Lottery 1
Shaniqua had been back for three days. She went to work, exercised, ate at her favorite restaurants. No one was following her, she was not being watched.
She left her phone on the coffee table after taking the battery out, and headed to the mall. She went to a mall on the outskirts of town, taking the long way to make sure no one was tailing her. She parked the car in the parking garage and walked into the mall.
She went to the trendy phone outlet and purchased a new phone. One that was compatible with her fully charged battery. Then she went outside and waited for the bus to take her to a different location.
Once on the bus and thirty minutes away she dialed Christine Barrett’s number.
The two met up at a small fast food place near the Days Rest Inn. Shaniqua told Christine everything.
Christine’s face had turned pale when the kidnapper was described. After the disturbing tale was over, Christine shook her head back and forth. She was wrought with doubt and worry, the kidnapper sounded like Aston. He was also out of town somewhere and he wouldn’t tell her where he was or what he was doing. Finally she decided to come clean and tell Shaniqua the truth.
“I think I’m dating your kidnapper.” she said with uncertainty. “He’s the one that showed up at my house after…” she raised her hand to her forehead. “He threatened to shoot my kids.”
“And you’re dating him?” Shaniqua reprimanded her. “What is wrong with you?”
“He’s not like that.” Christine said quickly.
Shaniqua practically screamed at her, “The man kidnapped me! What is wrong with you?” She lowered her voice to a normal tone, “The man isn’t like that? The man is like that, and the man has Lucy.”
“What are we going to do?” Christine looked at Shaniqua.
Shaniqua looked at Christine. It reminded her of a situation in high school, but she didn’t have time for that now. This time she could loose her life, Christine’s life, and Lucy’s life if her plan failed, and she was against someone smart.
Steven looked out the small rectangle window in the restroom. There was nothing out there but endless forest. He had surmised he was in a hunting cabin out in the woods. Secluded from the world by miles, if not hundreds of miles of trees. The woods were so thick, from what he could see, that there would be no seeing the stars at night or sun in the day for bearings.
He should have been a boy scout, instead he spent his youthful summers playing video games. Even if he was able to navigate the trees, he would run out of water and be unable to find food. His parents never took them camping, they only took him and his sister to the mall.
Steven turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up. This small amount of time was all he got to himself, and he was grateful for it. It had taken three days to gain the trust of his captor, proving that he wouldn’t try to break the small window to call out for help. He certainly couldn’t fit through there, not even a small child could.
He knew the man that held him was going to eventually kill him. He didn’t know why, but he knew it had to do with the money.
Steven stepped into the shower and closed the shower curtain grateful that someone wasn’t watching him do it. He took his time, and thought.
He thought about the layout of the cabin. He thought about the man who held him prisoner. He thought about his sister.
Someone had her too. There was no telling what was happening to her. Anything could be happening to her, and he was powerless to stop it.
Steven felt bad he had never been the brother to her that she deserved. Even now he could not be the brother she deserved. He should have stayed with her. Why did he always have to spoil her fun?
All she wanted was to take a nice trip and spend some time together. That was all she wanted, to have some fun with her only brother. And what did he do? She didn’t have to split the lottery winnings with him. How did he repay her for her kindness and loyalty? He abandoned her out of selfishness.