Hunted: A Suspense Collection

by J. L. Drake

  The first words out of Claire’s mouth were, “I have a plan.” I immediately knew she was talking about something that had to do with Joey and Zeke. Claire and I had been best friends since kindergarten and sometimes we could communicate with just a few simple words. She was definitely up to something.

  I looked at her questioningly. She handed me a party invitation, one of those simple kinds that you buy at the store and fill out by hand on your own. The first line said ‘Party For’ and in the blank beside it was a handwritten name:

  Denver Reynolds

  Denver Reynolds was a girl in our same grade, a mutual friend of ours that we’d hung out with in the past. She was rather stuck up, so we didn’t spend time with her too often. She was one of those girls whose mother always showed up for parent-teacher meetings and bought her the latest, trendiest clothes and accessories. I shrugged my shoulders. “So?” I asked, irritated.

  “So, look where the party is,” Claire whined impatiently. My eyes scanned the list, passing by ‘Time’ and ‘Date.’ The bottom blank was for ‘Place’ and it read in loopy, cursive writing:

  The Riverside Roller Rink

  I still didn’t see the big deal, and I told Claire so.

  “The big deal,” she said, “is that there is no party at the Riverside Roller Rink.”

  “Huh?” I said, baffled by her secretive tone. “My mom ungrounded me last week. So, I was able to finally call Zeke. He asked me to give him the name of a girl from my school, and he told me that he would send us an invitation to hang out with him and Joey, only he sent it under the name of our good old classmate and friend, Denver Reynolds,” she explained. “It’s brilliant, right?”

  I stopped walking down the hallway, and glared at my friend, stunned. “Are you telling me that we’re supposed to meet Joey and Zeke at the roller skating rink this Saturday?” I asked incredulously. “Yes!” she squealed, clapping her hands together gaily.

  I shushed her, looking around to make sure no one was listening. As much as I wanted to see Joey, this whole thing sounded pretty risky. If my mom found out I was lying to her again, I would be grounded until I turned eighteen. Not to mention the fact that I was supposed to be grounded until next Monday. I told Claire the unfortunate news about the length of my most recent punishment.

  “Oh, Wendi! You know your mom will let you attend a party if it’s for one of your classmates. Especially since she knows that Denver’s parents will be at the party.”

  “But that’s the thing…there won’t be any parents, and there is no party, Claire! Do you really think we should do this?” I asked worriedly.

  The look she gave me was one I’d never seen before from Claire. It was a hateful, disgusted sneer that didn’t seem to fit with her cutesy, freckly face. She said, “I’m going with or without you, so make up your mind,” and then she stomped haughtily off down the hallway.

  Chapter 3

  My mother pulled up to the front of the boxy brick building that was the Riverside Roller Rink. “I want you to understand that the only reason I’m letting you go, even though you’re grounded, is because I want to give you a chance to make some new friends. Denver Reynolds is a nice, studious girl,” my mother said approvingly. She didn’t have to say it, but I knew she meant to add, “Unlike Claire.”

  “I’ll pick you up at eleven o’clock. Be waiting out front for me. If you have any problems, call me on my beeper or cell. And Wendi? There had better be no problems tonight like there was last time…” she said, shooting me a warning glance.

  “I’ll be good, Mom. I promise,” I lied, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. Despite my recent grounding and her overprotective nature, I truly loved and respected my mother. I hated lying to her.

  Handing me a twenty dollar bill, she reminded me to grab Denver’s present from the backseat. I knew I’d look like a total doofus carrying a present for a party that I wasn’t even attending. But I had to keep up appearances, so I pulled the heavy, perfectly wrapped box out from the backseat, and then I waved goodbye to my mom.

  I pulled open the heavy metal doors to the skating rink. Right away, I was hit by the outrageously loud sounds and vibrations from the music inside. I paid the five dollar entry fee to an elderly, frowning man at the front, and I went through another door into the rink.

