Chapter 1

I'm 18 years old now, and I wonder why he didn’t take me. The man in the woods could have easily taken me, maybe he was going to, and my father came right on time. I never told them about the man in the woods. Perhaps if I had screamed, I could have saved them. I was so stupid back then. I haven't seen Sarah, Tyler, Brad, or Katie, and ten years. Their parents kept looking up until about six years ago they said it was too hard I can only imagine how much it hurts.

“Amanda, I hope you're getting ready for bed up there and not writing,” my mom said

“I'm getting ready for bed,” I said. I put my pencil down in my book and put it to the side.

I grabbed my onesie and put it on. I looked out my window; the man was there and the open grass at the edge of the woods.

“Mom!” I screamed.

“What?” Mom yelled.

“The man. There's a man.”

My mom came into the room; it looks out the window, “There's no one there.”

“He was just there.” I looked out the window he was gone.

“Amanda got to sleep; there is no one there.”

“Mom, I'm serious.”

“Amanda, I will not repeat this. Go to sleep.”

“Mom!” I pleaded.

My mother raised her hand and slapped me.

I held my stinging face. I looked at my mother, tears coming to my eyes.

“I told you to go to sleep Amanda.” My mother walked out.

I groaned out loud.

My Mother peeped her head in, “I’m sorry, did I hear something.”

“No, Mom.”

“I thought so. Now get in the bed.”

I got in bed. After I heard Mom close her bedroom door, I walked over to the window. The man wasn’t out in the open, but I had a feeling that he was watching me.

I staked out every night, and each day the man came out a little closer to a house. One day I looked out, and he wasn't there. I thought maybe he was gone, but then the lights went out.

“Grace, did you forget to pay the electric bill again?” Dad said.

“Daniel I just paid it. Go check the circuit breaker.” Mom said.

I ran out of my room and blocked my father’s path to the stairs.

“Dad please don’t go down there.” I said.

“Mandy what’s this about?”

“The man cut the power.”

“What man?” My Dad asked.

“Amanda not this again. Daniel go ahead I'll deal with Amanda.”

My father slides past me and goes down the stairs.

My Mother looked at me her flashlight shined in my face.

“What is your problem?’ Mom asked.

“My problem? You sent Dad outside and the man is waiting for him.”

“What man?”

“The man I told you about five days ago.”

We head a piece of glass fall.

“Dad?”

There was silence then I heard my dad grunt. There was silence.

“Dad?!” I yelled.

He didn't respond.

“Daniel?” My Mother held onto me.

My father stumbled up the stairs into my room.

“Dad? What happened are you okay?”

He was holding his side; then he collapsed on the floor.

“Daniel!” My Mother rushed to him.

I looked around the room for my flashlight I found it in switched it on. My father was bleeding out on the floor.

“Dad!”

“Get an ambulance,” my Mother said frantically.

I picked up the phone to call, but it was dead. “The phone’s dead.”

“What the hell am I supposed to do with him let him bleed out?”

“Uhm, cut off the circulation and put pressure on the wound that’s what they do in the movies.”

“What are we going to cut the circulation off with?”

I looked around my room, “ I guess the sheets.”

“No, you are not going to ruin those sheets.”

“Mom we either let dad bleed out on my carpet, or we try to slow the bleeding.”

“It won’t work your father is a hemophiliac. “

“But it wouldn't hurt to try.”

The lights flicker back on I look outside the man looked up at me and blew me a kiss and ran off. I grabbed the sheets off the bed and wrapped around him as tight I could. I grabbed the phone and dialed 911.

“911 with your emergency?” The operator said.

“My father has been stabbed.”

“What's your address? I'll send dispatch right over there right away.”

“4224 Willard Ave.”

“They should be there in a few minutes alright.”

I put the phone away.

“When will they get here?”

“They said in a few minutes.”

My Mother kept putting pressure on the wound.

“If you want I can drive it to the hospital. They might take a while.”

The emergency response teams aren’t known for their quickness in the small town.

“I don't know if we should move him.” My mom said

“Mom when did he close his eyes?

“I don't know. Daniel, open your eyes stay with me Amanda is going to drive us to the hospital.”

“I'd rather die.” My father chuckled weakly.

“Can you stand?” My Mother asked.

“Possibly.” my father said.

We got my father to stand up but realized we couldn't get him down the stairs by ourselves. I ran to our neighbor’s house and basically dragged Sarah's father out of bed. When he saw my father at the top of stairs, he practically flew up there. He picked my father up and carried him on his shoulders to our car. My Mother got in the back, Sarah's father was on the passenger’s side, and I sat in the driver’s seat at sped to the hospital. The doctors immediately rush to him when we walked into the ER.

“Be careful with him,” my Mother said. He's a hemophiliac.”

