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Authors: Stuart Meczes
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and stomach as I dragged myself upwards. I reached my room in what seemed like hours. I barged my shoulder against the door. It swung open, knocking against the wall with a low thud.
I pulled myself onto the bed without even stopping to remove my sodden clothes. A wave of sickness rushed through my stomach. I leaned over the far side and vomited into the bin.
Whimpering, I rolled onto my back. The ceiling spun around like a car wheel. A small pitiful moan escaped my lips and with no strength left, my body sank into the mattress and my eyelids closed.
I was still in my room but I could feel that I wasn't alone. People were moving about in the shadows, their voices barely a whisper.
The bed shifted as someone leaned over me. I could feel them near my skin, could hear their low steady breathing. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't respond. Panic exploded in my stomach. I wanted to scream for help, but my mouth wouldn't work. It felt like it had been glued shut. Terror replaced the panic. Inside I was writhing around like a wounded animal, screaming and fighting, but on the outside I would have appeared as still as the dead. More closed in around me, their breath warm on my face. I could smell something familiar, but couldn't place it. They spoke in small hushed bursts.
“ It’s definitely happening.”
“ We should take him now.”
“ I'll carry him.”
Someone scooped me up from under the covers as if I were a baby and flopped me over their shoulder. I strained with all my strength to get some part of me to respond - to fight off my kidnappers and escape - but nothing happened. I was a rag doll.
I felt the slight rise and fall as my kidnapper moved across the bedroom. My stomach lurched as the ground dropped away.
A second later a jarring sensation shook my body and I heard a loud crunch like a hammer on gravel. I realised with pure shock that whoever was carrying me had jumped out of my bedroom window. If I could have screamed I would have. No human could do that without serious damage to us both.
There were a few more heavy thumps onto the gravel as the others followed. Then the rhythmic walking started again - the steady rise and fall.
With everything I had, I strained once more against my paralyzed muscles. I felt the fingers on my left hand flicker. A wave of hope replaced the fear.
“ Wait!” I heard one of them hiss. My heart spasmed. We shuddered to a stop and warm set of fingers felt for something in my neck.
“ God, he isn't out properly! Quick, give it to me!”
There was a rustling sound followed by a sharp sting on the back of my hand. A cool sensation washed all the way up my arm. The last thing I remembered was the sharp taste of metal in the back of my mouth, before the darkness rushed in and took me.
5
M y fingers stretched out, reaching for the pillow, but I couldn't find it. Instead I felt something soft and damp. I tried to lift my head up, but it was filled with lead. It pounded relentlessly.
Then the rest of me began to follow suit, starting with a low ache and escalating into an intense throbbing. I tried to open my eyes, but they were slow and unresponsive.
The strange material was all around me. It rubbed gently against my stomach, face, arms and feet.
After an age my sluggish eyes rolled open and through my blurry vision I saw that I was not in bed at all.
I was face down in grass.
Using all of my strength I used my jelly arms to drag my aching body upright. After three tries, I was able to stand up onto spaghetti legs.
Only the briefest glance made it clear that I’d woken up in Providence Park.
My head thrummed and I clasped at it, rubbing furiously in a desperate attempt to blot out the pain. Eventually it subsided enough for me to focus.
The sky was a blend of orange and grey. The rising sun locked in battle with the winter clouds. An icy breeze traced the contours of my skin. The park was empty apart from a pair of joggers on the far side,
I pulled myself onto the bed without even stopping to remove my sodden clothes. A wave of sickness rushed through my stomach. I leaned over the far side and vomited into the bin.
Whimpering, I rolled onto my back. The ceiling spun around like a car wheel. A small pitiful moan escaped my lips and with no strength left, my body sank into the mattress and my eyelids closed.
I was still in my room but I could feel that I wasn't alone. People were moving about in the shadows, their voices barely a whisper.
The bed shifted as someone leaned over me. I could feel them near my skin, could hear their low steady breathing. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't respond. Panic exploded in my stomach. I wanted to scream for help, but my mouth wouldn't work. It felt like it had been glued shut. Terror replaced the panic. Inside I was writhing around like a wounded animal, screaming and fighting, but on the outside I would have appeared as still as the dead. More closed in around me, their breath warm on my face. I could smell something familiar, but couldn't place it. They spoke in small hushed bursts.
“ It’s definitely happening.”
“ We should take him now.”
“ I'll carry him.”
Someone scooped me up from under the covers as if I were a baby and flopped me over their shoulder. I strained with all my strength to get some part of me to respond - to fight off my kidnappers and escape - but nothing happened. I was a rag doll.
I felt the slight rise and fall as my kidnapper moved across the bedroom. My stomach lurched as the ground dropped away.
A second later a jarring sensation shook my body and I heard a loud crunch like a hammer on gravel. I realised with pure shock that whoever was carrying me had jumped out of my bedroom window. If I could have screamed I would have. No human could do that without serious damage to us both.
There were a few more heavy thumps onto the gravel as the others followed. Then the rhythmic walking started again - the steady rise and fall.
With everything I had, I strained once more against my paralyzed muscles. I felt the fingers on my left hand flicker. A wave of hope replaced the fear.
“ Wait!” I heard one of them hiss. My heart spasmed. We shuddered to a stop and warm set of fingers felt for something in my neck.
“ God, he isn't out properly! Quick, give it to me!”
There was a rustling sound followed by a sharp sting on the back of my hand. A cool sensation washed all the way up my arm. The last thing I remembered was the sharp taste of metal in the back of my mouth, before the darkness rushed in and took me.
5
M y fingers stretched out, reaching for the pillow, but I couldn't find it. Instead I felt something soft and damp. I tried to lift my head up, but it was filled with lead. It pounded relentlessly.
Then the rest of me began to follow suit, starting with a low ache and escalating into an intense throbbing. I tried to open my eyes, but they were slow and unresponsive.
The strange material was all around me. It rubbed gently against my stomach, face, arms and feet.
After an age my sluggish eyes rolled open and through my blurry vision I saw that I was not in bed at all.
I was face down in grass.
Using all of my strength I used my jelly arms to drag my aching body upright. After three tries, I was able to stand up onto spaghetti legs.
Only the briefest glance made it clear that I’d woken up in Providence Park.
My head thrummed and I clasped at it, rubbing furiously in a desperate attempt to blot out the pain. Eventually it subsided enough for me to focus.
The sky was a blend of orange and grey. The rising sun locked in battle with the winter clouds. An icy breeze traced the contours of my skin. The park was empty apart from a pair of joggers on the far side,
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