Rumbling

Chapter 1

From Riches to Rags

Knock knock knock. The loud sound of knocking made her jump as she made finishing touches before leaving. Her hotel door had one of those old fashioned knockers on it, and whoever was behind the door was eager to get her attention. Unconcerned after realising it must just be one of her friends she got up and curiously opened the door for the unexected visitor without peering through the peephole.

Danger. To her surprie two strong men grabbed her by her arms and a third put a bag over her head. Trying to squirm away with all of her strength unexpectedly she was pricked witha needle by a woman wearing a mask. Slowly her body started to relax as she felt the sedation from whatever she injected in her arm. Feeling dizzy she slumped and in her incapacitated state slumped her head down as they carried her away.

About an hour later she woke up to find herself tied to a chair in a dark room. There was a group of four men and two women standing around her talking amongst themselves. One of them was holding a razor buzzer and a man dressed in a black suit was holding her duffel bag. She started coming around and realized what was happening. Panic shot through her body and she tried getting her arms loose. How can this be happening?

Holding the duffel bag and rummaging through it the tall slender man pulled out a handful of wrapped cash with his gloved hands and eyed the girl tied to the chair. He raised his eyebrows putting it back in the bag and zipped it up before handing it to his partner and exchanged it with the razor. "Did you really think that you would get away with it?" He winked, and his thickly accented voice he added with cool sarcasm, "You must have thought it was your lucky day."

Unable to respond with her mouth covered with duct tape her face was turning beet red. Sweat was dripping down her forehead and there was nothing that she could do. Unable to speak and unable to break free tears started rolling down her cheeks and she felt cursed. It felt like someone had blasted heat in the room as she nervously glanced around at her surroundings.

They were in the downstairs of the hotel, but she had no idea where she had found herself. It wasn't her idea of dangerous fun that she had planned for the day, and suddenly all she could think of was her children and the babysitter. She wanted nothing more than to break free, take the money, and run. Pay the babysitter to keep them busy and healthy, and flee the country alone.

One of the women walked over to her with a soft sympathetic look in her eye and knelt down to pull the tape from her mouth. It burned as she pretended to start ripping it off and patted her on the head jokingly. "It'll be okay. Don't worry. They're safe, and they'll stay that way." She was in tall black heels and a long black skirt with a white blouse and watching her from the chair she envied her classy outfit and tall physique.

One of the other men dressed in camouflage approached her sitting in the chair and aggresively striked her cheek before grabbing the top of her head and her neck yelled angrily. "Do it! Shave it!" The man in the suit laughed and walked over to her and handed him the razor. He grabbed his shoulder and looked him in the face responding,

"This one is for you." Coyly he stepped back and admired the scene in front of him holding his elbow in his hand and resting his chin tsking at the girl. "Well..." he pondered for a minute before speaking, "The good news is that you'll live, but the bad news is... I'll let you figure that out yourself. Let her rip!" He took a seat and crossing his legs he classically lit up a cigar that he pulled from his pocket. Pulling out a watch from his pocket he stood up abruptly.

Taking a long puff and blowing out his cigar smoke a cloud formed around him in the dark. Holding his cigar with one hand he took out his pocket watch from his suit pocket and checked the time. "It's time for me to go. Get it finished." Without another word or a response he got up quickly and grabbed the duffel bag and slipped out of the room.

The guy handed the razor to one of the woman and roughly approached the girl again and tore at her brand new shirt that she had just purchased. "Do you know what happens to people when they steal in my country?" He asked with a deep horse voice, "They're not lucky to be alive, like you." Muttering names under his breathe he spit at her and she closed her eyes.

Mascara was running down her face and she was whimpering at the sight of the scary guy. She was done for, and all that she could think of was how she wish she wouldn't have answered the door. How could I have been so stupid? For herself she had no answer, only a feeling of deep regret. Not for what she had done wrong, but for not being smarter about it. This was not how her birthday was supposed to turn out, and no one would help her even if she could scream.

