Family Matters

by Aiden Vaughan

  “I’m sorry to hear about your bad fortune, boy. But don’t worry, I am going to make a special place for you in my training program. My daddy always told me that you’ve got to seize the opportunity if it is presented to you.”

  “What is this training program you keep telling me about? It doesn’t sound like much fun if you get whipped all the time like that other boy!” Jason complained. “Why would you want to treat kids that way, mister?

  “My daddy told me that there is a time for everything. Now is not the time talk about that. You will find out about the training in due time.” Angelo got up, re-taped the gag over Jason’s mouth, and walked away.

  Chapter 27

  Jason Turns the Tables

  (Friday Morning)

  Jason continued to endure the hellish existence of being bound to the chain. The duct tape that he was gagged with was starting to be very irritating on his mouth and face. His only respite from the pain was when he would nod out at times, and get some fitful sleep, if you wanted to call it that. At least his feet were on the ground so he didn’t have the additional burden of the weight of his body on the ropes binding his wrists.

  Why did I agree to do this? he thought to himself. Where are the police or Martin and Dominic? How could it be that contact was lost with everyone on the outside? Why can’t they track me down? Then he would hear cries of agony from another part of the cave and he remembered Nick. I’ve got to get free and save him from this maniac! He was worried that Angelo was about to seriously injure, kill or somehow get rid of Nick. His stomach knotted in dread of that. Worse yet, would that become Jason’s own fate? I’ve got to get out of these ropes somehow! Jason kept thinking. I’ve got to keep my cool and be ready when the opportunity presents itself! But would Jason be too wracked with pain, or his limbs and muscles too stiff to do anything when he was finally released?

  After what seemed like an eternity, Angelo came over to Jason and removed the tape over his mouth. “Boy, I am going to untie you now and give you a little break, some water and food, and allow you to use the bathroom. But only if you promise to be very good and not try anything foolish like escaping! Do you agree to be good?”

  “Oh, yes sir, I will be very good. Thank you for taking care of my needs!” Angelo then unhooked the chain from the rope binding Jason’s wrists and untied the knots on the rope. After the agony of being tied up, his whole body sighed with relief. Jason stretched and shook his arms and wrists to restore the circulation. Angelo handed Jason a bottle of water and Jason eagerly drank half the bottle.

  “I really need to use the bathroom,” Jason said. “Can you show me where it is?”

  “Sure, boy, it’s over here. Follow me.” Jason looked around the cavern as he followed Angelo. From what he could see, the cavern had no modern facilities of any sort, like running water or electricity. There were gas lights, some battery powered items, and a camping stove heated with Sterno. The bathroom turned out to be nothing more than a very gross outhouse, foul with stench, but at last, Jason had some privacy. He walked in and latched the door. Finally Jason was actually alone!

  “Don’t take too long, boy,” Angelo warned him from outside. “Be prepared to come out of there with your hands up if you know what is good for you, boy!”

  “Yes, sir. I will be good,” Jason answered. First, though, he actually had to take care of business and get used to the very scant amount of light.

  After relieving himself, Jason focused on his escape plan. He actually had a weapon to use against Angelo. Two tiny little vials of pepper spray were cleverly sewn into his shorts where the denim was frayed. All he had to do to get them was pull on some threads.

  Jason removed the little vials and thought about his strategy. He knew that he only had one chance to escape from Angelo, and this was it. He had to immobilize Angelo on the first try, as there was not very much spray in the vial. He knew he had to be very accurate when spraying it, so that it actually got in Angelo’s face. Jason figured that his best chance to get to his face was when Angelo returned again to tie his wrists. He carefully removed the protective wrapper on each vial. He decided to stay in the outhouse until Angelo demanded for him to come out. Then Angelo would be focused on grabbing his hands.

  A few minutes later, Angelo yelled at Jason. “Are you coming out, boy? You need to come out now!”

  “Sorry, but I had to go number two,” Jason replied. Jason continued to wait so that Angelo would get more worked up.

