[WBBS Home] [Table Of Contents] [Previous Story] [Next Story]
The ransom note was short and directly to the point. The words, written in blood, sent shivers down the man's spine causing him to vomit on the tiled kitchen floor. It read: "50,000 dollars cash, at the Winston Junkyard today at eight p.m. or she dies. Come alone. Oh, and don't worry too much about the girl. She's in good hands."
As for emphasis, a small hand print of blood was smeared just below those last dreadful words. The man knew immediately that the hand print belonged to his daughter, Jennifer. He looked at the magnetic picture of his only little girl hanging on the refrigerator door, and fought back his emotions. Jennifer was dressed all in white, looking so innocent and fragile. Smiling, her long blonde curls spilled out from beneath a colorful party hat and over her tiny shoulders. She looked so much like her late mother... so beautiful.
Before his eyes, the lovely image melted away into one of horror. Jennifer's tiny body, bruised, battered, and covered in dark, wet blood, was lying on the ground, her eyes filled with tears. Crying, "No, please don't hurt me, dammit..." and something else undeterminable. She raised her tiny hands as if to ward off the next powerful blow, but the figure before her was only angered, and hit harder. "Dammit?" At least that was what it had looked like she had said. She was only five. Where had she learned such language? Jennifer's image cried out one last time before finally collapsing in a silent slump on the dirt-ridden floor.
Tears stung Jack's eyes as silent rage swept over him. He began to scream in fury as the note he held crumpled in his hands. Fresh blood spilled as his nails dug into the flesh of his palms. Jack's body convulsed violently as his breaking point was reached. He could not let this happen. He could not let those images he had seen come to pass. But Jack's hands were tied. He could not call the police. The note had been specific that he come alone. The only thing left to do, if he ever wanted to see his daughter alive again, was to get the cash and get her back quickly.
The money was not a problem. Jack had ten times that amount in the bank at any given time. He was a highly successful architect, having made most of his money in his twenties. Designing for only the largest homes and buildings, he was renowned worldwide as the best. Jack's graphic mind was unbelievable. He could design massive and gorgeous structures considerably under the standard cost, but still looking like one of the finest ever created. His employers did not mind paying the extra cost in salary, as they saved a bundle by using Jack's designs.
Jack carried his wealth well. He was not a flashy man, but rather conservative. His parents had been killed in a car crash when he was barely five. Orphaned at an early age, he had learned not to squander the little that he'd possessed. He had lived in a home for boys up until he was ten, learning the necessities of life, but always longing for a real family.
As luck would have it, a family searching for an older child had come to the school in hopes of finding their perfect choice. They had seen Jack helping some of the other smaller kids build towers with blocks and had known instantly that he was the one. Soon after, the paperwork was finished and Jack had gotten his new family. They had been everything that he had ever dreamed about. Jack's new father, George, had soon realized that Jack had a talent for building and designing. Immediately George had begun teaching his son all of the basics that Jack had missed during his schooling. Jack had picked them up instantly and even carried them to the next level. He was a natural.
After the adoption, Jack had grown up having an above average life. He had been very smart and his new parents, being wealthy, had sent him to all the best schools. Finally, when Jack had started college, he had known that he wanted to be an architect, and that is exactly what he had become. But now all of his life's good fortunes were shot down the drain from that single note. He had to hurry.
First things first. These people, who ever they were, wanted money, and that was exactly what Jack would give them. He was willing to do anything to get his little girl back. Although his mind was filled with many horrible thoughts, Jack knew that he had to call the bank and have them ready to withdraw the money. The kidnappers wanted cash and Jack didn't think that a check would do.
What really puzzled Jack was the fact the kidnappers even knew to take Jennifer. Jack was not well known personally other than in the building community, and if the kidnappers had done their homework, they could have asked for ten times that amount without any trouble. Jack would have gladly paid as long as they did not hurt his little girl. If anything happened to her, Jack would kill the person responsible. He knew this without a doubt.
The sick feeling again returned. Jack could not remember feeling this bad since his wife, Fran, had died. She had fallen from one of Jack's architectural projects one night when he was supposed to be working late. Jack had just missed her, and while Fran had been looking around for him, she had fallen from a loose beam. Although the fall had only been one story, Fran had landed harshly, cracking her skull.
