6Three years... It had been three years since the Grabber grabbed the last kid in Denver. After the 7th kid was taken, the Grabber disappeared from people's thoughts as time passed. The families had given up and moved on to greave or ignore that their kids were taken. Everyone in the town had given up hope of ever finding them, considering it had already been three years since they last heard of any one of them.
The first to be taken was Billy Showalter, a Local Paperboy that all the grown-ups loved since he was always so lovely and friendly with his loyal dog right at his side every morning; he was taken early morning before anyone was up as he delivered the paper like he usually would every day. Second, to get grabbed was Griffin Stagg, who was on his way home from his after-school theater class; he wasn't that popular, was consistently ignored by his peers, and was hardly noticed in the school when he disappeared. Third to get grabbed was Vance Hopper, a troubled young man who would fight everyone daily and only cared about his high score in his favorite pinball game; it had taken people longer to realize he had been taken because people assumed he ran away from his abusive mother again. Forth one to be taken was Bruce Yamada, the golden boy in his school and friends; he was coming home from a baseball game when a man fell in front of him, making him stop only to realize that was the worst mistake he had ever made. After him, Robin Arellano was grabbed on his way home from the store. After him, his best friend was taken before he left school after splitting ways with his sister, who was going over to her friend's house. And lastly, Grace Chavez, the only girl, was taken as she walked to school.
The Grabber had struck so hard that the police cracked down on officers and security around the small town after Grace disappeared. No kid was alone at any time, and parents refused to let their kids walk to stores or schools, much fewer parks alone. But they didn't know that the Grabber was done collecting his makeshift family, his perfect family. So why should he trouble himself with anything else other than his newfound family?
So he decided to move. To a small town where no one would ask questions about anything he did or anything, he had done. Sure he wasn't well known in Denver, but with the risk of someone finding out about his family, he didn't want anything to go down, so he chose the most logical answer. Leaving his kids with 'enough' food to last them a while, he made a trip to his dead uncle's old house in Forks, Washington, which was willed to him when he was younger, and started to get his things ready. He again started to make his inescapable prison of the basement of that house.
He, of course, made it soundproof and made sure all windows were covered with reinforced steel remembering how one of his youngest' sons' could no longer walk because of how badly he had beaten him after he tried to climb the window. He, of course, felt terrible; what kind of father would he be if he didn't, so he gave his son more attention than the others at times. It broke his heart to hear him cry and beg him to leave him alone, but he knew it was just the fear of him turning into a naughty boy.
He had also installed chains in the room to restrain his oldest and fourth oldest from lashing out at him for punishing them or his siblings when they misbehaved. He also got a couple of dog cages in case he got upset with his kids, and they needed a time-out. About a month later, he returned to his Denver house, where seven hungry children greeted him.
The youngest, Billy, was huddled up with his sister Grace in the back of the room with his slightly older brother, Griffin, and Finney. Their older siblings, Bruce, Vance, and Roben, were sitting next to them, looking malnourished like always, even more so now. The Grabber had his fun tormenting them and made sure he left them more food before going to get things handled. Such as getting a truck ready to transport his items and his kids to the new house.
It had taken some time, but everything was ready. He had moved everything he needed to the new house and made sure everything was bolted down to the ground and walls of the basement. So it was finally time for him to move his family. So he got what he needed to make his knockout gas and threw a bomb into the room before waiting a couple of hours before going inside. He saw all the kids were knocked out before grabbing the chains they were in and dragging them up the stairs and into his truck, waiting in his garage. He bound them again before driving to their new home, where no one knew him or his kids and wouldn't ask questions.
Line Break
Grace was the first one to wake up. She looked around and found her ankle was chained up and hurt more than usual. She winced in pain before she looked around at her surroundings and let out a scream as she saw the Grabber there. She looked around and found that nothing looked familiar.
"I'm glad you woke up... I was starting to get worried," the Grabber said wickedly as he got up from his seat on top of a cage. "At least I know you aren't dead so when the others wake up, make sure to tell them I'll be back soon," he said as he made his way out. "Have a good night, dear," he said, sending her a creepy smile before locking the door.
Grace looked over at the door and waited to hear the lock sound, and when she did, she let out a breath only to be followed by a sob as she started to shake Vance and Bruce, who was right next to her.
"Vance," she cried. "Vance, please wake up," she sobbed as she shook him. He didn't wake up until an hour later when she calmed down enough to couple up to his side.
"What happened," he said groggily as he tried to sit up, only for Grace to cuddle up to him more.
"I'm so glad you're OK," she sobbed as she hugged him. Vance looked over at her before he looked around the room.
