9. Coop tried to stop Gordy from approaching the van. Hiro tried to convince Coop not to check the homes of registered sex offenders. In what ways do you need to speak up or try to stop your friends now from taking potentially dangerous, wrong, or destructive paths?
10. Whether you have a friend who is going through a time of trouble or one who is choosing a wrong path, how can you be the type of friend who never gives up on them?
Protect Yourself from Being Abducted
Back Before Dark tells of Gordy’s abduction and his friend’s efforts to find him. Abductions are very real, and I’d like to give you some reminders about how to stay safe—and how to keep others safe.
There are some really twisted people living in this world. They’re monsters, and they feed on kids. I’ve read lots of statistics on abductions. One report stated that 800,000 kids are reported missing every year in the United States. Not exactly a comforting thought. Here are some other numbers that will really make you think.
72 percent of attempted abductions involved the suspect driving a vehicle.
35 percent of attempted abductions happened when the person was going to or from school or a school related activity.
35 percent occurred between 2:00 and 7:00 p.m.
41 percent of all kids abducted are between ten and fourteen years old.
69 percent of attempted abductions involve a girl.
For incidents in which a suspect was actually identified or arrested, 38 percent were known repeat offenders, and 16 percent were registered sex offenders at the time of the incident.
I want to help keep you safe. So here are some things you may want to think about and talk to your parents about.
Practice “what if” scenarios with your parents.
“What if somebody points a gun at me and tells me to get in their car?”
“What if someone grabs me in a parking lot and tries to force me into their car?”
When you actually think about different possibilities in advance—and how to react to them—you’ll be more prepared if somebody does try to grab you. And that little extra bit of preparation may save your life.
Stay in a group. Please, don’t wander off by yourself—especially at night. Even walking or biking home from school is a lot safer if you’re in a group. Predators look for loners.
Stay in the light. If the long way home is on well-lit streets—take the long way home. Shortcuts through dark or shadowy areas may be more dangerous. But remember, predators still grab kids in total daylight—so you must always be on alert.
Ear buds are not your “buds.” A person wearing ear buds while jogging or walking makes an easy target. With music blasting in your ears, you won’t hear someone coming. You need to be on guard while walking home from school or from your bus. The same rule applies when you’re riding your bike. If you must have your music, use only one ear bud. Leave the other ear clear to hear.
Be aware of your surroundings. Abductors watch for kids who aren’t paying attention to others or to what is going on around them. If your head is down while you’re messing with your phone or a game, you’re unaware of your surroundings and you’re an easy grab. It’s as simple as that. Look around. Is a car following you? Is someone just hanging around—right in the path you’re taking? Avoid them.
Oh, and did you know that most abductions take place within a quarter of a mile from a kid’s home? It makes sense. In areas really familiar to them, kids lower their guard. That makes them an easy target. Stay on guard.
Lock your doors and windows. Maybe you get home from school before your parents are home from work. Lock your door as soon you go inside. Predators watch for predictable patterns and habits. If you go to the mailbox and walk into the house sifting through mail every day, and you put the mail on the kitchen table before locking the door—a predator may have picked up on the pattern and just followed you into the house.
If you’re home alone, and someone rings your doorbell, don’t open the door. Even if you know the person. Some would suggest you stay quiet if the doorbell rings. But if it is someone who wants to burglarize your home, your silence tells them the house is empty. That’s what they’re looking for.
Others suggest you go to the door, keep it closed, and tell the person your parent can’t come to the door quite yet. If it is an abductor, they’ll likely leave because they don’t want to take a chance that a parent is home. If it is a burglar, they’ll move on to an empty home.
Be extra careful at the mall or theme parks. Not everyone who goes to the mall is there to shop. Not everyone at the theme park loves rollercoasters. Predators like to hang out at these places too. Don’t go to these places alone. Take out your phone and snap a picture of the friend you’re with—and have them do the same for you on their phone. It sounds like overkill, I know. But if someone grabbed one of you, the picture would show police exactly what the missing person looked like and what they were wearing. That will speed up the search efforts and could save a life. And please, take a friend with you if you go to the restroom.
Trust your gut. When you have a funny feeling about somebody or they make you feel uncomfortable—even if you don’t understand why you’re feeling that way, be on your guard. Listen to that voice inside you. Stay away from that person. Get out of that situation—fast. In our society of acceptance, people often repress these feelings—and learn to regret it. Sometimes fear is a gift. It will keep you safe.
Never accept a ride from someone other than your parents—even if you know them. Your parents should work out a code word or phrase with you. If somebody says that your mom or dad told them to pick you up—and that person doesn’t give you the code, you know they’re not telling the truth. Get away from them. If the person picking you up says that your mom or dad is delayed, or hurt, or sick and didn’t give them the code, don’t believe them, no matter how convincing they are.