Chapter 2

Inches to Miles

Bzzzzzzzz.. The sound echoed in the room as one of the women held her face straight and the grumpy man shaved her freshly styled curls. The other women and the other two men were standing back observing what was going on before them conversing quietly amongst themselves. Trying to make out what they were saying the best she could the young woman squinted her eyes and tried to ignore the loud buzzing in her ears.

Nothing. She made out nothing. Whatever they were talking about it they kept eyeing her furiously, and she didn't know why. She eyed the money and tried thinking of a way she could escape. Them shaving off her hair could be to her advantage if she could just get away with the money in hand she could find a wig and disguise herself easier. She had plenty of wigs at her home, but it was the getting there that stumped her.

The buzzing noise stopped and roughly they let her head go and stood back looking at the disaster they had made of her. Laughing in her face the man pointed and made fun of her. "Look at her new do guys, do you think she'll like it?" Everyone kept laughing at her and her face turned bright red again with embarassment as she tried loosening up the ropes behind her hands discretely. There was nothing that they could say that would phase her from not trying to get away.

"Is there something that you would like to say?" The woman approached her with a grin on her face, "you look mighty upset. Would it help if I took the tape of so you could tell us what you're thinking?" Tauntingly she approached her and without another word ripped the tape from her mouth. "Speak!"

Thinking quickly the girl had a brilliant idea. "There's more. That isn't even half of it, but you would have to take me with you to find it." Without thinking further the girl blurted out, "I have a fingerprint recognition security system, and without me the alarms would go off," coming up with the most elaborate lie she could think of she continued, "the place has a self-armed system that would detonate without me. Please, I am so sorry."

"Haha. You silly foolish girl, and why should we believe you?" The tall woman in black heels asked her with an expression of amusement. Crap. All of the lies that she had told had finally caught up to her and she knew that it would take a miracle to convince them. "Sorry? Do you think that sorry is going to excuse what you have done? Do you know where you're going?"

"I'll do anything, and I'll go anywhere you tell me to without putting up a fight. Just please, let me show you where the rest of it is so no one else gets hurt." Pulling the sympathy card on the young woman spoke convincingly and they looked surprised.

"Why would anyone get hurt? And how would they get hurt. You're tied to a chair." No longer amused, but questioning with a hint of curiosity in her serious voice the woman kneeled down by her once again looking closely into her eyes. "I don't think that I quite understand what you mean, but please do explain. We have all day, and than we must move on."

"If you don't let me make contact with my partner, and if we don't move the rest of the money like I was going to go with my friend to do tonight they could get hurt." Her lies were flowing like water and she could feel the adrenaline as she imagined them eating up every word that she said and obeying her little white lies. "I came here for a reason, and the rest of the money is why. Don't mess this up anymore than you already have, or you'll be the reason that many people wind up hurt."

"And who is going to hurt us you little angel?" Sarcastically the woman pretended to entertain the idea that the girl was telling the truth and played along as tho she was eager to hear more information. The girl who was in her mid twenties was trying to guilt the woman, but she was a step ahead. Staring back at her saying nothing in response she spit in the womans face and let out a shrill scream.

Startled for a brief moment the woman stepped back and gave the people standing around her quietly observing a hard stare. "What do you guys think?" Should we take her word for it?" Secretly winking she nodded her head at them when suddenly a gun shot rang out from the far side of the room where the door was. BANG.

The bullet richoeted of the wall echoing into the unknown of the dimly lit basement around them. A tall figure dressed in all black and a face mask let out a warning shot before walking out of the shadows. “I’ve come to crash the party!” Everyone, including the girl tied to the chair, gasped at the intruder that came to join them. “You guys wouldn’t know me, so we can’t skip the introductions. Is this the girl?”

Excited that someone had come to rescue her she nodded her head giggling. Hehe. I knew I’d get out I’d this eventually. “Yes- it is me!” Everyone else silently exchanged confused glances around them as the man walked quietly up to the young girl who was tied to the chair. He knelt down and took of his face mask and exclaimed hastily.