At first the police had suspected foul play. Wwhat would a man's wife be doing climbing on an unfinished structure in the dead of night? Of course, Jack had been the only suspect, but after passing a lie detector test with flying colors, and with no other witnesses, he was cleared. Besides the grief that the poor man was in after the death of his wife was enough to prove that he was innocent. Jack had almost given up the business from the strain of events surrounding her death, but chose to carry on, knowing that is what Fran would have done. Jack still missed her. But now was not the time to think about the past. Jennifer was in trouble and Jack had to move quickly. If he failed now, he would lose both of the women that he had loved so much in his life. Something kept tugging at his mind, telling him he must hurry or he'd be too late.
Instead of calling the bank, Jack called his office's secretary. Mary had been with him for years and was very good at getting things done without too many questions. As Jack gave her instructions, she must have detected something in his voice because immediately she asked what was wrong. Jack, too much on the edge for questions, snapped at her harshly to mind her own business and to do exactly what he said. Jack felt a tinge of guilt, because he had never before yelled at Mary for anything, but he had no time for these useless setbacks.
Mary immediately started to work on his tasks as Jack explained that he was sorry and under some major pressure from one of his clients. Although Mary did not believe one word of it, she labored for her employer with no other comments. She had never encountered this kind of behavior from her boss before, but if she wanted to keep her job, she'd better do as she was told.
From his phone conversation with Mary, Jack learned that he'd have to start acting like everything was normal or he would draw too much attention to himself. If the bank suspected anything odd, they might hold up the money while they checked out Jack's story. This could be bad, not to mention time consuming, and Jack could not wait while Jennifer's precious life hung in the balance.
Jack was confident that Mary could handle everything that he had given her. As he hung up the phone he made his way out the front door. The sun was shining overhead and Jack could hear robins chirping in the trees. A gentle breeze was blowing from the east that ruffled Jack's hair, just keeping the heat of the warm spring morning at bay. It would have been a pleasant day other than the fact that his daughter was missing and in great danger. Jack wondered why all these bad things had to happen to him.
Jack hurried to his car, a 1997 Chevy Camero, and scrambled inside, unaware of the invisible stranger watching him. If one could have seen the dark man's facial expression, an insane catlike grin would have been evident, but on his outward appearance, his features remained blank. Everything was working out as planned. He called himself Kaj, and he had tortured Jack for many years, ever since Jack's real parents had died. In fact it had been Kaj who had killed them. Kaj had murdered everyone that Jack had loved, including his wife, and now he had his daughter. And the really funny thing was that Jack did not even know of his existence.
Kaj enjoyed torturing Jack, but he tried to keep his encounters few and far between so Jack would not become suspicious. The first time that he had interfered in the man's life, Jack had been very young. Kaj had cut the brake lines on his parent's car, causing them to crash off a cliff to their fiery deaths. Jack had cried for hours and hours at the news that his mother and father would not ever return home again. Kaj had just laughed.
Kaj had watched Jack every day while the boy grew up at the Branton school for boys waiting until the right moment to strike again. After Kaj had learned that Jack was very fond of sister Marywether, he had wanted to kill her instantly, but the timing was not right. Kaj had been forced to wait nearly two years before he had the chance to steal her heart medication and replace it with another set of pills he had found. Marywether died that night in her sleep. Jack had cried; Kaj had cackled like a witch.
Then, possibly his most favorite yet, had been the death of Fran, Jack's wife. She had come looking for Jack one night when Kaj had been lurking close by. Kaj had planned on doing something horrible this evening, but he had no clue as to what diabolical deed to perform. But when he had spotted Fran all alone at the building site, his plan had fallen into place. Kaj had surprised her by bringing down a large steel girder on top of her head, splitting open her skull and spilling the grey matter that was her brain onto the ground below. Kaj had let her body fall over the edge of the first floor, then placed the steel beam on the ground below her head. The death of his wife hit Jack harder than anything he had ever encountered before, which only pleased Kaj all the more. Tiny Jennifer had been too young to understand what had happened to her mother, but Kaj had known that he would have enjoyed her pain just as much as her father's. And Kaj had also known that one day Jennifer would be his tool to terrorize Jack. Now that day had finally arrived.
