saw the blue sedan come to a stop beside them and Yuri and Kiril climbed out. The children had a brief glimpse of the two storey house before they were led inside. A number of the walls were covered in ivy and the garden was unkempt.
