Rules for disappearing
by Witness Protection prisoner #18A7R04M:
Know what you’re getting into before you get into it.
New rule by Anna Boyd:
You can’t always know what you’re getting into, but you can sure as hell find out as much as you can once you’re there.
I hear my name but I can’t lift my head. There’s no feeling in my arms—the only thing I’m sure of is they’re stuck behind my back.
The ground bounces. My face slams down hard and my cheek explodes in agony.
“Anna, open your eyes,” a voice whispers.
I can’t. They’re so heavy. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth and it’s hard to swallow.
“Anna.”
My face hurts. I try to open my mouth and pain slices through my cheek. Something taps my knee. It won’t stop.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I shake it off but it just comes right back.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I peel one eye open. It’s dark.
Slam. My head hits the ground again. I moan but I’m not sure if the sound actually leaves my lips.
The tapping turns into a kick.
“Anna.” The whispering gets louder. Ethan. A wave crashes over me—scenes of Ethan and Teeny dropping to the ground surge through my brain. Oh God. And Thomas.
He’s back.
I try to roll over but my arms are dead behind me. Twitching my head, the damp hair covering my face falls to the side, and I try to focus on where I am. I’m inside the back of a truck or van. My clothes are wet and I’m cold. Really cold.
Slam. Again my head nails the floor. Tears burn my eyes and I’m afraid my cheekbone may be broken.
“Anna.”
I tilt my head up and find Ethan’s face a few feet from mine. He’s stuck in the same position—he’s on his stomach, hands bound behind his back.
“Are you okay?”
I pry my tongue loose and croak out, “No. I hurt.”
I run through a mental inventory of my body. Not only is the pain in my cheek excruciating, but it surges through my shoulders, hip bones, and knees as well. Every time this truck hits a bump or hole in the road, my entire body slams down on the metal surface.
Teeny! Where is Teeny? I rotate my head around until I get a glimpse of the top of her head. She’s on my other side, but I can’t make out if she’s tied up or not.
I swivel back around to Ethan.
“Where…” It hurts so bad to talk.
Ethan inches toward me; it takes forever, but finally he gets close enough that our foreheads barely touch. The contact with him overwhelms me and I start to cry.