Had Jack only known of this evil being's presence, things might have turned out differently. But totally unaware of the amused watcher, Jack tore out of the driveway like a scalded dog. Tires squealing, rubber burning, and the evil Kaj still silently laughing.
As Jack approached the final stoplight before the bank, he saw something in his rearview mirror. Just a quick flash of a form sitting directly behind him, but as he turned around the image had vanished. Cold chills shot down his spine causing Jack to jerk once uncontrollably. It had to be the stress that he was under that had caused the image. But through all of the grief that Jack had endured, he had become stronger each day, and now with his little girl in trouble, Jack was not about to break under the strain. He would see this thing through to the end, visions or no visions. He would not give up.
Jack entered the bank a few moments later, his awareness rising. The massive building seemed to echo every sound. Marble floors and columns lined each side of the building, more for show than support. It was nearly closing time, and although the bank was not really crowded, Jack felt as if all eyes in the establishment had turned to him, and were burning holes right through to his soul, as if he were walking across the tiled floor naked. Seeing the large security guard watching over the bank really put Jack on edge. He just knew something would go wrong. As he reached the teller and asked for his withdrawal, it did. The teller froze, with a look of terror in her eyes. Sweat rolled down Jack's face in endless beads. The collar on his wet shirt felt as if it were choking off the air to his lungs.
The teller signaled for the guard, who hurried over drawing his service pistol as he came. This could not be happening. Jack had no time to waste, but he knew he would be too late to save Jennifer now, unless...
As the guard brought the gun to bear, pointing it at the base of Jack's skull, Jack whirled catching the unexpected guard with a fist to the head. Although the blow was powerful the guard kept his grip on the handgun. Just as the blast from the gun sounded, Jack knew his quest was over. The bullet seemed to move in slow motion as its killing force slammed into Jack's brain...
Jack jerked out of his daydream aware that the line in front of him had diminished and that it was his turn to do business. The security guard was still standing beside the entrance way unmoving in his stance. The lady at the desk asked if she could help, and as Jack told her his name she immediately moved to the bank's vault. Mary had come through. The money had already been prepared and loaded into a briefcase. Jack was glad, because in all of his turmoil he had forgotten his money bag at home.
The teller handed the case to Jack and asked him to sign a withdrawal form. Once done she nodded politely and Jack was on his way. He could not believe how easy that had been. Whatever Mary had done, she had done it right. Jack made a mental note to thank her and again apologize for his earlier behavior.
As Jack started out the bank door, the guard stopped him. Now was where the trouble would begin thought Jack. But the guard only stopped him so the young teller could deliver the copy of the withdrawal slip that Jack had left on the counter. As she smiled, Jack noticed how pretty the young teller was, her long blonde hair looking so much like his daughter's. Jack took a moment to return the smile, then without a word disappeared out the banks front doors. Like a jackal in the dark, Kaj grinned.
The drive to the Winston Junkyard took nearly an hour. Jack had the pedal to the floor the entire trip. He knew that he would be early but could not shake the feeling that time was of the essence. As he stopped outside the front gate, the sun was just beginning to sink in the sky. Another hour or so, and the place would be dark.
Jack cut the ignition on his car and climbed out, laying the case full of bills on the ground. He listened for any other signs of company, but heard none. As he pushed closed the door the sound shattered the silence. Feeling more helpless now than any other point in the dreaded day, Jack pressed on.
The Junkyard was one of the largest in the state. A deserted wasteland of scarred metal, surrounded by a large chain link fence, the place appeared as well fortified as Fort Knox. A strand of barbed wire ran the entire length of the fence attached just above the support poles. Looking at all the endless junk stacked in high piles dropped Jack's spirits even lower. How was he ever going to find his little girl in this awful place? He had to get inside and wait for further instructions. That was his only chance.
The front gate was locked. A large pad lock and chain dangled limply around the two halves of fence. Jack tugged on the lock just to be certain. The metallic jingle of the chain echoed through the yard. Rather than trying to circle the massive place looking for a way in, Jack decided to make his own entrance. Had he only taken a closer look at his key ring, he might have seen the tiny gate key that had been placed there earlier.