  The place was jet-black and the music so loud that I was initially disoriented. The rink in the middle was the only well-lit section in the building, but the vivid, flashing strobe lights just made everything around me that much more hectic and confusing. The dark space was filled with clouds of cigarette smoke, with kids my age lighting up everywhere. I’d come here once with a few of my cousins when I was little, and it certainly didn’t look like this then. I’d been under the assumption that skating rinks were family-oriented; that was not the case with Riverside.

  The place was packed full of moving bodies; there were some families, but mostly teenagers. The center area was filled with people on skates. Some of the smaller children hugged the outer rails while the older kids zoomed by, crossing their legs in a zigzag motion, doing some sort of version of hip-hop dancing on skates. I didn’t remember how to skate, and I was suddenly filled with a sense of dread. I had no idea where Claire or the boys were, and it was too crowded to see anyone or anything around me.

  Even if I wanted to shout out Claire’s name, it wouldn’t have helped because of the booming sounds of the music and people’s voices buzzing on all sides of me. I waded through the crowds, saying “Excuse me” at least a dozen times. It didn’t help that I was carrying the big, bulky present in my arms.

  Up ahead, I spotted several rows of table booths, and noticed a couple of them were empty. Finally picking one, I sat down with relief. I rested the gift in the center of the table, spinning it around in circles anxiously. At least from here I could look around the entire rink and try to find Claire or one of the boys. A group of teenagers in a nearby booth were staring at me, and I tried my best to avoid their eyes. I felt like an idiot sitting there by myself with the babyish present in front of me.

  After nearly ten minutes of looking around awkwardly, I felt a soft push on my shoulder from behind. Startled, I turned around in my seat to find Claire, Joey, and Zeke smiling down at me. Up until now, I’d been irritated. But looking at Joey made my heart melt. I unconsciously fingered the locket on my neck. I was happy to see him, and relieved to no longer be on my own.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Claire shouted over the music. “But I just paid to get in!” I hollered back. She shrugged. “Joey and Zeke live a couple blocks from here. We’re gonna hang out at their house.”

  I gave her a look, letting her know I wasn’t crazy about the idea. I thought about that girl I saw earlier today at school, the one who seemed very different from my childhood best friend. But it was my friend who leaned down and whispered, “Don’t worry, Wendi. Joey’s mom and stepdad are going to be there. I promise, if it’s weird, just give me a look and we’ll get out of there pronto. I got your back, girl.”

  “What am I supposed to do with this present?” I asked, staring down at its girlish wrapping paper and glittery ribbon. For the first time, I wondered what was inside the stupid thing. “I’ll carry it for you,” Joey offered, picking it up from the table. “Okay,” I said, standing up to leave. I trailed behind the three of them and left into the night.

  The streets behind the skating rink were shrouded in darkness, and the houses that lined them seemed unoccupied. I’d never been through this subdivision before, and I had to admit it seemed sort of rundown. Many of the houses had boarded up windows and porches filled with unused clutter and appliances. We had only gone a couple blocks when I noticed a pair of headlights up ahead at the end of the street. A vehicle was headed straight for us.

  As it approached, I realized it was a stretch limousine, but not one of those fancy ones. This one had faded paint and dents along its fender. The surprising thing wasn’t the limo’s pitiful appearance, but the fact that i
t actually seemed to be stopping beside us. The driver screeched to a halt and I nearly jumped out of my own skin.

  “A fancy ride for a fancy lady,” Joey whispered in my ear, giving me a comforting squeeze. “You know the driver?” I asked, looking up at him, baffled. “My stepdad,” he said, just as the limo driver rolled down his window. A cloud of smoke flowed out from it. A ruddy faced, gap-toothed man looked out at us.

  “Want to go for a ride?” he asked, smiling at us creepily. If he wasn’t Joey’s stepfather, I’d have told this weirdo to go fuck himself. Zeke did the honors of opening the door to the back for us. Claire climbed in first and I followed reluctantly behind her.

  Joey and Zeke got in, and the four of us sat side by side on the dingy bench seat of the limo. It was riddled with dark stains and cigarette burns. Not only that, but it smelled. I shuddered involuntarily. I couldn’t help feeling creeped out. I’m not sure what I’d expected of this evening, but riding around this dark town in a crummy limousine with a creepy old man certainly wasn’t on my agenda.