"What the fuck" he snapped as he tried to get up, only to trip from all the new chains the Grabber added to him. "Where the hell are we" he snapped as he pulled at the chains making Grace move away from him.
"I don't know. I just woke up a while ago... He was here when I woke up."
"Did he hurt you?" Vance said as he turned his attention to her, ensuring she wasn't hurt, only to see a couple of new bruises.
"No... He just said he would be back later and left. I checked everyone else after, and they seemed OK, just a couple of new bruises." she said as she wiped away her tears. "I'm scared."
"You'll be fine to come on. Let's get them on the beds," he said as he slowly got up, trying to avoid tripping over the chains around his ankles and wrists. In the new room, two queen-sized mattresses were pushed together on the ground next to the wall.
There were also two dog cages on the other side of the room, just at the entrance of what they assumed was the bathroom. Then there was the hook that came from the ground that was attached to a couple of Chains that no one was attached to, so they assumed they would be joined by more kids later on.
"Alright, what happened when I was asleep," Vance asked as he stared at her once the boys were on the beds.
"We were all awake, and he opened the door. He didn't even turn on the light or walk in. He just opened the door and threw a can inside. From what I remember, gas came out of it, and Billy fell, and I don't remember what happened after that." Grace said as she patted Billy's hair. They talked for a couple more minutes before, and slowly all the boys woke up. Grace explained what had happened to them before anyone could panic more. They all started to cry except Vance, wondering what the Grabber planned next. But before they could wonder more. The lights in the dim room turned on, making all the kids scatter to the back of the room.
"Good to see you all awake," the Grabber said as he threw the door open. The door hit the wall with a bang as the Grabber walked in with a food tray. It wasn't much, just the usual scrambled eggs on a big plate and two-letter sodas he always brought. "I brought you your favorite," he said mockingly. As he set the food down on the floor.
"Where are we" Robin asked as Finn hid behind him
"You in your new home... I thought that since you were all good boys and girls, I would treat you to a small gift," he said with a sickly sweet voice.
"Where are we, as in are we still in Denver," asked Bruce, now knowing that if the Grabber got yelled at by Robin, it would end badly for all of them.
"You won't have to worry about that... Now, why don't you get to know your new home before we start to have our fun" he said as he started to make his way out, "and remember, naughty boys and naughty girls get punishment if they misbehave." he said with a laugh before he walked out slamming the door shut and locking it.
Line Break
A month had passed with nothing out of the ordinary. The Grabber would come in, poke fun at all of them, have his fun with them at times and leave like always. He would beat and molest them as they begged him to stop, only for him to ignore them and beat them worse or treat them even worse. The ones who had it the worst were the three oldest. Vance would get beaten the most out of all of them, along with Bruce, for defending the younger boys against the Grabber, but he would do worse things to Grace. He would place his hands all over her body, and the boys couldn't do anything about it, for the Grabber always made sure to chain them up securely. He would also beat her daily, ensuring she did not want to deal with the issue of pregnancy, much less a baby. It had gotten much worse than when they were in the old house.
The boys were terrified of what he did to them. Before this, 4 of the seven were innocent to the world and what it had to throw at them. They were free to be called children and will forever be known as victims of this man's abuse. The older three tried their best to teach and guide them through this, but it was getting too hard even to Guide themselves, much less four younger kids.
Finally, Vance noticed something. The Chain that was connecting Grace was a little bit looser than theirs. He pointed it out to her, and by pure luck did, they all start to check it, and he was right. It was so loose that it came off after a couple of tugs. And that's when they all started planning. They all started to watch the Grabber as he made his usual mocking and beatings and watched all the little things he did and forgot to do. They paid close attention that they finally saw what the Grabber never noticed when he put them down there. The chains were long enough to go across the room. Of course, they had noticed it before, but the last time they tripped him with the chains, they got a lifetime beating from him. But now they had a chance to escape. If Grace could get out and get help, they would be saved if not saved, then at least someone would know that this evil man was here and could be stopped.
This was the part of the plan that Grace didn't like. The boys were half starved as they gave her all the food the Grabber brought them.
"Guys, please, you have to eat too," she said as she pushed the dish back, only for it to be passed back to her by Bruce.
"Grace, it's fine. We can eat whatever is left. It would be best if you had your energy so you could run, OK" Bruce told her as he tried to get her to eat.
"You have no strength in you right now. If you start to eat more now, you can fight him off better if we aren't able to hold him back," Robin stated as he passed the soda to Finn, who nodded at her.
"But you guys will die if you don't eat."
