AG01 - Washed Away by Jack Parker

he taking me and how do I get home without freezing to death…
    The temperature had been steadily dropping since that morning and Alexa knew that her coat would not be proper protection against the fierce Missouri winds and snow. Her main thought was survival…
I can take whatever he dishes out; I just have to stay with it long enough to get away.
    She lay as quietly as possible, hoping to calm her stomach and headache. It wasn't long after she awoke that Bob began slowing the car. She thought they were about to stop, so she tried to raise her head and see out the window, but Bob spotted her movement.
    "Stay down or you will regret it," he hissed fiercely and held up a gun.
    Alexa didn't respond, but lay back down in the seat. It had been too dark to see anything of the terrain, except lots of snow. Any hope of escaping to a nearby house or store had been squashed when she saw no lights through the car window. They were traveling a country road where there were no streetlights, so they must have left Neosho by now. She didn't know how long she had been unconscious, but from the very little she remembered about chloroform, its anesthetizing effects were not overly long-term – around thirty minutes on average.
    This gave her food for thought.
If he tied me up immediately after I passed out, and put me in his car that would have taken about ten minutes. Then we have been on the road for about twenty minutes. Lots of time to find a good hiding place in or around Neosho, if we're even still in Missouri.
    Due to the weather conditions, Bob did not make very good time on the road, but he knew exactly where he was going. He had visited this spot so many times, that it was not even funny. He had been hiking in these mountains several years back when he had spotted this perfect little hideout. Of course, back then, he hadn't thought he would ever need such a place, but it had been fun to explore. So, explore he did – he came here at least once a month and spent the whole weekend walking around, noting streams and caves; he had even made a little map to keep in his backpack in case he got lost.
    He knew that when the police began looking for him, they would check his house first. Of course, they would find nothing to lead them here, and even though his girlfriend knew about this place, she had been here only twice and was still out of town. She wouldn't arrive in time for the police to catch up with him. He would be long gone before they figured it out.
    His cutoff was very close, only a few more miles.
I love a good mystery, and this plot is playing out just right,
he thought to himself. Just then, he saw his cutoff and turned the wheel sharply to the left. Snow was camouflaging the lane that led to his hideout, but he thought he could make the last half-mile without too much trouble. He needed to get a fire started and warm up the place – as much as was possible in such weather. Lucky for him, he had stocked the place with firewood and food last weekend, not knowing he would need it so soon.
    He pulled the car up next to the porch of the dilapidated log house and looked in the back seat. He knew Alexa was conscious, but so far she had stayed quiet.
Probably planning her escape,
he thought.
    "You stay put until I am ready to get you out of the car. Do you understand? I will use this gun without the slightest provocation. Don't give me a reason." This he said while pointing the gun right at her head, his eyes filled with a venom that Alexa didn't understand.
    Alexa nodded, but looked him straight in the eyes. She had to show him she was not afraid or he would use it to his advantage. He got out and slammed the door. She breathed a sigh of relief. She had not been blinked while he had threatened her.
I can make it through this – God will help me,
she thought.
    It wasn't long before Bob came back for her. He opened the car door and grabbed her bound feet to pull her out. He set her feet down, pulled her the rest of the way out of