  “Where are we going?” I asked fearfully.

  “My stepdad is picking up a client and then he’s going to take us back to the house. We can hang out there for a bit, and then I’ll have him take you guys back before your mom gets back,” Joey reassured. He slipped his hand in mine, stroking the back of my hand with his fingers soothingly.

  That damn present sat at our feet and we rode along in silence. Soft music was playing, something jazzy and foreign to me. Suddenly, the tinted driver’s window slid down, and his stepdad smiled back at us in the rearview mirror. “You kids want a joint?” he asked, taking one hand from the wheel and using it to dig around in the console beside him.

  Joey got up and went to the window, taking the pot from his stepdad. The thought of a parent offering us drugs was hard for me to fathom, but I suppose, in a way, it was cool. Joey sat back down, lighting the joint and handing it to me. I took one small toke, hesitant to get too high and lose my wits again. I was still unsure about this situation. The last thing I wanted to do was get in trouble with my parents again, and I had a sinking feeling that was exactly where this evening was headed.

  I was surprised to see Claire looking calm and relaxed as she took long drags from the joint. Zeke was stroking one of her arms, his eyes focused on her intently. Joey stared at me too, but I kept my eyes straight ahead. I kept imagining what my mother and father were doing; they were probably watching TV and relaxing, completely unaware of the trouble I was getting myself into.

  Several minutes later, our driver parked on the street in front of a two-story, cape cod-styled house. It was made of brick, with steep, crumbling stairs leading up to its roomy front porch. Joey’s stepdad got out from the driver’s seat and closed the heavy limo door behind him. I wiggled around in my seat uncomfortably, my butt sticking to its dirty fabric, wondering again who it was we were picking up. I jumped as our door flew open and Joey’s stepdad stuck his head in.

  He said, “Come in and say hi to Aunt Jeanna.”

  “Okay.” Joey let out a whoosh of breath. “Come in with me,” Joey said, looking at all three of us expectantly. Zeke and Claire followed Joey out of the limo, so I had no choice but to go. I got out warily, running fingers through my long, tangled hair. Slowly, I ascended the dark stairs and stood on the porch while Joey’s stepdad knocked.

  There were several lights on inside, and the door was answered instantly by a gorgeous blonde who didn’t look a day over thirty. “About time!” she exclaimed, walking into the front living room and leaving the door wide open for us.

  I brought up the rear as we all entered the home one after the other. By the time we all filed in, Joey’s Aunt Jeanna was sitting on a worn leather armchair with her legs tucked beneath her, a sour look on her face. Joey’s stepdad, who she referred to as Jed, took a seat on the flowery sectional beside her chair.

  Claire and Zeke sat down beside him, leaving one empty space. I half expected Joey to plop down in it, leaving me with nowhere to sit, but he motioned for me to take it. I sat down, placing my hands in my lap awkwardly.

  “Well, where’s my shit?” Jeanna demanded rudely, looking straight at Jed. He reached in his coat pocket, retrieving a Ziploc bag filled with yellowish white chunks of crystal-like matter. He tossed it in her lap and leaned back against the couch cushions, folding his fingers over his bulbous belly. Jeanna looked at the bag, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth.

  “And the rest of it?” she asked, glancing up at me and Claire. She looked from one of us to the other. Was she talking to me? I wondered nervously. What could I possibly have that she wants?

  “Yep,” Jed answered dryly. She looked away from me and back at him. “Great,” she said, digging one of the bigger chunks out of the bag. This whole situation felt weird to me, and I wanted to get out of here more than any other place I’d been to in my life. It was my understanding that Jed was picking up a client, not dropping off drugs to Joey’s crazy aunt. I shifted in the seat uncomfortably, watching Jeanna drop bits of the drug into a skinny glass pipe with an odd-shaped bowl on its end. She held a lighter to the end of it, taking long puffs as she stared at the tip. She didn’t offer us any, for which I was grateful. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was smoking, but I had a few ideas.