“Wow. So excited to expose yourself. You have something that belongs to me, and you wouldn’t be to happy if you were me.” The girls enthusiast expression quickly became a startled frown, and she looked around nervously thinking. She stopped and looked back at him staring deep in his eyes and she froze. It was him. The one guy she thought he had long escaped and was secretly relieved when none of the people in the downstairs room were him.

She had been wearing a face mask when she met him and she knew exactly who he was. Having had convinced him she was someone else she had stolen his money, and now not only was it gone but after all of this time he had finally found her.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Shoot them, they’ve kidnapped me,” Pointing to one of the woman she trailed on, “I saw her give another man a bag of money, and than he left. They took me from my hotel room, but I don’t know why. I thought you were here to rescue me. Can’t you tell I haven’t done anything and I am obviously being held hostage.” Again the lies flowed from her mouth so easily, and with confidence she was positive that she could convince him.

“Yes, this is her. What are you here for? Your partner has left to meet you to return to you the money.” One of the women walked up to him and showed him something on her phone. Angrily he hit her phone from her hand and kneeled down to grab the girl who had stolen from him around the neck. The man who shaved her head laughed in the background and approached him.

“No need for horseplay. We’re sending her into the military for stealing millions from you,” pulling out his badge her threw it in the man’s face and signaled for him to stop. “I don’t discourage your reaction, but don’t harm the girl if you were thinking about it. She has kids.” The girl was turning red in the face and he let go.

The girl started screaming at the top of her lungs dramatically and tried freeing her hands again. The man covered her hand with his mouth and silenced her quickly. “Where are the men that helped her?” The guy asked. “They should be here too.” Everyone exchanged glances with one another and the room grew silent. Struggling to try and break free the girl tried biting the man’s hand and he pulled back as her mouth was again covered with duct tape by the woman standing behind him.

Chapter 3

The man was noticeably irritated and stepped back from the girl. Pacing back and forth silently thinking he was holding the gun in his hands. “Where are they?!” He asked again this time louder. “The whore- she didn’t do this alone, and I need them all. This isn’t finished.” Without warning he went back up to the girl and held the gun to her forehead. “Tell me or I’ll shoot the girl.”

Responding with a thick accent one of the women grabbed the girls shoulders roughly responding, “She is taken care of, we will deal with her, but she was the only one in the room. How do you know it wasn’t just her?” Raising her eyebrows looking back at the girl and back to him everyone stood still as the sound of approaching footsteps seemed to echo in the empty hall towards them.

“Hey! Look who finally decided to show up. It is done, they are dead. I found them in the hotel lobby and followed them to the girls room. Let’s just say it was an indecent encounter.” Lighting up the rest of his cigar he trailed on, “the money’s in a safe, and now we just have to deal with the girl.”

“Remember I told you, she has kids and we are putting her into the army. Why are we wasting our time?” The suited guard approached them from the dark room scowling about the time wasted. “She will pay her dues. Don’t worry. Isn’t that enough? What else do you want?”

Holding the gun back up to the girls head the masked man ripped of the tape for the second time. “No it isn’t. Go ahead and scream little girl, there will be no one around to hear you.” Cocking the gun the girl screamed and everyone else stood around watching in hesitation of what to do.

“This wasn’t part of the plan. We agreed no one would get hurt. Stop! You have done enough damage. You have your money, and you found your men. What more do you want?” The girls tough recruiter chimed in on her behalf again, but there was doubt in his voice. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen, and he wasn’t in the position to do anything about it. The operation was already illegal, and it was everyone in the room against him.

“Pipe down. We paid you your part to keep your silence. What we do this moment is our choice.” He aimed the gun at her forehead maliciously grinning, “didn’t anyone ever teach you not to steal millions of dollars? Only God can save you now.” Bang. The girls head hung over her shoulders. It was over.

“Let’s go.” The man took a handkerchief from his jacket pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Clean up this mess and meet us at the four.” Signaling to the women him and his friend walked out of the dark and empty room.

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