"We will eat just after you are done. Remember who you used to be. The Ace of the girl's Volleyball team that brought our school to nationals two years in a row," Bruce said as he cheered her up. She shook her head before Vance took the bowl from Bruce and grabbed a hand full, stuffing it into Grace's face.
"Shut the fuck up and eat it bitch." he snapped at her "you are our only chance at getting out, and I'm not about to lose this chance because you want to make sure we all eat evenly," he growled at her. She tried to push him away, but he thrust the eggs into her mouth. She finally snapped and slapped his hand away before nodding and starting to eat, sending Vance a slight glare. Once done, she passed the bowl to Billy, who helped Griffin eat.
It took some time; many beatings and other things motivated them to leave that place. Grace finally got enough strength in her legs to run and fight with the help of Vance and Roben, who taught her the perfect punch and instructed her to run wherever she saw lights and get as much attention as she could from the people outside.
Finally, it was the day that she would leave and get help. After such a long time with the abuse and mental strain, she would do it. Vance and Robin were both on opposite ends of the room when the Grabber walked inside the basement. He didn't have any food with him, so he was there to beat him or worse.
"Who's ready to play," he asked as he slowly made his way to the middle of the room. He had the mask he always used with a smiley face with no top part. Grace pushed herself closer to the wall with her legs under her so the Grabber wouldn't notice that she took off the chains and hid behind Bruce as the Grabber walked closer. "There's no reason to be afraid. It's just a game," he said as he stepped forward.
From what they learned, the Grabber never locks the door when he is inside to ensure that he doesn't get locked in there with them, and he always leaves the door slightly ajar to the point that the boys and single girl don't see, but they had noticed it last time when he was there. They had also noticed that whenever he walked in, he left a bat outside the door just in case he needed to get a message across.
Grace looked at him in fear as she slowly razed herself to stand and got ready to run. The Grabber smiled at her before he tried to run at her, only to have Finn tackle him to the ground beside him. Grace looked over at Vance and Robin, who nodded at her as they ran towards the door as if to escape.
"You son of a bitch." the Grabber said as he tried to push Finn off him. Bruce drove Grace to run, and taking that chance, Grace ran towards the door and swung it open before grabbing the bat and throwing it at Vance before running up the stairs. From behind, she could hear the Grabber scream at her to get back. Vance yelled at him to die before something made contact with another, making a loud snap sound. Still, Grace didn't bother to stay and find out what it was as she ran to the top door and opened it, and slammed it shut before running to the door and trying to open it only to find it locked with a bike lock and running to the windows that had baby locks on them.
"Fuck" she cursed as she looked outside and saw nothing but trees for miles. She quickly ran upstairs to where she saw more rooms and a bathroom. She opened all the doors and found all of them had a baby lock on them and cursed more as tears came to her eyes until she looked at the bathroom. From there, she saw that the bathroom window was a push-out one, which was slightly opened. She ran to it and pushed the window as far as possible before attempting to climb out. She saw that there was no landing outside other than the ground itself. She cursed herself again, and then she heard the door to the basement slam open.
"Where are you!" the Grabber yelled as he started throwing things around the house. Grace looked behind her before returning to the ground and climbing again. She was able to fit threw before the Grabber saw her. She hung by the edge of the window before letting herself go just as the Grabber was making his way upstairs, just missing her. She uttered a loud yelp as she hit the ground with a thud. It was loud enough to get the Grabber's attention. He ran over and looked through the window only to see Grace get up and run into the road. He growled as he ran downstairs and to the garage where his truck was got in and started to chase her.
Grace, however, didn't even bother to turn and look behind her. She looked at the road and knew it had to lead somewhere, so she kept running as fast as possible even though she was barefoot. She passed the main entrance, where a wooden fence looked like it was about to be torn down. She ran past it to where there was a main road that she now followed. She didn't bother to turn around to look to know that he was right behind her because his lights told her that he was. She tried her best to outrun his truck but knew that she didn't stand a chance considering that the car was now next to her and stopping ahead of her. She quickly turned to the thick trees and bolted as sticks and rocks cut the underpart of her feet. She wanted to stop because of the pain, but she kept running until, finally, she was tackled.
"Get off me," she cried as she tried to fight him off. He punched her and started to chock her as he angrily glared at her.
"You've been a very naughty girl." he growled at her as he started to chock her more, not allowing any air to get into her lungs "and you know naughty girls get punishment," he said as he reached for something in his pocket. Grace tried to fight him off, only to grasp his hand as he sprayed her with his spray. She gasped as she breathed some of it in, and some got into her eyes.