As a kid, you were told to be careful of strangers. As you get older, you need to watch out for “nice” guys too. Even if the person is someone you know and they really seem to be nice, don’t get in a car with them or let them in your house without your parents being aware of it. Some predators appear to be really friendly, some volunteer as sports coaches, and some seem like generous people who like to give you things. Stay away!
Don’t let friends pressure you into going someplace that you feel uneasy about or that you feel your parents wouldn’t approve of. Use your head. Don’t go somewhere just because your friends are going and want you to come along. If you don’t feel safe—don’t go. Be sure your parents know where you are and who you are with. And if you do go and then feel really uncomfortable, call your parents, pronto.
Be careful of anyone approaching you. Especially if they offer you something. I know you’re not stupid enough to fall for the “hey kid, would you like some candy” approach. But watch out for the person who walks up with an empty leash and asks if you’ve seen their lost puppy—or an empty stroller and asks you to help them find their child. Sure, you’d like to help them—but unless you’re with your parents, don’t. They may just be trying to lure you away. They can get all the help they need from the police or other adults.
Be just as careful of someone asking for directions. With all the smart devices people carry, why do they need to ask you for help?
And I know your parents taught you to be polite. But when somebody you don’t know comes up to you and starts talking to you—forget about being polite. Get away from them—even if it looks rude. Shout at them. “Hey, I don’t know you. Get away.” They need to get the message right away that you aren’t one they want to mess with.
Remember—bad guys don’t usually look like “bad guys.”
They look nice. Attractive. Friendly. Harmless. They work at it so that you are more likely to trust them and fall into their trap. I read an article that stated that psychopaths tend to look more attractive than your average person. There are reasons for it, but one of them is pretty simple: they try hard
er—because they are all about trying to bait you.
Never go with someone because they threaten you with a weapon. Any person who threatens you with a weapon absolutely intends to hurt you. But they need to get you someplace private so they don’t get caught. They’re hoping to scare you into going along with their plan. They’re hoping you’ll believe that if you obey them, they won’t hurt you.
Let’s say someone tries to abduct you by gunpoint, or they have a knife. It may be in a mall parking lot.
Do not do what they say to avoid getting hurt.
Do not go with them.
Don’t stick around to try to fight them.
Instead, run. As long as you’re out of reach of a person with a knife, you’re safe. And if the guy has a gun—the chances that he’ll actually shoot at you in a public place are really remote. So take off. Sprint out of there. Most likely the person won’t shoot. They won’t want to draw that kind of attention to themselves.
And even if they do shoot, there’s a really good chance they’ll miss because you’re moving—and getting farther away by the second. If they did hit you, people would call 9-1-1 and get help for you right away. Your chances of survival are always much higher if you run away from an abductor rather than going with them—even if they have a gun.
And when you run, shout “fire” as you do. Ever notice how people don’t even pay attention when a car alarm goes off? Sometimes they’re the same way when someone screams or calls for help. They may even go the opposite way. But yell “fire” and you’ll have people running to you—often just out of curiosity. When people are running toward you, the kidnapper will run the other way.
Other people suggest you yell, “Stranger,” or “This person is not my dad/mom!” That way, if the kidnapper is chasing you, people nearby know it isn’t your parent. And more than likely you’ll get some helpful high school linebacker who will send your attacker to the pavement. Hard.
Have alternate routes mapped out. Map out safe routes to your home—and alternate routes in case your normal route is blocked or unsafe in some way. Know safe places you can run to along your routes—maybe a store or a neighbor who is usually home.
Don’t let someone you don’t know onto your social media. Predators prowl the Internet using fake names and pictures to try to get you to think they’re just another kid. Or sometimes they masquerade as a really helpful adult. Maybe they’ll give you some tips for one of your favorite games. Eventually they bring up more and more personal things. They ask about boyfriends or girlfriends. Cops call this process “grooming.” The predators are setting you up. Making you feel safe with them. They want to gain your trust—so they can hurt you.
If you don’t know the person, stay away from them. And please, please, please, don’t give any personal information to anyone online or agree to meet them. You’re not that stupid—but predators hope you are. Don’t tell them where you live or where you go to school. Don’t give them your phone number. The more they know about you and your habits, the easier a target you become to them—and the more they’ll want to try to grab you.
Call 9-1-1. If someone attempts to abduct you or tries to get you into their car, or you get a really bad feeling about them—call 9-1-1. Or maybe you see someone whose behavior or actions seem suspicious, even if they didn’t try to grab you. Call 9-1-1. You want the police involved right away. Tell them everything you can remember about the person. Size. Race. What they were wearing. What they were driving. License plate number. Any details will be helpful.
Tell your parents, pronto. Your parents are wired to protect you, but you need to tell them everything about what happens with a stranger. And your school principal would like to know about it too. Tell them so they can help keep other kids safe.
