Unknown Enemy [temporary title]

Kaitlin stood motionless and watched as four burly men lowered the wooden coffin into the ground. Her eyes were dry and the dark bags under them made it look like she had forgotten to wash off her mascara. The coffin was rested carefully on the bottom of the pit and two of the men took shovels and began throwing the dirt back in. Each shovel of dirt thumping onto the box felt like a spear through her heart. Kaitlin squeezed her eyes shut and let one tear escape as one more shovel of dirt covered up all view of the box.

Jack had been her first serious boyfriend. He had been her only boyfriend. They had been fifteen when they had first locked eyes on each other. Now, at twenty-one, a tragic car accident had ended his life. It was only a matter of time before its effects started to impact her life more than she could ever imagine...

“Ma’am, are you okay to get yourself home?”

Kaitlin turned toward the voice and stared blankly at the man’s emotionless face. She lived alone now. She had moved out when she was eighteen to live with Jack. Her parents didn’t care - in fact, they had almost packed her bags for her.

“Actually, I do need a ride. About how much will you charge?” Kaitlin asked, fumbling for her purse. Jack had borrowed her car. Now, it was sitting in a wrecker's yard somewhere, along with a thousand precious memories.

“Don’t worry about it miss. It’s on me,” The man smiled sympathetically, his face showing emotion for the first time. He brushed past her shoulder and started towards a waiting cab car. Kaitlin put away her money and followed meekly. He politely opened the back door and she slipped inside. The door was shut behind her, plunging her into a sudden darkness. Kaitlin let out a quiet gasp but kept her hands tightly clasped in her lap, clutching protectively at her handbag. She waited for awhile, her pulse rate quickly gaining speed, before she decided to wind down a window. She was just about to reach up and grab hold of the handle when the drivers door swung open, blinding her with the dazzling light of the sun. The man slipped into the front seat and promptly switched the engine on.

“Umm…excuse me?” Kaitlin leant forward, peering at his face. A light above her head sprang to life as he turned around.

“Yes? Where would you like me to take you?” He asked pleasantly. Kaitlin stared at his face and blinked a few times to get focus, suddenly feeling foolish for being so on edge.

“The apartment block on Smithton Avenue, please.”

“Smithton Avenue it is. Have a nice ride.”

Kaitlin drew her breath in sharply as she heard the doors make a quiet click, one by one, locking her inside…

~~~

Jack sat in the darkened car and watched as the cab pulled away from the cemetery, his eyes forming little slits. His hand slowly travelled to his coat pocket and felt the cold, hard object inside it. He didn’t intend to use it, but Ronnie had insisted he take it along. If things got out of hand…

As the cab drove off down the quiet street, Jack turned the key in the engine and the black car roared to life. He pulled out slowly and began to follow. Travelling at a cautious distance behind, he followed the car all the way to a small, decrepit cottage in a deserted paddock. The car in front pushed its way through layers of mud and stopped just outside the cottage. Jack stopped at the fence line and watched from a distance as Ronnie opened the back door and grabbed Kaitlin by the arm and pulled her out of the car. Jack swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in his throat. He hated seeing her like this. Jack shook his head and told himself that this was the only way. He had decided to do this and there was no backing out now. He watched as she was dragged inside and made his move.

Jack jumped over the small puddles in the paddock and crept up to one of the windows. Peering inside, he saw Kaitlin sitting in a chair, her face pale; and Ronnie standing before her, untangling a rope. He noticed the bright red finger marks on her arms and felt himself cringe. Rubbing a hand over his mouth, he waited for Ronnie to meet him outside as planned.

~~~

Kaitlin sat frozen in the chair, the pain in her arms throbbing through her veins. The man standing in front of her caught her eyes as he untangled a thick rope and stared at her, taunting her with his eyes. Kaitlin felt her pulse start to race and she looked away quickly, trying to concentrate on something other than the eyes that were boring into the side of her head.

“This is going to be fun, isn’t it?” He said, almost conversationally. Kaitlin pursed her lips and kept quiet. Finally untangling the rope, he grabbed her arms and pulled them behind the back of the chair. She winced in pain as he began to tie her to the chair.

“Feels like a movie, doesn’t it?” His voice came from behind her. Kaitlin grit her teeth. “You know that one… what was it called now?” He stopped tugging on the rope for a moment and sighed. “I can never remember the names. I think it had Harrison Ford in it. You know, he plays the hero. What’s the name of it?” He swung his head around the chair and looked up at her expectantly from his kneeling position. Kaitlin looked at him.

“You don’t know?” He asked. Kaitlin shook her head.

“Oh well. It’ll come to me,” He said conversationally and returned to the tying of the rope. After a few moments, he made one last tug on the rope and stood up, taking a few steps to stand in front of her. He bent down to make his face level with her.

“But you know why this only feels like a movie? Because this is real life sweetheart. This is the real thing. No princes, no heroes.” Kaitlin shut her eyes as she felt his warm breath on her face and tried not to breathe his scent in. He bent a bit closer and kissed her on the cheek. Kaitlin felt a shudder run through her body.

“As soon as we get the money from your folks, you’ll be home free,” He said before standing up and walking towards the door. Pausing for a moment, he turned to face her again.

“You get some rest now. You’ll have all night to think of the name of that movie. If it’s any help at all, I think the girl died in the end…” He gave her a little wink, opened the door and left.