"Get off me, please." she cried as he squeezed harder. The Grabber growled at her as he fully got on top of her. "Please, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried as he shook her.
A snap was heard
The Grabber looked up and looked around him. He loosed his grip from around her neck and started to look around. It was dark, and he could hardly see anything, but he could tell immediately that there was no one about it. And he looked around and started noticing that the snapping was getting closer and closer until they both heard growling. The Grabber stopped and got off her but pulled her up into his arms and held her in a chokehold, and looked around into the darkness and had his eyes just slightly only to realize that there was a wolf. It wasn't just a regular dog, for it was much more significant, probably even more prominent than a bear; the Grabber looked at the wolf with slight fear before he started yelling at it.
"get out of here, get out of here, you stupid mutt," he growled out as he held Grace tighter. Grace, out of whimper, I've hit hold around her became too much. The wolf, growling, snaps his teeth at Them, and from behind it, more wolves start to appear. The black wolf seems to be the leader, for whenever the other worlds growled too much or got too close, it would snap at them, making them back up. The Grabber's eyes widened as he looked at all the wolves in front of him. He looked at the girl, then looked at the world, then threw her on the ground, making her trip and fall in front of the wild animals.
Grace fell forward, unable to hold herself up because of the scratches under her feet or see clearly because of the spray in her eyes. She stumbles forward until she finally hits the ground in front of one of the gray wolfs. She looked up in fear, only seeing a gigantic dog-like face and nothing else. The wolf sniffed at her as she tried to wipe away the spray from her eyes. Once most of it was out, she looked up into the wolf's brown eyes and froze. She wasn't expecting the wolf to be so giant. The wolf also looked at her shot for a moment, freezing up for just a second before shaking its head; the Other wolf looked at the wolf with what looked like concern. As a wolf started to shake its head more before suddenly it stopped. It looked at her with concern and then sniffed at her again.
"get out of here, you stupid mutt. You're in the way," the Grabber growled as he tried to get away, only to have another white wolf stand before him from getting to his truck. That got the gray Wolf's attention along with the other wolves. The wolf growled and slowly took a step. The girl backed away in fear, trying to crawl away only to stop as the wolf took a step over her and growled at the Grabber. Grace looked at the wolves walking past her and towards the Grabber. The Grabber looked at the wolves in fear before yelling at them and trying to spray them with his spray.
The black wolf growled before jumping at the man biting his shoulder but considering how big the wolf's mouth was, its teeth went to his chest and part of his neck. Not wanting to be next, Grace forced herself to get up and run away. All the wolves attacked the dead man as Grace ran threw the woods and to the path. From behind her, one of the wolves watched her run before letting out a howl.
Grace tried to keep her balance once she got to the road again but fell to the ground. She sobbed as she waited for the wolves to make a meal out of her, but they never came.
Instead, a car pulled up next to her. It was an old orange truck that made a lot of noise as it appeared next to her. She tried to turn her body over to see who it was and reached out, only for blackness to start settling in her vision.
"Hi, are you OK" she heard someone ask. "What happened? Can you hear me" she heard a man ask her as he reached her. He got on the ground next to her and started checking her out to ensure she was alright.
"Help..." she gasped out. She cried as the man lifted her head to check for a head wound. "Please... Help." she cried as she tried to raise her hand.
"Hi, don't strain yourself. You could end up hurting yourself even more," the man said as he looked up. "Guys over here," he called, getting more people's attention. "Hi, you're going to be OK. We are going to take you to the hospital." The man cried out. Grace just looked up at the man's face. He looks young, about to be around 20 years old, if not a little older. The man that came from behind him was shirtless, but they also looked about the same age, if not much older than him. There was only one that looked young.
"What happened here? "one of the men yelled out as he went to her side. He looked much older than the rest of the boys. Look to be around in his early 30s, if not 30, then too late 20s. He had a severe expression as he leaned next to Grace and tried to examine her like the man before him. "everyone move. Get in the car. We have to get her to the hospital now. "yelled the man; the boys instantly did as he said and got into the back of the truck, allowing the man to place grease into the backseat of his car.
The man I had found Grace pictured up of gently as he could and ran her to the back of the car, where she was placed into the hands of a worried man who instantly took her in his arms and cradled her
"don't worry, you're going to be OK. We're going to take you to the best of the best." the man said
"base… basement… help…" she started but fell unconscious. The man looked like his heart and soul almost jumped out of the girl's body and went limp in his arms.
"what? Hey, wait, hold on, don't fall unconscious. Come on, do you have to wake up "the man cried, but it was too late. She was already unconscious.