short skates

i can feel a cough
a deep stunted struggling
inside my chest, filling up my throat
like an animal, caged and dangerous
ready to ignite this fuse, explode

like a sail boat with no sails
no wind to push me
no ruder left to steer me
no stars to guide me
no one to hear me
no life vest to save me

a face on a light post
enabling the entertainers
startling the suspects
angering the innocent
propagating paranoia
rioting the rebellious
all to solve a problem

let me hold your hand
grasp just tight enough
to ensure i'm here
to run away forever
through sunflower fields
and shady groves
to reach that new beginning
where the grass has no fear

Chapter 5

The van sped down highway 4. Annie tried to open her eyes but they felt heavy, as if her eyelids had become small weights. She could hear rapid talking from the front of the van and a somewhat inconsistent breathing from someone near her in the back. Her head was spinning and she felt sick; mostly from the throbbing she felt at the base of her skull. The van continued bouncing along and each bump seemed to jolt her in the most uncomfortable way. She tried to make out what the men were saying but she couldn't maintain consciousness and passed out again. Annie woke with a thud that sent a pain through her back. She had been pulled by her feet out of the van and landed squarely on her back on a hard floor. She opened her eyes and was nearly blinded by the intense light from above her.

"Don't hurt her you imbecile."

"Sorry Sir."

"Annie? Annie can you hear me? Wake up dear."

She opened her eyes just enough to see a face about 3 inches from her own.

She struggled for words. "Who are you?"

It became apparent to the man standing above her that she was struggling to open her eyes.

"Turn off those bloody lights already, he barked."

The lights were dimmed almost immediately and Annie was able to blink a few times and finally fully open her eyes. Her eyes took a moment to focus and once they did she saw a man standing above her, apparently the one in charge and barking the commands. She recognized him. He had a somewhat round face with dark eyebrows and hair. She knew she had seem him somewhere but couldn't remember where. She started going through every dark corner of her brain in hopes that the memory would put a name with the face she was now seeing. However, her mental exercise was interrupted.

"Annie, you know why you are here right? Your husband, Jack, has something very important to us. The technology he invented belongs to us but he doesn't seem to believe that. You see, he is trying to maintain involvement for the next 18 months and that simply can't be allowed. He is also holding back a key portion of the code that we need. We really didn't want to have to do it this way but this is a sticky situation and my hands are tied. Things are turning desperate. And you know what they say about desperate times right?

He laughed to himself. A very obnoxious loud laugh.

"So thanks for coming with us Annie. Don't worry one bit....we feel confident that Jack will do the right thing. Smile!"

The man pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of her. When he moved the phone away she got another look at him and she nearly lost her breath. She recognized him as one who had sat at the same table as her and David at a special dinner they had attended in DC. She didn't want to believe it but she was pretty confident that there, standing over her, was the United States Deputy Secretary of Defense.

The Contract - Chapter 4

If you haven't read chapters 1-3 yet, please start HERE.

Chapter 4

As David approached the house, he noticed that the garage door was open. So was the front door. This became even more alarming when David realized that he couldn't see a single light on inside the house. He quickly jogged up the steps to the front door. His eyes had pretty well adjusted to the darkness from the walk. He saw that the coffee table was overturned and the lamp was broken to pieces all over the carpet. David's heart began beating quickly as he stepped toward the light switch. Nothing. He swore again. This time it was barely audible due to the fear that was gripping around his mind like a vice grip. He ran into the kitchen and noticed the stove was still on high and a pot of stew was boiling over onto the range top and down the front of the oven. He quickly turned the burner off, somehow managing to not burn his hand in the process. Then he saw something that made his stomach churn. He couldn't contain it and barely turned in time to throw up all over the kitchen sink. There on the counter, barely visible through the moonlight coming through the sliding back doors, were strewn the internal remains of some sort of animal. David was able to regain composure, retrieve a flashlight from the pantry, and return to the disturbing site. He saw a piece of paper sticking out from the mess. He gingerly reached for it and turned the paper over. Then he read the words that for 17 years he had feared would one day resurface. "Hi Jack, we found you."

Okay readers, I need your help. I want you to suggest in the comments what you think should come next. Who is Jack and what is going on here?