  Finally Angelo pounded on the outhouse door and demanded that Jason come out. “You come out of there now, boy, or I will break the door down!”

  “All right, Mister. I am coming out. Please don’t hurt me!”

  “Open that door slowly and come out with your hands up!” Angelo ordered.

  Jason released the latch, and slowly opened the door a crack. This was the moment of truth! He could see that Angelo was worked up. Because of that, Jason was sure that he now had the element of surprise in his favor. He pushed open the door with his hands raised in front him, pepper spray vials ready to go.

  “Here I come, Mister.” Jason brought his hands right in the direction of where Angelo was standing. Angelo came up to Jason to grab his hands and tie them up. When Angelo’s face was within two feet of Jason’s hands, he aimed the vial directly at Angelo’s face spraying him right in the eyes.

  Surprised and shocked by the burning liquid, Angelo screamed in pain and then writhed in agony. He fell down to the ground. Jason then ran over to him and sprayed the second vial of the pepper spray directly into Angelo’s face. Angelo yelled again and thrashed about on the ground. Wanting to take no chance at all for Angelo to regain the upper hand, Jason found a heavy metal bar and then pounded Angelo with it over and over, until he was unconscious.

  Jason was gasping for breath and heaving with emotion after the enormity of what he had just accomplished sunk in. He was free!

  Jason was a little shocked to realize that he was capable of such violence. Then he remembered the evil things that Angelo had done to Nick and the other kids brought to this subterranean hell! With grim satisfaction Jason grabbed Angelo’s roll of duct tape, tore off long strips of the tape, and bound Angelo’s wrists and ankles together. He wanted to make sure that Angelo could not pursue him and Nick as they made their escape.

  “It’s about time you got some of your own medicine, you pervert!” Jason exclaimed. He then mimicked Angelo’s voice. “My daddy told me to do something to avenge all of the kids you tortured and killed! I’m just sorry I can’t do any more to you right now!”

  Jason then went to rescue Nick, who was in a very weakened condition. He found Nick spread-eagled on a large metal table. There were all kinds of sharp knives and saws nearby. His arms and legs were strapped to the table. Even so his body was still shaking with fear. He had been stripped of his clothes and only had a towel wrapped around his private parts. His mouth was still tape-gagged. It appeared that Angelo was getting ready to kill Nick and cut up his body.

  Jason pulled the tape off of Nick’s mouth as gently as he could. “Nick, are you awake!” Jason spoke to him in an urgent voice. He took out his very sharp metal cylinder cutting device that had been hidden behind the manufacturer’s patch on the rear of his shorts and began cutting the straps binding Nick to the table.

  Nick’s eyes blinked open. “Jason, is that really you?”

  “Yes, I am for real, Nick, and your torture is over!”

  “Are you sure I am not dreaming? I’m so scared I don’t know what is real any more.”

  “Come on, Nick. Show me that Feraducci spirit! You are alive and we are getting out of here! There is a rescue team waiting for us up on the surface. We just have to get there. Are you able to move or walk?”

  Nick began rubbing his wrists to restore the circulation. “I think so,” he said in a hesitant voice. “Can you help me sit up?” Jason grabbed Nick’s arms and pulled him up into a sitting position. Nick massaged his ankles to get the circulation goin
g in them again.

  “That’s better, Nick, now put your feet down over the edge. Do you have any injuries that will prevent you from walking?”

  “I don’t think so. I have been whipped and beaten a lot but I guess I am okay. I don’t feel that any bones are broken.”

  “That’s good, Nick. Now we need to act fast to get out of here, while I still have the drop on Angelo. Do you know where your clothes are?”

  Tears came to Nick’s eyes as he said, “The man told me that my clothes belonged to him now. He said I wouldn’t need them any more.”

  “I know you have been through a terrifying ordeal, Nick. But it would be easier to get you out of here if you at least had some shoes and socks.”

  “He said my sneakers were going into that box over in the far corner. I don’t know what he did with my other clothes.”