First, he tossed the money over the fence. The case landed with a thud on the opposite side, but was undamaged. Then removing his over shirt, Jack laid it gently over a section of the barbed wire. Carefully he climbed the fence. It shuddered lightly from Jack's weight as he reached the top. A strange thought occurred to Jack. What if he were caught breaking in to this place? A valid thought indeed, but it would not happen. Kaj had already seen to that, and besides Jack had no time to worry about that now. He had already slung his right leg over and was beginning to make his descent into his daughter's prison.
As he brought over the remaining leg, Jack's pants were snagged by an exposed barb. Losing his balance, Jack fell, and would have landed on his face had the barb not held. It toppled him over in a position where he was hanging upside down by only his fingers in the fence and the culprit barb. Cursing, Jack wiggled his leg trying to free the his pants. Getting a good hold with his hands, Jack jerked his leg free ripping a seam not only out of his clothes, but into the flesh of his leg as well. He flipped over, landing on his knees and stretching several muscles in his arms. A small trickle of blood made its way down his leg and stopped as it soaked into his sock. Jack gave himself a few moments to rest while taking a mental inventory of his injuries. Surprisingly nothing was broken. Someone must be watching over me today, Jack thought. Little did he know, Kaj was watching... and waiting.
After regaining his composure, Jack returned to the business at hand. He moved down the isle formed by layers of junk to a large open area. A hulking machine that crushed cars lay to the north and standing beside the machine was a towering crane. Piles and piles of battered cars were everywhere, creating a circle around this main juncture. Sitting in the middle of the circle of junk was a small brown chair. Jack recognized it as one of Jennifer's dollhouse chairs that he had made for her. Immediately Jack wanted to cry, but he fought back the urge, running over to examine the discovery.
There was no sign of Jennifer, and the only thing Jack spotted was another tiny note taped to the seat of the chair. He grabbed the note, ripping the tape that had held it in place. Frantically Jack read the words that were written.
"I knew that you would make it. You are not as stupid as you look. Now for our little business arrangement. Leave the money beside the chair..."
Jack paused for a second hesitant to part with the cash without seeing Jennifer. If he lay down the money, he might never see his little girl alive again. But if he did not follow instructions, she was done for sure. Jack dropped the briefcase beside the chair and continued reading:
"...and face the little cleared area beside the car crusher. Move into that passageway and you will find a trail that leads to your daughter. I am always watching so don't try anything funny, or the girl dies."
Another smudge of blood had dried on the note, and this time tears did form in his eyes. His little girl was close, he could feel it. Everything was going to be alright.
Leaving the note with the money, Jack hurried down the passageway. He continued on and on, seeing no sign of Jennifer. At first he became alarmed. He had covered a lot of ground and had not found any other clues, but then he realized that the kidnappers were leading him on a long goose chase while they collected the money. For a instant Jack wanted to run back down the passage and stomp the hell out of anyone he saw on the way. But he realized that would only end up getting himself and Jennifer killed. His best course of action was to continue following the madman's instructions, even as much as he hated it.
Around the next bend the path split in four directions. The way that he had come was ruled out, so that left only three choices. Anger swelled up inside Jack, as he fumed over this foolish child's game of cloak and dagger. Which path was he supposed to take?
Since Jack had been following the main path for several minutes, he decided to keep on it. After a few more minutes passed, the path ended in a wall of junk. Cursing, Jack turned around and rushed back down the isle. Out of breath he at last reached the intersection. Just as he was about to scream, he noticed a tiny trail of blood on the dusty floor, leading off down the right passage. Now that he had spotted the blood, Jack wondered how he had ever missed it.
This time Jack followed the blood trail knowing for certain it was the right way. There was something different about this path, something almost dreamlike, and Jack felt as if he had traveled it before. But he knew that was impossible, he had never before been anywhere near this junkyard. The feeling that he had to hurry again overwhelmed Jack. Still huffing from his last run, he picked up the pace. The blood trail was constant but there were a few places that it ended only to begin again a few paces further. Sweat ran down into Jack's eyes stinging them, while his adrenaline kept him moving. He knew he had to hurry.
Kaj watched from his hidden corner as the frantic father raced to save his only daughter. Silently, he began to chuckle, realizing that Jack was already too late.