My Mother was stressed all night and refused to sit down. She paced the floor like a mad woman. I called my father’s parents. They asked to speak to my Mother, but I told them that she couldn't talk because she was busy crying and pacing the floor. My father's Mother was really concerned about my Mother's health; my grandfather was more concerned with his son’s health. He asked me over, and over what happened, I don't think he could process that his son may die.

It has been an hour, and we haven't heard anything about my father. My father’s Mother tried to calm my Mother down; my grandfather asked the woman at the desk every 5 minutes if they could tell him what's going on. Eventually, someone did come out and then things got ugly. First my father's Dad, then my Mother, and then my grandmother started yelling and asking questions all at once. My angry family surrounded the doctor; I pulled him aside.

“Can you tell me was going on?” I asked.

“How old are you?” The doctor asked.

“It doesn't matter how old I am. That's my father in there, and unless you want me to return you to that angry family of mine, you will talk to me.”

“Very well, your father bled out pretty bad we need we made need you to donate blood if you are willing. Uhm there was also a note shoved into the wound, we manage to get it out.”

“What did it say?”

The doctor sighed, “It said you took her from me and now I'll take you from her. Grace you're next. Is your Mother's name Grace?”

“Yes”

Do you know who's making these threats and why?”

“Yes.”

“Who's doing it?”

“Have you heard of the kids that were kidnapped at from the woods ten years ago?”

“Yeah.”

“I was there I was about to get kidnapped, but my father grabbed me just as the man came out of the bushes.”

“Do you know where the other kids are?”

“Probably deep in the woods,” I said.

The doctor looked at me blankly. I look back at him. I walk back to my family they were arguing.

“Will all of you just be quiet please,” I said.

“What did the doctor say?” Mom asked

“Dad bled out pretty bad, so they want me to donate some blood, and they found a note in his wound.”

“What did it say?” My grandfather asked.

“It said something along the lines of you took her, so I'm taking you and Grace your next.”

“Me what did I do?” my mom said.

“I don’t know, but you’ll be fine,” I said.

“Who is this man?” My grandmother asked.

“The man who kidnapped Sarah, Brad, Tyler, and Katie.” My mom said.

“And he's after you? Why?” My grandfather looked at me.

“Because dad got me before he could grab me,” I responded.

“Why don't you just give yourself up.” My grandfather said.

“Gerald!” My grandmothers said. “He didn't mean that sweetie.”

“Yes, I did Tanya. “

“Don't get that tone with me.”

My grandparents began to argue I went to sit down by the window. There was a tap on the window. I looked out. The man was standing there with a bloody knife in his hand he was wearing a doctor’s outfit that was bloody. I turned to get my mom when I turned the back around he was gone.

“Mom!” I screamed.

She ran to me. “What's wrong Amanda?”

“He was here. He was just right there. Oh my god! Dad!” I got up and ran to the back past doctors. The doctor I had spoken to earlier grabbed me.

“No, let me go.”

“There's nothing more we can do.”

“He was here. He did this. He killed him.” I cried on the doctor.

“I know. I'm sorry, he said he was Doctor Pantelli, we check his credentials and everything. I'm sorry.”

“No! We could have saved him, right?”

“Amanda he's gone. You gotta let go.”

“Could we have saved him?” I cried. My body taken over by sobs.

The doctor placed his head on mine and hugged me.” I’m sorry Amanda. Do you want me to tell your family?”

I nod my head; we walked out his arm around me I was still crying.

My mom looked up at me. “Daniel?”

I shook my head, so mom ran to me and hugged me.

“This all your fault.” My grandfather said. “You should have given yourself up.”

“Gerald stop it right now.”

“No. If you would have given yourself up my son would be here. It's a shame that even call to a granddaughter. Not so grand, are you?”

“I've had enough of that Gerald, our son was killed by a psycho, and you're yelling at Amanda as if she did it. You will stop it now. “my grandmother said. “Amanda, it’s not your fault.”

“Yes, it is.” My grandfather said.

“Maybe you should go.” the doctor said.

“Excuse me?” My grandfather said.

“Sir, I understand that your son just died but yelling, and pointing fingers is not helping the situation.”

“Young man, have you ever had a child die?”

“My brother and Mother were murdered by my father. He was going to kill me, but I got him first I tried to save my family, and that's why I became a doctor, so I would never feel so helpless again. I may not have a child, but I lost my 6-month-old little brother whom I helped take care of so that's not losing the child a child of my own, but it’s damn near close enough.”

My grandfather stayed quiet.

“Awe you poor thing.” my grandmother said.

“It’s alright now. The wound healed over time.”

“What happened to your father?” I asked.

“I hit him in the back of the head with a bat. I played baseball back then, so I hit his head I was going for a home run. I knocked him out. Pretty sure he had a concussion for a few months. He's in jail now.”

“Oh,” I said.

“Yeah, I was just getting home from baseball practice, and I found him standing over their bodies.”

“I'm so sorry,” I said.

“All that hardship made me something, but will this make you?”