  “Okay, I’ll go get them. Are you able to stand up on your own?”

  Nick stood down on his two feet, but he felt lightheaded and dizzy. “That’s okay, Nick,” Jason told him. “Just stay here while I get your clothes.” Jason went over to a large cardboard box near the wall filled with worn kids’ shoes. It was a shocking image, as Jason realized that all of these shoes probably belonged to other victims of Angelo. For a moment, Jason was filled with a great sadness and his eyes welled up with tears. Then his resolve set back in as he picked Nick’s grey chucks out of the pile, and saw a small pile of clothing nearby. He grabbed that also, guessing that they were Nick’s tee shirt, jeans, underwear and socks.

  Nick gave him a weak smile when he returned. “Thank you, Jason. These are my clothes.”

  “Are you able to get dressed?”

  “Yes, I am starting to get my strength back. I want to get out of here so bad!”

  “All right, Nick! That’s the spirit. It is so good to see you alive and well. Trust me, soon you will be able to play the piano again! You get dressed while I get us some water to drink. If I can find my backpack, I have snack and candy bars that I know aren’t contaminated or drugged! I don’t know about you but I am starving!”

  Jason walked over to a shelf in the kitchen area where there were cans of food and bottles of water. He grabbed several bottles of water and examined them carefully for any marks, or punctures. He settled on two bottles that looked intact and were unopened. By the time he got back to where Nick was, Nick had his clothing on and was tying his shoes.

  Jason gave him a big smile. “Welcome back to the world of the living! It’s so great to see you with your clothes on and chucks on your feet! Here, have some bottled water.” He untwisted the cap for Nick and handed him one of the bottles. Nick took several big sips of the water.

  “Jason, how were you able to find me? I am totally blown away to see you here! After I was kidnapped and woke up in this strange cavern, I thought I was doomed to be tortured and killed by that crazy man. Then I saw you! Hope of getting free returned for a moment until I saw how that bastard had you tied up and gagged, strung up to his chains, just like he did to me when I was first brought here. That was like a dagger to my heart! How were you able to escape?”

  “Let’s just say that it was due to the power of pepper spray! I’ll tell you all about it later, Nick. Right now we need to get out of here and back to the surface of the earth again! Until we get there, we are still in the territory of these predators!” Jason handed Nick a candy bar and an energy bar. “Here, get some food in your stomach!”

  “Thank you, Jason, and thank you for coming to rescue me! I don’t know you did it, but I am forever grateful to you.” Nick had tears in his eyes as he came up to Jason and gave him a hug.

  Jason held onto Nick for a minute to reassure him and help him collect himself emotionally. “It’s okay, Nick, it was something that had to be done, and I was honored to be the one who did it! You were put into a nightmare of cruelty and torture that no one should ever have to experience! I’m so happy you are alive, Nick!” Jason smiled at him. “Now I need you to be strong and focused. We are not out of danger yet! Let’s get out of this hell hole!”

  Chapter 28

  The Escape

  (Friday)

  Thursday afternoon and evening were a nightmare for the task force. First Jason’s tracking device signal became very weak. Within the hour it had disappeared completely. Captain Garcia, his task force people, and Daniel wracked their brains trying to figure out what had happened. Was Jason wrapped up in some covering that prevented the device from transmitting? Was he taken underground somewhere? If so, where? So far there were no signs of an underground hideaway. Angelo’s house didn’t even have a basement. It was built on a cement slab from what they could tell from examining it. Plus there were no signs of anyone even being in the house. Eventually Captain Garcia obtained a search warrant to break in and enter Angelo’s house, but they could find no one inside, and could find no secret basement that would explain the signal going dead.

  Another bad thought was that somehow the tracking devices were discovered and removed. But Angelo didn’t strike them as being astute enough to discover them, much less remove the devices.