  We sat there, watching her smoke and listening to the dull sounds of a radio playing in the kitchen. After a while, I couldn’t sit still any longer. I picked at the hangnails on my thumbs until I could pick no longer.

  “I need to go back,” I whispered to Joey. He nodded.

  “Jed, I have to get my friends back soon,” Joey announced, still standing up with his arms crossed over his chest. He truly was adorable, with his bronze-colored skin and baby fine, almost white hair.

  “Okey dokey,” Jed replied, getting up from the couch. He, Joey, and Zeke said their goodbyes, and we headed back out to the limo. Jeanna was still puffing away desperately as I went through the door. I was relieved to be back outside in the damp, cool air.

  “I need to get back to the skating rink. I can’t afford to get grounded again,” I said as soon as we were seated in the back.

  “We’re going to my house now,” Joey said. “I promise I’ll make sure you’re back to the skating rink in plenty of time,” he added, a whining tone to his voice.

  “No,” I answered firmly. “I need to go back now. If you want to hang out with me, then you can do it at the skating rink. And if your stepdad won’t take me, then just drop me off and I’ll walk back from here.”

  Claire was staring at me with a dirty, mocking look on her face. I gave her an ugly look in return. Screw Claire. If she wanted to choose Zeke over me, then so be it. I didn’t feel comfortable and I wanted to go back. I was sticking to my guns this time.

  “Okay. We’ll take you back,” Joey offered sweetly. He tapped on the tinted driver’s window and whispered to his stepdad in a hushed tone.

  “We’ll take you now,” Jed said, looking back in the mirror at me. His eyes stayed on mine for a minute too long, and my stomach fluttered nervously.

  We rode back in silence again. They passed the joint back and forth, but I held up a hand to decline. The next thing I knew, they were pulling up in front of the skating rink. The limo pulled off and I was left standing alone in the parking lot, holding Denver Reynolds’ phony birthday present again.

  I jogged across the lot, heading back to the entrance. The front of the rink was deserted, and so was the parking lot. I pulled on the doors, but was surprised to discover they were locked. I glanced down at my watch. It was 10:18. The party invitation had read eight until eleven. But then again, the invitation had been a fake.

  I looked at the sign on the door. The roller skating rink had closed at 9:30. “Well, isn’t this just great,” I muttered miserably. So, here I was, stuck waiting in the dark, alone. The only thing I had to keep me company was the present at my feet. I suddenly realized I was going to have to lose the present before my mom showe
d up. How would I explain the fact that I still had it after going to a birthday party? I looked around anxiously, wondering if I should perhaps toss it in the bushes.

  I considered calling my mother, but then she would know it had all been a lie. I simply couldn’t risk it. I had no other choice but to sit and wait. She would be here in forty minutes. I sat on the front stoop miserably. I still had the present, unsure what to do with it. I’m just going to tell her the truth, I decided unexpectedly. I’ll tell her that I screwed up and tell her I was scared. Maybe it would feel good talking to someone about it. About everything.

  Minutes dragged by lazily, the night air cool, with one sole street lamp providing me comfort. I was nearly half asleep with my head in my hands when I heard the sounds of a car approaching. I immediately saw a dark Chevy blazer, definitely not my mother’s car. It pulled into the parking lot, which caught me by surprise. I stood up and stepped back as the driver pulled up right in front of the rink.

  Suddenly, the passenger door to the Blazer flew open and a surly looking man got out. Before I even had a chance to stand up, he grabbed me around the waist and lifted me off the ground. I kicked and screamed angrily, clawing at his eyes and skin. He threw me in the backseat. My body hit the cold, vinyl surface of the seat, and I let out an oomph sound.

  I felt slightly dazed, and when I looked up, I was stunned to see Joey’s crazy Aunt Jeanna seated up front in the passenger seat. She smiled back at me maniacally, and then the driver got in his seat, and pulled off hastily. I was in complete and utter shock, still trying to wrap my brain around what was happening. I mean, you hear about this stuff in the movies, but in real life? It didn’t seem logical. Why would these strange people kidnap me? Maybe they are playing some sort of prank, I considered. But that premise seemed unlikely. My chest filled with dread.