A Few Things to Remember If You ARE Abducted
I’m hoping nothing like this ever happens to you, but if it does, here are some things that might help.
Try to escape. If someone grabs you, fight back. Kick, bite, scream, punch. Fight with everything in you. Fight dirty. Claw at their eyes. Go for their groin. Have a pen? Try to shish-kabob their eyeball. I know this sounds horrible, but the only truly horrible thing is that they are a predator—and you must fight them off just like you would fight off a wolf that attacks you.
Try to sabotage their efforts. If you’re pulled into a car, try to grab the keys out of the ignition and throw them out the window. Turn the steering wheel, step on the gas, or hit the brake—anything to try to make the driver get into an accident. Open a door and roll out onto the pavement—yes, even if the car is moving. Sure, you’ll feel a little pain—but people will get you to a hospital and you’ll likely be fine. That’s still a lot better than whatever the kidnapper plans to do to you.
If you’re in the trunk and it is at night, kick out a taillight. A policeman may see it and pull you over. Feel around for a safety latch. Some trunks have them as an emergency feature so a child can escape if they’re accidently locked inside. Have your phone with you? Use is as a flashlight. And obviously, if you have it with you, call 9-1-1 immediately. It will really help if you’ve been observant. Tell them the kind of car you’re in. Anything you noticed about the abductor’s size, weight, clothes. And if you don’t know where you are, any little details may help. Did you feel the car cross railroad tracks? Did you smell anything that might help the police figure out where you are—or where the person is taking you?
Now, back to the trunk. Open the trunk and jump out—even if the car is moving. Ball up the best you can and protect your head. If you can’t jump, signal a driver in another car for help. If you can’t get the trunk open, feel around for something you can use to punch a hole through the trunk. Another driver may see it and call the police. A tire iron would work nicely for that. Or look for anything you can use as a weapon on the kidnapper when he opens the trunk. Again, use your phone as a flashlight.
All of these are risky—and may result in some injuries, but that will still be far better than letting the predator get you to wherever he is taking you.
Try to keep your phone on you and charged. Your phone can help lead the police right to you. Keep it charged up and on you—not just in your backpack or purse. There are tons of GPS apps out there; get one of those activated on your phone. It could be a lifesaver.
Try to remember what the kidnapper looks like. When you do escape, you can describe him so the police get him off the street and into jail—where he belongs.
Never believe what the kidnapper says. Often kidnappers will try to get you to believe that your parents have stopped looking for you—or that they wouldn’t want you back. Don’t believe them.
Never give up. Your parents and friends and the police will never stop looking for you. They will do everything they can to locate you. And remember, God knows where you are.. Keep trusting him. Ask him to help you escape.
Never stop trying to escape. Figure out something you can use as a weapon, and use it. Get away from this person any way you can.
Okay. I’ve probably hit you with a lot more information than you wanted to hear. But being aware of danger is often the best way to protect yourself from it. Use your head. Be safe. I wish you all the best!–Tim
For more information about avoiding abductions or what to do if you are abducted, check out the website for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
About the Author
TIM SHOEMAKER is a speaker and author of eight books, including Dangerous Devotions for Guys; Smashed Tomatoes, Bottle Rockets, and Other Outdoor Devotionals; and Mashed Potatoes, Paint Balls, and Other Indoor/ Outdoor Devotionals. He has three grown sons and has been happily married for over thirty-two years. Tim actively serves in his church and continues to volunteer with youth ministry. Back Before Dark is his second Code of Silence novel. Visit www.TimShoemakerSmashedTomatoes.com to learn more.
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Other books
by Tim Shoemaker
Code of Silence
Reboot Your Brain Byte Sized Devotions for Boys
Adult Devotionals
Dangerous Devotions for Guys
Bashed Burritos, Green Eggs and Other Indoor/Outdoor
Devotionals You Can Do With Your Kids
Mashed Potatoes, Paint Balls and Other Indoor/Outdoor
Devotionals You Can Do With Your Kids
Smashed Tomatoes, Bottle Rockets and Other Outdoor
Devotionals You Can Do With Your Kids
Contact Tim Shoemaker
www.timshoemakersmashedtomatoes.com
ZONDERVAN
Back Before Dark
Copyright © 2013 by Tim Shoemaker
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.
EPub Edition © FEBRUARY 2013 ISBN: 978-0-310-73500-7
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
* * *
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Shoemaker, Tim.
Back before dark : a Code of silence novel / Timothy Shoemaker.
pages cm
Summary: When Gordy is abducted in the park, his cousin Cooper will do anything to rescue him and although Hiro and Lunk fear that Cooper will get himself in trouble, too, they join the race against the clock to save their friend. Includes author’s notes about friendship, discussion questions, and tips for avoiding abduction.
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