There are a myriad of ways to bring a person down, be it lethal or not. One could outsmart them, outrun them, push them, pull them, beat them, or trip them. That is only to name a few of what I could have done, of what I should have done.

But isn’t it funny? All of this vanishes, just like that, when the one you love, the person you wake up for every day, is held at gun point. And the man holding that person at gun point has to be the bad guy, doesn’t he?

Chapter 1

The light was surprisingly painful to not only my eyes, but to my right arm and buttocks as well. After contemplating this while my body felt like it was being dragged, beaten, then tied up, I realized that the light was an explosion. I think I may have smiled as I came across the revelation before sliding under the veil of blackness, letting my eyelids gently close until unconsciousness ascertained its peaceful control over my body.

I awoke to find that I had indeed been dragged down a hall to a closet, beaten all over, and tied around the wrists and ankles. The magnanimous explosion had made my hearing all but disappear and my eyes see small but numerous white spots anywhere I looked. I surveyed the cramped closet I had been carelessly dumped in. It was unbearably stuffy, my head was being driven into the corner of a shelf by some heavy object resting against my back, and I had an itch just out of reach of my bound arms.

I liked it.

It gave me a chance to recount what exactly had happened in the last twenty minutes.

I was sitting in my hard and edgy desk, trying to listen to my teacher’s monotonous voice as she gave some lesson on contemporary politics. I had been pretending to listen to this woman for the last hour, so I pretty much had it down pat. I remember looking over to Amy, and smiling. The smile itself wasn’t so alien; it was the feelings that caused it.

Every time I see her, it’s like I’m a blind man seeing the sun for the first time. In no way is she the most attractive girl I’ve ever seen, but she is the most beautiful in an ungodly amount of ways. She is indescribable, an amazing girl that’s helped me get through the day many times. Fortunately, we had been dating for a year.

After I reluctantly let my gaze float back to the teacher, the light appeared. It was an explosion, I’m sure of it, but I didn’t hear it. It was like my hearing and eyesight disappeared. And now here I am, with my face shoved against the shelf and this really heavy object plopped down on my back.

The closet was starting to get a little too cramped as I realized the thing on my back was breathing. I couldn’t turn my head to see what it was so I just lay there in fear. Suddenly the thing spoke.

“Ugh. What the hell? Where am I?”

I knew that voice from anywhere. That would be my best friend, Dunham. He sits right beside me in History; it makes sense he would be stuck in here with me. Of course, he weighs in at about 250 pounds. I started complaining to nobody in particular why he has to weigh so much when I realized that he can’t be small. That would be convenient. Let’s just say I’m not the luckiest guy around. I decided to let him keep talking to himself until he noticed me.

“Ouch, crap. I can’t see anything. What the, who’s under me? Small Fry, is that you?”

What a loving friend.

“Yes, Dunham, it’s me.”

“Are we in a closet?”

“No, Dunham, this is Candy Land. We’re both in the Chocolate Forest. And that thing you’re laying on? It’s not actually me; it’s a Cotton Candy Cloud.”

“Shut up, dude. Why are we in a closet?”

Even though that may have been the most stupid question he’s asked yet, I decided to answer without sarcasm. “I don’t know. After the explosion I felt myself being dragged down here, but then I blacked out. Maybe we…” I was cut short by the door slinging open and banging against my shins. As I stifled a yell, I looked up into the face of the man who opened the door.

I was transfixed. His eyes, the eyes of devilish nightmares, were drilling into my own with a look of such hatred and repulsiveness I almost averted my gaze. He grabbed me by my arm and one of my legs and threw me into the hallway. Throwing Dunham isn’t really possible, so he just grabbed his feet and dragged him, facedown, beside me. I then watched as another mysterious man kicked Dunham in the head. I could tell he went unconscious instantly.

Then it was my turn. I tried to roll with the kick and pretend to be unconscious, but the force of the blow snapped my neck back, sending my head slamming against the wall. Once again, I slipped under the darkness and comfort of unconsciousness.