Rounding the next junk infested corner, Jack saw a new sight that filled him with terror. A lone refrigerator was standing directly in his path blocking the way. The front door, once white, was now smeared with tiny bloody hand prints and swirls where Jennifer had fought to keep herself free of the airless coffin. Jack felt as if he were going to faint, but he managed to get to the door of the prison. In the next few moments, time seemed to move in slow motion. Jack pulled on the handle hoping for the best, but knowing he was too late. As the door swung open, Jennifer's tiny lifeless body fell out into Jack's outstretched arms. Her skin was white, her body cold. She had been robbed of her air and been left to slowly suffocate in this merciless tomb.
Rage filled Jack's body, coursing through his blood like boiling water. A scream too unholy and terrible to be made by a mortal man escaped his lips. The emotional dam that held back the flood burst, spilling blood stained tears down Jack's face as a vessel exploded in his eye. Somebody would pay. Jack picked up the tiny body, and slowly moved back down the passage, like a vampire carrying off a victim child. Someone would be sorry for this.
Kaj watched all of this with growing amusement. He had become tired of Jack over his years of torturing the poor man. Now that he had killed Jennifer, the last tie to the world that Jack had cared for, Kaj could move on to the real business at hand, destroying the infernal man himself. As long as Jack lived, Kaj could never be whole. He had to kill Jack and move on to bigger and better things. Thinking of Jack's death, Kaj's invisible smile grew wider.
Jack carried the body back to the chair inside the junk coliseum, propping her tiny form up in the playhouse seat that he had made for her. He could not bare to lay her body on the filthy ground. Covered in blood, she still looked beautiful. Jack wiped her stained hair back out of her face, and stepped back. That's when he noticed the briefcase lying in the same spot as he had left it. Jack looked around, aware that the killers might still be near. Why else would the money still be here? No matter what the answer, Jack was not about to let them take it. He had kept his end of the bargain, but still lost the person he loved most. There was no way that they would ever get their hands on the money now. Jack did not care if he had to wait here for the killers forever, he had nothing left to live for. As it turned out, he did not have to wait long.
Jack had been bothered with headaches before, but none like the one that suddenly descended on him now. It was like a vise squeezing tighter and tighter on his brain as Kaj shot upward from his hiding place deep within, taking over part of Jack's mind, as easily as taking candy from a baby. Kaj had thought that killing Jennifer would cause Jack to lose control of his mental capabilities long enough for him to push Jack out of the body fully, killing his essence. Then, Kaj could move around freely, no longer restrained by Jack's foolish ways. Jack was too nice. Kaj liked destruction.
But all of the grief that Jack had faced had not been enough to leave him open for such an attack. In fact, Jack was powered by his rage and was not about to let this new intruder take command of his body. But this was the first time that Kaj had allowed himself to be felt. The other times he had only touched Jack just enough to do his damage and then went back into hiding, but this time Kaj made a grave mistake.
Jack, now feeling Kaj's mind for the first time, saw clearly what had been his troubles all along, and that it had been his on body hurting all of the people that he had loved. He saw Jennifer pleading with her daddy not to hurt her. It had been "daddy" that she said in the vision, not "dammit", and he had put her there to die. The look on Jennifer's face as he closed the refrigerator door on her, almost broke his heart in two. But everything was coming to him now. All of the murders, Jack had committed. All of the notes he had written himself. Everything bad that had happened in his life, had all been caused by this thing hidden deep inside him, and was now trying to get out. Jack could not let that happen.
The pain in his head was agonizing, and the pain in his heart was even greater, but Jack held the evil being who called himself Kaj, in control. Jack knew what he had to do. Mentally holding the beast at bay, Jack ran over to the car crusher and switched on the machine. The motor whined as it came to life. He started the crush cycle, and the steel jaws of the metal crunching monster began to close. Kaj, sensing what was about to happen, fought harder for control over the foolish part of his mind. Looking at his daughter's body one last time, Jack threw himself and the struggling Kaj over the edge of the machine down into its maw, just as the death jaws closed sealing both fates forever. Jack's last thought was one of comfort. The kidnapper was dead, and Jack was finally at peace. With the machine still groaning, satisfied from its supper, a small breeze blew through the junkyard, sending the ransom note flying into the air, and out into the night.
The story Ransom of the Soul is Copyright 1998 by Richard Poarch.
The collection of works called Fish Eggs For The Soul is Copyright
1998 by Brian Rickman.
Copy edited by Sara Fawbush,
editor of The Young Writer's Collection.