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14
I turned to run but it was too late, he had me in a full on tackle. He brought me to the floor and landed on top of me with a thud. The next thing I knew I was being pulled back into the cabin by my collar.

"Here ya go chief" He said as he personally handed me over to Jim, "It was easier then catching a legless turtle"

I made sure to struggle the entire time. I stopped when I saw the gun on Brian. When Jeremy handed me over, Jim dropped the gun to the floor where Jeremy was quick to retrieve it, "See, Jim man, it's a good thing we brought this thing. You didn't even think we would need it"

"Shut the hell up!" Jim was mad as hell. Again.

"You kid, are really bugging the hell out of me you know that?" Jim said as he now grabbed me by my collar and shoved me towards Kevin, "You better keep an eye on this kid or you will all end up paying for it" I was about to land face first on the floor but Kevin grabbed for me just before that happened.

He pulled me up and gave me such an intense look I almost feared him as much as creepy Jim and slak jawed Jeremy. I sat on the cot and didn't say a word. Not one. As a matter of fact none of us did. It was almost as if they were alone, that's how quiet we all were. I caught a glimpse of Howie looking at his watch and biting his bottom lip. I wondered if he was as afraid of having these guys stay as I was. I found myself wondering now if they were going to stay or leave again. I didn't think I could take a night in the same cabin with Jim knowing the way he looks at me.

As if reading my mind, he looked over to me and smiled. I quickly put my head down. He stood up and started over my way. I felt my body tense with every step he took towards me. "Okay, who here wants to talk to Lou next?" He asked us all. His eyes traveled from one to the other and always managed to stay fixed on me the longest. I might as well volunteer since I knew he was going to pick me anyway.

"How about the big man" He finally said staring at Kevin.

Kevin stood up, "Fine let's do this!" He went to grab the cell phone out of Jim's hand but he quickly pulled it away. "Oh no you don't" He said happily dialing Lou's number.

"Hello Louis" He paused and brimmed with delight at whatever Lou was saying on the other end of the line.

"I have someone here who wishes to speak to you. Just so you know I am not pulling your leg" He then handed the phone off to Kevin who was nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"Hi Lou" I tried to hear the other end of the conversation and found myself wishing there was speaker phone in here. Or how about any phone that wasn't attached to Jim. Boy that would've been nice. If there was a phone in the cabin the whole time.

"Yes, we are all here and we're fine" No we are not Kevin, stop acting all macho and tell him there's nothing fine with being held at gun point. Tell him I want my Mommy.

"No, he hasn't really hurt us" Kevin said that looking directly at me.

"Okay" He said and then handed the phone back to Jim who took the conversation outside the cabin.

When he was safely out of earshot, Brian asked Kevin, "So, what did he say?"

"Nothing, he didn't say much. I swear to God that he doesn't care at all" That was exactly what I didn't want to hear. I wanted Kevin to say that Lou had come up with a secret message that he had to decode that meant a swat team was on the way to rescue us or something. Maybe the police were tracing the call now.

Jim came in cursing and ranting. He threw the cell phone against the wall and I flinched as it shattered in a billion tiny pieces. "That son of a bitch still won't budge! Dammit what is it going to take for me to get my money? Do I have to kill one of these kids?" I felt my throat get all dry when he said that. He noticed me get all anxious and he smiled, "Yeah maybe we'll kill the little tiny one first. You know to send a message" My eyes bulged, Jeremy and Jim both had big smiles on their faces.

"Yeah, maybe we can leave him out in the wilderness and let the wolves get him!" Jeremy said now joining on the fun.

"That sounds like a great idea. I bet these boys would be happy to see you go to. Huh guys?"

"Truthfully it wouldn't be a half bad idea" AJ said quickly getting a nudge from Kevin. That had Jim totally crack up.

"Leave him alone guys!" Kevin said, "Nick they aren't gonna kill you. They are just playing with you. And they are going to stop NOW!"

"I'm getting a little tired of you too Kevin. I don't think you are in the position to tell me what I can or can't do, so better stop before I do decide it's better to have one of you missing from here"

"You would never kill one of us"

"You're right I wouldn't but who's to say I was talking about killing you? Maybe I just want to have a little fun" That made Kevin shut up, finally. He took a seat right next to me and once again shot me a look from hell.

"Well, I was going to stay here with you boys tonight but it seems like I now need to go figure out a new plan of action. So, I guess you are on your own for another night, unless you want to stay?" He asked looking over at Jeremy. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to know the answer.

"No way, I have to get home to my family"

"Alright then, I guess I'll be seeing you boys in a day or two at the latest"

I found myself breathing a sigh of relief at that. "See you boys and you better hope we aren't caught because then no one will know where to find you" He winked. Why did he like to play mental mind games like that?

When they left I was about to fall to the floor awash with relief when, "Dammit Nick!" Kevin screaming at me.

"What the hell were you thinking when you tore ass out of here?" I have to say I wasn't expecting that at all. He took me by surprise.

"I thought I could.."

"What? You thought you could run and get help?" I nodded.

"Is this just a game to you kid? These people are dangerous! Yes, I highly doubt that either one would shoot us but even still, Nick you can't play with YOUR life like that and you are definitely not playing with MY life like that either! Use your common sense!"

I looked at them all, they were staring at the floor. I made eye contact with Kevin and he looked mean. Even hateful. I lost it.

"I'm sorry" I said as the tears began to spill out. Damn I didn't want to cry, they already thought I was just a big baby. Now I was proving them right. I knew they hated me but I didn't want them to think I was pathetic. I tried to hide the fact that I was crying but I couldn't.

"Shit" Kevin said as he placed an arm around me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry okay? It's just that I don't think you realize how serious this is" I found myself pushing him away from me.

"You don't think I know how serious this is? I know exactly how serious this is. My family depends on me to help them out and I am letting them down. Do you think Lou will still pay us even though we aren't doing anything?" They all looked a little shocked by my question.

"My family is going to end up living in a car again if I fail them" I started to ball then, no one said anything. Maybe they didn't realize what I was carrying around with me, or maybe they didn't care and blocked me out. Kevin enveloped me in a hug though for which I was grateful and I cried on his shoulder. While everyone stared at us in silence...