  Pursuing the tan pickup truck turned out to be a dead end. The truck was deserted and there was no sign of Jason or Angelo. The county park was huge. If Angelo had taken Jason in there, they could already be a mile or two away from the highway. Dominic and Martin went down the trail for a few miles to see if there were any signs of Jason or Angelo, but found nothing, no footprints or attempt to use the stream. It would not be possible for Angelo to force a teenaged boy down that pathway without leaving some sign of their presence. Clearly Angelo had help from someone. But who?

  Captain Garcia then decided to have Sal Butera picked up and interrogated, but he was nowhere to be found. He wasn’t at his place of residence in San Matthias. At his workplace, the shift supervisor told him that Sal was on a scheduled vacation and not expected back until next week!

  As time passed by with no sign of Jason, Angelo, or Sal, Daniel began to fear that Jason had been discovered as an informer and now his life was in grave danger, if he hadn’t already been killed! The thought of losing both Jason and Nick was agonizing. For a while, Daniel just sat in a chair with his head in his hands. He kept mentally kicking himself for not being more vocal about what could go wrong.

  At 6:30, Captain Garcia called a meeting of the task force. He wanted to review their options and see if anyone could help solve the problem of how Jason and Angelo literally seemed to disappear off the face of the earth! No one had anything new to add regarding what was known already.

  However, Dominic had a good idea. “These hills are full of abandoned mines. All the evidence we have points to the conclusion that Jason has been taken underground somewhere, to a place where our tracking equipment can’t get his signal any more. I wouldn’t be surprised if the kidnappers have another location where they take their victims besides Angelo’s house.”

  “Is there a bureau of public records or library around here?” Martin asked. “We need to get a hold of a US Geological Survey map of this area, one that would show where these abandoned mines are located. It will be dark soon, but if we can study one of those maps, we should be able to pin down potential areas where underground caves or abandoned mines exist. Then first thing in the morning, we can start to do a thorough search of those areas.”

  “I don’t think that either of them could have gone too far,” Dominic added. “For them to both disappear so quickly indicates to me that there is something that we have missed in this area.”

  “I know that Jason is a very resourceful person,” Daniel said. “If there is any means that he can use to escape from the predicament he obviously is in, he will figure a way out! Jason has to know by now that something has happened with the tracking devices. I know that he brought along some extra resources to help him escape from restraints and get the upper hand on Angelo and Sal or whoever he is with. Even though everything seems depressing right now, we can’t give up hope!”


  “Well said, Daniel!” Captain Garcia declared. “We do have to continue to think positively. We also need to rely less on technology and more on thorough police work! We should have been tailing that pickup truck a lot more closely, instead of relying just on the tracking device to know where Jason was being taken. If anything happens to Jason, I must take responsibility for allowing him to go undercover without a better plan to track and assist him.”

  “Don’t blame yourself just yet, Captain!” Daniel replied. “Jason went into this operation very willingly and with his eyes open as to the risks! If anyone can survive he can! I just hope that he will make it through whatever he has gotten into and that we will eventually find him and Nick!”

  “Tomorrow we will mount an all out search of that area,” Garcia stated. “Let’s bring in the works, including tracking dogs!”

  Both Daniel and Captain Garcia refused to go back home for the evening. They wanted to be around in case there were any new developments or a signal came through from one of the tracking devices. Daniel had already told his parents that Jason and he might spend the night away from home. He was relieved that he didn’t have to call home just yet to report that his best friend was now missing. After a restless night, morning arrived and the waiting game began again. Captain Garcia had scheduled a meeting for 6:00 AM so that they could get started with the first light of day looking for any signs of Jason or Angelo.

  * * * * *

  Back in the cavern, the two boys prepared to make their escape back to the top. Jason grabbed a lantern and found a flashlight, which he gave to Nick. He removed the tracking device from his pocket and had Nick put it in his pocket. Taking one last look around, Jason saw that Angelo was still out cold. Even when he awoke again, it would take him a long time to get free from the duct tape binding his hands and feet. He put his backpack back on, after filling it with a couple bottles of water.